Original T/C Contender

[stubshaft]

I remember when these first came out.

[white eagle]

see the price for the pistol 135.00
extra barrels for 36.00 oh yeah those were the days

[Rafe Covington]

My first tender barrel was a 38 Special octagon barrel for 25 dollars used. Things sure have haven't changed for the better price wise.

Rafe

[dragonrider]

A friend has a first generation Contender, you need a screwdriver to change from centerfire to rimfire. Mine has the lever on the top of the hammer. I am not sure if that is the only difference. If IIRC his came in a box just like that the one above.

[bobthenailer]

i bought my first contender in the mid 70s . in my first 44mag , orgional grips and a light octigon barrel, bought 20 rounds of remington 240 jhp . couldent wate to take it shooting ! fired 3 rounds that was enough for me ! my hand hirt ! I have never fired a hand gun in my life that hirt me like that contender in 44 mag did . i later bought a 22 jet barrel and sold the 44 mag barrel. and bought a 44 mag revolver .

[Ed K]

I love the original Contender - the all around combination of size, weight, cost and switch-barrel capability can't be beat IMO. I like revolvers just as well but it usually takes much more money to get one to shoot as well as a Contender. For the application where a fast second shot is not needed they are just great. I have ventured into the Encore and fired some other, larger single shots but for the area I live in (New England - the environment where it was designed), it represents a bulls-eye in terms of a handgun solution. They do get criticized at the bench for their flaws - and they are not perfect - when compared to an XP or similar guns but that's OK with me. They were designed as a field gun and used for that I will likely always have one.

[jhrosier]

I've still got a scar at the base of my thumb from shooting .44 Mag in the original octagon barreled Contender with the "thumb splitter" grip. The recoil was bad enough to knock the grip cap right off the gun.
The later Hunter style grip was a vast improvement, and still my all time favorite.

I have one each of the three basic different models (firing pin selectors) and the original is still my favorite.

I never found the so-called "easy open" feature to be any easier than the original.

Of my dozen or so barrels, the .357 mag bull barrel is the most satisfying to shoot. With a steady hand, all the shots will go through the same hole at 25 yards. I fired it with complete satisfaction when I shot the NRA Hunters Pistol competition a few years ago.

My least favorite caliber is probably the 12" Hunter barrel in 45-70. My wrist starts to hurt when I even think about it.:wink:

Jack

[Swede44mag]

A friend bought one in 222 someone stole it out of his front seat it was fun to shoot.

[EMC45]

I have one of the centerfire/rimfire screwdriver change ones. It is the more difficult to open. I like it a lot though. You really have to squeeze that bugger. I have a super 14 .35 Rem and 10in Octagon .22LR for it. Got the whole set up from WallaceM. Thanks Wallace!

[songdog53]

I can remember when they came out but never owned one. I may have missed out on great experince but then was young enough one shot wasn't enough for me.

[Dframe]

I'm still using my first generation contender. Just picked up another barrel for it.

[Longwood]

I had an original, which I had a small problem with about a year later so they sent me a new model free of charge. They even paid the shipping.
I immediately put Packmyer (sp) grips on them which, like every big bore gun I ever put them on, miraculously turns them into a very fun gun.
I had a total of 7 barrels for it when I decided to sell the works for $1000.
Barrels I once owned for it.
35 rem 14" which got sold off for $25 right away becuse I couldn't get it to shoot accurately.
44 mag in 10"with the shot adapter that was not very accurate.
357 14" Very accurate but not quite good enough for matches.
30-30 10" Very accurate, often inside of 3" @ 100 yards using the Creedmore position.
30-30 14" Even better.
7TCU 10" Most accurate 2" a 100 yards was common.
Way too loud 223 10" never reloaded for it so don't know how well it would shoot.
1 each 22 rimfire 10" & 14" most accurate.
The guns are amazingly accurate for pistols. The rimfire barrels would shoot inside of 1" @ 100 yards all day long with several brands of match ammo.
I traded a Walther PPK for it and with the very first offhand shot I tried before trading for it, I put the round in the 0 of the 10 in the ten ring of a 6" bull at 50 yards. With that lucky shot, I told the guy that it was a done deal.
I used it in three classes (120 rounds of quite hot loads) at big bore sillhouette every week for a couple of years and never did have even close to a sore hand simply because of the Pacmyr grips.
They are very accurate and very fun guns to shoot if set-up correctly.
LS

[Longwood]

I have one of the centerfire/rimfire screwdriver change ones. It is the more difficult to open. I like it a lot though. You really have to squeeze that bugger. I have a super 14 .35 Rem and 10in Octagon .22LR for it. Got the whole set up from WallaceM. Thanks Wallace!
Mine were very tight. Smack the lever with the pad of your fist and it will pop right open.

[Big Boomer]

I've had a T/C Contender for several years. Bought the first frame and barrel in .41 Mag. 8" barrel. Then I came across a barrel in .223 (Super 14) with a 7X Burris IER. We used to pop beer bottles stuck on broke off limbs of bushes and small trees at about 200 yds. This was done years ago in a strip mine area near Hanging Rock, Ohio, that has been reclaimed. With a Nosler 52 gr. soft point bullet, you had to work at it to miss off sand bags. Beer bottles, when hit, would just look a small dust cloud.
I've killed ground hogs 'way out there with it. 'Tuck

[casterofboolits]

My first Contender was the 44 Mag with shot shell adapter and thumbbuster hand grips. One day I fired 100 rounds of reloads (Lyman 429421 44-245-SWCKT over 18.5 grains of 2400) on the 100 yard range at clay birds. I stopped when I felt something running down my wrist. I had a half dollar size blister that had burst.

