T/C Contender issue: "Firing pin" inside hammer flew out

U

Unlicensed Dremel

Moderator
Can anyone help?

Got a new-to-me Contender frame today. It's one of the "armor alloy" frames.

It has a selector in the hammer, with the selector switch on top of the hammer (left is centerfire, center is safe, right is rimfire).

When dryfiring it in the safe position, one of the two short fixed pins in the face of the hammer (the left / centerfire one which hits the bottom firing pin), just came out and flew across the room. Luckily I was able to find it.

For better or worse, I superglued it back in and "hammered it home" as deeply as it would go before the superglue set.

But, it extends out now further than the rimfire one does, and presumably farther than it's supposed to, by approx. .08" (80/1000ths). **

However, just looking at it and dryfiring it some more, it appears as though it will still work fine, if not ideal. It shortens the hammer travel distance by the same amount (.08"), with the hammer down. Assuming it still has enough power (momentum) to ignite the primer and fire, do you see any reason to worry about it?

Thanks very much.

**Or, however, perhaps the centerfire one is *supposed* to stick out further than the rimfire one.... ??
 
I am not familiar with that gun, but it is very likely that the CF firing pin does have more protrusion than the RF pin. The RF pin MUST not protrude far enough to damage the breech face if the gun is dry fired, while the CF pin normally protrudes about .06"

Jim
 
You don't need to cock the hammer on a Contender to dry fire it, you just pull the trigger after cocking the action. And yes, you have damaged the hammer, just maybe not irretrievably.
 
That's helpful, guys - thanks.

The pin came out again, even with the dab of superglue. I don't understand what mechanism is *supposed* to keep this pin retained inside it's "hole" in the first place - sure it sticks in the hole and seems to stay initially, but there's not enough bearing surface to provide enough friction to keep in it.

And "dry-firing" the "shortcut" way - sure I could do that, but had I not actually dry fired, this problem would not have revealed itself until I got to the range, in which case I almost certainly would have lost this pin. Very glad I did dry fire it. Plus, the trigger pull is different, when you also have to release the mainspring tension - not by much, but it's there.

Guess I need to find a video on what is supposed to keep this pin inside its hole.
 
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OK, I need a whole new hammer assembly, I think.

Numrich is out.

Brownells doesn't have it.

Midway doesn't have it.

Eabco doesn't have it.

Gunbroker doesn't have it.

Bellmtcs doesn't have it (near as I can tell).

No one I can find has it.

Any ideas?
 
Nevermind.

Called T/C. They're hooking me up.

Sending the whole frame back into them. They said that's the only way.

Sent me a free shipping label, and sounds like they will repair for free too.

Thanks though.

Always fun when a new toy breaks in under 24 hours. Win some, lose some.

This is most excellent customer service from T/C, however. Thumbs up.
 
I'm glad they are still servicing Gen 2 Contenders. Several months ago they announced that they would no longer support Gen 1 Contenders. I wonder how long they'll continue to support Gen 2.
 
T/C customer service

This is most excellent customer service from T/C, however. Thumbs up.
Click to expand...

Glad you had good results. When they put out the last recall on the T/C Ventures and called TWICE for a return sticker. Once they promised to send it snail mail and the second time they promised email delivery.

I never received either!
 
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