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Remington 788 .308 can't remove bolt

Duck E
I was cleaning my 788 last night and i was trying to remove the bolt. the bolt rotates and pulls back in a smooth motion, but when i push the safety forward and try to remove the bolt from the receiver, it wont let go. i cant seem to figure out what the problem is. any suggestions?
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10 comments

Date Votes
  • TANK78Z
    WELCOME TO THE FORUMS,
    Most probably there is dried up "Gunk" freezing up the small parts. I would remove the barreled action from the stock setting it upside down [ trigger up] and use a spray can of gun cleaner to soak the trigger area and safety . let stand 5 min. and repeat. now try to remove bolt. if this does not work, an over night soaking of this same area might help. if you have Kroil for the overnight soak all the better. Bob
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  • Duck E
    doesnt seem to be working.


    i forgot to mention that the safety does move forward and back easily. i guess it may not be going all the way forward.
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  • castcat
    I think you have to pull the trigger to the rear
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  • Duck E
    pull the trigger to the rear? i dont think so, and i believe i tried that also. ill go try again


    *edit* tried that, didnt work
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  • 5mmgunguy
    I have a Rem 788 too. It is in 223 Rem. I just love the rifle, paid 100 dollars and it shoots 3/8 groups at 100 yards! Now to your issue. You do not need to pull the trigger. Open the bolt. Push forward on the safety, it will move forward and then hit a firm stop, now pull the bolt out the back. Don't pull the bolt rearward until you push the safety forward. It will come out unless something is broken. It works the same as the Rem 580 and 590 series. If that doesn't work take it to a gunsmith, something isn't right.
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  • dfletcher
    quote:Originally posted by 5mmgunguy
    I have a Rem 788 too. It is in 223 Rem. I just love the rifle, paid 100 dollars and it shoots 3/8 groups at 100 yards! Now to your issue. You do not need to pull the trigger. Open the bolt. Push forward on the safety, it will move forward and then hit a firm stop, now pull the bolt out the back. Don't pull the bolt rearward until you push the safety forward. It will come out unless something is broken. It works the same as the Rem 580 and 590 series. If that doesn't work take it to a gunsmith, something isn't right.


    I had a 22-250 years age & a recent 788 "re-convert", picked up a 7-08 carbine still in the 1980 Remington box - too bad they didn't honor the $129.00 price tag but I did OK. Great shooter, very accurate.

    Took me a sec to remember how to get the bolt out, but to clarify on the above, with the bolt to the rear, push the safety lever forward and keep it forward, then retract the bolt.

    The safety lever actuates a spring powered plunger from under the action, with the action removed from the stock he should be able to see it function. If it is not working properly he can pull down on the plunger manually and the bolt can be removed, but obviously the thing would have to be repaired.
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  • Duck E
    The safety has been pushed forward. i have removed the bolt many times in the past with no problems. now it just seems like it is stuck.


    is this the plunger? i dont want to go pulling on anything and breaking it.

    CIMG8950-1.jpg







    *edit* ok, so i gave it a few taps and tugs with a pair of pliers. the safety moves forward farther now, feels like it was gunked up. it seems like it is activating the plunger, but the bolt till wont come out....
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  • 5mmgunguy
    Yes that is it. When you push forward on the safety you will see the plunger get pushed downward. Have you had any trigger work done on the rifle?

    If you can't get it fixed the good news is you can get a replacement trigger...I might even have a spare...would have to look.
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  • Duck E
    Thank you very much for your help.



    yeah, the safety wasnt activating the plunger. i had to use a pair of pliers.



    so i got it out, then put it back in to try and figure it out again to see if it is a consistent problem. put it back it, got stuck again(not as bad this time) and when trying to pull it out, something rattles its way out. a small tiny piece of broken metal. bolt came out again and i looked inside and it was the head of the plunger.


    so that was the problem, the head broke off, and i think it was jamming it.




    And no, i havent had a trigger job done on it. it is my dads old rifle, and he is the shoot and stow type. just throws the guns in the safe after he uses em. i dont think his guns ever saw a cleaning unless some on else did it, until i got a hold of them.




    so now i need to see if you can still find replacement parts..... any suggestions?
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  • 5mmgunguy
    Check with gunparts.com...If that doesn't work you may have to replace the whole trigger.
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