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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 459
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Campfire Member
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OK back to budget rifles. I had a gift card and the store had a sale and tc had a rebate so this weekend I bought a tc compass for 189 bucks. Will let you know it does. I dismissed them based on looks and price until I held one and examined closer, it's basically a venture with a cheaper stock and better magazine. Cheap looking stock but it's stiff and fits me. Rotary mag that holds 5 and is better designed than the American from ruger. Crisp trigger designed like the old winchesters. A real recoil pad. Threaded for suppressor, 3 lug bolt, 5r rifling for those of you who like that.
Shaking my head. 189 bucks for any rifle is pretty good but this one could be dropped into a nice walnut stock and most would think it's a 700 dollar gun. Nice design and accidental good timing on my part.
Like a lot of us, I can afford a 600 dollar rifle but I have a couple customs and I keep them and occasionally try a new toy out or buy a truck gun or want a project. $189? Very nice. I thought I got a good deal @ $199 after rebate. I picked one up in .308 and just shot it yesterday for the first time. Very nice trigger and MOA accuracy as promised with 168 grain Federal match grade ammo.
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2008
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I had a 10 dollar off thing they sent me for my birthday from the fin
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,733
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: May 2007
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Oh. And it's guaranteed to shoot into an inch. Also has a 3 position safety like a winchester. I am not a fan of 3 posistion safety. Like on or off. Why lock the bolt? The bolt lock 'Safe' position keeps the bolt from partially opening if caught by brush, clothing or anything else, as can happen with the middle 'Safe' position. I couldn't understand it, either, 'til I kept having to close the bolts on both my rifle, and the guide's, as we crawled through the alders in BC. I can definitely see the place for such a thing, now. I'm just trying to figure out why "safe" locks the bolt on a late-1940's 722, but not on a 700. I hate it when products are, "de-featured". FC
"Every day is a holiday, and every meal is a banquet."
- Mrs. FC
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 459
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Campfire Member
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That's where I got mine too but no birthday discount. I already had a Burris Fullfield E1 scope, 2-7x35 and Leupold rings so it wasn't a lot of money out of pocket. What caliber did you end up with?
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Joined: Oct 2004
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2004
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They are quality guns and good shooters, but HEAVY.
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 731
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2014
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Has anyone shot or handled a Winchester XPR? CDNN' special seems like a good deal.
Thanks,
Dean
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Joined: Jun 2010
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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I was in the market for a .308 budget rifle. I looked over the Savage Axis and the Ruger American and I was like nope! I would've loved to handle a T/C Compass but couldn't find one. I settled on the T/C Venture and so far I'm really pleased. It gets shot today.
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 26,422
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2004
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I was in the market for a .308 budget rifle. I looked over the Savage Axis and the Ruger American and I was like nope! I would've loved to handle a T/C Compass but couldn't find one. I settled on the T/C Venture and so far I'm really pleased. It gets shot today. You didn't settle at all. Although the Venture has a budget price, I don't consider it a budget gun. I think you are going to be even more pleased after your range session. Let us know how it goes.
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 13,912
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2010
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I was in the market for a .308 budget rifle. I looked over the Savage Axis and the Ruger American and I was like nope! I would've loved to handle a T/C Compass but couldn't find one. I settled on the T/C Venture and so far I'm really pleased. It gets shot today. You didn't settle at all. Although the Venture has a budget price, I don't consider it a budget gun. I think you are going to be even more pleased after your range session. Let us know how it goes. You're right. I only shot at 50 this morning due to another shooter having the 100 yard range. But my bullets were touching at 50. I shot over half a box and felt really satisfied with the performance. I really like this gun.
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Joined: Dec 2002
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2002
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Has anyone shot or handled a Winchester XPR? CDNN' special seems like a good deal.
Thanks,
Dean I have handled a couple of them at Cabela's and find them too awful for words to express. They might be better than a Remington 710, but if so the difference would be mcroscopic. YUCK!
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Joined: Feb 2014
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Thanks. I guess sale price on junk is still not a good deal.
Dean
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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The last Savage I bought was used, $295 out the door. It is a much better rifle than the XPR in my opinion.
