FlorianGeyer
Member
- Joined
- May 20, 2013
- Messages
- 6
I recently acquired a very old Thompson-Center Contender. The serial number is 894XX. I am very much regretting the impulse that caused me to take this thing apart to see what makes it tick. (Disassemble in haste, repent at leisure, as they say.) This thing is like no gun I've seen before. I've detail-stripped several S&W revolvers, and had little trouble putting them back together--with some improvements, even. I've taken apart Sigs, 1911s, Browning HPs, etc. Again, I was always able to deal with getting them back into functional shape. (My worst experience was the Ruger Mark 1 pistol I had when I was 18. Took me most of a day to figure it out.)
But I cannot get the Thompson back into working order. To begin with, I was careless and lost the sear spring, which is where I found out that parts for these old guns aren't something you can pick up casually. I finally got the spring from Numrich, but couldn't find the sear plunger anywhere (neither on my floor nor on the web). I finally put it together without the plunger.
The parts all look as though I've fitted them together correctly, but I've obviously blown it: I can't get a barrel to break open, once I install it. I can push on the locking lugs with a punch, and remove the barrel that way, but I can't get the darn action to work correctly. Without a barrel in it, I can get the hammer to lock back on the sear and fall when I pull the trigger. But the moment I put in a barrel, the hammer won't hold back, and the barrel won't break open. Is there a TC Contender guru out there who can help me, please?
But I cannot get the Thompson back into working order. To begin with, I was careless and lost the sear spring, which is where I found out that parts for these old guns aren't something you can pick up casually. I finally got the spring from Numrich, but couldn't find the sear plunger anywhere (neither on my floor nor on the web). I finally put it together without the plunger.
The parts all look as though I've fitted them together correctly, but I've obviously blown it: I can't get a barrel to break open, once I install it. I can push on the locking lugs with a punch, and remove the barrel that way, but I can't get the darn action to work correctly. Without a barrel in it, I can get the hammer to lock back on the sear and fall when I pull the trigger. But the moment I put in a barrel, the hammer won't hold back, and the barrel won't break open. Is there a TC Contender guru out there who can help me, please?
