Target Sports

RIFLE REVIEW: A NEW CONTENDER

Created on 19th May 2009

Thompson Center's new Icon will challenge the big boys, says RICHARD ATKINS

RIFLE ENTHUSIASTS have never had it so good! What a statement: but when one considers the vast array of new equipment that has given them the opportunity to part with their cash in recent years, the phrase ‘spoilt for choice' springs to mind. Whether it's a new short magnum calibre to bring high velocities and muzzle energy to short actioned rifles, new rifles to take new calibres or bolt actions to give benchrest performance, there is a bigger choice on offer than ever before. This is great and displays excellent confidence in the future viability of shooting sports, both sporting and target (not to mention military and law enforcement needs).

Names like the Winchester Model 70 and Remington 700 are etched deeply in most shooters' minds, having established themselves enviable reputations over the years, particularly among sporting shooters. Now Remington is increasingly becoming the top choice for custom builds for both sporting and target use. There are a host of specialist bolt actions for target and match shooting from RPA, Barnard and others, and more recently there has been an upsurge in single-shot benchrest models from Kelbly plus additions from Roedale and Savage (to mention but a few). Now a name hitherto associated mainly with superb single-shot handguns and muzzle-loading rifles has joined the party. What a bold decision that must have been, given the standard of performance shooters have come to expect off-the-shelf - but as staff at this firm already knew the competition they were aware of what they had to match, if not better. This firm is Thompson Center, from the USA. Back in the days before our government decided to restrict ownership of handguns to criminals we used to see TC Contender handguns on the range. They were usually in a fairly meaty calibre and would hurl a large lump of copper-coated lead a great distance with surprising accuracy. Well-practised shooters would regularly produce satisfying groups at 200yd and there have also been those who could give a TR shooter a tussle with their optic-sighted Contenders. Those days are behind us for the moment but TC (as the firm is affectionately referred to) has taken a long time to study what shooters want, what others do and to then get their designers to start with a clean sheet and draw up the blueprints for a totally new rifle: the TC Icon.

Icon format

If there is one essential for any accurate rifle it's a stiff action. We all know that the old rather weak and flexible Enfield actions were well able to compensate, particularly at longer range and sometimes with indifferent ammunition - but we also know that's not the way to go about things today! The Icon, although introduced in repeater form and so requiring a cut-out in its base for a magazine, is very sturdily built. It's CNC-machined from a solid steel billet and is quite wide in the body; it has angular sides that allow it to be very strong, stiff and yet not overly heavy. This is primarily intended as an accurate sporting rifle design with scope for further development. It has a three-round polycarbonate detachable box magazine securely located by a sturdy recessed catch in the floor plate.

The next major consideration is bedding. If that is not sound the rifle will never produce the accuracy it otherwise might and may also become erratic under differing climatic conditions. TC saw what the leading benchrest and target rifle builders do, and that is to provide something rather more stable than a steel action clamped to a trigger base plate with a wooden stock in between. This can work well for a while but will alter over time. TC has successfully married two principles: that of giving the action bottom a large and flat footprint so it's easy to make it sit evenly on a surface below, and of making that surface intrinsically strong and stable. Set into the wooden stock of the Icon is a very substantial alloy base plate that is epoxy-bonded to the wood. Thus when the bedding bolts are tightened the action is largely isolated from any changes that could occur due to the walnut wood expanding or shrinking from varying humidity levels. Three sizeable bedding bolts are used to clamp the receiver body into the stock, so they don't need be torqued down to high ft/lb figures as the load is spread. The action is unusual in having three recoil lugs. The front one is a substantial block, the rear smaller and the central one the smallest. All mate with recesses machined into the alloy bedding plate, which TC terms its Interlok Bedding Block System. I'm less sure of the thought behind this system as when I studied engineering we were taught not to duplicate locating faces because almost invariably one will touch before the other. Anyway, they are there and clearly are more than able to transmit the recoil forces to the stock via the alloy plate.

The philosophy of keeping things stiff is carried through into the mounting system as a set of Weaver style rails is machined into the top of the receiver. There is no need for specialist scope mounts that may prove difficult or costly to obtain; we made a call to Sportsmatch and a suitable set of Weaver-style mounts were with us in no time. This means a scope can easily be transferred from one rifle to another; or, if you want to use the rifle for more than one purpose and need two scopes in order to do so, either can be readily interchanged with minimal need for re-zeroing (although one should always check before use after any sight has been removed and replaced). No open sights are fitted so a scope is an essential addition to keep with the precision format.

