#Will new tc contender barrels fit older contenders series#

On the left in both pics, is the first series lock bolt that is on my first 4 digit contender frame. I have had the opportunity to take pics of three completely different lock bolts, and they ae shown below. I hope my sharing the past 'experiences' with different contender frames of different years, and this new thread will be a help to future contender owners. Thanks Heavymetal for helping out a fellow listmember with 'contenderitis'. He had several different bolts, and was kind enough to send them to me so I could find the one I needed. Bottom line the 7TCU is a great cartridge.First and foremost - I need to say a BIG thankyou to listmember HeavyMetal for helping me out with my lockbolt issue. He is a good source for TC barrels and has reasonable prices. Standard 7TCU barrels are always seen on Ebay or get in touch with Ed's TCs. If you wanted a rimmed 7mm cartridge, EABCO developed the 7US cartridge which is based on the 30-30 case and you could order a custom barrel from them for a Contender. This is just a personal nit-pick and takes nothing away from the 7TCU. I started shooting silhouettes using a 10' 30-30 and could just break open the gun and let the brass fall out. The only gripe I have with the TCU is having to pull cases out after firing. This can also be a great cast bullet cartridge if you lean toward cast bullets. I have shot matches while fire forming brass and didn't notice any difference in accuracy or sight settings. The 7TCU seems to like many different loads and is not hard to find a good accurate load.

#Will new tc contender barrels fit older contenders full#

The brass is plentiful and forms with one pass through a full length die as long as you have a tapered decapping pin to expand the neck from. This is a great cartridge for silhouette use and probably for hunting if allowed. FYI, Encore barrels will not fit Contender frames.Д¬oogs, I see we didn't talk about the 7TCU. Don't put two Contender barrels in a dark safe since they have a tendency to multiply. I personally look for Contender barrels that have the screw on front sight since most of them will already have the split lugs. Again, the G2 is probably your best bet and some of the easy open frames are bringing higher prices than a new G2. Also the newer style frames have a lever on top of the trigger that switches from center fire to rim fire but I fitted one of those triggers to an early frame years ago so that is no guarantee that the frame is not an early model. Some people say the easy open frames had better triggers. Your 357 Max barrel almost certainly has the split lugs which are just below the extractor. Early barrels had a one piece solid locking lug and also can give problems on newer frames. Also, when looking for barrels ask if they have the 'split lugs'. The original frames had the hinge pin at the front of the frame and were harder to open and are the ones that can give fits when fitting newer barrels. If looking for an older frame, look for the 'easy open' model which has the hinge pin for the trigger guard just above the trigger. Probably your best bet is to get the new G2 frame. Some barrels would actually lock the guns shut and you had to drive out the barrel hinge pin to get the barrels off. There is lots of TC technical stuff on That will keep you reading for awhile!!!! Over the years, TC changed a few angles on locking lugs that caused some of the older barrels to not lockup correctly on newer frames and vice versa. Figured I would get educated and then post an ad in the classifieds, thanks for lookin', Coogs.Д¬oogs, Welcome to TC World. I do reload, a lot, last count about 40+ calibers, so that won't be an issue with a new caliber. I've got a 'couple' of Ruger Maximums I could possible use also. But from where I live gotta travel a bit. I know the early frames will not accept the super 14 barrels, when did that change? I have also heard that the G2 frame will not accept the octagon barrels, true? I like the performance of the 7TCU, may be my next quest, or does someone have a better suggestion in a 7mm? By the way, I'm just punching paper, right now. Problem is, don't know which frame I should be looking for. 357 Maximum, of course, and now feel the need to put them to use. I have recently fallen into a couple barrels, one in. Never paid much attention to the Contender, only single shot pistol's I have are a Ruger Hawkeye and a Beautiful WWII bringback.