Well I Get To See How TC Customer Service Works A Problem

While while checking a donor rifles 7mm RM barrel on a 783, I decided to check the headspace on my TC Compass. It’s also a 7mm RM and with Forster Go/NoGo gauges the bolt closes on both gauges. Excess headspace on the TC. So I’ll be getting in touch with TC customer service Monday morning to replace the barrel. It’s a traditional barrel shoulder/receiver configuration. No Remage nut. Never a dull moment.

Joec7651":2skmwnq1 said:

While putting a X-caliber 7mm RM barrel on a 783, I decided to check the headspace on my TC Compass. It’s also a 7mm RM and with Forster Go/NoGo gauges the bolt closes on both gauges. Excess headspace on the TC. So I’ll be getting in touch with TC customer service Monday morning to replace the barrel. It’s a traditional barrel shoulder/receiver configuration. No Remage nut. Never a dull moment.

Click to expand...

Does your TC shoot well? Is it giving you problems? Belted mag headspace gauges are all over the place in my experience. Any belted case except for the straight walls are going to headspace on the shoulder after the first shot anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It doesn’t shoot poorly. Brass stretches excessively and there’s a noticeable ring above the belt that you can feel and see with calipers on once fired brass. I checked the Remington before pulling the barrel, the Go gauge was snug, and the NoGo didn’t let the bolt rotate at all.

Also brass fired in the TC won’t chamber in the Remington even after FL sizing with a Lee die touching the shell holder. I have to size with a Redding die to get the TC brass to chamber in the Remington, and that was with the factory barrel before the Remingtons barrel swap. A 2 year old rifle with a lifetime warranty shouldn’t chamber a NoGo gauge. I know it happens, and I know it’s not a high dollar rifle, but I’m not accepting it. To me, that’s what the lifetime warranty is there for.

And for the record I like TC very much. I have 35 years worth of their rifles and muzzleloaders(some are customs and some are not) and this is the only issue I’ve encountered in that time with TC.

Joec7651":xpgto69o said:

It doesn’t shoot poorly. Brass stretches excessively and there’s a noticeable ring above the belt that you can feel and see with calipers on once fired brass. I checked the Remington before pulling the barrel, the Go gauge was snug, and the NoGo didn’t let the bolt rotate at all.

Also brass fired in the TC won’t chamber in the Remington even after FL sizing with a Lee die touching the shell holder. I have to size with a Redding die to get the TC brass to chamber in the Remington, and that was with the factory barrel before the Remingtons barrel swap. A 2 year old rifle with a lifetime warranty shouldn’t chamber a NoGo gauge. I know it happens, and I know it’s not a high dollar rifle, but I’m not accepting it. To me, that’s what the lifetime warranty is there for.

And for the record I like TC very much. I have 35 years worth of their rifles and muzzleloaders(some are customs and some are not) and this is the first issue I’ve encountered in that time.

Click to expand...

Got it. Sounds like you’re on the right track sending it back then. Hope they take good care of you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It shoots great. Headspace still needs to be within specified parameters.

I’ve gotten the ring you’re describing in your brass with a .300 H&H I have. The belt headspace is in spec. I built a stub gauge when I chambered it, and found that Hornady brass was .020 short of headspace at the shoulder on average. The new old stock Winchester and the new Norma (I believe Nosler also starts with Norma in this case) are within .003 average. The Hornady separates on the 3rd firing. I tossed the Hornady, which is painful because .300 H&H is expensive and sometimes hard to find. Long way around to say you might have some of the same thing going on.

Every rifle has its own little quirks. I’m still going to call Monday and see what they say. I think the chamber on the TC may be slightly out of spec just above the belt. The reason I say that is first, because of the TC closing on the NoGo gauge. Second, is even after FL sizing the TC fired brass with the Lee die the case binds just ahead of the belt in the Remington. You can see marks on the case where the Remington chamber bites Into the bulge above the belt. If I size with the Redding die it chambers fine because that die sizes all the way to the belt. It may still be in specs but I’m not convinced that it’s right. These are on there 3rd loading, and I aneal my necks after every third firing but haven’t had any split necks. I also don’t abuse my rifles or brass with overloads. It kinda bums me out a little. It’s a beautiful rifle now. I put it in a Boyd’s Heritage walnut stock with fleur de’lis checkering.

Update:

Turns out the rifle I mentioned here has excess headspace. TC is replacing the rifle without fuss. I hope the replacement shoots as well as the first one. It would shoot 1” or better for 5 shot groups on my steady days.

I checked the headspace because the brass from this rifle wouldn’t chamber in my Remington even after full length sizing with Lee dies. Both 7mm RM obviously. If I sized with my Redding dies the rounds chamber in both rifles. Shot well but chamber dimensions were out of spec. Excess headspace, and was too loose just above the belt. Maybe the bore bushing of the reamer was worn and allowed it float and cut off center. I have no idea how it shot so well.

You would think something as critical as improper headspace would’ve been caught in the quality check inspections.

Glad to hear they’re replacing it for you!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

filmjunkie4ever":3vkxqtou said:

You would think something as critical as improper headspace would’ve been caught in the quality check inspections.

Glad to hear they’re replacing it for you!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

I agree, but they are standing behind their rifle. I’ll accept that. All are built by humans so all wont be perfect.

FedEx will be delivering the replacement rifle to my FFL on Monday Aug 3rd. Rather than repair the Compass they replaced it with the new model Compass II in 7mm RM. Thompson Center has always stood behind their work. Things have changed a little since being bought by Smith & Wesson, but it’s nice to have a company stand behind their products.

I also had warrantee work done to a Remlin 1895 a few years ago and it came back perfect, and believe me I checked. So I’ve been pretty lucky so far and have had great service.

Let’s see if my luck holds. I sent a Taurus PT111 G2 back this morning because the catch that holds the magazine release, and magazine in the frame failed. That cheap little pistol has been one of my favorite shooters for the last 6 years. Has had at least 3500 rounds run through it. To me it’s like a Glock 26 and a 1911 Commander got together and had a 9mm love child. Now let’s see how Taurus handles it. I’ve never dealt with them for warrantee work. I’ve heard really good and really bad.