I've killed most of my deer and pigs with a 788 in .308 Win. It's been a good rifle but I don't suggest you buy one.

The advantage to the design is the fast lock time which helps with accuracy but there's potentially several problems. So far so good on mine but here's what I don't like:
> The original birch stock on 788s have no checkering and a poor finish. I've replaced mine with one from Boyd's
> The magazine can rattle in its well and is not flush. Extra magazines can be hard to find.
> The safety has a screw that can ease out enough to make the slider along the receiver get moved to Fire if slightly bumped. Before you know it, you're walking around in an unsafe condition.
> The factory trigger breaks clean but is heavy. The pull on mine is 5 to 5.5 lbs and it's not adjustable.

Here's what I've read:

> The 788's were produced from 1967 to 1983 so you run the chance of getting one with a worn out barrel
> The bolt handles are soldiered on and have been known to break off if roughly used
> The extractor is small and can cause problems if not kept clean

My advice is to pass on the 788 and look at new .243s such as the Ruger American Predator. That way you'll get an adjustable trigger, flush-fit mag, and threaded barrel.