New Contender Receiver Coming

4

44caliberkid

New member
After about a year on the wait list my new SSK Contender clone receiver is on its way to my LGS. Should be here early next week.
http://www.hausofarms.com/SSK-50-FRAME--LYNX_p_4308.html

I also have my dealer working on getting me a new Inglis High Power in color case hardened finish. I had seen pictures but was able to see and handle two of them at the NRA Meetings and Exhibits. They are absolutely gorgeous and trigger and operation are equal or better than my original Belgian Browning that has been worked over by a famous Hi Power gunsmith. Should come in at around $650.
My dealer is excited to see the new Contender frame.
 
I also have my dealer working on getting me a new Inglis High Power in color case hardened finish. I had seen pictures but was able to see and handle two of them at the NRA Meetings and Exhibits. They are absolutely gorgeous and trigger and operation are equal or better than my original Belgian Browning that has been worked over by a famous Hi Power gunsmith.
Click to expand...

Just to be a pain in the reality check, no one knows what they are actually going to get, until they get it. You have every right to expect the same quality as the examples you looked at, but you won't know for sure until you get your own in your hands.

The Contender frame looks good, and SSK has a long history of quality work. Pity it took a year for yours to become available.
 
Picked it up Tuesday. All five of my barrels fit and operate perfectly. They are all TC produced tubes. Factory adjusted trigger is excellent, no creep, about 2 lbs. I have a 22 LR barrel on in the picture, but I have a 7-30 Waters I’ve never used and am anxious to try it. Have to load up some rounds though.
 

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That looks beautiful!
Trigger guard and grip appear to be from the original one.
I had a G2 and prefer the original.
Does it have an adjustable trigger?
Very nice;), well done.
 
It is the easy open action. Supposed to be designed after the last (latest) generation of Contender. Trigger is adjustable, of course the manual says it should only be adjusted by a qualified gunsmith. Some online say they’ve gotten it down to 1 lb.
In my online and YouTube research, factory TC barrels all fit. Some very early TC barrels had a barrel lug with a flat bottom, they lacked the little hump, relief cut for the locking bolts. Other non TC aftermarket barrels also have fitment trouble, but those also don’t fit TC Contender frames either. It surprised me that when a barrel didn’t work the owner would attack pieces in the frame with a file or Dremel instead of just comparing barrel measurements with a barrel that did work and mirror them.
I did observe that the pivot pin fit wasn’t as tight as my original Contender. The pin will drop straight through, no tapping with a hammer needed, but no extra play either. But if you have been around Contenders forever, like me, there has always been an aftermarket for oversized pins, split pins, and other fixes, like the Bubba version, set it upright on a vise or anvil and wack it with a hammer.
I have a 10 inch 44 Magnum barrel on my TC Contender that I use for load development and keep detailed records on. I’ll have to compare it on the new frame to see if there’s any difference. I also have a 14 inch 223 barrel that will do 1/2 MOA with handloads that I can do a comparison with. Sounds like a full day at the range.
 
I have 2 non easy open and 2 easy open Gen1.
They all have Bellm oversize hinge pins.
25-35 with a 4x Weaver,
357 Mag 10” octagon
44 Mag 7.5” octagon
357 Max 10” bull with a 2x Redfield.
Different grips and forearms on all of them.
I would like to add one more, a 12” 375 Win.
Should get a hogs attention.
 
Some additional info. I should have said designed after the last Gen 1 Contender. Marty at Haus of Arms calls it a Gen 1 clone. I asked him specifically because I was looking at custom wood for it and it takes Gen 1 or original Contender furniture. The prices old TC wood is bringing on eBay are ridiculous, you can get beautiful custom grips and forends for only a few dollars more. Haus of Arms has some nice laminated sets for $100.
Another piece of possibly good news is someone has bought TC from Smith & Wesson. They are in the process of getting it up and running again.
 
The G2 had some features I didn’t miss on my Gen 1 Contenders.
Absence of an adjustable trigger was not a step forward on the G2.
Contenders are too nice of a gun to be discontinued, I would also like to see them bring back their Classic 22 semiauto rifle.
 
Anyone else remember the old Montgomery Wards store in PDX? I sure do, our favorite place to shop. Apropos, my bride bought me a factory built T/C Hawken for slightly less than 100 bucks on sale. It was my Fathers day gift circa 1981, I put a lot of balls down that bore, it was really superb. While the T/C Hawken kits were relatively cheap, the factory built gun was not inexpensive. This one was. I've switched to modern 209, but would still like to have that Hawken back.
 
I don’t know about PDX but my father and we used to frequent the one in SA for hunting and fishing stuff. When I was about 13 he bought a WesternField M732, 30-06. That rifle (Mossberg 800) has always shot far above it’s purchase price! Big, heavy with a straight tapered bbl, very accurate. I miss Wards and Woolco, another place for fathers and sons to spend time.
 
That old building

The area has been developed in to Montgomery Park. My wife and I can both remember going to that store in the 60's for new school clothes. Wards and Sears are both pretty much gone, replaced by Amazon. The best rifle in my safe is from Sears, a Model 50 in 30.06 and it's twin in .270. Took me thirty years to find both of them. Now I want to rebarrel the .06 to .300 Win mag.
 
Some more info about a new TC arms coming, from Haus of Arms newsletter.
“Glenn Butcher is one of the new owners of T/C Arms, along with Gregg Ritz and Global Precision Parts. When asked how we could help, he said for us (and you, too) to be patient. This is a very large project and will take some time”
 
We could probably do a separate thread for this, but I fondly remember Saturday morning trips to Bets Hardware in Des Moines, as well as Sears, Montgomery Wards, Western Auto, Robinson Wholesale, Ardan’s, Kmart, all had a gun department with my hand and nose prints all over the display case glass.
 
I am wondering . How many of the former TC offerings will be included in the newly formed company ?
(Be patient my boy)
My exploits with the old Gen 1 Contender were less than legendary,but I did hunt with the bigger calibers. 3 game animals including (1) wild boar.
 
Support them!

I wish the new owners plenty of good luck. It is a first class beeotch to compete against companies that can buy and sell your operation from their petty cash fund. Yes folks that is hyperbole, but not by much.
Support those companies that support us. Sure buy stock for investment, wall street is where the money comes from.
What I do not recommend is buying products from these huge corporate entities. Join me in doing your best to not support the corporate criminals, In my never to be humble opinion, criminality is rampant, ours laws have made is so.
With corporate entities their legal department may be larger than the little guy company trying to compete. That rarely ends well. They need all those lawyers to tell them what is legal, and what is not.
 
TC

TC is one of my favorite weapons. Have many rifle and pistol barrels as well as Bellm specials.
Favorite pistol is .357Maximum
Favorite rifle is 7x30 Waters.

Enjoy!
 
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