is thompson/center still still a viable company under s&w?

greencobra

greencobra

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i've tried to contact them looking for a rear sight for a contender barrel in need through the link in the s&w web site. I never get a reply. not even a canned receipt. i finally turned to gunbroker for the part. i'm thinking aloud here but there's got to be hundreds of thousands of t/c firearms out there. is that silence telling all of them if they are in need of factory servicing to look elsewhere?
 
It’s been a few years but I called them directly about my omega and had parts shipped the same day free of charge.
No idea what their deal is now.
 
greencobra said:
no, 2 different companies. t/c makes black powder firearms and the contender, a single shot, interchangeable barrel pistol. smith bought them several years ago.
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I thought theu stopped making the contender.
Or is that the Encore?

F*ckingn companies and product names, I always get confused. They are basically the same.

OP, S&W s*cks a**. So I would expect them to ruin TC. They will push for mediocre products, flood gun stores and try to stay alive by constantly releasing new, useless sh*t.

EDIT: quick Google says that SW is selling them. Maybe already sold them. They probably took whatever they were after and are selling the rest. I hope Kahr buys them, those dudes buy companies and start making cool sh*t.
 
Check out this thread from 2021:

www.northeastshooters.com

Thompson/Center Arms being divested

Thompson/Center Arms being divested. Not Sold. I assume its being spun off as a separate company.
www.northeastshooters.com www.northeastshooters.com

I'm disgusted with what S&W did to T/C, but I'm glad that SSK is making new frames and barrels in the original G1 pattern.
 
I never got it. I ALMOST got an Encore once. Once. Glad I didn't.

Although one of the most fun afternoons at the range was me and a buddy and his 45LC/410 TC with a few boxes of 410's shooting clays. Not easy with a barely-rifled barrel donut'ing your pattern. LOL.
 
Dennis in MA said:
I never got it. I ALMOST got an Encore once. Once. Glad I didn't.

Although one of the most fun afternoons at the range was me and a buddy and his 45LC/410 TC with a few boxes of 410's shooting clays. Not easy with a barely-rifled barrel donut'ing your pattern. LOL.
Click to expand...

The .45LC/.410 barrels are suppposed to have a screw-on choke which you attach when using shotshells to control the shot pattern.
 
Smith ruined TC, they are largely not supported any longer aside from a few vendors. I collect and shoot TC Contenders and a few Encores. There's resources out there for them. Hausofarms is one of the larger ones and great people to deal with, Mike Bellm @ Bellms TC's is also good. SSK is manufacturing the SSK 50 as an alternative to an OEM TC Contender frame. Word is, that they're manufactured to tighter tolerances and quite nice. All the major players in barrels are still there, MGM, Bullberry and SSK being the biggest.

Cobra, if I saw this earlier I would have sent you a rear sight, I've got a few lying around.
 
Thompson Center is no more. S&W killed production. They divested the brand. They did not sell it they just absorbed it into the S&W brands. Thompson Center is currently gone, firearms, parts, support and customer service. Maybe some day S&W may bring it back in some form but for now it is gone.
 
KMM696 said:
SSK firearms and Haus of Arms have started making their own version of a Contender, that they recently started shipping. They still have a backlog to get through.

SSK-50 FRAMES
Click to expand...
I didn't know about SSK.

The SSK website shows $1975, but says 5 must be ordered. EABCO, which doesn't seem to be a scam, has them for $395, which is 1/5.

So, I am guessing the price on SSK is for a quantity of 5. Is that correct?
 
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JDL said:
Thompson Center is no more. S&W killed production. They divested the brand. They did not sell it they just absorbed it into the S&W brands. Thompson Center is currently gone, firearms, parts, support and customer service. Maybe some day S&W may bring it back in some form but for now it is gone.
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jaypap said:
Call them press 4 for Thompson Center.
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I had to call Smith & Wesson last week for something else. It said press 4 for Thompson Center support.
I didn't press it because I needed an operator.
Maybe it works, worth a call.
 
Broc said:
I didn't know about SSK.

The SSK website shows $1975, but says 5 must be ordered. EABCO, which doesn't seem to be a scam, has them for $395, which is 1/5.

So, I am guessing the price on SSK is for a quantity of 5. Is that correct?
Click to expand...
Yep - if I remember their blog post correctly, the quantity 5 SKU was intended for dealers or distributors.

Haus of Arms also shows the $395 price - they were the ones who convinced SSK to do this project. I'm not sure how long it's going to take for them to get through preorders and waiting lists, but I'd guess a while. I'm on the list, but no idea where on the list. I guess I'll be over here, holding my breath until I get one.
 
