S&W To Divest Itself From Thompson Center

[Rick B]

Received an email today, from Marty at Haus of Arms. Enclosed was a letter from a VP of Sales at S&W. Letter stated that S&W was going to divest itself from TC and redirect the production equipment to it core business. All orders are immediately canceled.
Rick

[Markopolo]

wow.... But I like TC...

[Rick B]

TC was an Iconic gunmaker! A true American sucess story. They brought us an affordable and reliable Hawken Rifle and the Contender just to name a few. Hope an energetic company buys the name and continues to produce the product line.

[racepres]

Perfect... the folks that brought you "Bangor Punta"... do Not want a quality product!!!
My Keyboard... my opinion... we all gots one...

[Gtek]

S&W has been on my POO list since it went Monica for the Clinton administration.

[megasupermagnum]

Thank god. Maybe TC can get back to being TC. Innovative, creative, quality, unique. For 15 years or better now they have been more stagnant than pond water. Just rebadged plastic "muzzleloading" wonders, year after year. The only good and innovative idea they had was the Dimention bolt action, and they discontinued that right away. The Impact was a good thing for muzzleloaders. Other than those, they have been resting on the laurels of their Encore from something like 1998.

Back in TC's heyday it seemed they came out with a new thing every year. More than a the plant burned out in that fire.

[WestKentucky]

That’s sad. Maybe I should pick up a g2 frame and an armor alloy frame just to have a full set... or not. I have better things to pour money into. It’s kinda sad for me as I really am a big revolver fan so I am in turn a S&W fan, but it seems that the company as a whole is just churning out the same mess that they have for decades and simply expect sales to keep happening. Hell, even Taurus has had some innovative stuff happening, but not S&W. Taurus made the Judge, S&W copied it. Glock made the g17 and S&W copied that. Everybody made a pocket nine, the shield was kinda late to the party but it got there. Ruger made the mk series pistols and S&W copied the basics. Ruger made the American and TC(S&W) copied it. Every rock has an AR factory under it and S&W copied the budget AR. Specifically I think they copied the DPMS oracle flat-top optics ready carbine.

HEY S&W quit it. It’s not nice to copy everybody else. Do something original.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Henry might be a good fit with T/C. I never owned one but enjoyed shooting a few over the years.

[Rick B]

Well stated megasupermagnum.

[Ural Driver]

Hey Ruger!......are ya listening?

[Rick B]

With Ruger's investment casting experience. The Contender/Encore line would be a good fit.

[marlinman93]

I once was a little crazy over Contender pistols, and had a couple frames and about 15 barrels. Then one day I suddenly realized I regularly only shot about 3 of those barrels, even though I had dies, and molds to shoot all of them.
My interests had changed to other guns, so I hauled it all out to our local gun show and a guy bought everything for an agreed total price. Haven't owned one since.

[downzero]

he shield was kinda late to the party but it got there.

Late? People had been begging for a single stack 9mm Glock for decades. S&W created the Shield and everyone makes one now.

The M&P was such a revolution that Glock actually has made meaningful changes to its pistols (interchangeable backstraps) for the first time in decades.

You might not think these things are innovations, but the M&P is, for me, remarkably better than its competition and it has continued to get better for the last 15+ years I've been paying attention.

I'm a 1911 and revolver guy and even I can recognize that! Ruger and S&W are both among the best American gun companies.

[Shawlerbrook]

I truly hope someone continues the TC brand. When they were in Rochester, NH , they were as good of a gun company as there was. Quality and customer service was second to none.

[marlinman93]

Late? People had been begging for a single stack 9mm Glock for decades. S&W created the Shield and everyone makes one now.

The M&P was such a revolution that Glock actually has made meaningful changes to its pistols (interchangeable backstraps) for the first time in decades.

You might not think these things are innovations, but the M&P is, for me, remarkably better than its competition and it has continued to get better for the last 15+ years I've been paying attention.

I'm a 1911 and revolver guy and even I can recognize that! Ruger and S&W are both among the best American gun companies.

Totally agree with this! I have always loved my 1911's, but I also love my S&W revolvers. I was irritated when the British plumbing company owned them and bowed down to the Clintons, but once it changed hands I was OK with S&W again. Don't own any newer than the early 1980's, but only because I love older S&W handguns.

[Tar Heel]

When S&W went plastic, it all went to heck. Their current revolvers are no where near the quality of their revolvers up to 1990.
Built my first T/C Hawken from their kit in '75. Love the Contender line. They were very nice muzzleloading rifles and single shot pistols.

[45workhorse]

Sad day!
Bean counters!
I guess since the spray and pray crowd spends more money, than the one shot one, deer crowd......

[TimD]

Love my Pennsylvania hunter and my old revolvers. I haven't purchased any S&W revolvers since they put locks on them. I am surprised they don't have locks on the semi-autos. Sad.

Hopefully TC will get picked up by a company that is interested in firearms.

[jdfoxinc]

S&Wis keeping the machinery. Only the name is leaving.

[high standard 40]

S&Wis keeping the machinery. Only the name is leaving.

That may make it harder for someone to pick up the "name" and get a running start on producing guns again.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I have nothing but good things to say about T/C after my house burned down I sent 2 of my muzzelloader rifles back to them to refinish they did this all on their dime and shipping both ways ya this was the old T/C be nice if Ruger would pick it up

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

[Daekar]

Makes me glad I got my hands on an Encore frame and furniture while I could. Hopefully production of the truly differentiated T/C products will come back without too much delay.

