TC Contender?

M

Model12Win

Moderator
Ayone have a TC contender?

After watching Hard Boiled, with Chow Yun-Fat, the bad guy uses one in .223 with a short bbl and pachmayr stock set.

600px-_HBThompson_Center_Contender-2.jpg


Are they worth it? Do they eject the spent casing out or do you have to pick it out? A 10" TC pistol in .223 seems like a recipe for fun and a loud showstopper at an indoor range.

So enablers, should I? :)
 
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Entirely your call !!!

Are they worth it? Do they eject the spent casing out or do you have to pick it out? A 10" TC pistol in .223 seems like a recipe for fun and a loud showstopper at an indoor range
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They are great fun and I own a one but unless I could steal one, I would not get it. 10" is going to be out of line for me. Mine is a 14" with muzzle break and will blow my cap off. The spent shell is partially retracted but easily removes. Also depends on whether it's a Contender or a G2. ...... :)

Be Safe !!!
 
Pahoo said:
They are great fun and I own a one but unless I could steal one, I would not get it. 10" is going to be out of line for me. Mine is a 14" with muzzle break and will blow my cap off. The spent shell is partially retracted but easily removes. Also depends on whether it's a Contender or a G2. ...... :)

Be Safe !!!
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What's the difference in those?
 
I had a 14 inch .223 TC with a 2-5-7 Burris scope. Over a rest I could shoot flies at 100 yards, offhand I could not hit the broadside of a barn, too muzzle heavy. Also had a 10 inch 7mm TCU barrel with iron sights for it, it was fun to shoot but came with a lot of recoil.
 
I had an original Contender with the 14" bull barrel. It was a sub MOA gun with reloads, but pretty impractical without a rest. I doubt a 10" barrel would be a whole lot better for offhand shooting.

And spent cases were slightly raised out of the chamber, but not ejected.

And take it from experience, don't shoot steel ammo from it! I made that mistake and needed vice grips to extract the spent casing. Then, being a dumb 20 year old, I put another round of steel .223 in from a different box to see if the same thing would happen.

It did.

That one required a dowel rod and a hammer to get out the brass!!
 
There are differences

What's the difference in those?
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There are a number of differences and will try to list as many as I can recall ..:confused:

1) The Contender is no longer made and the G2 is the replacement.
2) The G2 has a heavier frame to handle the bigger calipers.
3) In order to recock the Contender, you had to break it open. Not so with the G2
4) The G2 is supposedly designed to beak open more easily.
5) The Contender hammer selector, went through a number of changes so if by luck, you find one you can tell which generation it was.

On a personal note, I prefer the Contenders over the G2's as I think they have a better trigger. ...... :rolleyes:
Whether in the field or on the bench, I use a rest and/or a cross arm hold much like but better than you are showing. .. ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
I ought one specifically so I could hunt deer with a handgun. Mine came with a 22 barrel and a 357 barrel. I purchased a 7x30 Waters barrel for deer.

It's fun but honestly it has such a niche that unless it's your kind of thing I would invest elsewhere. Plus, you'll keep buying barrels because it's addicting:D

I almost never use mine and something like a 44 mag redhawk is more versatile.
 
IMHO the best thing with Contenders is if you want to play with odd calibers in a handgun but not spend $$$.

I've been wondering if anyone is going to make a 14" in 22TCM...
 
A Contender was my first handgun....a .357 ten inch barrel. Then a .22 ten incher. Then a .45-70 14". Then a .44 mag 10". Then a 30-30 ten inch (my favorite barrel because I shoot it well). There were more after those, including a .223 ten inch.
It is called BAD (barrel acquisition disease). It persists as long as you own a Contender or a G2 or their big brother, the T/C Encore.
I shot the .223 indoors once at a steel plate spinner.....the bullet cratered the plate. Not all indoor ranges will allow rifle cartridges to be used.
 
That is an interesting screen shot, it appears that the gun is firing with the hammer still cocked!!!!

