TC auction

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Random 8

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If you've ever needed a barrel or complete TC handgun, check this out. They even have a unicorn .41 mag and .256win barrel. I believe this is an old IHMSA shooters estate. Some very interesting calibers and options here. I checked a few of these a few days ago in person. All appear to be very well cared for. Some honest wear, but no signs of abuse on any.

https://www.proxibid.com/Lampi-Auct...G/event-catalog/213883?srch=&srchloc=true#Top
 
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@Barbaroja Saw your post in the TC contender thread. Check out this auction. Only one I'm after is one of several .357 barrels.

There are several complete guns, and a .357 Herrett and .35 Rem barrel that would suit your purposes from the other thread nicely.
 
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There's some stuff on there I'm interested in. The S&W 45 ACP is appealing and I'm wondering what the "divot" under the cylinder release is. Anybody got a clue?

3004-11.jpg
 
If there is anything someone would like me to take a closer look at in person, I will likely have the opportunity to do so. The physical location is 15 miles from home. All I ask is please don't go after one of the .357 barrels without contacting me first. I think there are 3, so if you really want one, there's probably room for both of us.
 
Random 8 said:
If you've ever needed a barrel or complete TC handgun, check this out. They even have a unicorn .41 mag and .256win barrel. I believe this is an old IHMSA shooters estate. Some very interesting calibers and options here. I checked a few of these a few days ago in person. All appear to be very well cared for. Some honest wear, but no signs of abuse on any.

https://www.proxibid.com/Lampi-Auct...G/event-catalog/213883?srch=&srchloc=true#Top
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Oh my goodness I want like 6 of those.

Btw i saw like 5 357 mag ones. And a couple 41 mag.

Ive never done an auction like this. Will the current prices likely skyrocket in a week? Id really like the 32-20, 10mm, or 357/44B&D. And 22 jet, 5mm rem mag, 218 bee, 256, 30M1. My gosh its a caliber aficionado's paradise
 
BigBlue 94 said:
Oh my goodness I want like 6 of those.

Btw i saw like 5 357 mag ones. And a couple 41 mag.

Ive never done an auction like this. Will the current prices likely skyrocket in a week? Id really like the 32-20, 10mm, or 357/44B&D. And 22 jet, 5mm rem mag, 218 bee, 256, 30M1. My gosh its a caliber aficionado's paradise
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The prices will go up, but hard to say where the market will land. I don't think you'll get a lot of local pressure on the TC stuff. We don't have a huge IHMSA or single shot pistol fan base here. I'm guessing some of the real oddballs will stay on the low side. Note that many of those also have reloading dies for sale in same caliber. If you're really after something, you WILL need to watch it as the items close. This auction is prone to snipers. The auction house in general is quite reputable, and I hear their shipping is fast and reasonable. Their descriptions often leave much to be desired. They are not firearms collectors, so they tend to just give you basic boilerplate in the descriptions unless more info is provided by seller. You will find some overlooked diamonds in their programs, and you'll see some junk sell for far too much. I just pick things up in person so can't speak directly to that.

I know I'm boring and practical just looking for a .357. I just need an economical round to shoot field pistol with, and the .32-20 and .22 Hornet will likely go too high. My 7TCU does all I need for big bore, and I have little interest in the harder hitting hunting calibers.
 
Random 8 said:
The prices will go up, but hard to say where the market will land. I don't think you'll get a lot of local pressure on the TC stuff. We don't have a huge IHMSA or single shot pistol fan base here. I'm guessing some of the real oddballs will stay on the low side. Note that many of those also have reloading dies for sale in same caliber. If you're really after something, you WILL need to watch it as the items close. This auction is prone to snipers. The auction house in general is quite reputable, and I hear their shipping is fast and reasonable. Their descriptions often leave much to be desired. They are not firearms collectors, so they tend to just give you basic boilerplate in the descriptions unless more info is provided by seller. You will find some overlooked diamonds in their programs, and you'll see some junk sell for far too much. I just pick things up in person so can't speak directly to that.
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Well the market isnt tooooo high on some of the real oddballs lol. 22 jet, 5mm rem, 218 Bee etc barrels have been for sale on fleabay for 800+ for a really long time by one seller.

If you go, definitely look it the 32-20 and 357/44 Bain & Davis barrels for me. Im only interested in them as shooters not collectibles. But honestly I would buy any of those sight unseen just because that big of a collection means the owner took pride in his things.

Yeah the dies would be tough to find right now. I still need a 30 herrett die set.
 
BigBlue 94 said:
Well the market isnt tooooo high on some of the real oddballs lol. 22 jet, 5mm rem, 218 Bee etc barrels have been for sale on fleabay for 800+ for a really long time by one seller.

If you go, definitely look it the 32-20 and 357/44 Bain & Davis barrels for me. Im only interested in them as shooters not collectibles. But honestly I would buy any of those sight unseen just because that big of a collection means the owner took pride in his things.

Yeah the dies would be tough to find right now. I still need a 30 herrett die set.
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I did look at 3 of the complete TC handguns and the .30 Luger to get a general feel for the condition of the collection and because I was interested in a .30 Luger until I looked at it closely. My time was very limited as I popped in after work. It is a one-owner estate. All 3 I looked at were well cared for. Used, but not abused. If I get time I'll try to peek down those barrels for you. It is a good sign that pretty much every caliber in the collection has dies and/or brass and/or loaded ammo also for sale. I'm pretty sure he shot a lot of 7TCU and .30 Carbine judging by the bullets and brass for sale. Those barrels might have some wear!

I bet you can get those .30 Herrett dies cheaply
 
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BigBlue 94 said:
Oh my goodness I want like 6 of those.

Btw i saw like 5 357 mag ones. And a couple 41 mag.

Ive never done an auction like this. Will the current prices likely skyrocket in a week? Id really like the 32-20, 10mm, or 357/44B&D. And 22 jet, 5mm rem mag, 218 bee, 256, 30M1. My gosh its a caliber aficionado's paradise
Click to expand...

I haven’t followed the Contender market for a number of years but I would expect the prices on 357 barrels to double or triple from where they are at currently ($75 range). Proxibid is a very well known and popular website for firearm auctions. 8 to 10 years ago you could find deals regularly. Nowadays it’s about like gunbroker.com. Deals are still there if you hunt for them but 9 out of 10 times anything I’m watching ends up with a price that just makes me shake my head.
 
Random 8 said:
I did look at 3 of the complete TC handguns and the .30 Luger to get a general feel for the condition of the collection and because I was interested in a .30 Luger until I looked at it closely. My time was very limited as I popped in after work. It is a one-owner estate. All 3 I looked at were well cared for. Used, but not abused. If I get time I'll try to peek down those barrels for you. It is a good sign that pretty much every caliber in the collection has dies and/or brass and/or loaded ammo also for sale. I'm pretty sure he shot a lot of 7TCU and .30 Carbine judging by the bullets and brass for sale. Those barrels might have some wear!

I bet you can get those .30 Herrett dies cheaply
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I signed up and am watching a few items. Even some of the 44 hotshot ammo... He had quite a collection of stuff. Guy's potential grandkids dont know what they are missing out on
 
@Random 8

What I should have mentioned is my 10 contender barrel collection and single frame came from my grandpa, except the 10" octagon 221 FB I bought at a gun show. He started sending me home with guns about a year before he passed. I was 2 months shy of 16 years old. I have sold exactly two of his guns, and really just to buy something else. So it slightly pains me to see an estate like this broken up. But thats how other collections grow so it is a necessary evil.

Thanks for the heads up!
 
BigBlue 94 said:
I signed up and am watching a few items. Even some of the 44 hotshot ammo... He had quite a collection of stuff. Guy's potential grandkids dont know what they are missing out on
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This will start heating up over the weekend. If you really want something, I'd recommend making a power move before then and entering a solid maximum bid. Will deter a lot of the snipers who turn into impulse buyers at the last second. After Sunday we should have a better feel for where the prices will land. A few of the items are creeping up pretty solidly already. One of the .357 barrels is at nearly double the seemingly identical one I'm bidding on. That scares me a bit.
 
Random 8 said:
This will start heating up over the weekend. If you really want something, I'd recommend making a power move before then and entering a solid maximum bid. Will deter a lot of the snipers who turn into impulse buyers at the last second. After Sunday we should have a better feel for where the prices will land. A few of the items are creeping up pretty solidly already. One of the .357 barrels is at nearly double the seemingly identical one I'm bidding on. That scares me a bit.
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I placed a max bid on the one barrel I want most, dies, and some HS 44 stuff. Watching a couple more barrels which arent going up yet, and that magazine group with the 20 round mauser mag
 
Random 8 said:
One of the .357 barrels is at nearly double the seemingly identical one I'm bidding on. That scares me a bit.
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It’s common for the earlier lots to rise in price first. Once the hammer falls they’ll all be pretty close in price. Prices days out are generally meaningless. Anyone expecting a 357 Mag barrel for under $100 has very unrealistic expectations.
 
reddog81 said:
It’s common for the earlier lots to rise in price first. Once the hammer falls they’ll all be pretty close in price. Prices days out are generally meaningless. Anyone expecting a 357 Mag barrel for under $100 has very unrealistic expectations.
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Being there are 5 of them helps though. If there was only one, it would certainly skyrocket. The VR model will likely be the high priced one
 
There are so many barrels that a wide variety of people will be watching. I was at an in person auction with 25 nice old S&W K frame .357’s and once the bidding actually starts, the first ones set a price floor. The first one went for $475 and it was the nicest one. A model 19 snub nosed that was LNIB. After that the prices rose until they where selling for $600+. It took about 20 of them to sell before prices dropped back to $550. The same auction had half a dozen like new marlin 357’s. Every one of them went for more money than the previous one.
 
What is the point of owning these revolvers? You dont know the condition of the barrell. I see a trace of welding where the barrel conescts to the frame and possibly below too. Not to mention, these are old guns and will be nowhere near modern striker fired handguns in terms of accuracy. So why even bother?
 
Comparing the accuracy of contender barrels to modern striker fired guns is kind of comical. These barrels are made to be fired at 25, 50, 100 and even 200 yards with the right setup and cartridge. They are slow to shoot and kind of a pain to reload but the accuracy is generally head and shoulders above the most expensive plastic pistol.

These days taking half an hour to shoot through a box of ammo might even be seen as a good thing….
 
The .256 while not common now, was kinda popular in TC years ago, so I wouldn't consider them a "unicorn".
Lots cheaper than buying a Ruger Hawkeye ;)

Ive got a couple boxes of WW factory ammo around here someplace.

My dad had a couple TC bbls in .256 but I never got around to buying my own.
Had .223 but didn't need that much HP for the varminting I was gonna do.
 
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Well we're starting to see prices stabilize on the high end. I had to make my move on the barrel I want as I'm deployed on gas service restoration in Boulder. Best of luck to all involved in this auction. The one I want is in my back yard and I'm pulling emergency pay so I don't care if I pay too much. I'm the nightmare auction rival LOL.
 
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