Thompson Center Contender

bonita · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:53 pm Post subject: Thompson Center Contender

I am thinking about purchasing a T/C Contender pistol. I am wondering if the barrels are inner-changable with Contender rifle barrels, provided that I buy a buttstock and longer fore-end. I would like to use the gun for plinking, hunting and provided that they are compatable would also like to use it for predator hunting with the 23 inch .204 barrel. Any info will surely help. Thanks, and I must say I love this site.............

roklok · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:04 pm Post subject: Re: Thompson Center Contender

Yes they are totally interchangeable with the exception of the original Contender and the Contender G2 grip and butt stock. In other words barrels and forearms are interchangable between new and old, both rifle and pistol, as long as you have the correct forearm for the barrel. The old frames require the original style pistol grip or buttstock while the G2 uses a newer style pistol grip or buttstock. It is not legal however to configure with rifle buttstock with a pistol barrel of less than 16 inches installed. When switching to a rifle dont install the buttstock until pistol barrel is removed. Neither however are interchangable with the Encore, which is a larger frame size.

bonita · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:50 am Post subject: Re: Thompson Center Contender

Roklok, fantastic! Thanks for the info, I will continue with the purchase. I am not much of a pistol hunter, but would really like to give it a try and the Contender is the grandfather of all hunting pistols.

skb2706 · Member Joined: Apr 10, 2006 Posts: 269

roklok gave you the straight scoop.....

Contenders have been my primary hunting weapon of choice for several years. Started out as pistols but mine are all carbine length nowadays.

This one started out as a pistol in 7-30 Waters. It is currently a .204 Ruger and just about to put the big hurt on a distant prairie dog by my young sons girlfriend.

[/url]

K.W. · Last edited by K.W. on Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:45 am; edited 2 times in total

Hello mr Bonita. I have T/C Contender with4-barres; .22 Horn, 9mm Luger and .357 Rem maximum for pistol and .223Rem for carbine. When I bought new G2 mecanism all my barrels was incorrect. The dealer made an exhange and now only carbine barrel is not ok for G2. It is also illegal use pistol barrel with rifle buttstock here in Finland. I however use it with testin my pistol loads. With crazy spellin and writing Kauko

K.W. · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:38 am Post subject: Re: Thompson Center Contender

I must to tell: I hate .223 Rem carbine because it makes crater to primers and it is not so easy then to open gun. Do You know better primers than CCI, Rem, Winc or S&B. ( newer mind, Ihave 22-250 Voere Mauser / heavy barrel with tight chamber).

skb2706 · Member Joined: Apr 10, 2006 Posts: 269

Kauko Waskilampi wrote:

Hello mr Bonita. I have T/C Contender with4-barres; .22 Horn, 9mm Luger and .357 Rem maximum for pistol and .223Rem for carbine. When I bought new G2 mecanism all my barrels was incorrect. The dealer made an exhange and now only carbine barrel is not ok for G2. It is also illegal use pistol barrel with rifle buttstock here in Finland. I however use it with testin my pistol loads. With crazy spellin and writing Kauko

Getting your .223 carbine barrel to work correctly on your frame is not difficult at all and at worst requires $10 worth of parts and ten minutes.

K.W. · Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 8:16 am Post subject: Re: Thompson Center Contender

Thank You skb 2706. I was speaking with local T/C gun smith. He was telling that .223 barrel is no more correct to T/C Contender mecanism if he makes it correct to G2 macanism. I am thinkig, he is unqualifed.

skb2706 · Member Joined: Apr 10, 2006 Posts: 269

Kauko Waskilampi wrote:

Thank You skb 2706. I was speaking with local T/C gun smith. He was telling that .223 barrel is no more correct to T/C Contender mecanism if he makes it correct to G2 macanism. I am thinkig, he is unqualifed.

He is wrong.............

I am right.........

I have the parts, the skills and the time to prove it. He does not.

My first Contender was purchased in 1976, 31 years, 27 sets of dies, 20 some odd barrels from every barrel maker in the biz, enough parts to build a few extra, more stocks/grips/forends than a tree can provide...I got history.

K.W. · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:27 pm Post subject: Re: Thompson Center Contender

Youare spezialist skb 2706. There are grazy people in my country. I was asking rifle synthetic stock for T/C G2. Dealer says 230$ and 2 months!

SwampFox · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:00 pm Post subject: Re: Thompson Center Contender

Kauko,
What are you shooting in your TC carbine 223 that is causing the primers to crater so badly? If you are not shooting hot loads you might want to change the centerfire firing pin and the hammer spring. Sometimes the hammer spring can get weak enough to ignite a primer yet be too week to hold the firing pin in place through ignition.