The bolt is of substantial diameter and is full-bodied, with just a bolt guide/release keyway machined into its left side. The bolt's surface is ground and jewelled after hardening. The jewelling is not only attractive but also holds micro-amounts of oil for smooth and bind-free operation. Three substantial front locking lugs provide a slick and strong lock-up with the mating recess in the barrel breech; the 60° bolt rotation gives a short bolt lift and the neatly shaped bolt handle easily clears the scope eye bell.

A spring-loaded sliding extractor is set into one of the forward locking lugs to capture the cartridge head rim for secure extraction. A strong plunger-type ejector pin is also set into the bolt head recess to ensure fired cases are cleanly ejected, though this is less essential for target shooters. A large gas port that aligns with a drilling in the barrel breech/action interface is milled into the forward right side of the bolt. This serves to allow safe passage for any escaping gas in the event of a pierced primer or case failure.

One nice touch is that the bolt handle can be easily swapped by the owner for one of different profile if preferred. It's simple to dismount with the collar tool supplied, although we quite liked the one fitted. This tool also allows the bolt to be stripped for easy cleaning either at home or in the field.

When cocked, a chromed cocking piece is visible proud of the scalloped bolt-end face. The safety system is novel in that there are two levers next to each other set to the right rear of the bolt. One is an ‘on/off' safety catch that enables the user to unload the rifle with the safety applied, while the other locks the bolt completely to prevent it being opened inadvertently in the field. This latter lever is automatically pushed forward to ‘off' when the safety catch is moved to the ‘fire' position. Both are easy to operate and work positively.

The trigger unit

If there is one thing which has consistently been criticised on rifles of American origin in recent years it is trigger pulls. So litigious has the USA become that most makers now feel they must supply rifles with inherently ‘safe' trigger pulls to avoid claims from those incapable of using them properly. Little else destroys the potential for accuracy like a poor trigger pull. Several makers have made great strides in recent years to overcome this problem. Savage's Accu Trigger is a fine example. This requires a smaller lever rather like a ‘trigger within the trigger' which is depressed first to allow a finer let-off weight. Marlin, also, has introduced something similar. The unit on this rifle, however, is of conventional construction but is built on match-style adjustable lines. It provides adjustment points for sear engagement, let-off weight and over-travel so is a truly professional piece of kit. Trigger weight is factory-set at around 3lbs: close to half of what we at one time anticipated from American rifles in standard form. It certainly proved crisp and manageable during our review.

Fine performer

The Icon sports a medium sporter-profile barrel which is heavier than a standard sporter but not as heavy as a ‘Target' or ‘Varmint' barrel. It's button-rifled to match-grade specifications and is free-floating in the forend wood. There was a slightly greater gap on one side of the barrel than the other on our sample but it was still comfortably free-floating, which is essential for consistently accurate performance.

The stock is of high-grade close-grained walnut with tight grain and nice figuring. It has been smoothly finished to a soft lustre and chequered at 20 lines per inch in a very attractive pattern. The styling is classic sporter but features a high enough comb to provide good cheek contact with the stock when a reasonably sized scope is fitted. We tried it with a 50mm Hawk front objective lens; if you use a larger one you may need higher mounts and a pad to retain cheek weld. Overall, the rifle is substantial, aesthetically pleasing, comfortable and practical.

Our range days were beset by high winds so we chose a reasonably sheltered firing point to set the scope. After initial bore sighting it was soon putting three-shot groups together of around ½" at 50yd rested on a plain sandbag. Conditions and range availability prevented any really long-range assessment but we still managed a couple of groups of just under ¾" with Remington Premier ammunition at just over 80yd in similar blustery conditions. This was very close to the 0.9" factory test group supplied with the rifle and left no doubt that in calm conditions and with some running-in of the barrel this a comfortably sub-1MOA rifle. That is far more accurate than is required for a sporting rifle and is no slouch in target terms either. Whether we shall see some single-shot or more target-orientated models we must wait and see; that someone may well try one as the basis for something interesting on the target front is almost certain.

This is a very handsome high performance rifle. Thompson Center set out to create, in its own words, ‘a new breed of bolt action rifle' that would ‘fuse the very best design concepts from over 150 years of turn bolt improvements with input from the finest custom gunsmiths in the country and TC's own renowned innovation, craftsmanship and unparalleled barrel technology.' The firm has done a very good job of making this statement a reality.

Technical Specification

Make: Thompson Center
Model: Icon
Type: Bolt action repeater
Capacity: three-shot box detachable box magazine
Calibre: .243 Win (other popular calibres available)
Barrel length: 24"
Overall length: 44"
Pull length: 14"
Trigger / weight: 3lb as set (adjustable)
Overall weight: 7lb (without scope)
SRP: TBA

UK Distributor: Viking Arms
T: 01423 780810