Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: SWBI) plans to divest (sell off) its Thompson/Center Arms (T/C) brand. This T/C divestiture as part of a “broader strategic plan” by Smith & Wesson to focus on its core S&W brands. So soon Thompson/Center rifles, muzzleloaders, and single-shot pistols will no longer be produced by Smith and Wesson. Accordingly, if you’ve been thinking about getting a T/C gun, now may be a good time to buy. We predict inventories will be sold off at discounted prices. NOTE: S&W remains committed to providing customer service to current T/C gun owners.
Smith & Wesson President/CEO Mark Smith declared: “Thompson/Center is a beloved hunting brand with a longstanding heritage, and we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition. Thompson/Center Arms’ loyal consumers should rest assured that they will continue to receive the world-class firearms, accessories, and customer service support that the brand has been known for since its founding in 1965. We remain fully committed to the hunting and long-range shooting market, and with this divestiture we will be able to now focus on these categories under our iconic Smith & Wesson brand. Additionally, this will allow us to immediately redirect manufacturing capacity to increase overall production volumes, allowing us to gain additional market share[.]”
No Buyer Currently for Thompson/Center Arms
At this time, a buyer for the Thompson/Center Arms brand has not been identified. However, the divestiture is not expected to have a material financial impact on S&W’s first quarter fiscal year 2022 results. S&W expects the divestiture “to be accretive to the Company’s full year fiscal 2022 through higher overall production levels, increased margins, and lower marketing costs”. The Company states that this decision will NOT result in a workforce reduction as it will “repurpose capacity immediately” to other areas.
Thompson/Center Arms — Types of Firearms Currently Produced
Thompson/Center Arms produces a wide range of firearms including bolt-action rifles, semi-auto rimfire rifles, muzzle-loaders, plus T/C Encore rifles and pistols. Expect all these firearms to be discounted heavily in the months ahead. CLICK HERE to see the full line-up of T/C firearms at TCArms.com.
About Smith & Wesson Brands Smith & Wesson Brands is a leader in firearm manufacturing and design, delivering a broad portfolio of handgun, long gun, and suppressor products to the global consumer and professional markets under the iconic Smith & Wesson, M&P, and Gemtech brands. The Company also provides manufacturing services, including forging, machining, and precision plastic injection molding services.
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This month American Outdoor Brands Corporation (NASDAQ: AOBC) will officially split into two separate companies, with the Smith & Wesson gun business becoming a stand-alone enterprise again. This action will create two independent, publicly-traded companies: Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (encompassing the firearm business) and American Outdoor Brands, Inc. (encompassing the outdoor products and accessories business). AOBC’s board of directors previously approved the separation of its outdoor products and accessories business into an independent, publicly-traded company.
Smith & Wesson Brands will effect the separation through a spin-off whereby it will distribute 100 percent of the shares of American Outdoor Brands common stock to Smith & Wesson Brands’ stockholders of record as of the close of business on the record date of August 10, 2020 on a pro rata basis. The distribution of American Outdoor Brands’ shares is expected to be completed effective as of 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on August 24, 2020, with Smith & Wesson Brands stockholders receiving one share of American Outdoor Brands common stock for every four shares of Smith & Wesson Brands stock.
Following the spin-off, American Outdoor Brands will be a separate publicly-traded company independent from Smith & Wesson Brands. Smith & Wesson Brands will not retain any American Outdoor Brands common stock. Smith & Wesson Brands will continue to be listed on NASDAQ under the symbol SWBI. American Outdoor Brands has received approval for the listing of its common stock on NASDAQ under the symbol AOUT.
Background of the American Outdoor Brands Conglomerate
In August 2016, Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation bought Crimson Trace, a laser-sight manufacturer, for $95 million and Taylor Brands, a tool and knife maker, for $85 million. In November of that same year, the company bought UST Brands, a survival equipment maker, for $32.3 million. And Smith & Wesson acquired Battenfeld Technologies in 2015 for $130.3 million. Smith & Wesson diversified from firearms into sporting goods and accessories in hopes of insulating Smith & Wesson from the stock price volatility caused by the unpredictability of the gun business. This culminated in the decision to change the company’s name to American Outdoor Brands Corporation. However, despite the diversification, in 2017, firearms still accounted for 86% of American Outdoor Brands’s revenues.
