The original Thompson/Center (T/C) Venture arrived in 2009 and was part of a new generation of budget bolt guns designed to offer custom-level accuracy at an affordable price point. T/C’s original Venture was very much a product of its time when cylindrical actions, minimized ejection ports and full-diameter bolts were becoming popular features on hunting rifles. The original Venture had all three of those design elements and came with a composite stock that kept weight and cost to a minimum. Good as the original Venture was, a heavy factory trigger limited accuracy potential. Last year, T/C set out to polish the last rough edge off their flagship bolt gun by offering the Venture II with a much-improved trigger. The Venture II, which broke cover at SHOT Show 2020, is similar in most other ways to the gun it replaces. Both guns feature the same cylindrical action design and the same two-position rocker-type safety. The action is pillar bedded and the barrel is free-floated, the recoil lug is sandwiched between the 5R rifled barrel and the tubular action, and all the exterior metal is Weather Shield coated. The new Venture II also utilizes a drop-out single-stack polymer magazine just like the outgoing gun, and Weaver-style bases are included. The barreled action is mated to a black injection-molded stock with gray Hogue traction panels in the forearm and pistol grip. A slightly tacky exterior surface makes the Traction Panels easy to grasp with wet hands. he big news, of course, is the new adjustable trigger that comes set between 3 and 5 pounds. T/C elected to use a bladed trigger design similar in concept to Savage’s AccuTrigger and Mossberg’s LBA. The big news, of course, is the new adjustable trigger that comes set between 3 and 5 pounds. T/C elected to use a bladed trigger design similar in concept to Savage’s AccuTrigger and Mossberg’s LBA.  [full article]