Contender problem

[williamwaco]

I have a G2 contender with five barrels. Only one came with it the others were picked up at gun shows. All work flawlessly.

Yesterday, I came across a frame only at a gun show for a hundred bucks. I couldn't turn it down even though it was the older model with the cat etched on the frame.

Now the bad news. Only one of my barrels will work on the old frame. All the others will not close up. The one that does was bought new as a complete G2 package.

I can put them together closed by closing them before I insert the pin. ( Needs three hands but it can be done.) If I do this they are locked up tight. The hammer will not cock and the under lever might as well be welded in place. I cannot move it with both hands. I must remove the pin to take it apart.

With the barrel that works, everything works fine including the hammer and the firing mechanism.

Where do I go from here? I am not about to modify good barrels to fit the old action. Can I modify the locking mechanism in the old receiver?

Yes, I thought about dirt. I am afraid to disassemble it but I did blast it good with gun scrubber and an air hose.


Does anyone know a Contender Smith in the Dallas area? Does anyone know of a book or a DVD with smithing instructions for the TC?

[blaser.306]

Probably an issue with the locking lugs that slide @ the bottom of the barrel! Try and put some paste on the top surface and assemble one of the offending bbl's and note where on the block that the mark from the standing breech is . Then do the same with the one that will open. It may just be a matter of replacing the locking bolts orhaving them fitted. At least that way you are doing no permanant alterations to either the frame or barrels. You will still be able to use with both frames that you own. Just a thought ! As far as diss assembly goes , If I can do it ( sucsessfully) without loosing any of the little parts that like to leave the scene about as fast as one of the progectiles fired from the barrels. Any one with a little care and attention to detail can do it . PS just be sure the sear goes back in the same way as it came out.

[uscra112]

When you say the hammer will not cock, do you mean that you can't pull it back, or that it will not engage the notch when you do?

Wondering if your first frame is stretched, but this new one is not. . . . .?

Have you an undersize pin that you could insert to see if letting the barrels sit a few thou farther forward on the frame will free it up?

This is a new one on me. Only thing I can think of is that the barrels are sitting so tight to the water table that the bolts are binding something fierce. In which case relieving the water table might help the barrels that don't fit. This is not such a bad thing, because a snug fit to the water table ensures good accuracy in what is otherwise a rather loosey-goosey action.

Fixing that will involve coating the barrels where they seat with "high spot blue", closing the action, re-opening it and looking for the spots in the water table where the barrel O.D. is bearing. Actually relieving the frame should be done with a scraper, or maybe a very small, very fine wheel on a Dremel. With any luck it'll be just one small burr somewhere.

If the blue spots are hard to see, get a small tube of "high spot red" (bright red oil-base artists paint will do - or a lipstick from SWMBO's makeup kit). Coat one surface red, the other blue. I use a wad of felt weatherstrip to apply the coloring - a trick I learnt from machine tool scraping in my early days. The coatings must be very thin, and the base must be oily. Anything that dries out, like magic markers or Dykem layout blue will not work.

(Just checking the mill supply houses - they no longer list the "high spot red". Probably because hand-scraping machine tools is a lost art. Another sad fact of life . . . . . So you'll have to get the artists' paint.)

[wallenba]

I had that issue with a new barrel I ordered from Match Grade Machine http://www.matchgrademachine.com/
They told me it was the latch or something like that. They come in long or short. They sent me the one I needed and it is fine now. Give them a call and ask specifically what it is ( I can't remember).
Very friendly people. They can fix you up.

[tgator]

As the problem seems to be the "new" frame, measure it carefully for headspace with the barrel that works. I'd bet it will be right at the long side, the other barrels over the point of proper lock-up. Gen-1 frame probably stretched from overloads. It can be fitted to one particular barrel, but then that barrel should not be used on your G-2 frame.

Tim

[halfslow]

I think we are a trifle confused as to which frame is the "old" and which is the "new".

As I read it, the G2 works fine with all barrels and the Contender does not.
If this is so, then check that there is not something behind the recoil plate in the Contender; someone may have shimmed it in the past 45 years.

Larry at SPS guns on the southeast corner of Josey and Beltline is the only local person I know of who knows anything about Contenders.
He may be able to help as well.

[sargenv]

There was also something in the older Contenders that needed a split pin. I remember seeing something about this when I subscribed to the Contender email list about 10 years ago..

[yottey]

When you look at the bottom of the barrels is the one that fits flat and the others are all have a small step in them?

