t/c contender

[greencobra]

just wondering if they still make this anymore. i see there is a website up showing a g2 model but recently i was looking for a rear sight assembly and google took me to the smith & wesson site. in the t/c section, i sent an email looking to buy the parts but never got an answer, even after several attempts. i got it off gun broker in the end. just wondering aloud about this gun, i've had mine a long time and shot metalic silhouette with a 7tcu and .22 also. you never see them in shops and i've reason to believe they have fallen out of favor. i saw an old timer with one at harvard some months ago and that prompted me to dig mine out. anyone here still utilize one?

 

[Palladin]

Had one in 44mag, decades ago for IHMSA. sold it back then, the thing was a cannon

 

[KMM696]

I still have one, but can't remember the last time I dragged it out. 22LR, 357 Mag, 44 Mag. My first one was a 30-30 10" barrel, which was just a bad idea.

Ridiculously accurate pistol with any of the barrels I have, too.

 

[greencobra]

My first one was a 30-30 10" barrel, which was just a bad idea.

Lol, I know the feeling, I have a 10" 357 herret.

 

[jhrosier]

S&W now owns TC.
Despite their many assurances to the contrary, the Contender is permanently out of production.
S&W would not make a large enough profit on the Contender to bring it back.
They also would most certainly not pay to have the gun certified for sale in the Peoples Republic of Taxachusetts.
The Contenders turn up in estate sales as us old guys kick the bucket.

Jack

 

[KMM696]

They had press releases last April that they were bringing the G2 Contender back into production, and the website still lists them - did S&W change their minds again?

 

[SevenPointSeven]

I've got one that I never shoot anymore, but I just can't bring myself to sell it.

 

[Knob Creek]

I've got one that I never shoot anymore, but I just can't bring myself to sell it.

I've got two and feel the same way.

 

[Fixxah]

just wondering if they still make this anymore. i see there is a website up showing a g2 model but recently i was looking for a rear sight assembly and google took me to the smith & wesson site. in the t/c section, i sent an email looking to buy the parts but never got an answer, even after several attempts. i got it off gun broker in the end. just wondering aloud about this gun, i've had mine a long time and shot metalic silhouette with a 7tcu and .22 also. you never see them in shops and i've reason to believe they have fallen out of favor. i saw an old timer with one at harvard some months ago and that prompted me to dig mine out. anyone here still utilize one?

I currently run a .45/70 Bullberry barrel with scope. Also have .30-30, .223, ans .44Mag barrels as well. Scopes on all of them.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I bought my T/C with .357Mag and .44Mag bbls back in the late 1970s. I used to shoot steel with it every weekend for a number of years. I did bring it to one of the NES shoots ages ago, but that was the last time I shot it. Hmm, now you've given me an idea . . . I've been given a bunch of lead .38s that originally came from my late police chief and BR&P now has steel (that my Wife and I were shooting a week or so ago) . . . I think I'll bring it out next time I go to BR&P and use up all that lead ammo at the same time.

They were very popular when the steel plate shooting craze first started. When those shoots died down, I suspect that the demand for the gun did too (and that would have been in the 1980s some time).

 

[greencobra]

I have a .45 colt barrel, not the 45/410 w/chokes, have a desire to play later in the week. Don't currently own a .45 colt revolver but found a bunch of loaded ammo so this will work. And I agree, never seen a reason to get rid of it.

 

[northny]

Still have mine from early 80s. First IHMSA (steel animals) than used it for deer once NY made handguns legal as it was more accurate than the smooth bore shotguns at the time. Took a few deer with it, then with revolvers Only kept my 10" 357 SuperMag (i.e maximum) and the long and short .22 RF barrels.

Still look at Kittery when ever I am there for barrels. Would love a .410 barrel and a 223 rem barrel. May have to look into getting .222 rem which is common rebored to .223. Not sure if possible or not.

 

[jhrosier]

I forgot to mention earlier, I still have 3 of the 4 Contenders that I acquired back when NRA silhouette shooting was big around here.
I wish that it would come back.
I have a dozen or so 10" barrels for the TC. I never cared for the longer barrels. I did buy a 12" Hunter barrel in 45-70 a couple years ago, don't remember why. I thought that the longer, heavier barrel with the muzzle break would not kick too hard. Things didn't play out exactly that way. I think that I may have fired a dozen or so shots before I gave in to the pain.
Some of the other calibers that I have are:
.22 LR .223Rem .30Carbine 7.62x39(custom) .30 Herrit 7mmTCU 357Mag 45Colt

It seems that there must be a couple more calibers that I can't recall. The .357 Mag was always a favorite and is scary accurate with just about any load.

I still remember back in the day when Kittery Trading Post had used Contender barrels stacked like cordwood in the showcase. Most were priced between $25 and $75 (sigh....)

