Thompson Center Contenders

To the best of my knowledge ( which is getting less each and every day ) TC has not made 20 or 28 GA barrels for the contender pistols.
 
Ok, how about a dumb question for you serious Contender shooters. If you have multiple barrels with scopes on each barrel, can you change the barrels without having to worry that your scope zero is going to change?
 
The scope stays with the barrel, there is no change in zero when you swap barrels.

take a look at Taxidermist's pic above. the scope is mounted to the barrel and not the frame.

The contender is one heck of a nice handgun, and the encore is even better, IMO ( although the old contenders had better triggers than newer encore )

Everyone that is serious about handgun hunting or long range handgunning should consider a TC product...
 
As Mike said, the chamber, barrel, mounts & scope all interchange, so there is nothing that changes the POI from barrel change to barrel change

that was the most expensive part of my collection ( I have some barrels that have glass on them, that cost twice what each barrel cost )

BTW... that 375 Winchester barrel is aweome on the Contender... a real hand cannon

BTW #2... I have the 410 barrels, but have also never seen a 28 or 20 ga barrel... though I'd think a 28 might be within safe limits for the action ???
 
I have only one frame that I bought back in 1990 and it has a 14" bull barrel in 223 Rem.
Additional barrels acquired since then in chronological order:
21" TC Custom shop bull barrel w/ tamer in 223 Rem, reason was I can't have enough rifles in a healthy dog town.
16.5" carbine SS in 7x30 Waters for deer - this is becoming my favorite
16.5" bull barrel w/ tamer in 45-70 Gov't. - this packs a wallop on both ends.

I'm thinking of a complete G2 in 22lr or 221 Fireball (if available), but I'm hoping a 17-221 Fireball will be available with a 21" barrel. I would also like to have a blackpowder barrel too. With the set up I got now, I think I can take any game in the world. It would be nice if I had the money to try them out on a safari, maybe a 375 JDJ will be needed? You can seriously go nuts with all the barrels available to the G2 or TC Contender. It definitely is the most versatile firearm I have. josh
 
Any opinions or comparisons between 6mm, 6.5mm and 7mm TCU? Been looking at those. I currently have 14 inch 44mag and 10 inch .22rimfire.
 
I have both the 6mm & 7mm TCU barrels, loading dies etc... but have not shot either much... so I can't offer too much info there... I ill say that case life seems better on the less "stretched" 6mm that on the more "stretched" 7mm, & I've had better results with commercial rather than military 223 brass, ( though I don't know if thats typical or not )

I know the TCU's with the 223 cases are likely more accurate, but I prefer the rimmed cases of the 30-30 based cartridges... I find I can load 7-30 Waters with good spire point boat tail bullets & get reasonable accuracy out of the Contender, plus can buy factory ammo if needed, though all my current factory ammo has been flat point ( lever action ) ammo... but I've been wanting to try that Leverution Ammo, if / when it's available in 7-30 Waters
 
I find I can load 7-30 Waters with good spire point boat tail bullets & get reasonable accuracy out of the Contender
Click to expand...

Mine has been super accurate with Federal factory loads. I can't wait to try reloads on it. josh
 
I am new here and new to the TC Contender. I have purchased an older used 10" 22LR which has not arrived yet. I am planning to get a .357 Max. barrel as I recently cobbled together an NEF single shot rifle in that caliber with a reamed 357 mag bbl. I tried calling TC customer service today to get some info as to what I need to get for the older model (i.e., which type barrels fit, which will not) as I see all these new terms listed like, Encore, G2, Super, etc..., but, no one ever answered but that recorded lady. When you can't get customer service on the phone, that is a bad sign for a new customer!!!
 
Chesster, its simple really, the contender and G2 barrels will interchange in blued and stainless. the encore will not interchange with them. buy encore barrels for the encore only. you can get more caliber selection for encore. as in 308, 30 06, 243 etc. for contender you can have such as 45 70 30 30win. 223, 35rem, etc.:D
 
JW4, you have unlocked the mysteries for me. Thanks a million.:) Like I said, the 357 max will be my first barrel added. I have always been curious about the 375 JDJ after reading articles about it years ago. I have a good supply of .444 Marlin brass I can reform. It may be my second.
 
There was a small batch of TC Contenders that were called Armaloy and they are not suppose to be compatible with the G2 and standarr Contender. I believe there is a modification to have the Armaloy frame to accept standard Contender barrels and G2, but the Armaloy barrels are a no go due to loose tolerances with the G2 and standard frames. Someone else here more knowledgeable on the Armaloy barrels please chime in. josh
 
joshua, the armor alloy barrles are not ,as you said ,compatable with the standard frame, or g2, however if you take the barrel to a competent gunsmith, he can resize the frame hinge pin hole to fit the standard frame. the aa pin is slightly smaller i think. then you can use them. armor alloy was a coating used to protect the frame and barrel, being somewhat less expensive than stainless. they did not catch on, for the reason they could not interchange with standard frames. the barrels are somewhat difficult to find, if you are looking for an unmodified one.:D
 
jwaldo4, cool info, thanks. When I retire from the military the first chance I get is to hunt some feral hogs in Vandenberg AFB, CA. Guess what gun I'll be using... Hint, it's light, a single shot and I can change from 7x30 Waters to 45-70 during the trip just in case I need the extra oomph. josh
 
Chesster,


enjoy the ' new to you ' contender.

don't worry about calling customer service, email them and they will get back to you promptly. TC has a great rep for products and customer service.You will be pleased with your new contender.

All production TC contender and contender G2 barrels will fit your frame ( with the vary rare exception mentioned above by Joshua )
 
I tried calling TC customer service today to get some info as to what I need to get for the older model
Click to expand...

The older Contender frames have a stiffer action when unlocking the gun to reload. They were redesigned many years ago to make them easier to use. The older actions can be modified to accept the new parts. This work can be done by http://www.foxridgeoutfitters.com/, but the website is unavailable right now.
 
I own a T/C 375JDJ in pistol and rifle and it is my favorite caliber along side of my 308's. I bought the SSK Industries 375JDJ pistol many years ago and recently bought the T/C Contender rifle to match the caliber. I also just bought a T/C 308 Encore rifle to go along with my Savage Striker Pistol in 308. These, of course are my hunting combinations and that 220 gr. Hornady FP in the 375 pistol at 2300 fps is something else on deer. Also my 44 mag T/C is extremely accurate and fun to shoot.
 
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Thompson

Hey Folks: I've been following this thread, and others relating to the
Single Shots.
Recently [4-5 months] my shooting buddy has had the hots for a Contender G2
After doing much research I have found that maybe I need more information.
What are the differences. Between
Contender
Contender G2
Encore
We shoot different stuff already including .22/.38/.357/.40/.45/.270 and some others.
What is his beginning interest? .223 Stainless 14" barrel
He will grow toward what we already reload.
He wants to begin with something to varmint hunt with i.e. .223
So; set aside; a total beginner.
Qualities of each [we know that the Contender is old news] pawn shop if need
Which/what/why Frame will give the "best?"/better results

Thanks, Craig
"folks I sent to Thompson an e-mail approx. week ago and have not received any response"
 
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