This may be special effects (adding the muzzle flash) but it is also possible because of the limitations of film. I have a frame of my Desert Eagle firing, with the muzzle flash, but the hammer LOOKs like it is still cocked. A close look shows the hammer is slightly blurred, and a very close look shows the film frame has a blurred and almost transparent image of the hammer half way down.

Now, as to the Contender...
Are they worth it? Do they eject the spent casing out or do you have to pick it out?
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Contenders EXTRACT the fired case. They do not eject it.

Are they worth it? That is a personal judgment call.

I ignored the Contender for about 30 years, after all it was "only" a single shot!

Then, mostly out of idle curiosity, I handled one at a shop. The trigger was GREAT! Light, crisp, no creep, nor overtravel. I decided I had to try one of them. It is real eye-opener. Contenders just flat SHOOT!!!

And, its a humbling thing, when you get taught that your offhand shooting isn't as good as you thought it was!;)

About no one can shoot the 14" well, offhand, and even with the 10", most folks can't shoot up to its potential offhand. The gun shines off a rest, accuracy is phenomenal for a handgun.

I've found a great deal of fun shooting 6" barrel Contenders. 6" barrels are rare, but quite shootable offhand, the Contender is actually lighter than an N frame revolver. And, there is just something about the short barrel that, to me, yells "ARRRR!!! Repel Boarders!!!!" in a modern way..

The Barrel Acquisition Disease is a real thing, and most of us fall victim to it, given time. For me, it finally went away as a strong desire, but if I find a barrel in .32acp, I would buy it. :D

One of the things I found I loved about the Contender was the fact that I could get barrels in nearly every caliber handgun I already owned, and some rifle calibers, too.

My "main" frame wears the Pachmyr stock set, and I have barrels for..

.22LR 10"
.22 Hornet 10" scoped
.222 Rem 10" scoped
.30-30 Win 14"
9mm Luger 6"
.357 Mag 6' & 10"
.44 Mag 10"
.45 Colt/.410 10"
.45 Colt (only) 10"
.45 Win Mag 14"
.45-70 14" Red Dot sight

I'd show you pictures, but Photobucket has stolen them :(

The Contender does take a bit of strength to open. You need to squeeze pretty hard. A G2 seems to fall open, compared to the Contender. Also, the Contender needs the action opened and shut before it can be re-cocked. The G2 does not. I've handled a G2, never shot one.

All Contender barrels are supposed to fit the G2 frame. The reverse is not true.

Until you get to the 14" barrels, Contenders, while larger overall, are LIGHTER than 6" S&W N frame guns. Recoil is ...rather noticeable in larger calibers. :rolleyes:

The first time I fired my 10" octagon barrel .44 Mag at the range, I said a bad word out loud!!! It REALLY jumps!!! (pencil slim barrel, no muzzle brake)

My 14" .45-70 is much heavier and has a brake, so it jumps much less in comparision, though the recoil is ...stout.

One friend, after watching me shoot it, and even shoot it off hand, wanted a try. He wacked himself in the nose with the red dot sight!!! It bled a fair bit, and we had a good laugh. He said "I locked my wrists, but forgot to lock my elbows!!" He did hit the target. After we got the bleeding stopped, he tried again, and hit the target again, without the gun hitting him!

When shooting heavy recoiling rounds, you really need to hang on to a Contender!

If you want a real challenge, get a .22LR and shoot old style bullseye, off hand, with your off hand in your back pocket!

Contenders aren't good combat guns, unless your enemy is armed with a flintlock. They don't CCW very well. They aren't repeaters. They aren't what most people want as a defensive handgun. And they were never meant to be.

They are a sporting handgun, for plinking, target and hunting use. And, they do it pretty well. REALY WELL in some cases.

The .410 is an absolute rat wrecker in the old barnyard. :D
My 9mm shoots tighter groups than any semi auto 9mm I've ever seen.
Contenders can handle loads heavier than some revolvers. That strength is not limitless, of course, but you will find heavier loading data for the contender in some calibers if you look in the right places.

Contenders are about shooting, putting ONE shot exactly where you want it to go. They can shoot on a par with a decent bolt action rifle, and better than some. Depending on the caliber, you've got up to a couple hundred yards range, and if you're good enough, more.

