[Okiecruffler]

I've decided to put off all further projects until I get enough money to buy the gun I've always wanted, but for some reason have never bought. I must own a TC Contender. I don't care what chambering, or barrel length, or finish, I just must have one. Dad has had one in .444 Marlin for as long as I can remember and, aside from being the most punishing pistol I've ever fired, I have always longed for one. So how many of you out there have one of these? What chambering did you get? And is it worth it?

[Jeeper]

I have 2 frames and a bunch of calibers

22lr
225 win
357max
7mm GNR -Wildcat - gary Reeder
378 gnr
445
45-70

They are my favorite guns

[clown714]

contender fan here:)

.357
.44
.223

clown

[one-shot-one]

have pistol in .30 herret
carbine in .44 mag & .22 honet
like'm all but usually carry .44 carbine w/16" bbl. very handy and easier to aim freehand than the pistol.

[critter]

I have one frame and a .223 and a 30-30 Win barrel (Both are ss in the super 14" config.). Covers anything I want to shoot with one. Have taken several deer.

You will find they are a great deal of fun and may be the MOST accurate firearm you have! Mine are amazing!

GO FOR IT!

[JBP]

Bull barrels in .223, 30-30, 35 Remington, and 375 Winchester. Regular barrel in 22 Hornet. Due to the scarcity of 375 ammo and the fact I do not reload I probably will have this converted to either a 41 or 44 Mag when my current ammo supply runs out.

[jem375]

I have a 375JDJ and a 44 mag hunter......check out JD Jones's website.... www.sskindustries.com ..........He really has some excellent calibers..........

[HSMITH]

I have a 10" 223 that is sub MOA with good ammo and me on the handle, easily under 2 MOA with any decent ammo. I would like to have the optics to really find out what it can do, as I am not seeing everything it is capable of I am sure.

The Contender was one that I HAD to have too, ended up getting mine NIB for a song more or less. Now that I have it I just don't shoot it that often. I have had it about 6 years now, and it does not have even close to 600 rounds through it. I would recommend you get a 22LR or a 38/357 barrel, or anything that can be toned down drastically. The 223 and some of the other more intense chambering wear on you pretty fast, not that they kick bad or anything but a good solid recoil pulse coupled with the muzzle blast of the short tubes gets old quick. The barrels with the muzzle brakes on them are horridly loud in a hot chambering. Something a lot quieter would see a lot more shooting for me, an accurate 38/357 barrel with light 38's would have a lot more fun factor after the wow factor of a cannon barrel has worn off.......

[Kamicosmos]

I, too, had to have a Contender once I got into reloading.

Mine has a 12" SSK barrel with a matte stainless finish chambered in .44 Mag, topped with a cheap Tasco 4x scope. I use it to develop loads for my Redhawk and Marlin 1894. The Contender, of course, is more accurate than either of them though!
My dad picked up a .45 Colt/.410 barrel for it to use on occasion as well.

Definetly check out JD James' SSK barrels though. Well worth the money.

[Standing Wolf]

I sold my Contender after a client stiffed me for $5,000 in the mid-1980s. I still miss it. Clunky and homely, but what a sweet shooter!

Does anyone know whether the new G-2 Contenders are actually on the market?

[Stevie-Ray]

Mine came in .30-30. Amazing gun with MOA accuracy.
Then came the .45-70 barrel.:(

[ftw46]

I have one, all stainless 14" barrel, scoped, and in 7-30 Waters. Extremely accurate and deadly on deer. I almost never carry a rifle anymore when hunting.

I have another all blue, 10" .41 Mag Barrel with red dot scope. Another fun shooter in one of my longtime favorite calibers.

I am sorry I waited so long to get a gun I had always wanted. Don't make my mistake. They are available new or used in good quanity. Go get one and have some fun.

[Gordon]

Old frame that JD Jones tightened: .17 Khornet 20" , .22 Cotterman Jet 14",22Khornet10",.22lr 10" ,.25-35 10", 7mm Ugalde 14",.7.62x39 16", 30-30 14" , .35 Rem. 14" , .44 mag hot shot 10", .410/45colt 10" , 45-70 16". Custom English Walnut stock and foreends on 16" and longer barrels, Pachy gripper decellerator on shorter barrels(all 10" are octagon):D

[tex_n_cal]

I have owned a couple. At the moment my frame has no barrel, at least until one of them strikes my fancy.

I do suggest you buy new QUALITY barrels like Bullberry, SSK, or maybe TC custom shop. Both of the ones I bought proved to be dogs, accuracy wise. I'd suggest you avoid buying used ones unless you know for a fact they shoot well. Some of TC's barrels were quite poorly machined, with lots of reamer marks inside.:(

[Echo23TC]

Mine is an S14 223 with a 4x scope on it. Good for targets, it and I don't see eye to eye when shooting varmints.

