# Venture Predator shows up!



## JTKillough

I picked up the Venture yesterday afternoon, gently brought it home and un-boxed, cleaned it up, adjusted the trigger to minimum (3.5lbs) and stowed it in the safe. Punched out 30 rounds of a medium load, 40 grainers for starters. Taking it out this morning for barrel break-in. I will keep you posted.


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## Antlerz22

Good luck and shoot straight!


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## bones44

Ya didn't sleep with it under your pillow? Congrats and good luck !!


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## hassell

Sounds exciting JT, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.


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## Mattuk

Good for you Jim, I'm still green with envy!


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## showmeyote

Marry Christmas "!!!!


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## JTKillough

Just made it home, I am totally impressed by the accuracy of the TC Venture Predator. Ten shots at 100 yards, nine landed it this inch 3/8th" circle. I did a modified version of the break-in method Antlers gave us here. http://www.predatortalk.com/general-firearm-discussion/2540-rifle-break.html I did 1 shot and clean 5 times, then 3 shots and clean 3 times, then 6 shots and clean, then ten shots and clean. Greasing the lugs after each session. This was the last ten shot group, fired three shots then cooled, three shots and cooled, then four shots. The tenth shot that landed out of the target, missed by about 1/2 inch, my fault? Now to start load work, I think I can get it tighter.


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## youngdon

Nice shootin' JT, Wow That's nice.


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## Mattuk

You've just shot your last excuse for missing Jim!


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## bar-d

Nice group!


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## Antlerz22

Nice group, you going to tweak a bit with the same powder?


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## hassell

Very very nice JT, can't get much better then that.


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## JTKillough

Antlerz22 said:


> Nice group, you going to tweak a bit with the same powder?


 Yeah, used Varget on the break-in load. I will work with that and see what I get. After I cleaned it up I reset the scope, it was a little too far forward for my liking. While doing this I checked the bases and re-aligned the scope, rings wear a little loose which could account for the trailing pattern of the shots. Tied up for a few days, so it will be a week before I can test loads.


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## Antlerz22

Are you letting your barrel cool between rounds? I used to shoot the first , immediately open the bolt let it cool for 1 min timed. Then shoot the second, open the bolt and wait 2-2 1/2 minutes after the second I also would grab the barrel as way of gauging the temp as best as my hand could determine to see if I noticed any increase from ambient temp. It was grueling but I tried to duplicate everything as close as possible to eliminate any variables out of the equation. I've always found the first round dead on--as it should be, that old saying foul the barrel (then it shoots good)IMO is only true if a barrel wasnt cleaned then zeroed then cleaned afterwards. The payoff is a tight group and big smiles--once you find the powder and grain likings of course!


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## On a call

Very impressive....!

Head shots only for you.


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## Bigdrowdy1

Congrats JTK on your new family member. Looks like it is gonna be a real shooter. Lovin my TC still working on the load and bullet combination.I want to know how you got them bullets to not penetrate that back stop? Must be them new frangibles LOL. Let us know what you fine on your loads. I am working on the COL with the hornady 50gr and 55 gr vmax's. I got some 53 gr v-max's and nosler 55 gr ballistic tips coming. Midway has the 50gr v-max's on clearence for 34 dollars and change for 250 pcs. That price should be better Tuesday they are gonna take another 10% off then. As long as everyone from PT dont buy them out. LOL


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## JTKillough

Finally finished the work on the TC Venture. After the last post I started working on a good load using Varget. I used the remington 40 grain Accu-tip, but sadly, I was unable to get under .70 inch at 100 yrds. I ordered Sierra 39 grainers and waited, a friend gave me 15/-40 grain Hornady V-Max and I loaded them while awaiting the Sierras. They were no better and slightly worse than the Remingtons. The Sierras came in and I loaded them yesterday, it appeared that they would give me at least .5 at the initial range session as one group went under that and two others were holding at .5. I loaded 40 rounds of the select group-26.8 grains of Varget and went for the sight in. In that session the group went south, while sighting in the group continued to grow and I ended the session with a group of 1.926. I came home cleaned the gun and tried again for sight in, wanting about .5". No luck, the group was erratic and opened up. I then changed the scope, took the supplied TC 3-9x40 off and put on a Leupold 4-12X40, went back tot he range and shot again for sight in. Much better. The new scope gave me .314 at 100 yrds. In conclusion, the TC Venture Predator is a good rifle, not great, but good. The matching scope is poor. If I did it again I would opt for just the gun and scope the rig myself. Sadly, that is the way with most "package deal" guns now-a-days, you take it in the shorts somewhere. I will send the scope back to TC and hope for something that can hold zero on the 204. here

The first try with 1.926 inch group
View attachment 2061

The last try with new scope getting .314 at 100 yrds. The other two holes are from me walking it over during sight in. After I had zero I took two more shot to verify.


