For years, it seemed T/C was playing catch-up in the inline muzzleloader game. They relied on the Thunderhawk/Firehawk/System 1/Black Diamond basic design which, though solid, is uninspiring and far from innovative. Not only that, but prior to the Black Diamond, they kept one foot in the conical world by offering 1 in 38 as a fast twist. They seemed unwilling to acknowledge sabots as the projectile of the future for muzzleloaders. Thus it seemed that for truly innovative sabot shooters, one had to turn to Knight.

Well, with the Omega and Encore, T/C finally caught up. They finally got the right people in the right positions, focused on inlinesand came up with innovative designs that solved some real problems. The complaint now is that T/C has left the traditional shooter in the dust. The regular product line has only the Hawken and the Firestorm as sidelocks and then only in .50 cal. So now the rock lockers and PRB shooters feel abandoned.

After the true innovation of the Mk85 rifles, Knight just got used to having things its own way with competition that was stuck in the past. A lot of whatKnight called innovation in recent years left me shaking my head. More like solutions to nonexistent problems....though both companies have been guilty of this.

Now, with T/C up to speed, Knight is going to have to prove that it's more than a one-trick pony. I wonder if anyone at Knight has considered attacking T/C in the traditional market? They are vulnerable there, but it's a limited market.

I say all this as a confirmed T/C loyalist. Got closets full of them. They treated me so good with the Contenders, that when I started muzzleloading, I wouldn't consider anything else...as good as the Knights looked.
Bob