So I'm getting a Bellm 223 carbine barrel, with stock and forend. It should make a beautiful walkaround gopher rifle.

Dunno what I'm going to do with that S14 barrel. One minute I want to sell it and get something else, but then the old "never sell a gun" thought hits me.

[Okiecruffler]

But Mashburn arms said they could ordeer me one for $600. That seems abit steep to me. Think I might just look for a used one online. So much for spending my money locally.

[Phil in Seattle]

I've got a Contender but I don't have any barrels left for it. I bought it used and it had a 357magnum and a 30 Herrett barrel. I sold them both off and I'm into the frame for a nice low price. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a barrel that just strikes me right, like a 10" bull barrel 223. Ka-Boom! :D

[Pendragon]

You guys in CA hold on to those - they are not "approved" and never will be - very very hard to get here :(

[461]

I went through the "hafta haves" over the Contender about five years ago. I still have the frame but my last barrel just got sold and will ship out next week so I guess I'm in the market. I really like the platform and intend to always have it. I'm thinking about a .22 Hornet next.

[slabsides]

I've got a couple of frames and six barrels. As it happens, all of my T/C barrels are very accurate. BUT: I bought them quite a while ago, and I've heard that more recently T/C's quality slipped quite a bit. Now of course the Contender is obsolete...and don't expect that the factory will show the same enthusiasm for supporting the marque as they did at the height of the IHMSA craze.
If you have a good shooting Contender it is gold. My .223 Rem carbine bbl shoots a half minute of angle. So does my 'scoped 10-in. 7mm T/C-U. Other barrels in .22 lr, 7-30 Waters, .35 Rem. and .44 Mag. are also excellent shooters. The older barrels are gems. I seem to recall hearing that the original T/C barrels were premium Douglas tubes. If they weren't Douglas, they were as good or better.I don't know if all the newer ones are poor. Custom barrels are a crapshoot: some are no better than factory originals; some are very good indeed. And you can grow old waiting for delivery on one after you've ordered it.
If I were starting out, I'd look in shops and shows for minty used factory barrels, and frames under serial 190xxx, being very particular about condition and hoping for the best. Lots of these get bought and sold: it's not much fun to shoot some of the bigger blasters and after the glitter wears off, lots of less serious owners trade off for something tamer. None of mine are for sale.

[farscott]

I have two Contender frames dedicated to handgun barrels and two frames with buttstocks dedicated to rifle use. My list of calibers:

.22 LR (10", 14", and 21")
.22 WMR (6.5" and 10")
.30 Carbine (14")
.30-30 Win (21")
.357 Magnum (21")
.35 Remington (14")
10mm Auto (10")
.44 Magnum (21")
.45 Colt (6.5")
.45 Colt/.410 (10")

Lots of fun and very versatile.

[Ky Larry]

I have a 10 inch bull barrel in .223 on my Contender. The glass is a T/C 2.5X7. With handloads, it shoots .75 inch groups at 100 yrds. I've been trying for the last year or so to come up with a single load for it and my Ruger 77V. Close but no cigar yet but it's a lot of fun. My next barrel will be either a .38/.357 or a .44 mag.Good shooting!!

[Okiecruffler]

Older model, but in very good condition. Ten inch bull barrel, .357 mag. plain open sights. Has one of those rubber Pachmyer grips on it that I want to replace with a good set of wood grips, but that's a cheap enough fix. And best of all, only 3 bills. I get my night shift bonus next friday and there may be enough left over to add a barrel. Life is good.

[Jeeper]

I like the rubber grips the best as far as comfort goes.

[Okiecruffler]

This is a style thing. And I do love good wood.


Wait, that doesn't sound right...

[Handy]

I've always thought a Contender would be a great platform to launch inexpensive .223 from.

You can't do that with a revolver.

[Okiecruffler]

I think my first barrel will be a .223, unless I find a really good deal on a 30-30 barrel. Not sure if I can swing a new barrel with my bonus or not tho'. The Wife has informed me that we need a new toilet. Danged if I know why, the one we have now flushes just fine, what else is there?

[YodaVader]

Never regretted buying my TC Contender - in fact I have owned the Contender longer than any other gun I have owned. My newest barrel is a Bullberry 357 Mag "Match". Pictured is a 50 yard group with a 357 Mag factory TC barrel.

[mummac]

My grandfather just gave my father a contender with a .222 and a .22 hornet barrels. We haven't shot it yet but I can imagine it's pretty fun.

[357Man]

Right now, I own three barrels: a .357, a ten inch .22 Hornet, and a 14 inch 6.5 TCU. Barrels on the want list: .223, .22 Match, maybe 7-30 Waters or .30-30.

Really, I want to get an Encore - then you can go .22-250, and .260 Remington or 7-08 or .308.