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## Mattuk

Jim is it the rifle, the scope or the rounds you had as you seemed to be unhappy with everything? If its the rifle then I'm sorry for you, what are you going to do?


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## JTKillough

Attributed all the problems to the scope not holding zero. If I made a small change in windage or elevation the scope would trail bullets across the target, not a good scope. I changed it and put on the Leupold and it shot much better. I will stick with this set-up and look for a new scope. Just because I really don't like the cross hairs on the Leupold. But I do plan on letting TC know of the problem and maybe they can send me a new scope?


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## Bigdrowdy1

JTK keep trying different rounds as I am sure there is a sweet spot in there some where. Were you only using Varget? My best group was using a powder I had never used IMR 4064. It is like Varget as it is a extruded powder. In the manuals I been using it generally loads 1 grain less then Varget but shoots around the same velocity.H322 and H335 sond like they may be some good canidates as well. I believe they have a faster burn rate than the IMR and Varget. Brass is another additive in the mix to think about. Thats half the challenge I found is working up the right combo to reach that almost satisfied state. LOL Good luck I believe we have several guys here that shoot the 204 as well.


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## youngdon

JTK, I like the new avatar BTW. If you should ever put that scope on a rifle again try this, after turning the turrets to change windage or elevation (this will sound funny) I always whack the top of the elevation turret with something larger than the opening(so as not to hit the dial itself) I do this on Leupolds and Nikons as well as the cheaper scopes. I started this procedure after watching two Navy seals sighting a weapon at a sniper match with a scope that prolly cost more than my vehicle(government pricing of course).They explained that it set the reticles in, that sometimes a scope puts pressure on the reticle but doesn't move it until recoil hits it.


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## hassell

youngdon said:


> JTK, I like the new avatar BTW. If you should ever put that scope on a rifle again try this, after turning the turrets to change windage or elevation (this will sound funny) I always whack the top of the elevation turret with something larger than the opening(so as not to hit the dial itself) I do this on Leupolds and Nikons as well as the cheaper scopes. I started this procedure after watching two Navy seals sighting a weapon at a sniper match with a scope that prolly cost more than my vehicle(government pricing of course).They explained that it set the reticles in, that sometimes a scope puts pressure on the reticle but doesn't move it until recoil hits it.


 Yes I also do that YD, seems like forever so I couldn't really tell you who or where I seen it done but have always done it.


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## JTKillough

Yeah, I do this also, make a little adjustment then tap the side of the tube , opposite the adjustment dials. I did that and the groups still trailed. Swapped scopes and that stopped. I will look for a new scope sometime, but right now I will use the Leupold 4-12. Start to finish.----
View attachment 2096

It took several weeks, the scope problem added a lot of extra time and powder to the process, three different powders, three different bullets, two different primers, but stuck with the Winchester Brass and all total 122 rounds fired through the Venture Predator .204 Ruger. This is the result. Shot #123 took this girl this morning at an area near home that gets called more than a fluzzy on Saturday night. The shot was at 221 yards (paced off), I aimed just below the chin and hit dead center chest, a drop of 2or3 inches. A lot of "work" in getting it ready, but it shoots good. This is my second .204 and I love them both, sure puts a slapdown on coyote, as you can tell. I muted my caller for a few minutes during my session and I could hear another off somewhere in the distance to the south. I think this ol girl scented another caller and she blundered into me on the way out, she sure acted weary, and she was not coming any closer than where I killed her. Oh well, she wanted to stop and check out my screaming, so what did you think would happen?


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## youngdon

Nice going JT, which bullet did you settle on.

How often does a fluzzy get called on Saturday night JT??


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## Mattuk

Bad boy Don!

Well done Jim.


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## JTKillough

Deadly with the 39gr Sierra Blitzking, I shoulda known. The 40 grain Remingtons were ok, but not as good. Hornadys just didn't work out well, too bad, thats what my Savage eats.

Contrary to popular belief, 80% of all fluzzies only get called once or twice per Saturday night. This is mostly due to "lining up dates" and "previously made plans", this business having taken place on "Friday night". As it were, most fluzzies are engaged in some other activity and unable to answer said call anyway. Of course, the government survey of fluzzies had extemely flawed data, this due to lack of persons of this nature, that were available to answer the Saturday night telephone poll. The data on the other 20% of fluzzies, however, showed that there was a lot of calling going on.


