Value of older contender barrels

[chutestrate]

Good Morning, an old friend is downsizing and has offered me several contender barrels in .223, 45-70, 44 mag, 22 wm, and 35 Remington. My familiarity with these is pretty low. From what i can gather these might 1st gen barrels, but not sure. One of the barrels is marked with Super 14, and they were all purchased about the same time. He isn't looking to make a lot of money, but I want to be fair. Is anyone familiar with these firearms? I'll be looking on the auction sites, but personal knowledge is so much better. They are extremely well cared for, and one of the barrels has a 4x TC scope on it. Good friend, and grateful he thought of me to ask if I wanted them.

[Fitz]

In good shape with normal ware 300.00 a barrel is about fair some bring a bit more some much less.

[shell70634]

Check on Graybeard forum. I set my prices of TC barrels using them, gunbroker, and guns international. Some calibers and lengths are more desirable than others. I've sold a few 14's lately for $175 to 225.

[Barry54]

http://www.edstc.com/contender.html

Not sure how current the prices are, but you can gauge which barrels are more valuable.

[Half Dog]

I can’t help with your question unless warranty/factory help factors into the price.
I have a barrel that has an issue with the front bead. I filled out the form on the TC site and got the following response:

David,

You have contacted American Outdoor Brands a licensed accessories manufacturer of the Thompson Center brand. Your inquiry is one that will have to be answered by the new owners of Thompson Center. They will handle everything related to the firearms.

We do not currently have a phone number, email, or contact form to direct you to for a support claim about a TC firearm.

For updates regarding the acquisition of Thompson Center and the new 2025 product line, please checkout their social media accounts.

[contender1]

Over the decades,, there have been various offerings of TYPES of Contender barrels. Round, octagon, short, long, solid lug, split lug etc.
As mentioned above,, calibers can be rarer or more common. But the barrel length & type can also affect values. Add in the necessary forends also affects things. An octagon barrel, vs a round barrel.
The scope has what we call an "it depends" factor. It's an older scope,, and condition is very important. T/C scopes are good ones,, but I've bought them for $50-$75 easily.
Barrels,, in general, for the more common stuff,, $175-$275 is about the range overall. with the 5 barrels,, and a scope,, buying a package like you've mentioned,, WITHOUT seeing them,, and if they are the early ones in need of lug replacements,, I'd offer about $800-$900 for all 5.

[racepres]

^^ And...There were at least 3 Lugs...The earliest were on Frames that Only can use Thin Lugs! Gonna catch a Bunch here...But, thats OK... I have both examples...and Proof. Best part is..Any Newer Contender frame can accept any Contender Barrel...of course, one exception is the vary earliest frame, used a Smaller Hinge Pin...not by much...but, enough!!! Don't sweat all that... consider them all the Same!!!

[Delkal]

Generally if you have a newer frame you want barrels that have the split locking lug. The solid ones can give you problems opening.

The best place to determine values is looking at Ebay sold listings even though they are a little on the high side. I don't see anything rare in your list and 44 mag barrels are usually lower price. I wouldn't want a 10 inch barrel on the 223, 35 rem, and 45/70 (if they are even available). 35 Remingtons can be "sporty"recoil wise and the 45/70 even more so. Your tolerance should be factored in.

[chutestrate]

Unfortunately I have no idea what some of the items are being suggested. I need to go back, buy dinner for him, and take some pictures.

[racepres]

^^ And I am gonna go looking for another 44Mag barrel, but...Decidedly Not a 10" octagon!!! Never again...tho the Blast of a 10" Octagon 30-30 is Intense!!

[Ed K]

Their value is higher for those who want them. By that I mean you couldn't even give them away to my LGS. I've maybe seen one Contender there in 10 years. Most everything is black plastic. So to get that $200, $250, etc. your friend would have to sell on a forum such as this, get a gun show table or perhaps use Gunbroker to generate a "market". So now you've introduced the overhead of time & money to get those prices.

Don't get me wrong: I just love that stuff but unless I moved it personally it would not bring much value. Chutestrate, you yourself are enough of a firearms enthusiast to be on this forum and yet you don't really know much about those barrels nor the associated lingo in this thread. I know this doesn't help you a lot as you aren't looking to take advantage of an old friend. Do you have a frame? If I can be of any help it might be to buy only what you think you can really use as I'd personally only want the whole set if I could "steal" them and we're not talking about that.

.223, 45-70, 44 mag, 22 wm, and 35 Remington.

My observations:
22 wm: 10" barrel (or longer) would be fine, ammo is a little expensive for what it is.
.223 : Not OK in a 10" barrel, generally a good barrel to have on hand (mine is a 15" custom)
35 Remington: a great barrel if 14" (or longer), be sure chamber is cut properly headspaced as this is a known problem
44 mag: handy to have around and again a 10" barrel (or longer) would be fine, sharp recoil attenuated with added barrel length and/or scope
45-70: you have to really enjoy recoil with this one

[jimb16]

I see a wide variety of early Contender barrels at the shows that I go to. Prices range from $225 to $275 with a few exceptions like .44 mag barrels with the screw on shot tube. I should add though, carbine rifle length barrels go much higher and .410 shotgun carbine barrels, being rare go MUCH higher. I have one and have seen only one other for sale in many years.

