Comments on: Bushmaster and Thompson/Center Arms Factories to Close

By: Bill Larkin

Bill Larkin — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:48:49 +0000

Stopped buying T/C guns and products when Smith and Wesson purchased company.

By: Patrice DAUFFER

Patrice DAUFFER — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:53:54 +0000

I am french and I am so sorry for your fine industry but since your “patriot act” you must know that there is no more AR 15 type rifle that is exported out of the united states of america…
And there is lot of people in the rest of the world (me to)that would like to enjoy to shoot with…

By: Gabe Schmudlach

Gabe Schmudlach — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:23:39 +0000

I think this comes down to the fact that both of TC’s flagship items (the Encore and the Icon) aren’t selling. The Encore isn’t selling because it’s an $800 heavy single shot with lousy ergonomics. Also, it’s muzzleloader barrels don’t shoot smokeless. No amount of hillbilly hunting show endorsements can cover those weaknesses. The Icon isn’t selling because it completes in a brutally tough niche with a higher than most sticker price, quirky styling and ergonomics (bolt handle).

As mentioned above, this is capitalism at work. We vote with our dollars, and they lost.

By: Pancho

Pancho — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:04:12 +0000

These factories closings have nothing to do with corporate greed or even the economic stability of the country. We simply have too many choice and some of them are losing their utility.

TC was great for a while when it was fun or cheaper to have one gun in multiple calibers. Why buy a new TC barrel when you can buy a whole new Savage rifle for $100 less! $800 for a break action single shot rifle, Really! The same goes for Marlin, $500 lever action 30/30 or $300 bolt action 30/06 with a scope.

Think about it. Pick up a copy of a Shooters Bible from the 60’s or 70’s. You had just a couple of choice’s in bolt action rifles. Compare that to the number of Rem 700 models that they offer today. We have more choices from one single manufacture than we did from all of the manufactures in 1968.

We are saturated with options, capitalism at it’s finest, and sooner or later some of them have to go away. Technologies change, otherwise we would all be shooting Sharps and Hi Walls.

How many TC rifle do they offer now? I remember when it was just the Contender. They might have been profitable if they had 50 employees. But they expanded and offered more models and hired more employees. They grew and it looks like maybe that expansion caught up with them. Happen all the time when supply surpasses demand. It is time for them to reset. They will scale back and the TC name and most useful products will continue on.

Concerning Bushmaster, try and count the number of AR15 brands in the US? I gave up trying when I passed 50!

By: Hoth

Hoth — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:52:44 +0000

Give a +1 to emdfl.

By: emdfl

emdfl — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:36:40 +0000

Or maybe unfriendly governments with confiscatory tax laws had something to do with these decisions…

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:24:08 +0000

Just another example of the wealthy increasing their profit by cutting jobs and increasing the work load of others. When are they going to realize that the working man needs to have a dollar in his pocket before he can spend it. That is the only way to rejuvenate the economy.

By: Kenny474

Kenny474 — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:29:31 +0000

WOW, what a shame. I grew up not far from there and have several friends who are losing jobs because of this. It’s terrible that we constantly see firearms manufacturers closing up shop and costing people jobs.

I have always been a big fan of TC products and really liked having the factory so close. It was easy to just stop by for any repairs.

Just sad to see another plant get shut down.

By: Emil Praslick

Emil Praslick — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:11:29 +0000

This is what happens when one financial concern (Freedom Group) owns all the companies in a market. Why should they keep companies that compete against each other?

It’s just business. The villains (if they’re are any) are the owners who took the money and sold out to this conglomerate.

By: Mr Bill

Mr Bill — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 23:03:52 +0000

Poor T/C! If they hadn’t started building substandard barrels about ten years ago they might still be okay. Sorry, but after having problems with four out of five T/C barrels I’ve purchased and being told I didn’t know what I was doing when I told them about the problem, I find it hard to sympathize.