I had bull barrels (10 inch?) in .22 Hornet, 30 Carbine and 38/357. Replaced the grips and fore end with Pachmeyers and the 44 was a lot easier to shoot. I think I still have the original grips. Wish I still had the gun.

[uscra112]

I bought my first Contender just a coupla months ago. Just the frame. Picked a Gen 1 'cause I like set triggers. Had a .30 Herrett barrel around the place for some reason. Put it on, and couldn't open it again. After hours of fussing with it, I realized that the Pachmayer grip was interfering. Cut a little out of the grip, and it now works fine. Been working up loads for a Hornet barrel, and I can't seem to get any that shoot worse than about 2 moa. I'm hooked! Next stop, a .357 Max for Ohio deer season.

BTW it had a severe misfire problem for a while, traced to the hammer-block slide not dropping fast enough. Fixed by a shot of starting ether - (that's all I had at the range that day). That washed out some gum, I reckon; last 50 rounds had zero misfires. At home I removed it, cleaned the slot very thoroughly, and touched it with Dri Slide - no oil. Do people put stronger slide springs in these?

[rststeve]

I have the 30/30 contender with pacmyer grips and forend love it. I use it for hunting in the brush.

[Longwood]

[QUOTE=Longwood;1207836]I had an original, which I had a small problem with about a year later so they sent me a new model free of charge. They even paid the shipping.

BTW
I was shooting the pistol with a 10 and 14 inch barrel in 30-30 in three 40 round matches every weekend during that year. Around 1500 maxed out, ram smacking, loads, and all that happened was it popped open twice, so they told me to send it back to them and I got a brand new one in a few days after I called. They did not even wait to get the old one before sending it.
If I was into hunting, I wouldn't bother carrying a big awkward and heavy rifle. I can shoot plenty good enough with a Thompson Contender.

[Gun-adian]

I got my first Contender about 3 years ago, purchased from an estate sale.

It came with a 10 inch vent rib .44Mag barrel with an internal choke and a 10 inch octagonal barrel in .221Rem. with an older Redfield pistol scope, all for the princely sum of $500. (That's actually cheap, up here!!!)

I've since aquired a .45 Colt/.410 barrel and a .223 heavy barrel, both 10 inch.

I'm still holding out for a .35Rem and a genuine .357Max.

Any ideas????

Mike.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I started with the 7mmm TCU in 10" bull. Then got the 14"... those were two fine shooting barrels. Now I am with a 14" 41 mag. This next time up it will become a 414 Supermag.

[45nut]

I had a older one stolen, was a four digit serial number, but this one is pretty vintage too, it is a 221.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/pistols/100_1902.jpg

[Longwood]

I got my first Contender about 3 years ago, purchased from an estate sale.



I'm still holding out for a .35Rem and a genuine .357Max.

Any ideas????

Mike.

I had a 35 rem barrel for a while but could not get it to shoot very well but I did not work with it very long. The 357max was getting a very good rep at the time I quit silhouette.
If I still had one and especially if I hunted, I might get me a 17 HMR just because of how "Cute" the rounds are.
The trouble I see with the 17 is, I can't tell if I hit anything with it. I only plink now so I like big bullets.

[justingrosche]

My first Contender that I bought almost 20 years ago was a 44mag super 14. Lost that one to diapers and formula. Been wanting to replace it ever since. Got my opportunity last month with this SS Super 14 in 45-70 W/ the factory break. The scope is a Burris 1.5 X4 posi-lock that I just bought from my new good friend Keyhole.http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_51744d8cd1d692ead.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=314)

[uscra112]

I'm still holding out for a .35Rem and a genuine .357Max.

Any ideas????

Mike.

I bought a .38 Long Colt Bullberry barrel on Gunbroker, and just ordered a custom .357 Max reamer with a proper throat from Dave Manson. Barrel was so cheap that the reamer is half paid for already. You don't really want a genuine T/C .357 Max barrel, as they ream the chamber to SAAMI spec, which has no throat, just a long taper from case mouth. Mike Bellm has a long writeup about it, and for a hunnert bucks he'll ream your .38 Special or .357 Magnum barrel. I reckon to do more than one .357 barrel, so I save by buying my own reamer.

In my conversation with Dave, we also agreed that my reamer will have a pilot that actually fits the bore, (mine is .3490 plus a coupla tenths). Stock reamers (SAAMI again) have a pilot that's almost .005 undersize, intended for revolver barrels, I guess. That small a pilot cannot possibly cut the throat concentric to the rifling if your barrel is made to rifle spec, which is nominally .350 bore.

p.s. I'd go for .35 Rem too, but Ohio is a straight-wall cartridge state. . . . :(

[stubshaft]

Man, I remember when 2" at 50 yds was a real keeper. Nowadays if I shoot a 2" group at 100 yds. I'd probably sell the barrel. This is one of my latest Tenders.

[Southern Son]

I have a T/C with only one barrel, a 10" 7mmTCU. I wish there was somewhere around here that shot serious metalic silhouette. It is way to good a pistol to just sit around and do nothing.

[Steelbanger]

Oh yes, the original Contender. Mine too was a 44 mag with the squarish grips that felt like every shot fired was trying to separate your thumb from the rest of your hand. Mine also was a devil to open and it usually made my middle finger hurt too from applying pressure to the trigger guard when opening the action. It was a true blessing when the easy open models came out.