Contenders are for sport. For recreation. Don't compare them to service pistols, even when they shoot the same rounds.

IF you haven't guessed by now, I really like my Contenders. They're FUN.
And, if you're looking for another Contender onscreen, check out VanDamme's
HARD TARGET. The bad guy uses one (unrealistically, of course) but he does use one. The music is really good, though...;)
 
yeah.

^^^^^^^
A fine post.....every bit true.
About recoil with heavy loads. My .44 Magnum ten inch has broken every scope that I have put on it. I returned to irons. Darn, though, it does shoot.
Pete
 
I see the encore is available in 7.62x54mmR and I would get a custom 10" barrel with iron sights for it, available through TC's website.

I would want it darkened or otherwise "blacked out" as it were as the Encores are stainless only (not sure why). Sure would be fun at the range I'm sure!! I have a few thousand spare 7.62x54mmR round in storage, and could go to other calibers eventually with a new barrel.

Sounds like a fun project! I imagine the noise and blast of a 10" 7.62x54mmR would be... significant! I could add a muzzle brake and make the most obnoxiously awful gun ever made to shoot at the local indoor range! :p
 
If you purchase a braked Contender.
Please let us all know where you go shooting, so we can avoid the joint.
Not a fan of indoor ranges.....me and my .22 and the guy in the next lane with a Desert Eagle in 50. AE. Hard to shoot well with a concussion wave blasting you at various intervals.
He did let me pop off a couple tho, impressive round. I left shortly thereafter.
 
Why would one want a Contender and not an Encore? Encore is much stronger and can handle much more powerful ammunition.
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One reason might be to avoid damage to your hands and nerves...:D

Once you get past the rounds that the Contender can handle, you get very seriously into the realm of diminishing returns.

Do note that most Encores are made up a carbines, in rifle calibers.

Out of pistol barrels, (even 14") there is a LOT of waste in the bigger rifle rounds. Now, if you don't mind burning 10-20+ grains of powder in front of your the muzzle (or so it seems) for a bit of velocity increase, go ahead.

A 10" barrel won't burn all the powder in a .222Remington. What do you think a 14" .30-06 will do?? or worse a bigger magnum???
 
I bought a contender long ago thinking it would be a good idea to have several calibers for one gun. It has turned out to be a novelty gun. I have barrels in .22LR, .223/5,56, 7mm, 30-30, .357 mag, .357 Maximum, .45 Colt and 410. Most are 14" barrels but I have one in 10" and two in 24 inch. I use the .45 and the .357 Maximum more than any others. I have other guns in the same caliber or better calibers for hunting and they carry more rounds for general shooting. I have both rifle and pistol stocks to support the different barrels and sights are mounted on each barrel. They are all accurate and the 410 shoots tight patterns to the point of aim but they are always a single gun. I suppose I could take extra barrels but it takes time to change and then you have to carry different kinds of ammo for each barrel, and the different stocks. That isn't what I thought it would be so most of the time they sit while I shoot other guns.
 
Contenders are great fun, and usefull hunting guns. As mentioned though, they can cause barrel purchase addiction. They are at their full potential if you handload. With the ability to shoot pointed bullets in rounds intended for lever guns, and some Contender specific wildcats. In addition to my 22 Longrifle match barrel, 22 Hornet, 223, 7-30 Waters, 35 Remington, and 45-70, I have a couple of the classics designed exclusively for the 'Tender. 30 Harrett, and 357 Harrett. Both based on shortened, and blown out 30-30 cases.
 
I have two T/C Contender frames; blued and stainless and several barrels/chamberings;

14" stainless in .223
14" stainless in .44 Magnum
10" stainless in .22 Hornet

14" blued in 7-30 Waters
10" blued in .22lr
 
T/C

Why would one want a Contender and not an Encore? Encore is much stronger and can handle much more powerful ammunition.
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Some of us bought Contenders before there was an Encore. The Contender, in general, has a better trigger and is lighter and handier. Whenever I carry my Encore - 15" barrel in .308 Win....I think that I am very close to carrying a rifle.
 
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