TC refuses to do an upgrade

[svashtar]

Hey Guys,

ebiggs did a great job answering the lock question in another thread, so really this ended up being a dupe post, sorry.

I will say though that S&W has basically put the screws to the T/C personnel to cut costs and a lot of the old free upgrade actions now take an act of God to get pushed through. The old Fox Ridge Outfitters custom shop is gone, and you get different stories as to the support for the rifles depending on who you talk to.

Norm

 

[svashtar]

I have asked TC by email and now by phone for a lock upgrade and they say "no." The guy from customer service just said "we don't do those and I have never heard of any changes to our flintlocks."

Um...is that what you guys have heard?

Greg

By the way, I've spent a lot of time on the phone with T/C the past couple of days, and basically the issue is not S&W cutting them off so much, as it is that they don't have any parts left.

They aren't making new rifles, and after what's sold off in the channel is gone that's it. Those of you who got the free exchange of locks were lucky, as that isn't happening anymore, and so the best I might be able to get is a "re-tuned" lock and a new frizzen, which I will try and get, along with a new style touchhole.

They guy said the problem was they gave away spare locks like crazy under warranty (and not under warranty) for years, whether the old locks were defective or not, and now have none left.

The guy I bought it from (original owner) made the warranty request for me, but basically they're saying that even if it's busted they don't have the parts, so, so much for the lifetime warranty. (?)

I'll see what happens with the re-tune and let you know. I'm certainly no expert, but even doing everything right (I'm sure) I'm not getting much spark and the flints are getting hammered in just a few shots.

Norm

 

[nit wit]

The lock won't have a serial #, so send them the lock with a note stating the problem. If all else fails get a replacement lock from L+R.
Nit Wit

 

[Greenjoytj]

I thought the both TC and Lyman sourced their muzzleloading firearms from the same Italian factory.

The popularity of muzzleloading with the shooting public comes and goes over the decades. If S&W accounting stats show a waning in sales they could and would stop importation of new arms and and kits thats just business. As for parts I always thought it was up to the manufacture and importer as to how long they want to continue support for a particular model.
Nothing last forever or is supported forever and lifetime warranty mean you'll spend a lifetime ranting for service that you probably won't get.

 

[ebiggs1]

I thought the both TC and Lyman sourced their muzzleloading firearms from the same Italian factory.

This isn't true. The TC locks are/were all US made. The Lyman locks are even metric, the TC locks are not.

 

[svashtar]

The lock won't have a serial #, so send them the lock with a note stating the problem. If all else fails get a replacement lock from L+R.
Nit Wit

Thanks, and I did just that today (mailed it off with a note). I take it the L&R lock will drop in to the T/C Hawken stock as a factory equivalent? I don't want to have to change anything if I can help it.

Hopefully that change would be a solid improvement over the old style T/C lock...

Thanks again for the tip!

Norm

 

[ebiggs1]

The L&R is NEARLY a drop in. :shocked2:
Don't consider it as, I can go back and forth between locks because you can't. :hmm:
Remember the L&R is not better than a properly working new style TC lock. It is different, but not better. :grin:

 

[Rifleman1776]

they don't have any parts left.

That's the same line of baloney I got recently when I tried to get free warranty work on my 1955 Studebacker. :wink:

 

[Drago]

I would just take it back to the dealer and refuse to leave till they fix it!

 

[Flintfan69]

I would just take it back to the dealer and refuse to leave till they fix it!

Great idea, that will help. Nothing like screwing the local guys who have the same recourse with manufacturer as you do. It always stuns me when people take out all their frustrations in a local retail store, due to an issue caused by a manufacturer. The only thing you will accomplish is that the retailer will have to eat the cost of whatever you are demanding to return. The outcome of that is that they will need to lay people off or put a freeze on hiring, or raise prices across the board in their store, which I'm sure you will complain about too.

I have noticed a trend in retail stores for them to tell problem/unreasonable customers to go take a flying ****. It is long overdue that they take this position on the problem customers with the huge entitlement mentality.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have noticed a trend in retail stores for them to tell problem/unreasonable customers to go take a flying ****. It is long overdue that they take this position on the problem customers with the huge entitlement mentality.

Bingo.
I really don't understand why this thread has gone on so long.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The L&R has better Geometry than the Tc and better steel in the frizzen. With tuning, the L&R will be a much better lock than the TC. The newer Tc locks are far better than the old ones. They still have a few problems as do most locks.

Just that flintlocks have about five times more things to be careful of than percussion locks.

 

[ebiggs1]

I have both, several of each in fact! I shoot both. The L&R is different than the TC but it is NOT better.
It' just the plain simple truth. :hmm:

 

[ebiggs1]

Bingo.
I really don't understand why this thread has gone on so long.

Simple remedy. Stop reading it! :shocked2: