The author found the new rifle easy to point, steady in the hand and comfortable to shoot.

But Rochester's latest news--and in some ways a most unlikely new product--is a centerfire bolt rifle. "We know the market is crowded," agreed company president Gregg Ritz when I visited T/C's plant recently. "So we weren't about to introduce a warmed-over model from some other maker. Our goal was a truly new design, comprising the best elements of several rifles. We call it the Icon."

I reminded him that Paul Mauser developed his 1898 action 11 decades ago and that hosts of talented people have reworked, refined and augmented that design. "Is this just hubris? Do you want a bolt rifle simply because every major American gun company has one?"

Gregg smiled. "We didn't commit until this last January, just after SHOT. I'll admit the closure of Winchester's New Haven plant encouraged us. Not that we like to watch worthy competition go under. But we did see an opening there and knew someone would fill it. We decided it would be us."

"We" includes Gregg and designer Mark Laney, with engineering manager Carl Ricker and design-shop craftsmen who apply vision as well as tools to CAD drawings. "Our prototype is still up for revision," Mark assured me. "We've put a lot of thought into it, but we want it perfect, down to the smallest detail."

(Left) The handsome walnut stock has clean, classic lines; a relatively open grip; and 20-lpi borderless checkering. (Right) The Icon's eye-catching spoon-type bolt handle is not integral with the bolt and can be removed in seconds. An optional round-knob version will be offered.

A perfect rifle would be expensive, I allowed. "We're planning to keep this one under $800," Gregg declared. "With high-quality checkered walnut." He told me that Thompson/Center has some 600 blanks in stock from its old days in the wood trade.

The rifle he handed me wore a well-figured piece of walnut, with a red hue and smooth oil finish. Generous panels on grip and fore-end featured borderless 20-lpi checkering, neatly cut. A black rubber pad capped the butt. No fore-end tip, grip cap or Wundhammer swell. The comb was straight, sans cheekpiece. Length of pull: 14 inches. Overall, the stock had clean, classic lines, a conservative look. A relatively open grip and a fore-end that felt like a pre-war 70's welcomed my hands. The rifle shouldered and pointed easily.

With each Icon, T/C supplies this polymer "donut" for disassembling the bolt. It's a quick process. The spoon-style bolt handle, one of the bolt assembly's primary parts, is easily removed.

During the next hour, Gregg and Mark explained the Icon to me in detail. The full-diameter bolt has three front-locking lugs and a sleek, sloping rear shroud that reminds me of a Sauer. The bolt comes apart easily with a plastic "donut" tool provided with each rifle. The beefy, spoon-style bolt handle is not integral. "Our plan is to offer a traditional round knob and an oversize tactical knob as alternatives. You can switch handles in seconds. But once the bolt is assembled, there's no way a handle can fail."

Like the bolt, the forged receiver shows muscle. It's a single piece

of 4140, pre-heat-treated then machined to tight tolerances in a single trip through a seven-axis CNC machine. "We can complete one in just 40 minutes," Gregg told me. The long tang is deliberate--"to minimize bolt wiggle at full extension."