Post-Spinoff Brand Line-Ups for SWBI and AOUT
Smith & Wesson Brands (SWBI) will now become firearm-centric, selling guns under the Smith & Wesson, M&P, Thompson/Center, and Performance Center brands. In addition, we believe SWBI will continue to make and sell Gemtech suppressors.
American Outdoor Brands markets a large number of product brands, including Bog (bipods/tripods), Caldwell (shooting accessories), Crimson Trace (weapons lights), Frankford Arsenal (reloading tools). Listed below are the product lines American Outdoor Brands Inc. will continue to sell as the new, separate AOUT company. A significant percentage of these brands remain gun-centric:
Bog — Manufactures tripods and shooting rests
Caldwell — Manufactures targets and shooting rests
Crimson Trace — Flashlight, Weapon light, and aiming device manufacturer
Frankford Arsenal — Manufactures reloading tools
Golden Rod — Manufactures dehumidifiers and moisture sensors for safes and lock boxes
Hooyman — Manufactures Landscaping tools and portable power saws
Imperial — Manufactures fixed and folding blade knives
Lockdown — Manufactures gun safes, lock boxes, gun locks, and accessories
M&P Accessories — Manufactures firearm accessories
Old Timer — Manufactures fixed and folding blade knives as well as accessories
Schrade — Manufactures fixed and folding blade knives as well as accessories
Tipton — Manufactures firearm cleaning accessories
Uncle Henry — Manufactures fixed and folding blade knives as well as accessories
Wheeler Engineering — Manufactures gunsmithing tools
Bubba — Manufactures knives, tools, and accessories for fishing
Mark Smith Will Lead Smith & Wesson After Spin-Off
Upon successful completion of the spin-off, Mark Smith will become CEO of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc.; Smith is currently the President of the Manufacturing Services Division of AOBC and supports all of its businesses. James Debney, current AOBC President and CEO, will lead the outdoor products and accessories company as CEO after the spin-off.
The Future of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (Projections)
Headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. will continue its 168-year-old heritage of producing firearms (S&W was founded in 1852). This business’s handgun, long gun, and suppressor products are marketed under the Smith & Wesson®, M&P®, Performance Center®, Thompson/Center Arms™, and Gemtech® brands. Following the spin-off this month, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. is expected to generate revenue between $450 million and $500 million and adjusted EBITDAS between $90 million and $105 million in its first 12 months as an independent company.
* It is not clear whether Smith & Wesson Accessories and Thompson Center Accessories will be marketed under the same name after American Outdoor brands splits into two publicly-traded companies.
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Are you looking to save money on a factory varmint or hunting rifle? Well Thompson/Center Arms (T/C) is currently offering a $75.00 rebate with the purchase of any new T/C Venture™ rifle. The mail-in rebate program will be available to consumers who purchase a T/C Venture rifle from January 25, 2014 through April 30, 2014 in the United States or Canada.
Consumers can choose from 16 different calibers ranging from the .204 Ruger to the big .338 Winchester Magnum. Made in America and backed by Thompson/Center’s lifetime warranty, the T/C Venture provides consumers with an affordable, value-packed hunting rifle.
Lifetime Warranty, One MOA Group Size Guarantee
T/C Venture rifles come with a One Minute of Angle (MOA) accuracy guarantee, plus a full lifetime factory warranty. T/C Venture bolt-action rifles features a precision barrel with 5R rifling, a user-adjustable trigger, fat bolt design with 60-degree lift, composite stock featuring traction grip panels, QD sling swivel studs, and a single stack 3+1 detachable nylon magazine. Various models are offered, including the popular T/C Venture Predator with Realtree Camo finish.
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Thompson/Center Arms (T/C) has identified a condition that may cause the safety lever on certain ICON®, VENTURE™ and DIMENSION® rifles to bind, preventing the safety from becoming fully engaged. In this situation, closing the bolt may move the safety to the fire position. The rifle will not fire unless the trigger is pulled. Though there should be no risk of the gun going off by itself, T/C states: “Out of an abundance of caution, we are taking this action to recall the rifles so that the firearm can be inspected by our technicians to ensure that the safety lever functions as designed.”
This is a large-scale recall, not just a few rifles. This recall applies to all Icon, Venture, and Dimension rifles manufactured by Thompson/Center Arms prior to June 13, 2013. If you own a rifle affected by this recall, T/C recommends that you stop using the rifle and return it to T/C at once: “Because the safety of our customers is our utmost concern, we ask that you stop using your rifle until we have an opportunity to inspect the safety lever to ensure its proper function.”
