T/C Icon Problem

[VAhuntr]

Picked up a T/C Icon Weathershield in 308 Winchester the other day. I really liked the look and feel of the gun, however it had a problem. After you fired a round, you would about have to beat the bolt back to extract the case. The bolt lifted normal....just was extremely hard to pull back. After inspecting the cases, they had a small "gouge" in them just below the rim. Tried Winchester and Federal factory 150 grain loads with the exact same results.

I called T/C Customer service at 7:55 am on 8-9-2010 and was actually suprised someone answered before the "official" opening time. The C/S rep listened to my problem then put me on hold to go speak with a gunsmith. She came back within 3 minutes and told me to send the rifle back with an attention to "John" we'll say. I was then told I would be reimbursed for shipping and they would make me happy....whatever that means.

I called T/C on 8-16-2010 to ask about an expected return date for my rifle. I was told it had an expected shipment date of 8-30-10. I actually decided to call C/S everyday this week and just bug the crap out of them. My feeling was that this was a new rifle purchased on August 2nd and it should be top priority. On Friday, I was told they would be replacing my rifle with a new one and it would be sent out on Monday, August 23rd. If this turns out to be the case, I will be very pleased with the situation. However I do wish the rifle had just worked properly in the first place.

Here is a pic of the fired cases:

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[DIM]

hmm TC ICON, yes I remember I got one last year, it had issue with bolt closing I really had to push forward to get it close, well they did asked for it and they did pay for overnight shipping, they send it back few days later overnight it as well, but didn't fix anything I was told its extractor spring being new and the problem should go away with time, it still remains hard to turn so I send it back to them again, now I was told it will take 8 weeks to get it back... Not sure if anyone actually looked at it yet. But now looking at the brass I do see same exact scratches on every fired brass, but its on the shoulder of the casing, maybe chamber is not polished well enough... Another thing I noticed, my fired brass has dimensions larger then SAAMI in the neck like 0.346", beats me...

 

[MCMXI]

VAhuntr, sorry to hear about your issue with the ICON. It looks like you may have had a burr (or tooling mark) right at the chamber mouth and the case was fire forming over the burr making extraction difficult. This is a problem that should have shown up at the factory during test firing. I don't own a T/C ICON but I spent at least 30 minutes handling a bunch of them at the SHOT show. I was very impressed with them based on the specs, but was even more impressed after handling them. I'd like to buy an ICON Weathershield at some point and your experience hasn't changed that. Let us know how it shoots once you receive the replacement.

The ICON has a 60˚ bolt lift and the scored region on the case looks like it could be 60˚ degrees of the circumference ... interesting. I doubt you'll never know what the problem was. Personally, I always figure out what the problem is and then decide whether I can fix it myself of whether I should send the firearm back. I've only sent two firearms back to the factory and both were Marlins (two of five). One had a scored bore and the other had a scored barrel on the outside. Marlin was outstanding with both. They paid for shipping both ways on the stainless '94 in .357 Mag and I can't remember what they paid for on the '94 in .45 Colt. Either way, my experience hasn't dissuaded me from buying more Marlins.

 

[VAhuntr]

1858, I don't see how it could have made it from the factory after test firing.
Several people looked at the fired cases and said the same thing as you....tool mark or burr. T/C reimbursed me for shipping. I thought about working on the rifle myself but figured since it was less than a week old, I'd let T/C take care of it. As long as the replacement is ok, I'll be more than happy!

 

[VAhuntr]

DIM, I sent mine back to T/C exactly 1 week after purchase. I included a detailed letter describing the problem and 3 fired cases for proof. I then bugged the crap out of customer service everyday this week. Good luck with your Icon.

 

[H&Hhunter]

It kind of sounds like a head space peoblem on both accounts.

 

[MCMXI]

As long as the replacement is ok, I'll be more than happy!

Good attitude. I wouldn't have messed with the chamber either and would have sent it back too.

 

[Geno]

VAhuntr:

Perfectly fair assessment. It should have been right the first time. Glad they stood behind their product and did the right thing.

Geno

 

[DIM]

VAhuntr, other then scratches did your gun shoot below 1 MOA, because mine was shooting 0.30 MOA, but lately I hardly get 1...

 

[David Sours]

I think Thompson is doing an outstanding job with the production of the ICON. I know I have been very pleased with my Precision Hunter. I am also glad to hear how they are working with you. Good luck and I am sure the rifle will be a shooter. I will by another ICON if ever I need another bolt gun.

David

 

[DIM]

They are great, try to get 2.8" groups at 500 yards with factory rifle, but with TC I had no problem, that's why I send my back, because my groups start to open up, still great 5" groups at 300 yards, but I had 0.9" before.

 

[VAhuntr]

originally posted by DIM

VAhuntr, other then scratches did your gun shoot below 1 MOA, because mine was shooting 0.30 MOA, but lately I hardly get 1...

Don't know how accurate it would have been at 100 yards as I only shot from 25 yards. However my first 2 shots were in the same hole.

 

[HOOfan_1]

I've actually heard several stories about sending back the Icon for accuracy problems etc. As least T/C is doing the right thing, but these are pretty expensive guns for anything to slip through QC

 

[DIM]

VAhuntr, so any news on your rifle, I got mine back today. I'm not going to comment on it yet still like to work something out with customer service. I'll give them until tomorrow to reply.

 

[VAhuntr]

Got the new rifle today....just as I was promised. Took it outside and fired a round just to make sure it would extract....and it worked as it should.

DIM....If you would like, I will PM you the customer service reps name that helped me out. This person went above and beyond what the other reps did. He also told me there are only 5 C/S reps working at TC.