Jack

 

[Stape]

I love contenders!! A buddy turned me onto them a few years ago and I got hooked. I enjoy handloading for accuracy, and I like pistols, so it was a perfect foray into handgun hunting. My favorite barrel is a super 14 30-30. I have a 22lr, 30-30, 45/70, 30 Herrett, 357 Herrett, 7 TCU, .223, 309 JDJ and a 375 JDJ. For just plinking and having fun I shoot allot of cast bullets over Unique for a reduced load that still has enough thump to do the job but isn't as punishing. When I go to deer camp for a week with my buddies, I take 22lr, 30-30 and a .223 barrel. If I tag out on deer early, I can spend the rest of the week hunting coyotes with the .223 or small game with the 22. It all fits in an old hard case for arrows. I bought some foam sheeting from a fabric store and lined the case and used an exacto to carve out a silhouette for the pistol and the barrels. Basically three capable firearms in one small easy to carry case instead of three or so rifle cases. I've swapped a number of barrells also and like the aspect of that too, kinda like trading baseball cards as a kid. I'll trade one I don't shoot or like for another and see if I like it, and if not, theres forums for contenders where guys trade all the time. Barrels arent super expensive either. You can play around with a new caliber for pretty short money.

 

[greencobra]

I think there's a lot of contender enthusiasts here. I'm gonna breathe new life into mine and get out for a workout.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

Seems like the gun that doesn't get talked about till the subject comes up. I had one in .44 mag and .35 Rem, never shot them and gave them to one of my sons. Jack.

 

[KMM696]

I think there's a lot of contender enthusiasts here. I'm gonna breathe new life into mine and get out for a workout.

Not a bad idea - it's been years since I ran mine.

I had my 44 Mag barrel for a couple years before finally getting a S&W 29, and had worked up some nice accurate handloads. Used the same loads first time out with the revolver, and promptly tied up the cylinder with bullets that were inching out of the brass. Guess who wasn't paying any attention to crimp when reloading for a single shot??

 

[Stape]

I go to the range often, but sometimes it isn't about round count or how many guns to shoot. For those days it's a pleasure to take along one of the contenders, a chrono, and a single box of 50 and just relax making tiny groups and taking down data with the latest handloads.

 

[knfmn]

I owned a contender a few years ago and miss it badly. No clue why I sold it in retrospect.

 

[Asaltweapon]

I have one from the 70's. 10" .22 rimfire and a Super 14 in .44 mag.

28 grains of 296 Winchester behind a 240 grain JHP made that bitch bark. Wood grips hurt but rubber was OK. Fun to hit antifreeze jugs filled with water at 100 yrds.

Shot the .357 Maximum out of one once. It scared me. 45-70 is just plain nuts.

 

[greencobra]

mine has a super trigger on it, crisp and light. the good old days when massachusetts was on equal footing with the rest of the world. the gun would be useless with a mass 10# trigger pull.

 

[highlander]

Had a Contender in 6 or 7 calibers. The one that stood out was a 357 Herret,14 inch barrel. Very accurate but the muzzle blast made me a pariah at the range. Remember firing a 45/70 barrel with a muzzle brake 3 factory 300 gainers was enough to make me cry uncle. Had I kept my T/C I would've like to have gotten a rifle conversation for it.

 

[Len-2A Training]

mine has a super trigger on it, crisp and light. the good old days when massachusetts was on equal footing with the rest of the world. the gun would be useless with a mass 10# trigger pull.

It wouldn't have a 10# trigger, there is no legal (or AG regs) requirement that dictates a 10# trigger. The trigger is one method (of many possibilities) of meeting the AG requirements that a child shouldn't be able to operate it. I suspect that the design of the T/C would qualify without butchering the trigger.

 

[jpm]

B&K has one for sale now if anyone's looking...

Thompson: Center Arms

3 barrel set

Pistol

.357/.41/.22

Various

$895.00

 

[Asaltweapon]

I need to go shoot mine.

 

[white feather]

I took my stainless contender with a 10" .22 match barrel with a 7X Burris IER scope to a .22 rifle lollipop shoot at Angle Tree last year. Hit all 15 with 18 shots. It will shoot under 1/2" at 50 yards with decent ammo. I got a blued one too with 10" .22 and 10" 7tcu barrels. Haven't shot it though.

 

[Fixxah]

Mine was a gift from my late friend's widow. It is a cherished posession. Haven't had it out enough but it is due.

 

[JuergenG]

My circa 1981 T/C Contender w/ 10" octagon barrels in .44 Mag, .357 Mag, 9mm Luger, .22 lr, .30/30 and 14" STS BBL in .223 Rem.


Thanks to a NES member I have this grip to tame the .30/30 from the 10". 29.2 grs of VV N140 behind a 170 grs SJ started to hurt a bit.

 

[Fixxah]

I have looked for left handed grips and struck out. Pachmyr is all I use until a better mousetrap comes along.

 

[KMM696]

I have looked for left handed grips and struck out. Pachmyr is all I use until a better mousetrap comes along.

You can find T/C made lefties occasionally on Ebay or Gunbroker, but they don't go cheap. Got mine from Gunbroker, because someone couldn't figure out how to repair a stripped cap screw. There are some small custom shops like High Plains that will do them, but the ones I've found are pretty pricey and take a while to get the order done. Boyds has lefty thumbhole rifle stocks, and their prices are decent, but don't assume that because it says "finished" that it will fit without a little work. Boyds say they won't fit G2 models, either.