scope for a 788 in .243

I had one that looked like it had been through the Indian Wars it was so beat up in my earliest days of yote hunting and jack rabbit sniping.

I shot a load of Win 760 and the 60g Sierra HP, velocity was right at 3700 fps and shot less than 1/2" in mine.

243's are notorious for case stretch on close to max loads, and Jack is right, there is some bolt flex on Max loads that you would not see on a cartridge like a 222 and 223 in the 788.

RCBS X dies that eliminates case stretch on full length sizing would be the first item that I would buy after a scope. No doubt, the 788 is one whale of an accurate rifle in 243. Replace the trigger spring with an .068 ink pen spring and you have a wonderful trigger to boot. Bed and free float the barrel and you should expect 3/8" groups(keep the copper out of the barrel).
 
I've been shooting my 788 .243 since the mid-'70's, reloading for it for the last ten years. Have never had a problem, but, then again, I've never tried to blow it up by overloading it.

Originally, it came with a 4X on it. Shot it that way for a year or two, then switched it out for Tasco 3-9X. Served me well for several years, but got replaced about ten years ago with a Bushnell Sportview 4-12X40. Love it. I think this one will stay.
 
Originally Posted By: dpenrodjust picked up a decent little remington 788 in .243 suggestions for a decent, not break the bank scope for this rifle? mostly gonna be a coyote gun with the occasional deer thrown in. looking at the mueller apv. for $114 looks like it'd be tough to beat.

I'd pass on the Mueller. Get a Weaver Classic 3-9x38 or 2-10x38. You'll be happy you did. Great scopes for the $.......
 
Originally Posted By: Jack RobertsThere is nothing wrong with the 788 action. It is great but you can not load it to real high pressures. Stick to reasonable pressures and you will have no problems.

We can argue about why, but pretty much everybody agrees that it should not be overlosded.

Jack

Amen. Nothing at ALL wrong with the 788 action. I've been shooting my M788 in .243Win since '78, handloading for it since '96, and have never had a problem. Of course, I have never pushed the limits by exceeding the loads in the manuals, either. I always keep my loads under the maximum, but that's mainly because my 788 performs better at those levels. I start around the mid-range loads, working up until I find the performance dropping off, then load at the best performance level because that's what I'm after - performance, not speed.
 


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