Thompson Center Compass 223/556 Nato Bolt-action Rifle Review
March 04, 2021
In 2016, at the superlative of the budget bolt-action rifle wars, Thompson/Center released its $400 Compass rifle. The original Compass was, for the virtually part, a practiced gun that featured a three-lug bolt and a 5R rifled butt. Only it had an Achilles' heel: the trigger.
The trigger in the first-gen Compass rifle wasn't awful, only it wasn't good, either. To their credit, the folks at Thompson/Center understood they had a well-congenital rifle with one major event. In short order, T/C decided to better on the original trigger design, and the Compass II was born.
The Generation 2 T/C trigger is a significant improvement over the previous Compass trigger. The Gen II model features a bladed design and breaks between three and four pounds. The test burglarize's trigger averaged 3.4 pounds for 10 pulls using a Wheeler gauge, and the new trigger is smooth, predictable and manageable.
Much of the architecture from the original model has institute its fashion into the Compass II, which is a good thing. The full-diameter commodities offers smoother cycling than you lot get with other rifles in this form, and the three-lug design allows for a brusk commodities lift and rapid cycling. The Compass 2 uses the same rotary magazine blueprint as the original, and the mag locks securely into the rifle without a lot of fuss.
As a Winchester Model 70 fan, I was pleased to see the original Compass's 3-position wing-type safety is too on the second-gen gun. The polymer stock has grip panels with big, 5-shaped ridges and a dense, thick recoil pad that is better fitted to the stock than competing guns in this price category.
Thompson/Center uses 5R rifling in its barrels. Co-ordinate to 5R proponents, employing five lands and grooves in the butt—as opposed to the more than traditional four or six—and angled rifling cuts reduces bullet deformation and simplifies cleaning. I have no quantifiable evidence to support the claim, merely every 5R barrel I've shot has been accurate.
Compass Ii rifles come with either 21.625- or 24-inch free-floated barrels depending upon caliber, with 1/2x28 or 5/8x24 threaded muzzles. The Compass Two comes with bases, and it's also available with a pre-mounted Ruby-red Trace scope.
The test rifle, which was chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, weighed correct at 7 pounds without an optic. I topped the rifle with a Leupold VX-two three-9x33mm scope that brought the total gun weight to 7 pounds, 12 ounces, which is manageable for most hunting. As an eastern hunter, I appreciate the 21.625-inch barrel and overall length of simply 41 inches. Longer rifles can be a real brunt in box or ground blinds and in tree stands.
The Compass Two's suggested retail toll of $405 is lower than both the Ruger American Rifle ($489) and the Winchester XPR ($549). The Compass Two is the heaviest of the 3, weighing four ounces more than than the Winchester and nearly a pound more than the Ruger American, but the Compass II is the just 1 with 5R rifling.
The exam burglarize largely delivered on T/C's one-one thousand.o.a. accurateness promise. All three loads grouped between 0.82 inch and 1.3 inches for three shots at 100 yards, and in that location'southward no uncertainty this burglarize is one of the all-time-shooting upkeep guns available today.
Recommended
The six.5 Creedmoor isn't a hard-recoiling round, merely the large recoil pad did a good job absorbing kick. The Five-shaped traction panels on the grip surfaces are boldly styled, and they piece of work well. I like the direct comb design, simply while the barrel aqueduct itself isn't especially big, the fore-end is shaped similar a ramp and could theoretically funnel debris or snow between the butt and stock. The honey dipper bolt knob design is functional, but at just 0.6 inch it'south smaller than some shooters might be used to.
I'm a fan of the rotary mag, although the burglarize did neglect to pick up a round on a couple occasions. The trouble in each instance was that the cartridge was seated with the nose of the bullet pointed slightly up. The mag seems sturdier than some of the cheap plastic magazines in competing rifles.
In fact, the overall build quality of the Compass is substantially better than some other guns in this price category. There are no ill-fitting parts, nothing that seems destined to break afterwards a season or two. Controls like the fly safety and bolt release work precisely and don't look or experience cheap. Muzzle threading is even and clean.
With a suggested retail price of but $405, the Compass 2 is one of the nearly affordable hunting rifles available today, and kudos to Thompson/Center for making a budget rifle that feels anything but cheap. This is an authentic gun that's robustly built and undercuts other budget rifles on cost by as much as $200 while offering plenty of capability. If y'all're looking for a new hunting gun, the Compass II offers excellent bang for your buck.
Thompson/center Compass II Specs
Type: 3-lug commodities-action centerfire
Quotient: .223, .243, six.5 Creedmoor (tested), .270 Win., 7mm Rem. Magazine., .308 Win., .30-06, .300 Win. Mag.
Capacity: 5+i (as tested)
Barrel: 21.625 in. (as tested), threaded 5/8x24
Overall Length: 41 in.
Weight: vii lb.
Stock: black polymer
End: blued
Trigger: 3.4 lb. pull (measured)
Sights: none; scope bases provided
Price: $405
Importer: Thompson/Center, tc-arms.com
Source: https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/thompson-center-compass-ii-rifle-review/389473
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