Remington 788 triggers

howler243

New member
Has anyone on here had any expirence with an after market trigger for a Remington 788. If so what company made it? And also can these triggers be adjusted, Ive heard it takes a gunsmith?
 
Howler I just recently put a timney trigger on my 788.It is set at the factory as per your preference I got mine at 2 Lbs.It pins on just like the old trigger.I had to do a little sanding on the stock for the safty but no big deal.Now where you could run into trouble is the 788 has a tang that the trigger assembly pins to. and they are prone to breaking off.Mine was broken off but I fixed it by drilling and tapping the receiver and putting a screw in then filing it to the shape of the tang.its not to hard to do just make sure you get your holes center punched correctly.
 
I sent mine to a Custom Rifle Maker in Texas. For $50 he makes it totally adjustable like a 700 trigger. PM me if you're interested, I'll shoot you his name and number.
 
I trimmed the spring on mine. Made a world of difference. Not benchrest grade, but I think if I do some polisheing as well, this will make the crappy factory one very acceptable.
 
I've put in lighter springs and did some polishing on several 788 triggers. I can get the pull down to around 3 pounds, which is great for a hunting rifle. BUT, the problem I see with a 788 trigger assembly is not the trigger, it's the safety, it doesn't have a very positive catch. It's very easy to accidentally bump it to the off position. I put Timneys on my 22-250 and .308 just for that reason. The safety is much more dependable on the Timney.
 
Originally Posted By: howler243Has anyone on here had any expirence with an after market trigger for a Remington 788. If so what company made it? And also can these triggers be adjusted, Ive heard it takes a gunsmith?

Timney is the only trigger maker building a replacement trigger for the Rem 788.
I'm posting what info I have on "fixing" the factory trigger. I did one according to the info below, and I had Brian Voelker in Iowa, a gunsmith, do another. They are not an easy fix.

Remington 788- Trigger Modification



Several months back a Rifle reader suggested using a 540X Remington trigger on the 788 Remington rifle to improve the trigger pull. This sounds great and if it would work, could provide an economical remedy to an obvious deficiency. However, the design of the 540X trigger eliminates it from consideration for it appears too weak for the 788, the sear won’t clear without modification, and the safety and bolt release won’t work.

However, a few simple modifications to the basic 788 trigger assembly will convert it into a reliable, safe, functional assembly that will adjust to approximately 10-12 ounces, provide safe sear engagement, and the safety will work – which makes it suitable for precision varminting or target work such as the NBRSA Hunter Class, where a safety is required.

First, remove the trigger from the rifle by relaxing the locking screw and driving out the retainer pin. Completely strip the trigger of all levers, pins, springs, etc. To function consistently there must be no binding of any of the parts, and friction should be reduced to a minimum. If necessary, lap the pins and levers with lapping compound (clean thoroughly after lapping), remove all mill marks from the levers, and completely de-burr the casting. With these chores out of the way we’re now ready to make the necessary modifications for a lighter, more consistent pull and let-off.

As the drawing shows, in the standard 788 trigger a single spring serves for both sear engagement tension and trigger pull tension. Although inexpensive to manufacture, and suitable for hunting, the disadvantage is that fairly heavy tension must be applied to the sear to assure striker engagement while trigger tension must be light if a light pull is to be obtained. Except for the considerable differences stemming from leverage, the single spring exerts equal pressure; there is no safe means of adjustment, for shortening the spring to reduce trigger tension would also reduce necessary sear tension.

In essence, the modification consists of separating sear tension and trigger tension by the addition of a second spring, plus adding a sear engagement adjustment. In the modified version the sear spring drives only the sear; the shortened spring now seats on the shank of the sear engagement adjustment screw rather than on the trigger lever. Trigger lever tension is now applied by the new spring, which bears against the front of the trigger lever. The strength of the spring and amount of tension applied by the screw control trigger pull once the sear engagement has been set.

Using the suggested dimensions from the drawing, locate, drill and tap the casting for the sear engagement and trigger pressure screws. The use of expensive equipment to modify the screws isn’t necessary. Simply chuck the screws in a ¼-inch drill and file the ends to the proper size. Selecting the trigger pressure spring will be the toughest chore. Choose a very light spring at a spring supplier or gunsmith and file the 6-32 screw to fit the spring. Then carefully epoxy the spring to the screw; if necessary to substitute the spring, application of heat (about 300 degrees) will break the epoxy bond.

The sear spring must be shortened to compensate for the new spring seat. If you have a vernier or depth mike, measure the distance to the original seat and shorten the spring accordingly for the new one. It’s very important to stone and polish the sear surfaces without rounding the corners. All polish and stone marks must run from breech to muzzle. Any cross marks will affect the action of the trigger.

Reassemble the trigger and lightly lube the pin fulcrums. Then install it on your rifle. Insert the bolt in the action and cock the rifle; push the safety to the “on” position and we’re ready to adjust our work of art. Screw in the sear engagement adjustment screw until the trigger lever touches the safety button. Stop. This is the minimum sear engagement attainable to assure operation of the safety. Next you’ll want to move the safety to the “off” position and adjust the trigger spring for the lighest possible let-off that will assure safe operation. Depending upon the spring you selected, the trigger should let-off in the 10 to 12-ounze range.

This simple trigger modification gave me a lot of satisfaction and a large sense of accomplishment. While the trigger probably won’t compare with a $40 Canjar, it’s safe, reliable, and it works.

Article written by Paul Dorsey.



Trigger-Rem788Mod.jpg




Trigger-Rem788.jpg

 
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Originally Posted By: 2GunnerMartyn4802,

I copied and pasted the info to a word doc to add to my info library. Hope you dont mind?

B

Go for it!!!
That's why I posted it, for everone who is interested to save as you did.
Over the years, I've read other guys 788 trigger fixes, but they are basically all the same as the one I posted.
Incidentally, the 788 trigger is the same as in the Rem 580 series of 22 RF rifles.
 
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