[Rick B]

One of the owners of Lehigh Defense is a Contender advocate. Lehigh bought out JD Jones and has been making Contender and Encore barrels the last year. They are primarily marketed by the Haus of Arms in Colorado. They are in the process of producing a early style frame. Issue seems to be with finding a investment casting company that can meet there standards. Barrels they are producing look great.
Rick

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Maybe match grade machine will think about picking up the line to

[Randy Bohannon]

Ruger has its hands full with Marlin and I don’t look for an exceptional rifle from them, mediocre is their niche.

[Deaconllb]

Tc had a great product, at one time I had 18 contenders in pistol format, 5 Encore rifles and 4G2 rifles they are all gone now except a G2 rifle in 7x30 waters and a spar 410 vent rib 23 inch barrel. I went heavy into TCR 83 and TCR 87. I have a frame of each and all the barrels offered in a factory run plus 4 custom shop barrels and at my age I am thinking real hard of selling off my collection but I don't care to piece out and hard to find a lover of them with a pocket full of cash.

Deaconllb

[sharps4590]

Interesting. Neither is in my wheelhouse but I do like to keep up with what's going on. Only old S&W revolvers interest me and TC never made anything I wanted. That isn't an indictment, they just never made anything that appealed to me. I want my Hawken to look like a Hawken, and it does, not an English sporting rifle.

[Rick B]

Was watching a 14" 32-20 TCA barrel brand new in the box. It closed yesterday at 665.56. I realize someone bid this up due to a limited marked TCA barrel. In the 15 years S&W never offered barrels outside a 5-6 major chambering. Used 16" barrels go on the auction sites for 450$-600$. I hope Lehigh Defense starts regular production of non standard chamberings, and 16" barrels. Imagine being able to buy new barrels off the shelf, chambered in 218 Bee, 22 K Hornet, 221 FB, 25-20, 256 Winchester, 30 Carbine, 32-20, 38 Special, 44-40 and straight 45 Colt. Just to name a few.
Rick

[marlinman93]

S&Wis keeping the machinery. Only the name is leaving.

Firearms manufacture today is mostly CNC machinery, so S&W can easily program the equipment to use in making S&W marked firearms. There's no reason anyone buying TC needs used S&W CNC equipment. But I would assume if anyone buys the TC name they'd be smart enough to confirm they're also getting any programming that was used in CNC machines to manufacture the TC products also.

[jj850]

S&W bought TC for there equipment, especially Barrel making equipment , And drove the rest of the company in to the ground through neglect.

[panhed65]

Ruger has its hands full with Marlin and I don’t look for an exceptional rifle from them, mediocre is their niche.
I am with you on that point. I can't see where Ruger will do any better with Marlin than Remington did. in my experience, their rifles are not very accurate, worst barrel I have ever seen was a Ruger 257R that would totally foul out in about 5 shots.
Barry

[uscra112]

Firearms manufacture today is mostly CNC machinery, so S&W can easily program the equipment to use in making S&W marked firearms. There's no reason anyone buying TC needs used S&W CNC equipment. But I would assume if anyone buys the TC name they'd be smart enough to confirm they're also getting any programming that was used in CNC machines to manufacture the TC products also.

Yes, the intellectual property came along with the name, one hopes. But what with technology today, it wouldn't be hard to reverse-engineer. We were doing that kind of thing at Zeiss ten years ago when I retired. I don't doubt that the software today is leaps and bounds beyond what we had.

'Nother question: How much of the T/C parts inventory was S&W subcontracting? Will any new owner of the T/C name be given the contacts?

[sharps4590]

I am with you on that point. I can't see where Ruger will do any better with Marlin than Remington did. in my experience, their rifles are not very accurate, worst barrel I have ever seen was a Ruger 257R that would totally foul out in about 5 shots.
Barry

^^^ This and "mediocre is their niche". Too true.

[Buzzard II]

So where is Thompson Center at today? 31 May 2022? Any news?

[Daekar]

Somehow I missed this thread despite how much I like Contenders and Encores. I really hope production starts up again, I was planning on buying another Encore frame so I could have two ready to go without swapping barrels.

[JRD]

No one has bought T/C as of yet. The brand is dormant with no product being made. Hopefully someone will resurrect it.
If anyone on Cast Boolits has a dream and money to back it up, contact S&W and maybe you can buy T/C and restart it.

[Green Frog]

Let’s look at the other side of this. S&W has been so busy chasing “the next new thing” for the past couple or three decades they have forgotten their core business. The old saying goes “Ride the horse you came with.” If S&W would scrap the hated lock and get back to making the high quality revolvers that were their bread and butter for about a century, maybe they will recapture the interest and business of that class of hand gunners who have been keeping their decades-old revolvers running and only holding their noses to buy new revolvers with the Hillary hole when they have no other choice.

That was their “core business” and I for one would love to see them get back to it!

Froggie

PS TC occupies its own niche market(s) and as a stand alone company or subsidiary of an appropriate parent company, it can do well. It was a gross mismatch with S&W.

[G W Wade]

Been T/C Contender fan since late 70's. Last one I looked at was the Hot Shot. A kid sized 22 LR based on Contender, My first thought was I hoped they would come with a 10 or 12 in barrel and a pistol grip GW

[Jack Stanley]

I haven't bought a new S&W since the Clinton hole on the side of the frame became a thing . While I like the Contenders and the old TCR rifles , if ruger was to start making them there's no way I'd buy one . My time of buying factory assembled do it yourself kits is over .

Jack

[MT Gianni]

I think the patent expired on the older contenders, commonly called "G-1". Haus of Arms was going to market a frame that size.

[Shawlerbrook]

I can see Ruger taking over TC.

[uscra112]

The Gen 1 with the set trigger was what got Warren Center sued.

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

Just saw this.

Rick B - can you post a copy of the letter?

Thanks.