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## youngdon

Thanks for the info JT. Oh and the bullet choice too !

Hows the smoke over there ?


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## JTKillough

Bad some days, ours is mostly from the Horseshoe 2, up at work (Morenci) it has been terrible. Gives workers a headache and burning eyes, really bad, coming in from the Wallow. My mother lives just across the border in New Mexico and it had been bad there, living on generated power, with outages several times a week. I told her to pack it up and come stay, but she's not leaving home. I worry about her health, the smoke is really bad. The area she lives in is safe from the fire, at least for now. Criminee, we are surrounded by forest fires.


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## youngdon

Yeah I just talked to a guy from Willcox, who works in Morenci, he said the same as you. Can't hardly breath some days when the wind blows just so. Un fortunately with the winds the next couple it will only get worse.


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## hassell

Congrats. JT, glad your happy with the new toy.


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## callmaker

hi all, just getting started coyote hunting. picked up the t/c venture predator 204. ive only shot the 40 gr hornadys so far. best i could do @ 140yrds, was 11/8inch group. sittting shootiing from a trigger stick. stuck with factory loads for now. thanks for your post. lot to learn


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## Mattuk

Welcome to PT callmaker.


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## youngdon

callmaker said:


> hi all, just getting started coyote hunting. picked up the t/c venture predator 204. ive only shot the 40 gr hornadys so far. best i could do @ 140yrds, was 11/8inch group. sittting shootiing from a trigger stick. stuck with factory loads for now. thanks for your post. lot to learn


 Welcome to the forum callmaker ! You'll like the 204.


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## callmaker

thankyou! i shopped around and looked at a few rifles. the t/c looked really built nice. says 1;10 twist. I put a bushnell trophy xlt 3x9x40 not enough scope.looking at redfield revolution and vortex diamond. Soon as i get a chance to bench it, i think itll shoot better. has anyone tried the 45sp from hornady and is this a speer bullet?


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## JTKillough

As stated above, I ran the 39 gr Sierras with good groups. Works well for coyote, but with only the one under it's belt, not really a good test. I have also put the Vortex Diamondback on it and am very pleased, a great scope for the money.


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## youngdon

I tried the 45's and couldn't get them to stabilize. I have a ruger#1 with 1-12 twist


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## youngdon

Sorry to cut that off, but the 45's were keyholing at 100yds when they made it that far. Some of them just disintegrated.


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## callmaker

wow! guess i wont try those. from what im hearing about the 204 is its bullet max is forty grs. thats ok, thats enough for me. ill try some federals next week. what power scope did you put on it? thanks guys


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## youngdon

4.5-14x 40 Leupold is what I have on mine. It's clear enough to see prairie dogs to 400+ occasionally i wish I had more power but I also didn't want to burden myself with a scope the size of a 50mm objective. I still carry it to stands for coyotes as well sometimes. The 39gr sierra's shoot real good if you can find them on factory ammo.


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## youngdon

You may get them to stabilize in a 1-10 twist. I don't really se a need for them unless you want to do some 5ooyd work. The 39's will drop a coyote right there.


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## callmaker

the federal factory loads are 39 gr. sierra blitzskings and the 32 grs are nosler. i would of bought those except 24.99 a box. hornadys were 4 dollars cheaper. i liked the velocities of the hornadys, only 100 fps. faster, but speed doesnt kill anything, accuracy does.







) i have two more boxes of the 40grs hornadys, maybe thell exchange them. hsm ammo offers 35 gr bergers, not sure about the company. hsm doesnt get great reveiws, but the 35gr berger bullets do. ever hear of this?


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## youngdon

I shoot 35gr bergers on occasion(I used to al the time ) as they are very accurate but then I tried the 39gr Sierras they are a bit cheaper and just as accurate. I can't really comment on any factory loads for any caliber as most of my guns have never fired them. When I buy a gun I buy the dies also, if I haven't already purchased them.


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## youngdon

You don't need to punch one hole to varmint or predator hunt... minute of prairie dog is just fine... especially if you can see the miss to correct it, which you can withthe low recoil of a 204.


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## callmaker

thanks for the info don, headed to get me some federal 39 gr sierras factory loads. ill let ya know next week. buildin turkey calls this week. ohio bowhunters state shoot this weekend. hope to sell a few.


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## knapper

Free float the barrel and make sure that the mounts are all tightened down. I run each one down tight to see if it will be tight when all are tightened up. There could junk in the bottom of the hole and not let it reach a level of security that you want and need. Mounting the scope is very important to get right.


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