[ShooterAZ]

I had the exact same problem with a .44 mag barrel that I bought at a gun show. This was years ago. I called T/C and explained my problem they asked a few questions and they sent new locking lugs. Problem solved.

[williamwaco]

I think we are a trifle confused as to which frame is the "old" and which is the "new".

As I read it, the G2 works fine with all barrels and the Contender does not.
If this is so, then check that there is not something behind the recoil plate in the Contender; someone may have shimmed it in the past 45 years.

Larry at SPS guns on the southeast corner of Josey and Beltline is the only local person I know of who knows anything about Contenders.
He may be able to help as well.


Yes. There is confusion. All barrels work fine with the new G2 receiver.

The ONLY barrel that works on the old frame is the barrel that was bought new with the G2 frame as a complete gun.
When I black the lugs and work the action, it wipes all the black off the lugs for their entire length. ( Of course I can't do this test with the barrels that don't close.)

All barrels work fine on the G2 frame.

All barrels have the small step in the flat on the bottom of the barrel lug. All barrels have "split" locking lugs - two lugs that seem to work independently of each other.

Thanks for the tip about SPS guns on the southeast corner of Josey and Beltline. This may be my luck day. That is only about 20 minutes from my house.

.

[tgator]

When I said "new" I refered to what I assumed is a G1 (first generation) frame that is new to Williamwaco. His "old" frame is a G2. The barrels are supposed to be interchangable. Most are, but G1 frames are easily stretched by overloads. This allows locking lugs to seat deeper than normal. Prevents hammer fall and opening because the locking lugs are no longer on the tapered ramp(s).

[williamwaco]

Larry at SPS guns says that some barrels with the double locking lug will work on that old frame and some will not.

He also says those barrels that will not, can be modified to work on the original style frame without damaging them for the G2 frame. He also says TC can modify the old style frame to work with the new barrels. He also says that if anyone other than TC offers to modify your old style receiver do not do it. He said he would not touch the receiver.

All that said, TC says on their web site that the custom shop is temporarily closed to evaluate and improve their procedures. ( Sounds like a restaurant that is "closed for remodeling.")

For now am going to dedicate that old style receiver to my rifle barrel and use my G2 receiver to switch handgun barrels.

( And prowl the gun shows for some old style barrels. )



.

[BBarrett]

Change the locking lugs on the bottom of the barrel with the new two piece lugs. Send the old one to T/C-S&W and they will replace them free. Also, you can contact S&W, they will give you a return tag and send them in for fitting for free. They will even pay the shipping to them.

[halfslow]

Williamwaco

Thanks for the feedback.
I think the custom shop is not the same as "repair" at TC.
You could give them a call and discuss the problem with them.
I have found that calling early in the day and calling often results in getting through.

Larry set many records back in the day, and worked closely with the TC team, so I respect his knowledge about the frames.
Personally, I have never had a barrel, of two dozen or so, fail to work on my frames.
And I have bought several out of the glass case near the door of SPS.
I have upgraded a couple to the split lugs to make opening easier.

The cost of taking a barrel apart and fitting the locking bolt by a gunsmith far exceeds the postage to send it to TC. Some of us have done this for ourselves, and it can solve the problem sometimes. Sometimes it doesen't. Case in point is the used barrel at the gunshow for sale cheap with the "grind" marks on the locking bolt.
I can see where he is coming from.

[Larry Gibson]

I just talked with TC (more likely S&W) this morning regards a replacement Contender barrel that has been on back order since October. Apparently they moved the Contender production facilities to S&W location end of 2011. They sold off all spare parts before the move and no more spare parts will be made until production of new G2 pistols is done. The tech had no idea when production of new G2 pistols would commence.

Any one got a straight .45 Colt Contender barrel for sale, any length?

Larry Gibson

[TCTex]

TC has been a nightmare…

By reading what has been posted here I would guess it is the locking lugs.

However, will all the barrels TC made there were several different series. If the barrels are “stainless” they might also be AA barrels which might be an issue. In addition, the first generation barrels might also have a problem locking up on your G2 frame, but would be an issue on your G1 frame. I would call TC and just ask questions. They have moved the facility already so ask them questions…

[kenyerian]

Things must be looking up at TC (S&W) because I recieved some contender parts that had been backordered since last Nov. Yesterday in the mail.

[kyle623]

replace the locking lugs on the non working barrels, that should solve the problem. did for me