Out of the Box, this TC Dimension is a cool looking rifle.
The TC Dimension uses a system of LOC™, Locking Optimized Components, that allows the interchange of four caliber families. Innovative engineering genius? You Bet! The barrel, bolt and magazine are all marked with an LOC™ letter.
Dimension Caliber Families: A – .204 Ruger, .223 Rem B – .22-250 Rem*, .243 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, .308 Win C – .270 Win, .30-06 Sprg D – 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag LOC stocks, receivers, bridge scope mounts and hand tools can be used with any Series A, B, C and D components |
Specifications:
Weight 7 lbs
Stock Composite
Barrel 22 inches Floating
Twist Rate 1-10 inches
Pull Length 12.5 – 13.5 inches
Mag Cap 3 rounds
OAL 41 3/4 inches
Check out TC’s Video Introduction: http://dimensionrifle.tcarms.com/all-dimension-rifle-videos/#skating-down-the-mississippi-river-red-bull-mississippi-grind-2
As I said earlier in a post that you can switch barrels easily from .204 Ruger all the way up to 300 Win Mag. In putting the bolt in the rifle it is not as easy as it looks because the high cheek of the stock interferes with the bolt installation. In fact there is a small cavity in the stock to allow the bolt to move into it. But once the bolt is in, all is well. The bolt lift to open the chamber is very short making it fast for a follow-up shot. The .243 barrel looks to be so small that it floats high above the stock. I did find the stock comb shape to aid in my view through the Leupold VX-1 scope which mounted easily to the provided Weaver Base. The adjustable trigger measured 4 lbs 5 oz pull weight out of the box.
Online research revealed that the .243 barrel with a 1-10 twist rate tends to shoot lighter bullets well and that heavy bullets such as the 90 grain and heavier to (I don’t consider 90 grains heavy) can become unstable as they are not spinning fast enough. I handloaded 55 grain Nosler Ballistic tip below that came out of the TC .243 barrel screaming at around 3700 fps and shot a sub-moa group at 100 yards out of the box. Nosler bullets are simply the best in class! http://www.nosler.com/Bullets/Ballistic-Tip-Varmint.aspx
The Leupold Scope was set at 9x and adjusted for focal point at 100 yards. It was a terrific companion for the TC Dimension Rifle. The Leupold VX- 1 Scope retails for around $220 dollars and is worth every penny.
From the website below: There’s much to tell about our new VX®-1, but here’s how the story ends: No other scope in its class comes even close the the quality, performance, and value of VX-1. With our revolutionary Quantum Optical System, with lead-free glass and Multicoat 4 lens coatings, the result is up to 92% total light transmission, and a sight picture that is incredibly bright, clear and razor sharp. Better have one atop your favorite rifle.
http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/vx-1-riflescopes/
My TC Dimension test rifle is a B designation which allows me to change barrels to 22-250, 243, 7mm-08 and 308 at any time without the need to change the bolt or other parts. If I want to change to a C designation for the .270 and 30-06 then the bolt,magazine and barrel must be changed/purchased. Retail cost of the Dimension is less than $600 dollars. Barrels are $200 each. If you want to move out of your LOC letter then you must buy the new bolt for $140 and magazine for around $27 dollars as long as they are in stock.
SUMMARY:
In summary the rifle flexibility as a shooting platform and accuracy is fantastic when joined with Nosler and Leupold Products. I did find that shooting heavier bullets reduced the accuracy thus I would say that this 243 barrel with 1-10 twist rates is not a great all around barrel for deer but great for coyotes and varmints. The 308 and 7mm-08 barrel for $200 each adds serious flexibility to the rifle and is better with heavier bullets. The 7mm-08 is perhaps more ideal for all around varmint/deer use than perhaps the .308 or the .243 Winchester and can use lighter bullets for use by recoil sensitive folks such as children and first time hunters. 243 calibers with twist rates below 1-10 such as 1-9.25 provide increased stability for bullets in the 90 to 105 grain and work well on deer and mid-size game. My rating 1-10 is a 9. A real buy for those who want flexibility and accuracy all the time every time. A 9 out of 10 is terrific in my book. ©