Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles T/C Venture Compact 223

Am considering one of these for my wife for her occasional deer hunting. The 1:12 twist isn't inspiring but the deer are generally mid-sized at best and the ranges short-say max 200yds. She is small, 5"2", so a short LOP is necessary.

She's been shooting a Doublestar Constant Carry Carbine a bit, which fits well for over-all length and weight, but she prefers a bolt. If it is 6.75# am thinking the T/C might generate "too heavy".

Anyone use the T/C for kids or spouse? Good alternatives?

Appreciate it.

My son had one a few years ago but he didn't like the weight. It shot really well though so no complaints there.

We ended up getting him the Tikka T3X compact and he absolutely loves it. They make it in a wide variety of calibers and he chose the 7/08. It groups Hornady reduced recoil ammo around 3/4” at 100 for a 5 shot group. With talleys and a 2-7 leupold it still only weighs around 6 3/4 pounds.

If you are on a tighter budget the Venture rifles are great. I had a few of the full size models over the years and they all shot great and are easy to clean with the 5R rifling. If you have a little extra money to spend though the Tikka is well worth it IMO.

I have this rifle in 243. Performs good on moving deer because of the balance. With a good variable scope and sling i am close to 8 lbs total weight. The shorter length of pull and good handling offsets the weight for me. I am hunting from a tripod stand set between trees. The ability to easily swing any direction without tree limbs interfering is an advantage. Accuracy is just under an inch with Hornady 95 SST. Groups tighten to .5 inch with 58 gr or 60 grain varmint bullets. The Venture functions perfectly and trigger pull is excellent for hunting. The bolt operation is fast but takes getting accustomed to as bolt rise in much lower. The stock is easy to grip even when wet.

A Rem700 or Seven "youth" version is about the same money, and in my opinion a much better platform to work with. The Seven Youth will also be considerably lighter and more nimble.

I don't have the Venture, but I bought a Ruger American compact SS .223 for my boys to shoot. I'm always amazed at how well it shoots. 1-8" twist to help with the heavy bullets.

Have had a couple ventures. Smooth and accurate. Wish I had hung onto them.

Appreciate all the info.

The cost isn't as important as weight and overall length. She does better with a shorter rifles/shotgun as the OAL keeps the center between her hands. I probably would have to have the stock cut to 12" rather than 12.5" as she will be wearing a number of layers in November, no doubt.

Didn't think to look at Tikkas. I didn't see the Seven currently offered as a 223. Know what the older ones are twisted?

Tikka 223 compact with 1/8” twist is an extremely solid choice and has it all over the rifles mentioned.

If this is the case I would go tikka. There are stock spacers to make it longer or shorter and the weight is low. I would much rather do this then play the remington roulette.

Will check out the Tikkas. Have never regretted spending a dime or two on Carol...:)

Son-in-law in CO loves his Tikka 300 for elks, I think that is the only one I've handled...should get out of Podunk more often...

Appreciate the info.

You might also want to check out the remington model 7 predators. I believe cheaper than dirt had them for around $400 last week and they had .223. That is a really nice rifle for the money. I have one that is super accurate and handles nicely for me. Just another possible option for you.

I forgot about the Mod 7 predator. My old man has one and loves it as well.

Other than- twist rate being non-starter, sub par quality, trigger is a no go, reciever bridges not being square and base holes not aligned....

Not to mention the sloppy firing pin hole that mangles primers

There


There has to be a story behind this Fuquay!

That 12 twist will stabilize a 62 grain Fusion, and that bullet is pure poison on deer. It's a hunting gun. It doesn't need a bench rest trigger.

Oh I bet I’ve killed a few deer, to put it mildly, with 62gr Fusions. A 1-12” twist is never an advantage. I’m not sure I’d use “worse trigger” as an advantage either.


Having used multiples of that very rifle and only going by actually using them from the factory and ignoring “feelings”- let’s see...


Remington-

Pros:

1). ......... it has a Remington name for those that care?


Cons:

1). Quality is atrocious overall.

2). Twist rate sucks and limits most of the best bullets.

3). Trigger is a horrible design, and for a variety of reasons should be replaced.

4). Barrels are just about evenly split in thirds between good/average/poor.

5). Action base screw about 50/50 misaligned.

6). Bolt needs bushed

7) Plastic stock is not rigid.

8). Feeding can be hit or miss

9). Bolt handles can pop off.







Tikka T3x-


Pros:

1). Overall quality is outstanding.

2). One of, if not the best factory barrels

3). One of the smoothest actions made. Action is totally square- everything is machined correctly.

3). Best factory trigger for reliability and durability. Can be adjusted in 2-3 minutes to be 2.5lbs.

4). Factory stock is quite stiff and is designed well (comb and grip)

5). Magazine feeds very well, is very reliable

6). Twist rate is good for most of the best bullets



Cons:

1). Doesn’t use AICS mags.









I have shot tens of thousands of rounds from Remingtons factory, custom, and issued sniper rifles. They can be decent guns, but they can also be junk. I have had triggers fail multiple times, multiple bolt handles pop off, half of the last dozen or so I’ve used had major issues with the reciever or barrel, not to mention what is probably the most garbage trigger made in a mainstream rifle, poor twist rates, half had precision issues, etc.


I have over 40,000 rounds from Tikka’s in the last couple of years. They’re on average have better precision than any other sub $1k rifle, the actions are straight and true, the triggers are probably the best in a sub $4k rifle for reliability especially in sand, the mags while not AI at least do their job correctly, the stocks are well designed and completely functional, the twist in 223 is good, they have an exceptionally durable mounting system with the built in rail.

If Form’ says it, bank on it......then read this thread about SWFA scopes and you’ve got your new rig.

Form couldn’t of said it any better. I have slowly been switching over to all Tikkas the past few years. I am now up to 5 and the collection keeps growing and I am loving everyone of them. The T1X is next in a 17hmr.