Dave,
Please settle an argument. At what point do your measure the bullet hole group. I was under the impression that you measured from the center of the hole. Others have said you measure from the edge. Which is correct?

Injected molded stocks are junk. I guess thats where they cut the cost.

Sounds and looks like a Tikka T3.

Dave I just ordered an all stainless ER Shaw boltgun in 22-250 with a heavy 26" barrel and 1 in 12 rifling. The wait is now up to 8 months probably thanks to you. Hope this sucker shoots like yours.

I got alot of life in my hard to beat 03-A3 perhaps maybe a TC someday. Be nice if the had a 1-10 barrel for the 06!

should have waited and bought one of these in 300 win mag not my kimber which was over 1200. might get one in 270 though always been curious about the round but did not have a use at 500 i guess i could find a use.

Well, the Savage 10/110 is an ugly rile, but it does the job better than most. The 114 is not at all ugly. I don't find the barrel lug at all unpleasant; IMO what made the older savages "ugly" was the stocks, but the 114 has a stock with traditional lines. That's why I want a 114. Because it's a savage and therefore a tight shooter, and because the 114 has good lines.

I am not really slamming the Savage 110 series. Just an editorial comment that I think the action is ugly with the bolt handle at the absolute rear of the bolt and the bolt release lever on the right side. The barrel nut is not altogether attractive either.

When I see someone shooting one, I think there is a guy who is very practical and has a fine shooting rifle and is not too worried about the looks. Just like I think some year models of Dodge, Chevy, Ford, and Toyota trucks are fugly, but not all. If you saw my Remington 700's you would think they are ugly too in the shape the wood is in....

Buckstopper:

To find out how large your groups are, measure from the outside edge to the outside edge of the farthest apart holes in the target, then subtract the bullet diameter of the caliber you are shooting from that measurement. For example, if your outside edge measurement of your (3, 5, or 10) shots is 1.25 inches, and you are shooting a .308, subtract .308" from 1.25". The answer is .942" a sub-one inch group.

It is very cool that for less than a week's pay (for most of us; for Dave, less than a day's pay) you can buy a rifle that you can hunt pygmy shrews with at 100 yards. Twenty years ago you'd have had to hand two months pay to Kenny Jarrett to get the same thing. That goes for the Savages, too. To quote Jeff Cooper, "I like how it works, so automatically I like how it looks."

First of all I could live with this rifle in any of the calibers listed as available even with the injection molded stock which is certainly not my choice of synthetics. Having shot hundreds of VLDs since I first heard of them years ago I can confirm that not only are they exceedingly accurate but are very deadly as a hunting bullet at very long range even though that was not their original intended purpose. Walt Berger makes a 7 mm in 168 gr with a revised BC of .617 that certainly does the job when leaving the barrel at 3400 fps. I will warn you that you might have to seat the bullets very deep to fit the magazines of some bolt guns although if you use a single shot this is of course not an issue.

it is a decent looking rifle as far as lines go, but if anyone making plastic stocked guns wants my business, they will have to at least make an attempt for the plastic to look like wood. i do not like black plastic rifles. camo would be better than black, but in my heart, i like wood. but to be honest, i have no intention of buying another rifle, with the possible exception of one day owning an ar-10 type, unless a 375 H&H, or 458 Lott came along at a rediculously low price. not that i will ever go to africa, but having one in the closet, and having one shove me around a bit occasionaly would be fun. of course, if i won the lottery, i would have to have a genuine Holland and Holland double made for me. but i am not holding my breath on that one. as for the bergers, i will have to buy a box, and wring out my Remington 300 win mag.

It is good to hear that TC is still making great weapons. I have never had any reason to doubt it. My father bought me a .45 Hawken rifle when I was 15. That was 30+ years ago and it still shoots great. 5 years ago I bought a TC Omega and put a 2-7 Leupold on it. Kill ratio is 90+. When I drop the hammer on that gun something is most likely going to die. Last year alone I was 5 for 5 with it. 2 of those were pretty nice bucks. I have been thinking about another centerfire rifle and the Venture may just be the one. Only problem around here is places to shoot one. Where I live it is mostly shotgun and MZ only. Sure looks like a great utility rifle!

