New Thompson Center Icon Problems (Long Post)

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Palmetto-Pride

New member
I just recently bought a new Thompson Center Icon and I love the gun, it feels great, looks great shoots great except for one little problem it wont feed reliably from the magazine.

What happens is the bottom of the bolt just barely misses the top of the round as it rides over it. The magazine is seated properly, even though it will come up just slightly more if I push on it, in fact if I push on it and cycle the bolt it works fine. It seems like a design flaw so I goggled the problem and found that I am not the only one who has had this exact problem.

This is where it gets interesting, I called Thompson Center today figuring that it is a know problem and there is probably a fix for it already, since the Icon has been out since 2007. The lady answered the phone and I explained all of the above to her, but she said she had not heard of the problem and I should send the magazine in and they will replace it. I explained to her that I had done a goggle search on the problem and found a few other people with the same problem and I said "surely I cant be the first person that has complained about this" She still said that she hadn't heard of the problem so I took her for her word and didn't push the issue.

I wasn't sastfied with the response I got from her so a couple hours later I called again hoping to get another person on the phone and so I did. A nice man answered once again I explaned to him the problem and this time the guy was like "yea we know about the problem and there is a fix for it, but you have to send the whole rifle back to us and we will ship it back to you ASAP"

I am fine with shipping the gun back on my dime hopefully they will throw in a free magazine, but here is what I don't understand, according to the test target that was included with the gun it was performed on 9-29-10 just last September six months ago. I assume whatever fix they have to do they knew about it before six months ago so why did they ship out a gun that they must have known to be defective.......:mad:

Sorry for the long post guys just wanted to vent.....:eek:
 
T/C is owned by Smith and Wesson now and is more worried about getting guns out then making a great gun like they used to. There moving the plant in Rochester, New Hampshire to Massachusetts. And there sevice department has sucked since S&W bought them.
 
Because sometimes its cheaper to fix the problem on an individual basis than it is to change manufacturing processes to guarantee each rifle comes out fully functional.

At least I've been given that answer in the past (from other companies not even firearm related) and I'm guessing that's their thought process. That is why they have a warranty after all.

I hate it too, but in the end they do have to turn a profit.. and I don't fault them for that.
 
Because sometimes its cheaper to fix the problem on an individual basis than it is to change manufacturing processes to guarantee each rifle comes out fully functional.
Click to expand...

I do believe that is the reason, but that tells me that they are looking for todays dollar and not the long term dollars they can get from a satisfied life long customer willing to buy more and recommend there product for a lifetime.

I dont understand why big companys like Smith & Wesson would buy a smaller company like T/C and then run them into the ground. How do they make money like that.....:confused:
 
Magazines not seating properly can be as simple as a slightly misplaced cut-out during the stamping process. All they probably have to do is check a stack of magazines to find one that sits correctly.
Changing the stamping process requires a new, very expensive tool. It's just cheaper to do the rework for the rifles where excessive play affects function then to retool. Tools have a limited lifetime, so by the time the next replacement cycle comes around it gets fixed.
 
I dont believe it's from it not seating the way it was designed, I believe it's from a flaw in the design, other wise they would just send me a new magazine and not tell me the entire trigger group with mag housing has to be changed out.
 
I'd hate to be hunting in Africa with one of these and have a lion or similar attack me and not have it function right.

Pretty serious malfunction IMHO.
 
i would say that is you have the money to go on a hunt in africa you wont be takeing a T/C icon on that hunt but it is posable
 
Other than the feeding problem which I beleive is probaly simple fix that T/C will take care of, I think the Icon is very well made and in the accuracy dept I think it will hold its own with any other bolt action rifle.
 
My Thompson Icon precision Hunter is one of the most accurate out of the box rifles I've owned including Savage, Marlin, Remington. Not happy with the S&W purchase but typical business big guy buys out little guy.;)
 
Thompson

I have the inexpensive Venture in .270 and all is good with it. Feeds well and shoots beyond my wildest expectations. Also has a GREAT trigger. This rifle really is a 1" rifle with any Walmart ammo and about a 1/2" rifle with Federal ammo (fired from Lead Sled). Rifle also maintains that level of accuracy through barrel heating, even for several 3 round groups. Great rifle.
 
I hope they get your rifle fixed for you. I have read alot of good things about the Icon and came close to buying one a year or two ago, but never did.
 
*****Update******

Well I just wanted to post an update on my T/C Icon.

All I can say is wow T/C's turn around time was very fast. I dropped the gun off to a UPS store on Friday the 18th they received it on Wed the 23rd and it was fixed and back a my door exactly 7 days later on Wed the 30th.

They replaced the trigger guard / magazine well and it now feeds perfectly.

I do wish they had thrown in a free magazine, hat, or t-shirt for being out $18.00 for shipping and trouble, but what the hey you cant have it all.....lol:)
 
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