I was very suprised to see that Jim Shockey, the poster boy for Knight, has switched to TC. That seems like a pretty big deal. Must be a good story behind that one. I don't know when it happened, but I just saw it yesterday on his show.

That news has been out for a while. This is what he says. I got this off of his web page.
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As many of you will now realize, I have officially switched over to Thompson Center Firearms. I used Knight muzzleloaders for nearly 15 years and Tony Knight is, and will always be a very good friend of mine. I consider Tony to be my mentor in the industry and one of the most influential gun designers of the 20th century. I feel Tony’s original MK85 and his DISC rifle (designed by Tony himself prior to the sale of his company, Knight Muzzleloading) to be two of the greatest guns made in the 20th century. However, that said, I feel I have an obligation and a responsibility to the people who read my writings, watch my TV shows and purchase my DVD’s, to always use and only endorse the products that I feel are the best available products in the industry today.

I have used the Thompson Center muzzleloader now and have taken 13 shots at 13 animals since I switched over and have made 13 one shot kills! Something I definitely can not say when I was using the new model muzzleloaders from Knight muzzleloading which Tony Knight has told me he did not design. To all of you who are loyal to the Knight brand as I was for 15 years, it took a lot of soul searching to make the choice to switch, but in the end I knew it was my only choice.

All that said, for anyone who still might question whether the decision was made for money, I can assure you that this was not the case and would dearly love to go into details in that regard to not only prove that this wasn’t the case, but also prove in so doing, that there was less financial compensation for making the switch in the first place. I’ll say it again, the change was not about money, it was about doing what I felt was right. And I’ll say this again too, Tony Knight is my very dear friend, he always has been and always will be and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him personally. Tony Knight is a man of integrity, and I know he too will do what he believes to be the right thing.

I have been very impressed with the Thompson Center firearms and with Gregg Ritz the owner of Thompson Center. I have guided Gregg personally now and I have gotten to know him much better and I consider him both to be a friend in the industry and to the muzzleloader industry. I have the utmost respect for him and the work he’s done in our industry.

I’m looking forward to a long and lasting relationship with Greg Ritz and the good people at Thompson Center firearms; I can’t wait to be part of their team in the design of the new firearms that they’ll be producing in the future. And, I believe that in the future, Thompson Center with Gregg Ritz at the helm, will be the largest and most respected firearms manufacturer in North America. I am going to do my best to make that happen as I did my best for Tony Knight and Knight Muzzleloading for nearly 15 years. The choice was a hard one to make but I stand by it and I’m proud of it.

I saw a cape buffalo that he didnt kill with one shot. They went in the tall grass with a truck after he initially shot it and finished it with a rifle shot to the head when it charged them. But big deal. Maybe he forgot. He's busy.

Thanks for the info

My feelings exactatly Greg Ritz #1 in muzzleloading and Jim Shockie #2 the rest don't count. My 2 cents Mike