To facilitate the inspection and repair, if necessary, of your rifle safety lever, contact Thompson/Center’s customer service department to receive instructions and a pre-paid shipping label for the return of your rifle to the factory. At no cost to the owner, T/C will repair the rifle and ship it back. For more information, visit www.tcarms.com. If you have any questions about this recall, contact Thompson/Center at (800) 713-0355.
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At Media Day right before SHOT Show, Thompson/Center Arms unveiled an innovative hunting rifle that features interchangeable barrels and multiple bolts. This allows a single gun to shoot a wide range of chamberings — from .204 Ruger all the way up to the large, belted magnums. The gun employs some unusual engineering, with an AR-type barrel nut on a barrel extension which contains the bolt-lug recesses. There is no conventional recoil lug. Instead a slot on the underside of the barrel extension mates to a metal bar molded into the stock. With the supplied tools, the entire gun can be assembled or disassembled in under one minute (in the Video, a T/C rep assembles the gun in 55 seconds.)
T/C’s Dimension rifle is definitely innovative; there is nothing like it on the market anywhere near its price range (MSRP is $648.00 with tools). For a walking-around deer hunter who is satisfied with factory barrels, and who doesn’t shoot with a rear bag, the gun will probably have appeal. On the other hand, varminters won’t be impressed — the stock won’t work well with a bipod or rear bag, and T/C will be the only source for barrels. The nature of the design, for practical purposes, precludes the use of affordable 3rd-party barrels. You won’t be able to buy a Shilen or PacNor prefit barrel, as you can for a Savage.
Factory Promo Video (Loud Soundtrack — turn down speakers before playback!)
Action Features Pro: One size fits all — single hard-anodized aluminum action can be used to shoot multiple chamberings from .204 Ruger to .300 Win Mag with bolt, barrel, and magazine swap. For all chamberings, T/C guarantees 3-shot accuracy of one MOA with premium ammo. Con: You have to replace complete bolt assembly to go from one family of cartridges to another (e.g. from .308 Win to Magnum). This is much more expensive than swapping a bolt head on a Savage.
Barrel Fitting Pro: Barrels can be quickly exchanged using provided tools. Con: Bolt recesses are machined into barrel extension section, so barrels must be supplied by T/C. We were told that both bolts and barrels “absolutely have to come from Thompson/Center”.
Stock Features Pro: Stock is lightweight with rubberized surface texture — good for wet climates. Con: Stock is ugly. Forearm too flexy to use with bipod. Concave arc on underside of buttstock is terrible for use with rear bag. Stock finish tends to retain dust and grit.
Scope Mounting Pro: T/C offers a bridge scope base that mounts to the barrel (like on Blasers). This allows an optic to stay with a barrel — so you could have a low-power close-range scope mounted and zeroed on one barrel, with a higher-power variable scope on another barrel. Con: If you keep optics on the barrels, you need to buy a separate bridge for each barrel. That’s an added expense, plus many hunters can’t afford multiple scopes anyway. Thankfully, conventional Weaver bases can be fitted on top of the action.
Commentary: On viewing and handling the rifle, and watching the assembly process, it was obvious that some intelligent, clever engineering went into the gun. The AR-style barrel engagement system functions very well — the whole gun can be disassembled in under one minute. T/C provides some fairly sophisticated assembly tools with the gun, including wrenches that automatically set correct torque values. That’s cool. The gun is relatively light and balances well. On the other hand, the stock design fails in many ways. The fore-arm is short and too flexy for serious use with bipod. The curving underside of the buttstock is a odd-looking, but what is worse, the curve is just about the worst possible profile for use with a rear sandbag. Most observers thought the gun was ugly.
T/C Dimension Caliber Groups
The T/C Dimension LOC™ System has 7 parts — a universal stock and receiver that accept multiple barrels, magazine groups (magazine and housing), bolts and bridge scope mounts. Dimension hand tools work with all Dimension rifles. Interchangeable parts are stamped with letters: A, B, C or D. Match the letter on the barrel with the one on the bolt and magazine group.
A Family: .204 Ruger, .223 Rem
B Family: 22-250 Rem, .243 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, .308 Win
C Family: .270 Win, .30-06 Sprg
D Family: 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag
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Last week we reported that Smith & Wesson was recalling certain Thompson/Center (T/C) Venture rifles because of potential defects in the sear mechanism. Well it looks like the problem is worse than first thought. As a result, Smith & Wesson has expanded its recall to include ALL T/C Venture Rifles manufactured prior to October 28, 2011. The sear issue could possibly cause a Venture rifle to fire without the trigger being pulled. READ Recall Notice.