Vic

The new Savage rifles have a modified action. The Bolt release is no longer on the right side by the bolt handle. It is now located forward of the trigger guard and is a button.

I just received my new Savage Model 16FLHSS (stainless) in 7-08 from their Hunter Education Instructor Purchase Program. It features a much improved injection molded synthetic stock with the Accustock aluminum bedding system and the Accutrigger. From the factory the trigger broke at a crisp 3 lbs! Savage has also installed a very cushy recoil pad on the new models, I can't remember their designation for it. My rifle also has the hinged floor plate with a captured release button, pretty neat.
The barrel lock nuts have been stream lined and gone are the wrench grooves from sight. The barrel mating system is much more attractive than in the older rifles. The rear of the bolt is more streamlined especially with the bolt release now relocated. It still has that high "hiney" look to it though...

The stock does not have that hollow feel and sound typical of other tupperware stocks. The molded in checkering is positive if not a little too grippy. The bolt is very smooth as is feeding from the center feed magazine. Common garden varietry 7-08 loads have come in well un an inch. I'll have more time to play and report back with group sizes from more "exotic" loads later...

Savage's program is a great opportunity for certified Hunter Ed Instructors. You can purchase one Savage firearm per year from them at a tremendous cost savings. Savage even pays shipping to your FFL dealer. For more info contact Cathy Hale, Savage Arms Sales & Marketing Assistant at 413-642-4121. The waiting period is typically 3-4 months, but it is well worth the savings!

Incidentially other companies that offer discounts to Hunter Ed instructors are Ruger, Henry, S & W, CVA, CZ-USA, Leupold and more... If you are a certified hunter ed instructor join the IHEA www.ihea.com and you can access more of the these offers from companies who appreciate what we do.

Also visit Savage Arms and check out what is being said about the new Accu-Stock. www.savagearms.com

Just so you know, my dad lost a arm and a leg in WWII. When I turned 16 my dad bought my savage for me on my birthday. You can call it ugly all you want,in my eyes there is no prettier rifle.

I see a few folks referenced the Tikka T-3 as a kissing cousin. It also is an MOA shooter, lighter( close to a Melvin Forbes production or a Kimber Montana),lots of good calibers and with an action"slicker than deer guts on a door knob"' to quote on of you gun scribes.One of my T-3's in the seemingly antiquated 7mm Rem Mag. with a affordible Burris 3x9 with a Ballistic Plex reticle has been my rifle of choice for Elk, Caribou, and two trips to S. Africa. Not bad for a 700 Dollar package !

Oh yeah this is a blog about the T/C Venture... the "traction panels" bother me and I don't know why. I have shot the Encore in about every caliber known to man including the 30 TC, but that's about my experience with them besides their muzzle loaders. The Encore's I have shot were incredibly accurate I know someone who made a 200 yd.+ shot with an Encore pistol if that's what you call a .270 with a 15" barrel and Leupold scope. Why didn't you get a Venture in the 30TC? Bet you don't have one.

Dave plugs TC Rifles, and US GUN NUTS scream the virtues of our beloved SAVAGE Rifles.
Life is sweet, indeed!

Well guys I finally got'r done. Ordered the ER Shaw bolt gun in stainless, with brown laminated stock, heavy barrel with spiral fluting, 1 in 12" twist in 22-250 calibler. I'm told it will take about 8 months for delivery.

Ralph the Rifleman-
I might extol the virtues of the Venture a lot more if they offered it in a left hand configuration.

