Thompson/Center (T/C) introduced the new Venture rifle at the 2009 SHOT Show. The Venture is designed to be an affordable rifle at only $499 MSRP (street price less), yet it offers the same T/C quality enthusiasts have found in their other firearms.
The Venture is available in four popular calibers: .270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, 30-06, and .300 Win Mag.
The T/C Venture has an externally adjustable trigger, allowing the user to tweak the pull to 3-5 lbs. A factory tool is included with the rifle so the user can adjust the pull.
The Venture does not ship with sights or a scope as some other rifles at this price point do. However, the T/C does come with Weaver-style bases mounted to make it very easy to drop your favorite scope into place.
The stock is a composite stock in a sporter-style with textured grip panels.
T/C guarantees the Venture will shoot MOA groups (1″ at 100 yards.) Recently, Massad Ayoob posted in his blog that the 30-06 version of the Venture was shooting sub-MOA groups with the right ammunition.
T/C claims that the great accuracy in the Venture comes, in part, from the match grade barrel. The barrel is tapered with a match grade crown. T/C uses 5R rifling, which they claim “increases shooting stability and reduces fouling.”
T/C offers a lifetime warranty on the Venture. Â That means if you have problems with the rifle, the company will stand behind their product. Â To many people, including myself, this is an important aspect to purchasing a rifle.
Venture Features:
- weight – 7.5 lbs
- overall length – 43″
- length of pull – 13.5″
- action type – ‘fat bolt design’ with 60 degree lift
- barrel – 24″ tapered, match grade with 5R button rifling
- sights – none, Weaver-style bases installed
- stock – composite
- magazine – single stack, three round detachable
- safety – two position
- calibers – .270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, 30-06, .300 Win Mag
The Venture is now shipping.
I just recently had shoulder surgery , I need to know how bad the recoil is on the 7mm or 300 . I was going to buy the rugger 300 till a friend told me about you . The rugger has a built in limbbsaver to reduce the recoil , do you have the same on your gun ? I do not know anyone with a t/c rifle therefore i do not have anyone to ask . I know just going on a person word ( especially a sales person ) can put you in a bad position . buy the gun like a savage or the remington 710 and brang it home and it jars ur teeth out of your head , with my shoulders I cannot do that , So anything you have about this gun please let me know ,. Thanks
Hi Richard,
Sorry to hear about the shoulder surgery; I hope all heals well and soon.
I do not own one of these rifles. The above post was just a report of the announcement of the T/C ‘value priced’ rifle. I have a friend at work who likes his (in 30-06 if I remember right). He hasn’t said anything about felt recoil, so I assume it is no better or worse than similar rifles.
I don’t know what you are shooting, but obviously the 7mm Mag and 300 Mag are stout cartridges. If your hunting/shooting allow, consider looking at a less punishing cartridge.
Another option is to look at some after-market solutions to reducing recoil. For example the Knoxx rifle stocks from BLACKHAWK! claim to reduce recoil up to 75%.
Good luck,
Richard
IF YOU LIKE THE VENTURES THEY ARE NOW OFFERED IN SHORT ACTIONS LIKE 308 AND 7MM08. T/C RELEASED THESE EARLY THEY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE RELEASED UNTIL 2010. BUT T/C LET THEM OUT EARLY NOT ALOT OF DEALERS HAVE THEM BUT THEY ARE OUT THERE.
Terry,
Thanks for taking the time to post the information!
Richard
If anyone would happen to know the price of the T/C venture in a .308 caliber I would like to know because Im looking forward to a deer hunt in Texas with my father thanks and let me know if u have any information
499.99 they all come with a limbsaver type recoil pad.
I just got my T/C Venture .300 Winmag (new). I put 37 rounds through it using a Leupold VX3 3.5-10X40. Rifle was bore sited when I picked it up, It took me 5 rounds to get it sighted in @ 200 yards on the bull. The 6th round I nailed a penny @ 200 yards. Graduated up to 644 yards and nailed a 12″ 1/4 inch steel plate disc with the scope still sited in at 200 yards. I was using Core Lokt 150 grain for the purpose of sighting in the gun, but using Hornady GMX 150 grain for the hunt.
After 37 rounds my shoulder couldn’t take it anymore, but show me any other .300 winmag that you think you can put 37 rounds through in a matter of 3 hours and not have a dead shoulder.
This gun is the most comfortable gun I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. It is BY FAR the most accurate. I had no ejection problems, or any other problems for that matter. Keep in mind, I gave the gun a 10 minute “cool down” period after every 4 shots. I have cleaned it since then and I am going to shoot it again in 4 days to see how it does before deer season. If you are in the market for a .300 winmag, I HIGHLY suggest you give this gun some SERIOUS consideration.
i picked up a venture in 30/06 with rebate for $350.00 a pretty good deal. the first shot out of a cold bbl was always 2-3 inches high left. after that it would put 5 shots under an inch at 100 yards.let it cool down and first shot again a flyer.being a gunsmith for 30 years i took a look at the bedding of the stock and found a blob of melted plastic in the bbl channel. it also looks as this rifle is supposed to be piller bedded (not sure though) but the pillers were partially covered with the plastic stock material.i called t c and they said to send rifle back and i would get it back in 2 or 3 months. with hunting season just a round the corner this wasnt doable. i took my foredom and removed the plastic blob and this free floated the bbl and really help bring the first shot in with the others. after hunting season was over i contacted tc about the availability of a wood or laminate stock for this rifle and was told nothing available or in the pipeline.he wanted to know why i was unhappy with the plastic stock and i told him what i had done and was told i violated the warranty there was nothing he could do for me.no big deal,i decided to glass bed the action and put in a bbl pressure point,(as in weatherby rifles) and if you have ever done this on these plastic stocks it is a real pain in the butt.when finished the rifle is now properly bedded and you can cover a 5 shot group @100 yards with a dime. no cold bbl problems .not bad for a $350.00 rifle.i sent pictures to tc of the bedding and the groups and got no reply. my phone calls go unanswered. to bad what smith and wesson has done to the once fine customer service of tc.the funny thing is i have been calling them to try and buy a plastic grip cap for an old contender. one final note i recently bought an icon wood stock model in 243 this thing is really nice and very well made. the changeable bolt handle is kind of neat and i found they interchange with the venture bolts. that dont advertise this option for the ventures.
I’m very interested in how you did your bedding job? What bedding compound did you use? Where did you place the barrel pressure point? With the stock on these how did you accomplish it?
Dick Sporting Goods has the T/City Venture for (ready for this ?) $319.00 That’s pretty impressive for a guaranteed MOA rifle. And it’s just my opinion but a .243, 7mm-08, .270, 308, and or a .30-06 will work just fine without breaking your shoulder unless you’re gonna hunt Grizzly’s or Water Buffalo. If know it’s not the proper cartridge. But I’ve killed hundreds of deer and hogs with a .22-250 Rem. 700 BDL Varmint special. But I could shoot a dime at 300 yards, pretty much every time. Hence the ability to use one of the previous mentioned calibers, with the accuracy of the T/C Venture.