GEAR
A Look Back At SHOT Show 2007
Dan Johnson provides an in-depth look at some of the highlights from the biggest SHOT Show yet.
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According to the NSSF web site, SHOT Show 2007 was the biggest yet. It was also, in my opinion, filled with a lot of new and interesting products. I will touch on some of the new firearms from the major companies, but this year I focused more on useful accessories for the shooter. After all, from day one of the SHOT Show the Internet is flooded with photos and reports on the new firearms offered by the major manufacturers. So I thought it would be useful to our readers to cover some of the overlooked items. I will begin, however, with one of the most talked about and innovative firearms introduced this year.
Thompson Center continues to be one of the most innovative firearms companies. Their new ICON bolt gun is a beauty and the care and thought that went into the design is obvious. Scott Rupp reviewed the rifle and his report is available here on our Guns & Ammo web site, so I'll not rehash the features. I will simply say if my crystal ball is working the Thompson Center ICON is going to be a smash hit with shooters.
Thompson Center's new cartridge, the 30 T/C, looks impressive based on the press release: 'a .30 caliber medium action cartridge with the velocity and knock-down power of a 30-06 cartridge.' But the same thing can be said of the venerable .308 Winchester, if you compare the fastest .308 load - the Hornady Light Magnum - with standard 30/06 loads.
Not coincidentally Hornady's .308 Light Magnum load delivers identical ballistics to the .30 T/C a 150 grain bullet at 3,000 feet per second. These impressive ballistics are achieved in both cartridges using high energy powder not available to handloaders. What I believe you will get with the .30 T/C is a slightly different dimensioned .308 with near identical performance. What you do not get is the vast variety of factory and surplus loads available in .308. The ICON will also be available in the .308 Winchester chambering.
The Encore rifle has established itself as a reliable working man's rifle. Now you can get a prettied up version if you like from the T/C Custom Shop. The Custom Shop model on display at the SHOT Show featured rich color case hardening on the action and some gorgeous highly figured wood. I want one.
While on the subject of Thompson Center, the Internet gun forums are buzzing with hysteria over the recent sale of T/C to Smith & Wesson. Some of the opinions expressed on the future of T/C firearms due to this merger are downright ridiculous. Not on the G&A forums, of course, as we keep our members informed and nip any wild rumors in the bud. Some on other forums, however, claim flagship firearms like the Encore will soon be a thing of the past. Nonsense.
I sat down with Thompson Center President and former owner, Gregg Ritz, in the T/C conference room and asked him a few pointed questions regarding the company's future and how the sale to Smith & Wesson would affect the products and services offered. He assured me he is still in charge at T/C and the company will continue to offer the same quality products and superb customer service. Gregg will also lead S&W's hunting division and is responsible for new product development there. A top priority will be the development of a bolt-action hunting rifle bearing the S&W name. Gregg will also be overseeing production of all American made S&W long guns. He explained that the influx of cash from S&W will allow for expansion of the Thompson Center manufacturing facilities and in the near future all American made S&W long guns, including the M&P 15, will be manufactured by T/C. The new line of S&W shotguns are manufactured in Turkey.
