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 Now of course the Contender is obsolete...and don't expect that the factory will show the same enthusiasm for supporting the marque as they did at the height of the IHMSA craze.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.