[Delkal]

My observations:
22 wm: 10" barrel (or longer) would be fine, ammo is a little expensive for what it is.
.223 : Not OK in a 10" barrel, generally a good barrel to have on hand (mine is a 15" custom)
35 Remington: a great barrel if 14" (or longer), be sure chamber is cut properly headspaced as this is a known problem
44 mag: handy to have around and again a 10" barrel (or longer) would be fine, sharp recoil attenuated with added barrel length and/or scope
45-70: you have to really enjoy recoil with this one

I agree 100%. Only thing I can add Contender wise, which is slightly OT, is that everyone with a Contender should be required to have a 7mm TCU with a 10 inch barrel. The 7mm TCU and a Contender go together like a 30-30 and a lever action. While it is not a commercial round all you need to do is run a .223 thru a standard 7mTCU die, load it to medium hot and go shoot it. You will have fireformed brass for the next time.

And for some reason the 7TCU barrels go for cheap.

[dannyd]

And for some reason the 7TCU barrels go for cheap.[/QUOTE]


Because their painful to shoot, After 650 rounds sold mine. ;)

[Barry54]

[/QUOTE]Because their painful to shoot, After 650 rounds sold mine. ;)[/QUOTE]

Aren’t you supposed to use purple font to signify sarcasm?

[racepres]

Because their painful to shoot, After 650 rounds sold mine. ;)[/QUOTE]

Aren’t you supposed to use purple font to signify sarcasm?[/QUOTE]

Don't know about Purple Font...but Hoping that was Sarcasm!! the 7TCU is a Favorite around here...and Luckily, I have one that does very well with Cast!!But, Yes, probably due to decrease in popularity of Long Range Handgunning... ie IHMSA, some Wildcats got set aside.. I believe 30 Herrett is cheapest Barrel I have come accross! but, things Change..obtain barrels you are Interested in...because back a few years ago, the 357 and 22RF were considered Useless Contender Barrels... I kept all of the Ones I Have, Because I enjoy Them!

[dannyd]

Not Sarcasm, I shot IHMSA with my 7TCU, loaded and shot 650 rounds for matches and practice.

I shoot my guns put over 20,000 rounds on my two 30/20 barrels.

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[racepres]

^^ Does Not explain the "Painful to Shoot"
I have Not experienced any Pain from my 7TCU...But..I do Not load by the Sierra Handgun Book either!!!

[dannyd]

^^ Does Not explain the "Painful to Shoot"
I have Not experienced any Pain from my 7TCU...But..I do Not load by the Sierra Handgun Book either!!!

I don't like recoil, so I shoot mouse fart loads. Hard to do that with a 7 TCU. :)

Please, only common people shot jacketed bullets, never used a Sierra manual except when I didn't cast my own. ;)

[Barry54]

I’d compare 7mm TCU to 357 magnum recoil wise. Maybe I’m jaded and just like wildcats?

[Delkal]

I don't like recoil, so I shoot mouse fart loads. Hard to do that with a 7 TCU. :)

Please, only common people shot jacketed bullets, never used a Sierra manual except when I didn't cast my own. ;)

Not doubting you in the least and never shot IHMSA. But can a 32-20 knock down a ram? From today's internet lore you needed something substantial and AFAIK a 32-20 has about the same energy as a 38 Special.

Did competitors back in the day actually use the 7TCU?

[racepres]

IDK if I load 7TCU hotter than 357...doubt it, my favorite Lee 135rngc, runs 1790 fps generally, and 1350 over BE-86 for Fun... and, Haven't sent a Condum down the Majority of barrels I own in decades!!! The 357 Herrett gets Remington 150PSP's for Business, One 308 gets a Pet Nosler, and the 6mm-06 gets condoms, only. So there are a couple of Special Cases!!!




Did competitors back in the day actually use the 7TCU?

Around Here?? Absolutely And according to the Gun Rags of the Day. It was very popular indeed. Ballistically much like the 30 Herrett, but stingy with Lead and Powder..

[jimb16]

My 7TCU absolutely loves 100 and 120 grain jacketed bullets. You can crank those up pretty high. And they WILL knock down rams. BUT ya gotta hit them first!

[dannyd]

Silhouette shooting started the 7TCU and yes a 30/20 can knock a ram door at 200 yards with a .308 165 grain RCBS silhouette bullet, just looks like it's moving in slow motion. 30/20 was mostly used for Field Pistol or Hunters Pistol.

Data from 1988, I used the Rcbs 145. Federal once made cases in 7TCU also.

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