Looks like you came to the right place for TC dope. Bought my first TC in 71, a 3 digit 357 octagon barrel gun. When I sold my last guns, I sold 11 to the Brazilian National Silhouette Team. I have no idea how many I have owned over the years, but it would make a pickup squat. Probably the best production single shot, for the money, ever made. You can spend a lot of money on a custom rifle and you might get it to shoot as good as a 10 inch TC in 6.5 or 7mm TCU or a 14 inch 223.
Ed

skb2706 · Member Joined: Apr 10, 2006 Posts: 269

SwampFox wrote:

Kauko,
What are you shooting in your TC carbine 223 that is causing the primers to crater so badly? If you are not shooting hot loads you might want to change the centerfire firing pin and the hammer spring. Sometimes the hammer spring can get weak enough to ignite a primer yet be too week to hold the firing pin in place through ignition.

Looks like you came to the right place for TC dope. Bought my first TC in 71, a 3 digit 357 octagon barrel gun. When I sold my last guns, I sold 11 to the Brazilian National Silhouette Team. I have no idea how many I have owned over the years, but it would make a pickup squat. Probably the best production single shot, for the money, ever made. You can spend a lot of money on a custom rifle and you might get it to shoot as good as a 10 inch TC in 6.5 or 7mm TCU or a 14 inch 223.
Ed

SF - sounds like you got worse than me. My first one was a four digit frame, octagon barrel 22 lr with the blocky grip. I think I 've had one of every factory chambering they made .....except a 41 mag. Nowadays most of my stuff is varmint carbine material. Currently my carbine of choice - one factory .204 bull barrel and an MGM .204 that way we can shoot conitunally on thsoe really good days shootin pds.

K.W. · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2007 11:14 am Post subject: Re: Thompson Center Contender

SwampFox. You are right. It must bee firing pin spring to weak. All springs and brouget firing pin are exchanget. Pin was breaking. My loads, I think are not so strong. ..Cases are Remimgton: Winc 55 gr FMJ Vihtavuori N-133 24,4gr 3270 fps. N-133 24,1gr 3240 fps. N-133 23,6gr 3175fps. N-135 25,5gr and N-135 25,8gr. N-130 22,4gr =crater very high. N-130 about H-322, N-133 BL(C)2 , N-135 Varget. All are abaut. With pistol powder 3N37 8,6gr no crater. (Mosin Nagant makes big craters. It is never mind). It must fit .223 barrel to G2 mechanism. Contender mech. works ok with other barrels. (No craters).

SwampFox · Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:42 am Post subject: Re: Thompson Center Contender

SKB,
Things like that happen when you shoot steel for 25 years. I can honestly say that I never regretted a single TC purchase. Regardless, if there was a problem, TC always made it OK. Of course, when I went to the 10 inch 357 Harrett and stretched the frame on my old gun and then sent it in for repair, I was not happy with the result, Rochester replaced the old frame with a brand new one and destroyed my old frame. I would, had I known, just kept the old one and bought a new frame.

Most folks have no clue as to just how accurate a 10 inch TC can be and never put the time into practice to wring out the potential. As I am sure you know, the old frames do have one draw back for hunting (cost me a great 10 point buck) the internal safety has a very loud "click" when the hammer is drawn back and the safety falls. You never notice it until you have a big buck walk up behind you, at about 10 feet, that click sent that old buck into exit by rocket assist.

Kauko,
Looking at my VVN manual #2, I think there is a clue as to your problem. The max load for a 55-grain Hornady using N-133 is 25.3 grains at 3,231 with 52,200 pressure. Your N-133 load of 24.4 grains gives 3,270. That is .90 grains less powder and more velocity. Your load of 21.4 grains of N-130 gives 3,240 with the max load listed at 24.1 giving 3,217. Your N-130 load is running a full 10% less powder and more velocity. All else being equal (bullet diameter, etc) you must have a more constricted barrel (less powder but more pressure) than the test barrel used to develop the reloading manual. Rather than load to the powder charge weight, try loading to or below the max load velocity/pressure. You may be able to reduce your cratering problem and maintain the manual velocity.

Even though you are below the max charge weight, you are over the pressure listed as maximum for the powder.
Ed

K.W. · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:14 am Post subject: Re: Thompson Center Contender

Thank You SwampFox. I shall to look after velocitys not only powder charge weight. It is my next project after the silencer load for T/C G2 .357 maximum.