Who would have thought that sub MOA rifles would be common to point of Boring at some point. Wow. The amazing thing is that just SHOOTING THAT GOOD is no longer a valid reason to purchase a rifle like that, now days it needs to be sort of special too- IE the Shaw rifles. Sort of semi custom. I always say it, this is an amazing time to be alive, course probably not for that much longer. I wonder how long "SUB MOA" rifles will be legal- the FED GOVT will likely try to enforce a maximum accuracy standard of 3-5 MOA for civillian rifles sooner or later, to keep these dangerous SNIPER rifles out of the hands of the masses...

Well, Shane, we can always hope for a cometary impact to push the ole reset button. ;)

can't speak to the Venture, but as for the Tikka T3 comments about a smooth bolt...I just purchased a .243 T3 last week and that was the first comment in an email to a buddy of mine in WY - smoothest bolt I've ever tried. Can't wait to get to the range!

TC makes a nice rifle. I, unfortunately, have one in 30TC which seems to be DOA. I can not find any reloading information and it seems only Hornady is making ammunitions for it. But for how long. TC even seems not to be making rifles in 30 TC any more. Maybe it is now a collector item. Any one want to buy a collector item?

I just recently purchased my Venture model a few weeks ago in .270 form. (I used the new winchester Supreme Elite cp3, 130grn) This firearm performs better than what was expected. After installing my Nikon Buckmasters 4.5x14x40 scope and boresighting it, it took 4 shots to be zeroed in at 100 yards. If that wasn't impressive enough, I let the barrel cool, and went ahead and fired off a 5th round and found it was touching the previous hole. I let my brother fire it off, and was only 1/8" away from my 4th and 5th shots! Needless to say, I was VERY impressed, being able to shoot a dime 3 times from 2 different shooters at 100 yards! I was comparing this model to the Tikka T3 lite, and also the Weatherby Vanguard. And within the $500 range, this seems...no wait....this rifle IS the BEST quality and accuracy you can find. AND, it's made in the USA! (WITH A LIFETIME WARRANTY!) The bolt slides very, very smooth with minimal throw (60 degrees) and with 5R rifling technology, accuracy is unsurpassed. Thank you Dave for reviewing this rifle. This article actually made my decision to make the purchase, and upon holding the rifle at the gun shop, it was all over from there. I can't wait for this year's deer season to start! P.S.--->> I'm not here to nag on Savage, however, by brother (same guy as mentioned above) has a savage bolt action .17HMR (with bull barrel) that consistantly shoots about 10"-12" groups at 100 yards... :( not a typo! yes, 10-12" I will admit that, yes, it still has the original scope that it came with (not high-end scope) however, it should still shoot better than that. uses the Hornady rounds, and we fired off of a good solid rest. We double-checked all the screws, fasteners, and even all scope mounts, nothing loose. the only thing i could think of is #1 crappy scope, or #2 the barrel inlay is not set correct (which if this is the case, that goes to show low quality) I will say NOT a very good experience with Savage. any ideas?

Okay I'm not posting this to get heckeled or brag whatsoever. Just what I experienced with my new TC venture....

I went to range to sight in my new Venture 30-06 outfitted with a Nikon 3-9X50 scope and Remington Core Lokt 150grain PSP ammo. After a few shots I had it zeroed at 50yrds and stepped it out to 100yrds for my next 3 shot group. Well, I only took 3 shots at 100yrds and left because I was an inch high at 100yrds very pleased with the grouping.

Now not for a second will I say that I am an incredible shot...I was using a "sand bag" style shooting rest for the front and that was it. Once returning home I measured the group and the greatest outside measurement was .875". Now subtract .308 for bullet dia. it came to a measurement of .567"!

Like I said I am not bragging at all...I just want to let people know what this gun is capable of. This spring I'll get the barrel broken in and put it in a Lead Sled to see what it really can do. I am open to emailing a picture of the target to anyone for confirmation. Overall, I am very happy with my purchase!

I purchased a TC Venture .30-06 as my first gun. Great gun and shoots like a laser beam. Very accurate rifle. Rifle shoots sub-moa with bullet holes touching each other. This particular rifle seemed to prefer 165 grain nosler ballistic by federal. Will be purchasing different caliber rifle from TC in the future.