KMM696 said:
Yep - if I remember their blog post correctly, the quantity 5 SKU was intended for dealers or distributors.

Haus of Arms also shows the $395 price - they were the ones who convinced SSK to do this project. I'm not sure how long it's going to take for them to get through preorders and waiting lists, but I'd guess a while. I'm on the list, but no idea where on the list. I guess I'll be over here, holding my breath until I get one.
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I am going to pre-order one.

$395 is a really good price.
 
Zappa said:
Check out this thread from 2021:

www.northeastshooters.com

Thompson/Center Arms being divested

Thompson/Center Arms being divested. Not Sold. I assume its being spun off as a separate company.
www.northeastshooters.com www.northeastshooters.com

I'm disgusted with what S&W did to T/C, but I'm glad that SSK is making new frames and barrels in the original G1 pattern.
Click to expand...
I could nevwr get used to the crunchy feel of the breech lock mechanism.
 
“Thompson/Center is back, once again family owned, and will continue to be made in the USA while restoring the core values of innovation, customer focus and the lifetime guarantee that has traditionally defined this brand. Follow along as we relaunch this iconic company from the ground up.

“Now more than ever it’s imperative we keep manufacturing at home. From job creation to national pride, made here is our commitment. Follow along as we relaunch this iconic company from the ground up and reshape history.”

www.thetruthaboutguns.com

Former Owner Purchases Thompson/Center From S&W - The Truth About Guns

&#9664Previous Post Next Post▶ Smith & Wesson has sold Thompson/Center Arms, the U.S. manufacturer of products catering to hunters, shooters and outdoor enthusiasts since 1967, to former owner Greg Ritz, according to reports. Ritz, a seasoned media and manufacturing entrepreneur, is also the...
www.thetruthaboutguns.com www.thetruthaboutguns.com
 
I didn’t see where he was planning on making them. I knew a lot of former Thompson center employees that worked at sig Sauer. They were unhappy the way the layoffs went down.
 
jct61765 said:
I didn’t see where he was planning on making them. I knew a lot of former Thompson center employees that worked at sig Sauer. They were unhappy the way the layoffs went down.
Click to expand...

My cousins wife worked at TCA for many years, she was the bookkeeper at the foundry.
She was one of the last people laid-off after S&W stabbed everyone in the back and closed the plant in Rochester.
I still have three G1 Contenders and several T/C Custom Shop one-of-a-kind carbine barrels, which I spec'd out, and she ordered using her very generous employee discount.
Ever see a factory made 18" stainless Contender bull barrel, with muzzle brake, chambered in .357 Maximum ???
I likely have the only one in existence. [smile]
 
They never really went up in value. I never owned one. They just didn’t interest me. I remember Riley’s always had one case with a bunch of them. After T/C got sold, it seemed like no one wanted them anymore.
I had a friend that worked there for years. He was QC. He drove his car around to the different buildings. He had every caliber barrel they ever made.
 
Love my G1, which I have gotten from the estate of an old friend
1714550288175.jpeg

The hammer of this gun was obtained as a spare for the one with a broken spur directly in Rochester in December of 1995 - foc.
10" barrels are .44 Mag, .357 Mag, .30-30, 9mm Luger and .22lr, 14" STS bull is in .223 Rem.
Biting myself for not buying a .221 Rem Fireball barrel along with several hundred factory rounds when it came up in another estate.
 
Woodsloafer said:
Greg Ritz is buying T/C back from S&W:

View attachment 877421

www.instagram.com

Thompson/Center Arms on Instagram: "A new era of Thompson/Center Arms. Family Owned, Customer Focused, Made in the USA. #tcarms"

1,741 likes, 107 comments - tcarmsco on April 30, 2024: "A new era of Thompson/Center Arms. Family Owned, Customer Focused, Made in the USA. #tcarms".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
Click to expand...
i never saw this. i was just gonna post i heard smith shut t/c down for good. this is good, no? no wonder they never returned my calls. i've been getting misc. small parts from gunbroker for fairly reasonable prices. better than ebay, etc. i was looking for a rear sight assembly for a 10" bbl and ebay's cheapest seller was north of 75 bucks. gb, i paid 17 cash money (included screws), cajolled the guy into finally sending it but nonetheless, saved some money. barrels, forget it, out of sight. if i see one, any one, for decent money i'll try and fit it into the budget. that's not going well, people have caught on to the supply/demand game, lol.
 

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