No more T/C?

[daddywpb]

What do you guys think about Smith and Wesson buying out Thompson Center? And naming Greg Ritz president of Smith and Wesson "Hunting"? The article I read painted a rosey picture - I'm not so sure. Will Smith and Wesson Hunting last longer than the latest "Gun of the Month" revolver from the Performance Center? Better get your Encores and barrels now fellas, before the "new" Encore quality matches the crap coming out of Smith and Wesson now. I think it's very sad, especially coming on the heels of Winchester's fate.

[Hairtrigger]

I am still hoping that S&W lets TC do what they do best and maybe even betters themselves from it

[Redhawk1]

Nothing wrong with S&W revolvers, I have been shooting there new performance center guns for years and not a problem. I think T/C will be OK with S&W in charge. But that is just my opinion. But speculating on the future of T/C is all you are doing.

[manofthe45]

What do you guys think about Smith and Wesson buying out Thompson Center? And naming Greg Ritz president of Smith and Wesson "Hunting"? The article I read painted a rosey picture - I'm not so sure. Will Smith and Wesson Hunting last longer than the latest "Gun of the Month" revolver from the Performance Center? Better get your Encores and barrels now fellas, before the "new" Encore quality matches the crap coming out of Smith and Wesson now. I think it's very sad, especially coming on the heels of Winchester's fate.

Sounds like a dream of Spanish and other garbarge ML fans, but I have the feeling its about to become their nightmare.   S&W didn't have a ML  section, they wanted to have the best so they bought T/C enough said

[elkstalkr]

But speculating on the future of T/C is all you are doing.

I would agree with that. 

[flinthead]

Why would you buy one of the best rifle makers in the world with awesome sales and then change what they are doing?... my guess is that S&W will simply be beefing up TC's pocket book to lend way to even more innovation. 

[encore3006]

"Run, run...the sky is falling...the sky is falling"

It will be good for both companies in the long "run"...(no pun intended)

[daddywpb]

Nothing wrong with S&W revolvers, I have been shooting there new performance center guns for years and not a problem.

The Performance Center guns may be great. I wouldn't know. Can't afford one. But, the production revolvers are not. They are out of time, poorly finished and more than a couple that I've seen lately have been unusable out of the box.

[Redhawk1]

daddywpb, where are you seeing this? The gun shop I go to has a hugh stock of S&W revolvers and they look and work great. I own non PC models and they are great guns as well. It sounds more like you are not a S&W fan  and not an actual S&W user. 

[daddywpb]

I was a S&W fan. My service revolver was a 686. Never had a bit of trouble with it, except for having a bit of cylinder end play taken out of it, in 10 years and tens of thousands of rounds of factory .357 Mag ammo. We did not use .38 Specials, even to practice or qualify. I have a Mountain Gun, an original '60's Centennial, a Model 60, a K frame .22 (model escapes me at the moment - gettting old), one of the alloy frame .22 autos (2206?), a Model 29, a 4516, my old 686, and a 4506 that I used in IPSC matches for five years and has had about 15,000 rounds thru it, give or take a few hundred. I've traded away a Model 27, a Model 28 Highway Patrolman, and one of the newer polymer framed 9mm's, can't remember the model, that I picked up at a gun show for my wife and sold because it wouldn't feed - anything.

That is thiry five years of experience with S&W. The local gun shop that I frequent has ordered two revolvers, I don't remember the model #'s, for regular customers in the last couple of months that would not function out of the box. Another came in with a big scratch across the sideplate, another about a year ago came in without a rear sight blade. IN MY OPINION, that is poor quality.

I was not speculating on the future of T/C. My comment was about what the effect of the S&W management, that is letting revolvers out the door that will not shoot - out of the box, will have on T/C products. T/C products have always been of the highest quality. Hopefully, they will stay that way.

 

[Redhawk1]

 Stuff happens in the gun industry, remember there are guys in gun factories that have bad day and forget things. But I am more than sure S&W takes care of them guns. If you expect everything coming out of any gun factory is going to be 100% you live in a dream world. It has happened to all of them.  Stuff Happens.

[mangulator]

I am not a T/C fan but I like S&W and I think its a good move for both companies. I have had several S&W guns in the last twenty-three years and they have not failed me in my career and the new weapons they are putting out are of high quality.

[daddywpb]

Quality products will attract more fans than excuses.

[Keith Lewis]

Unfortunately I had three S&W revolvers, A 29 nickle, a 66 stainless, and a blue Chief's Special. Only the Chief was a decent one. I kept the 29 after it was returned with the cylinder fixed so that it would rotate (came special order with cylinder out of alignment). When returned as I took it out of the box the front sight fell off. I shot about 100 rounds through it and the nickle started flaking off the barrel. I traded it for a Ruger. The 66 was out of time and took a local gunsmith to make it work farily well. Would lock up occasionally even after the fix. All of this was before they sold out to the English tool company so maybe they have gotten better since. I sure hope so for their benefit and T/C's. Needless to say I am not a fan of S&W. The Rugers worked from the git-go.

[Redhawk1]

Quality products will attract more fans than excuses.

OK you win, do you feel better now. Not everyone agrees with you, is that OK?
If you want to keep bashing the S&W handgun, please move it to the S&W handgun section. We are in the  MODERN Inline Muzzle Loading Rifles & Shotguns section.