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Campfire Regular
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I'd be looking used, probably for an older Remington 700 ADL.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,229
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2010
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I was in the market for a .308 budget rifle. I looked over the Savage Axis and the Ruger American and I was like nope! I would've loved to handle a T/C Compass but couldn't find one. I settled on the T/C Venture and so far I'm really pleased. It gets shot today. You didn't settle at all. Although the Venture has a budget price, I don't consider it a budget gun. I think you are going to be even more pleased after your range session. Let us know how it goes. The trigger mechanism is it's downfall. Kinda cheesy with it's stamped housing, plastic safety detent and sloppy tolerances. It's nowhere near the trigger of the Howa's H.A.C.T. trigger and overall, nowhere near the rifle.
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Joined: Feb 2003
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,439 |
Tell me about the Howa Lightning's stocks that Whittaker sells...any other choices except the spongy Hogues?
All I've seen of the new'ish stuff is a Hogue Overmolded rubbery soft stock, but at Darriks prices of $329 it really is a bargain if you don't have to replace the stock, and I've seen a dribble of Wby VG II stocks ever so often at around a $100 that IMO are decent enough to live with until the rubber touch pads fall off.
Ron
TIME FOR TERM LIMITS !!!! Politicians are just like diapers, they need to be changed often and regularly for the same reason...Robin Williams.
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Joined: Mar 2017
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Campfire Regular
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I never purchased a Howa Lightning from Whittaker's but I did buy one in 22-250 from Bud's a year or two ago. The stock is pretty much a generic plastic stock. I believe they're still made by Hogue, but not rubberized. It does have metal sleeves molded in or "pillars" if you will so you can torque everything down and not be distorting plastic. The Vanguard S2 stock is definitely more rigid.
I never actually shot my Lightning with the standard stock on it. I have a Vanguard SUB-MOA that I upgraded the standard stock to a Medalist, so I put the SUB-MOA stock on the Howa.
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 13,912
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 13,912 |
I was in the market for a .308 budget rifle. I looked over the Savage Axis and the Ruger American and I was like nope! I would've loved to handle a T/C Compass but couldn't find one. I settled on the T/C Venture and so far I'm really pleased. It gets shot today. You didn't settle at all. Although the Venture has a budget price, I don't consider it a budget gun. I think you are going to be even more pleased after your range session. Let us know how it goes. The trigger mechanism is it's downfall. Kinda cheesy with it's stamped housing, plastic safety detent and sloppy tolerances. It's nowhere near the trigger of the Howa's H.A.C.T. trigger and overall, nowhere near the rifle. My T/C says "made in the USA" not "made in Japan". Savage_99 says that's pretty important.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,229
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,229 |
I was in the market for a .308 budget rifle. I looked over the Savage Axis and the Ruger American and I was like nope! I would've loved to handle a T/C Compass but couldn't find one. I settled on the T/C Venture and so far I'm really pleased. It gets shot today. You didn't settle at all. Although the Venture has a budget price, I don't consider it a budget gun. I think you are going to be even more pleased after your range session. Let us know how it goes. The trigger mechanism is it's downfall. Kinda cheesy with it's stamped housing, plastic safety detent and sloppy tolerances. It's nowhere near the trigger of the Howa's H.A.C.T. trigger and overall, nowhere near the rifle. My T/C says "made in the USA" not "made in Japan". Savage_99 says that's pretty important. Savage 99 is an idiot.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,229
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 19,229 |
I never purchased a Howa Lightning from Whittaker's but I did buy one in 22-250 from Bud's a year or two ago. The stock is pretty much a generic plastic stock. I believe they're still made by Hogue, but not rubberized. It does have metal sleeves molded in or "pillars" if you will so you can torque everything down and not be distorting plastic. The Vanguard S2 stock is definitely more rigid.
I never actually shot my Lightning with the standard stock on it. I have a Vanguard SUB-MOA that I upgraded the standard stock to a Medalist, so I put the SUB-MOA stock on the Howa. My Lightning's stock is far stiffer or more "rigid" than the plastic stocks on my T/C Venture, Stevens 200 and Ruger American.
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