1: Where can I purchase a Thompson/Center Firearm?
Thompson/Center Arms sells its firearms and accessories to its authorized distributors, who in turn sell to the many sporting goods stores located throughout the U.S. Your local sporting goods store should have most of our models in stock. If not, he can contact his distributor and get one in a relatively short period of time.

2: Are all of Thompson/Center's firearms made in the U.S.A?
Yes, all of our firearms are made right in Springfield, Massachusetts.

3: Does Thompson/Center Arms really have a lifetime warranty?
Yes, our limited lifetime warranty covers the product through the lifetime of the original purchaser, except in the case of obvious abuse or neglect.

4: I've hunted deer for years, but always with a modern rifle or shotgun. How difficult is it to "get into" hunting with a muzzleloader?
Not difficult at all. Most states have established separate muzzleloading seasons for deer; some before the regular season; some after. Most shooters use a .50 cal rifle, but some opt for a .45 cal or .54 caliber rifle. Contact your state Fish & Game Department for any specific regulations pertaining to their seasons. Various states will have restrictions on caliber, scopes, projectiles, type of muzzleloader, etc.

5: What kind of a muzzleloader should I buy?
There's no easy answer; its mostly a matter of personal preference concerning looks, balance and what you feel more comfortable handling and carrying. Make your selection based on these things after you have inspected and handled a few different types... traditional cap locks, in-lines, or even flint locks. From a ballistic standpoint they all perform the same when loaded the same. Pick a rifle which conforms to the state regulations of the state you will be hunting in, and one that you feel comfortable operating and shooting. If your friends have rifles, go to the range with them and try as many styles as you can. Thompson/Center makes 4 styles of rifles with many models within each style. We've got a rifle for everyone.

6: Is T/C's Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter really that good? How does it work?
It sure is, and if you've got some friends who are using it, ask them. Our All Natural "Bore Butter" is absent of any petroleum based oil, and contains an ingredient which seasons the bore with repeated use, just as you would season a cast iron skillet. Tar, used to pave highways, is made by heating a petroleum based oil. In other words, heat plus petroleum oil equals tar! That's what causes the heavy fouling when shooting a muzzleloader with conventional petroleum based lubes. The problem of heavy fouling was one not encountered in the old days, as the oils used then were all natural' whale oil, bear fat, deer tallow, etc. Petroleum based oils were not discovered until the mid 1800's, and during the Civil War, fouling did become a problem.

7: How do I use Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter?
It's easy. The first step is to remove all traces of oil from your muzzleloader by cleaning the bore with hot water and a detergent. Then coat the bore with Bore Butter using a patch or swab saturated with it. From that point on, never allow a petroleum based lube to interfere with the Natural Lube. Use bullets prelubed with Bore Butter, and when cleaning, use an all natural bore cleaner like our No. 13. As you continue to shoot, you will be slowly seasoning the bore and will notice that very little fouling builds up. Loading will remain easy from shot to shot, and cleaning will be a snap.

Note about Sabots
T/C's All Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter was designed as a lube to be used with traditional patched roundballs (lube the patches) and all lead conical bullets like our Maxi-Ball and Maxi-Hunters.

If you are shooting sabots, DO NOT LUBE YOUR SABOTS. Sabots are designed to be shot right out of the package____DRY. In fact, you should remove any trace of Natural Lube, or any lube for that matter, from the barrel before shooting sabots. The less lube you have in the barrel when shooting sabots, the better, to achieve optimum accuracy.

When your hunting or shooting is done, and your rifle cleaned after shooting, re-lube your barrel with T/C's All Natural Lube Bore Butter prior to storage. Wipe down the outside as well. It's an excellent rust preventative.

8: Has Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter been tested?
Yes. In 1990, a T/C New Englander was repeatedly fired every day for about 1 month, without having a patch run down the barrel. Over 1,000 rounds were fired, and loading remained as easy on the last shot, as on the first. The velocities of the last five shots were measured, and the standard deviation of these 5 shots was 8.8FPS. That's less than what you would experience with most boxes of centerfire rifle cartridges!

9: Are all natural lubes the same?
No, there are a number of natural lubricants on the market, but only T/C's All Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter has the added ingredient to give you long term performance.

10: Do I have to clean my rifle immediately after firing it?
Only if you are using a petroleum based lubricant, which as previously stated, will create a tar like fouling capable of ruining the bore of your rifle if left unchecked by cleaning. If you are using T/C's Bore Butter, immediate cleaning of the rifle is not necessary. You can discharge the rifle during deer season, for example, and load up again without having to worry about cleaning the rifle that evening. However, that does not relieve you of your obligations to clean your rifle before putting it away, or after extended shooting. It's every shooters responsibility to clean their rifle properly, and maintain it in A-1 condition.

