Check out Smith and Wesson's website. They already have a banner with the T/C logo and the heading "Thompson Center, A Smith and Wesson Company".

Yep. How many think Triple Se7en knew this was coming before he said his goodbye?

WOW!! News to me!!

As someone who works in public relations, I scoured through the press release to analyze it. I've had to write several of these types of releases myself for my company as we are constantly in this situation.

Anyway, my conclusion, for what it's worth is that you'll see little to no change in the quality and innovative design by T/C. In fact, I think S&W will be using it to their advantage to develop co-branded rifles and MLs in the future. They want Greg Ritz (spel) and his knowledge of building quality rifles to stay around otherwise they wouldn't have named him president right after they announced this. Its been my experience that if they plan on getting rid of somebody just to buy the company itself, they won't make a move like this.

In fact the release essentiallysays they plan to use the T/C knowledge with their manufacturing processes/size to create a quality rifle more efficiently (read this as more cheaply for them).

As for customer service and support, the release doesn't really speak to that, so who knows. Most companies consider something like this, though when they buy somebody. There may be a honeymoon period but don't expect it to last if S&W isn't that good about it now. T/C will be in charge of making the rifle but not how its delivered to the customer in all likelihood. Seems like you can't have your cake and eat it too in today's world.

Youknow, I could seea company being suited for purchase,might get a few guys to get on the internet and make claims of unconditional warranties. Even pay them to say things like, they replace the worn out barrel of the rifle you bought at the next door neighbor's estate sale which had sit in the cellar for 15 years all rusted out. Stuff like they'd fix what ain't broke and so on, and so on. That'd sure boost sales and since a business sells for a MULTIPLE of its earnings or sales, they certainly stand alot to gain from it.

Frankly, I don't see how any company can warrant repair of a customer's abuse. Maybe all that hype was just hype. After all, same folks spouting the unconditional "off the record" warranty were the very same folks who made false claims of Spanish barrels, none of which were based on factual information. Very same folks made excuses for the company when a forum member complained of tights spots, or a heavier than advertised trigger, or a misaligned QLA. Where may I ask, are they now?

Maybe it's time we wake up to the sobering possibility thatwe've been scammed. Certainly is possible now, after having got the top dollar for the company, that the unconditional "off the record" warranty will remain "off the record"

Now under S&W maybe they will actually develop a smokeless ML, instead of putting out lies about Savage ML's.

Pqlasqow, I guess it is possible w/ RW, but I doubt very seriously if Trip or anyone else here was involved with anything like that.

As I have stated before, I don't own a T/C, but am considering one in the next year or so. My arguement with Trip back a few months ago was this T/C warranty was only how they have been doing business, but I could find nothing written that would imply that they have an Unconditional Warranty. So..........this could be taken away at ANY time.

Hopefully S&W will continue business as usual for T/C, but we'll have to wait and see.

As for all these claims on the internet. There are at least a couple prominent posters on this board who have spoken about specific instances where T/C has come through for them. I believe these are true. I doubt very seriously this was some sort of conspiracty theory.

One poster here I personally know (I'll let him post his name if he doesn't mind), recently bought a broken stock off ebay. Sent it to T/C and they sent him a brand new stock. Personally, if it were my business, I probably wouldn't do that as I don't think the reasonable customer would expect it. BUT, no one can deny what kind of customer loyalty this kind of behavior brings.

Bottom line, S&W will do what they think will be the best for their bottom line. Now, if T/C gave a written warranty with each gun that it had an unconditional lifetime warranty, including second or subsequent owners, I believe S&W would have been stuck with honoring those warranties. But, that is not the case.

I've owned two T/Cs, one is 30 years old the other 28 years, neither has needed service or repair, each was purchase. Both are great firearmsin my opinion and I'd buy another and if fact was planning to thisyear but the deal run out. Still, this concept of uncondtional warranty, seems at least to me, a new concept. I never heard of it until I logged on the internet forums.

I am certain some folks were "unconditionally warranted", and maybe everyone will always be. We'll see.

cascadedad

I guess I am one of those firm believers in the TC warranty... I am the one purchased a broken (cracked)Renegade stock and received a new one from TC...

I called them (TC)and informed them I purchased a stock, just the stock,from a KIT and that itwas cracked on theside of the tang. It was not my crack and I do not know how it got cracked... Her reply - "we warranty the part not the person who uses it" then she said "send it in" I also told her - if they felt it might be abuse, just send it back and I would repair it... they sent a new stock.

So with all the TC's that I own that has been my only encounter with them.

A lot of people wold also tell the price of the warranty is included in the price of the gun... they havedone their actuary work and precisely what it cost them per year and what they need to charge to cover that work...

So when we look@ the price of TC Hawken vs other brands - you are paying for that lifetime warranty.

A company that honors their product as completly as does TC is worth doing business with.

but what happens to the guys that buy rifles with stiff triggers and send them in and get them back and they are still stiff? You can only fix something so many times before throwing up your hands.