Now if someone would like to comment on the idea of taking new improvements for the Encore and putting them in a new gun and then jacking up the price, let's hear it please.
Well, LL it's fundmentally simple. In order for any business to stay IN BUSINESS they have to keep making a profit. That means that their revenues have to be more than their operating expenses. If that doesn't happen, they end up like Winchester.
So, if a company is smart enough to take an existing product and make enhancments on it, and then market that product and it is accepted by the buying public, then they have kept their research and development cost down, their tooling cost down, their manfacturing cost down, and created a new sales market that will drive their revenues up.
What does all this mean for you and me? Well, it means that the lifetime guarantee of your Encore, and my Pro Hunter (and my Contender) is still worth something, because Thompson Center is still around. And , just like Smith & Wesson (for those crybabies who whine about the lock) the products are made right here in the USA by people who live right here in the USA who raise their families here in the USA and have mortgages, car payments, kids clothing and all the stuff all of us have.
I could "comment" some more, but I think I've made my point. Buy a Pro Hunter. You will not be disapointed. I wasn't.
Dave.