11: Can I mount a scope on my muzzleloader?
Yes, T/C has a number of mounting systems, as well as a line of Hawken Hunter Muzzleloading Scopes. However, certain states restrict the use of scopes on muzzleloaders during the special seasons, so check with your state Fish & Game Department first.

12: Where can I learn about muzzleloading?
Contact local 4-H, National Muzzleloading Rifle Association, Boy Scout, and NRA Organizations. Many of these groups can offer courses of instructions. Check with your local gun club as well.

13: I've heard about T/C's new QLA® Muzzle System. What exactly is it?
T/C's QLA® Muzzle System (Quick, Load, Accurizor) is basicly a built in "false muzzle". Many old time target shooters used to attach a false muzzle to their rifle barrel for loading purposes, to guarantee precise alignment of the projectile during the loading procedure. They would then remove the "false muzzle" prior to shooting. The "false muzzle" also protected the rifling from being damaged or worn during loading. T/C's QLA® Muzzle is built right into the end of the barrel in all of our rifles permanently. It guarantees consistent alignment of your projectile in that its surrounded by steel for 360 degrees prior to being driven down the bore and engraved with the rifling. The projectile can't tilt, and the shape can't be altered (lead is soft) as it is started down the bore. This consistent alignment from shot to shot greatly improves the accuracy potential of the rifle by eliminating one of the variable associated with good accuracy... projectile alignment. T/C's QLA® Muzzle System also makes loading your second shot in the field much easier. You merely drop the projectile in the barrel and go straight to your ramrod, using short strokes. It eliminates the hassle of trying to align the projectile with one hand, and drive it into the rifling with a short starter.

14: What if I need to have Service and/or parts for my Thompson/Center gun?
For Service work send in your Thompson/Center Product via UPS, to the address below. Enclose a letter with your unit explaining the work you wish to have performed, along with your phone number, and address to expedite handling. If you have a question call the Service Department 1-866-730-1614, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 7:30 pm (EST).

Thompson/Center Arms Co. Service Department
2100 Roosevelt Ave.,
Springfield, MA 01104

For Parts, contact us at 1-866-730-1614.

15: How can I obtain an Owners Manual for my Thompson/Center gun? E-mail your Address for a manual with your Model and Serial Number of your item to

16: Does Thompson Center Arms make short magnums? NO, not in the Encore or G-2 firearms.

17: Does Thompson offer a left handed thumbhole stock for encore or omega? No not at this time but possibly in the future.

18: Is there any thing special I have to do the break in my new gun? Try not to overheat the barrel and clean it frequently.

19: What's the different between the encore and the G2 and are they compatible? No they are not compatible the Encore is a larger frame that allows a wider variety of calibers.

20: Does Thompson make a hammer extension for the encore? No, we do not recommend a hammer extension, however a conversion for the Pro-Hunter Swing Hammer® will be available in October.

21: Will everything on the encore fit the pro hunter & vise versa? Yes, all Pro-Hunter and standard Encore are interchangeable.

22: Can we use three 50 grain triple 7 pellets in our enc-omega? Yes, triple seven will work well with three 50 grain pellets and proper care.

23: Do you have any ballistics on the shockwave bullets? A 250 grain shock wave with three pyrodex 50 grain pellets or 150 grains of loose powder by volume will provide a muzzle velocity of approximately 2150 FPS.
SHOCK WAVE™ is a Trademark of Alliant Techsystems Inc. and is used under license.

24: Will you be coming out with a 10 round clip for the R55 17 cal? Not in 2007 but possibly in the future.

25: Is the Omega more accurate then the Encore? No their accuracy will be comparable.

26: How long can I leave my muzzle loader loaded? We advise customers to unload and clean following each use.

27: What is a free floating barrel? A barrel that in not touching the stock from where the breach Is secured to the stock to the muzzle.

28: What is the best load for your in lines with a 1in28 twist? Start with 100 grains of pyrodex or black powder by volume and a 250 grain shock wave bullet.

29: What is the best load for your traditional with a 1in48 twist? In a .50 Caliber side lock muzzle loader a traditional load would be a 370 grain maxi ball with 80 grains of FFG black or pyrodex powder. A modern 250 grain shock wave bullet in a sabot with the same powder charge is very accurate as well. In a .54 caliber a 430 grain maxi ball with 90 grains of the same powder would be a recommended load.