Expanded Recall of Thompson/Center (T/C) Venture Rifles
This broadens the recall announced by Smith & Wesson on November 8, 2011. This recall applies to ALL Venture rifles manufactured prior to October 28, 2011. To determine if your rifle is affected, please reference the serial number list located at www.smith-wesson.com/venturerecall or by calling Smith & Wesson directly at 1-800-713-0356. If your serial number does not fall within the list of affected serial numbers, your rifle is not part of this recall.
REMEDY/ACTION TO BE TAKEN: STOP USING YOUR RIFLE. Any unintended discharge of a firearm has the potential to cause injury or death, and we ask that you stop using your rifle until we have an opportunity to inspect the sear to make certain that there is no condition which will allow the rifle to fire without the trigger being pulled. To facilitate the inspection and, if necessary, repair of your rifle, please contact Smith & Wesson’s customer service department to receive instructions and a prepaid return label for the return of your rifle to Smith & Wesson. When you return your rifle to Smith & Wesson, be sure to attach the completed information card received from Smith & Wesson, so that your rifle can be returned to you as quickly and efficiently as possible.
CONSUMER CONTACT: Please contact Smith & Wesson directly at 1-800-713-0356, or at venturerecall@smith-wesson.com to arrange for the inspection and repair of your rifle.
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Two New England gun-making facilities will soon close their doors. The operations of both Bushmaster (Maine) and Thompson/Center Arms (New Hampshire) are being relocated to other facilities owned by their respective corporate parents.
Bushmaster Plant in Maine to Close
First, the Freedom Group, which owns Remington, Bushmaster, Marlin and other companies, announced that it will close Bushmaster’s Windham, ME facility, “effective March 31, 2011″. According to an official press release: “The Company will relocate manufacturing of all Bushmaster products currently produced at Windham to other, existing Freedom Group Facilities. The move will have no impact on customers or the existing supply base.” John B. Blystone, Chairman of the Freedom Group’s Board of Directors, commented: “We are continuing to adjust our operations in order to remain competitive…. Given increasing costs and pricing pressures affecting the entire firearms industry, this action is clearly necessary[.]”
T/C New Hampshire Facility To Be Phased Out
Smith & Wesson, parent of Thompson/Center Arms (T/C), is pulling the plug on T/C’s Rochester, New Hampshire operation. The Rochester factory will be phased out starting in January 2011, and finishing before the end of next year (2011). T/C production will be switched to Smith & Wesson’s Springfield, MA facility. Some workers may be relocated, but most will lose their jobs. According to S&W Mktg. Service Director Paul Pluff: “We needed to streamline in order to make our company more efficient and profitable.” S&W Human Resources VP Bill Lachenmeyer explained that the plant closure was due to a big decline in T/C sales over the last three years. S&W invested heavily in the new line of T/C Icon hunting rifles but the Icons didn’t sell well. Likewise sales of T/C’s signature Encore and Contender tilt-breech hunting pistols declined in the economic downturn.
Thompson/Center Arms (T/C) has identified a condition that may cause the safety lever on certain ICON®, VENTURE™ and DIMENSION® rifles to bind, preventing the safety from becoming fully engaged. In this situation, closing the bolt may move the safety to the fire position. The rifle will not fire unless the trigger is pulled. Though there should be no risk of the gun going off by itself, T/C states: “Out of an abundance of caution, we are taking this action to recall the rifles so that the firearm can be inspected by our technicians to ensure that the safety lever functions as designed.”
Commentary: On viewing and handling the rifle, and watching the assembly process, it was obvious that some intelligent, clever engineering went into the gun. The AR-style barrel engagement system functions very well — the whole gun can be disassembled in under one minute. T/C provides some fairly sophisticated assembly tools with the gun, including wrenches that automatically set correct torque values. That’s cool. The gun is relatively light and balances well. On the other hand, the stock design fails in many ways. The fore-arm is short and too flexy for serious use with bipod. The curving underside of the buttstock is a odd-looking, but what is worse, the curve is just about the worst possible profile for use with a rear sandbag. Most observers thought the gun was ugly.
Bushmaster Plant in Maine to Close
T/C New Hampshire Facility To Be Phased Out
