Rat Rifle is finished

les said:
So does one ever just leave things alone? The 788 is a shooter! That "Rat" stock is cracked and epoxied together. I'm not convinced that I really want to hunt with like it is. I don't own a gun that isn't hunt capable. So, do I put all the effort into the Maple blank I have been working on or just buy a stock from Boyd's? I really like the Bell and Carlson that I have on my Tikka. Do I pay to get it cleaned up and either re-blued or cerekoted? Or do I buy some Cerakote C-Series and do it myself? I have the equipment. Or do I just leave it alone? I still have load development to do, but I have a nice accuracy node with 47.5 grains of Benchmark and the 124g HH. Note: The Rat Rifle has a gain twist barrel so this may be way too hot of a load for a standard barrel. I'm averaging 3218 fps with a standard deviation of 8 and half inch groups at a hundred yards. Still no pressure signs so I'll have to build another ladder.
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I have two levers in life. There is "lever A" and then there is "lever B". I can never just "lever B."
 
The 788 was one of Remington's greatest mistakes (greatest, as in really good!). The rear locking lugs and extremely fast lock time created a rifle that routinely outshot their premium ADL/BDL rifles! I have one in 243 AI on it's 5th barrel. I originally used it to shoot Hunter Class BR and for score. It acquitted itself very well!
Yes they' plain and border on ugly, but they shoot Very well. I'd buy another and have it customized in a heartbeat if I still shot medium sized cartridges.
Enjoy and cherish it! It's a shooter:D
 
gltaylor said:
The 788 was one of Remington's greatest mistakes (greatest, as in really good!). The rear locking lugs and extremely fast lock time created a rifle that routinely outshot their premium ADL/BDL rifles! I have one in 243 AI on it's 5th barrel. I originally used it to shoot Hunter Class BR and for score. It acquitted itself very well!
Yes they' plain and border on ugly, but they shoot Very well. I'd buy another and have it customized in a heartbeat if I still shot medium sized cartridges.
Enjoy and cherish it! It's a shooter:D
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I was looking through my old loading books and I found a note that stated, "go back to the gun shop and buy the other 788 in 6mm Rem". I did go back but it had already been sold. I still want to find one. This was in 1984 and the gun was out of production by then.
 
Yes it's is a 9 lug. I called Boyd. They don't make a left-hand stock. I had to cancel my order. So my "Rat" gun is going to become a "Rad" gun. It just shoots too good to not make it look nice. Since Boyd doesn't make a stock, I guess I'll just have to finish my Maple Stock. I'm also going to do something about the rust. I'm weighing my options. In my searching for stuff I did find a 788 left hand in 6mm Remington that they want a grand for! Too much!
 
I have also seen a couple of 788's come through auctions up here in Canada and have even bid on a couple of them. I even broke my own rules and went $350 over my limit but still missed the gun by at least $500
 
UPDATE AND I NEED HELP! Boyd doesn't make a left had stock for the 788, so I canceled. Ok, I have two deer tags this year. I've been playing with the new tipped 154 HHT and the 151 AH. The build was designed around a 140 grain mono bullet, and I have also been working on loads with the 137HH. So do I go heavy? Do I stick with the original design and go with the 137 or do I go light with the 124. I found a good accuracy node with the 124 at 3218 fps. I'm going to work on the maple stock over the summer. It needs to go from rat to rad!
 
Muddyboots said:
Ok, am I the only older than dirt that thought "rat rifle"? Oh yeah, my old Glenfield Mod 60 with flashlight taped onto it to shoot rats at local dump at night?
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Mine was a red Ryder, duct tape, trashy old plastic flashlight that probably took d sized batteries. Thing stoned the rats that lived in the old equipment out at the ranch. I was probably 11-12 yrs old.
 
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