Timeless Single-Shot Hunter: Thompson/Center Contender
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- Опубліковано 21 гру 2021
- Gun designs come and go, especially in a niche market like single-shot handguns. Yet, Thompson/Center’s Contender break-action pistol has stood the test of time. Guns.com takes a closer look more than 50 years since the first Contender was introduced.
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"Time Alter... Double Accel!"
Man of culture, i see
"That time my adopted mom powderized my rib cages so i can become an Anti-Mage"
Proudly owned a G2 for years and literally had a suitcase of barrels for it. Our Son needed a heart surgery, and life goes on.
Fate zero bought me here
Man of culture
Kiritsugu is the goat
When I was 11 years old, for Christmas I received a Contender chambered in the then "worlds fastest (and flattest shooting) handgun-specific cartridge," the .221 Remington Fireball. Other presents under the tree included powder, loading dies, brass cases, bullets, and a huge tripod-mounted spotting scope. Still have it.
you must have had an awesome childhood
@@tomyzar Indeed I did, sir. Thank you!
Marcgurhem
Marcgurhem
Marcgurhem
Nice seeing a video on the T/C Contender. I worked in the testing department for 13 years during the 1970/1980's. They made quality firearms and had a lifetime warrantee. Quality wasn't just a word with those folks.
Awesome personal history. Yes TC is known for exceptional quality unique Firearms.
I wonder if they ever contemplated an 2 shot Over&Under series Pistol?
Maybe some locals will buy the Brandname from S&W?
Their product support was unmatched in the industry. I still have two Contenders and a number of carbine barrels. I wouldn't waste my time or money on anything produced by S&W.
I have one of them chambered in the 45lc 410 from that Era that was my dads and also the first grouse gun I used it is still a beautiful gun to this day and the mechanical side like the barrel break and everything about it is still nice and tight and operates smoothly. They definitely were built very well.
Magus killer
Now she just needs sixty six origin rounds
Ah yes, Kiritsugu Emiya favorite gun.
Im here to see the gun that kiritsugu had
Fell in love with when i saw it in hard target
I shot IHMSA competition with contenders in the 1980s, and these guns are a dream to reload in several calibers and a joy to shoot. Strong and very accurate, and with an EXCELLENT trigger.
In the 80s I was quite active in handgun metallic silhouette shooting. T/C Contenders absolutely dominated that competition in both rimfire and centerfire classes. Many of the matches had the rimfire match in the morning followed by a centerfire match in the afternoon. Shooters just changed barrels between matches.
Not too many people know it, but one of the reasons for the development of the .32 H&R Magnum cartridge was for use in handgun silhouette shooting. It had the power to tip over the targets with minimal recoil.
Mine's Generation One.....bought it new in late 1979 with a 10 inch 41 magnum bull bbl. Total, I have 7 barrels; 2 are super 14's....223 & 44 mag.
Also own a 10 inch 22 Hornet octagonal, a 10 inch 30-30 octagonal, a 44mag octagonal with shot choke, and a 22lr 10 inch bull. All of the octagonal barrels have T/C Lobo scopes, except the hornet; it has a (Japan) Bushnell Phantom scope. The bull barrels: the 44mag has a Leupold scope, the .223 has a (Japan built) Bushnell Trophy 2-6x scope. Also have an original Denver Redfield LER scope, just in case I run into another 14inch bull bbl, a Rem 221 FB, which I should have bought back in 1979-80 when they were affordable.
Sure miss those T/C pistols.......I'd love to buy another.....prolly the Gen 2 model since I could switch barrels from Gen 1 and Gen 2 with a simple locking lug change.
Nice to see and hear from another T/C aficionado on You Tube!
~DDZZ
Outrageous accuracy on these little guys. Great video
Fine video. The Contender is one of my favorite handguns. My original Contender has the 30-30 Win and 44 Rem Mag chamberings both on Super 14 barrels.
The 30-30 wears a Leupold 2X and consistently busts clay pigeons at 100 yards.
I always look forward to another Kristin video! Merry Christmas young lady, and God bless!
I used to have a Contender with a fixed 6 Power Scope on it for Varmint shooting. It was chambered in .223rem and it was so much FUN to shoot! It literally Vaporized Crows and Prairie Dogs and was pinpoint accurate out to 300 yards. Wish I still had it.
*Guncom* Bravo well done, thanks for taking the time to show us. God Bless.
Had one with 14”in 7tcu and ring steal at 500 yards and broke a deer spine at 200 yards great shuter
The TC in 7x30 Waters is the best shooting deer handgun around
It's a shame that S&W has dropped the Thompson Center line. I'm thankful to have the Encore barrels along with assortments of barrels, stocks , and forearms. The .243 barrel in the handgun configuration is a deer slaying machine!
The day he picked up his Contender was probably the most excited I ever saw my Grandpa get over a new gun.
What a great video and you can really shoot! I love TC Contenders, coming from Rochester, have been around them my whole life. I frequently use the 45 LC/.410 here in Idaho for grouse, also have a scoped 357JDJ which is a necked down 444 Marlin Case for deer, bear, elk etc. It is the best treestand weapon as there is no tough side to shoot from with the 4 power pistol scope.
My uncle in South Africa used to own a Banana farm back in the 1980`s, he used one of these as his "Baboon Removal Device"...very effective, it was more fun shooting them with his Rhodesian FN FAL though...
I have one of these! I love it to pieces, you can swap out the barrels on the fly, I recommend it to anyone looking into an interesting handgun or single shot rifle that is highly modular
This is my favorite gun as well. Easy to clean, and I plink with different calibers for hours sometimes . I owned a pair for 35 years.
Great video young lady, love . My T C is in 30 Hert. and enjoy making my own brass from 30-30 Win. brass and then fire forming them. ..J J Huro
Impressive! I just got one. Didn't think much of it but it's really grown on me.
Kristin is really the only reason I subscribe to this channel. Great video as always. Merry Christmas!
Excellent video. Solid info and shooting.
My favorite firearm of all time.
Many say to me, “but it’s just a single shot”
I say, “I am aware of that & a single shot, is all you need”
I've got a .221 and .44 barrel for my contender pistol. To clarify, the .308 is an encore cartridge. Too big for the contender.
Tighten up her groups... with a group like that you don't need a scope. Great shooting and great video!
Any one of those hits would have kilt that critter.
I have two contenders a g1 7mmtcu and a g2 45 long colt, the g1 gas a lighter fiber trigger than the g1 but I love these, my grandfather had one in 357/38 he used for silhouette shooting when he passed a got one of his Thompson center key rings
Wonderful review, great shooting!
Dropped many a deer and several coyote with my old 35rem contender.
Love the TC -- a reloaders dream come true.
I will never forgive Smith & Wesson for buying Thompson Center and destroying it! One of the best black powder arms makers and the entire family of interchangable barrel single shot hunting guns. They sold off all TC's equipment and moved the employees throughout the S&W Corporation. No chance of it ever coming back. DISGUSTING SMIITH & WESSSON!
Pity. I just broke a hammer spring on my original Contender (4 digit Serial Number). So I went to my FFL with the intentions of having S&W fix it under warranty. He told me S&W advised him they no longer fix them as they don't have the parts. Sad. I went online to Belm and ordered the springs and fixed it myself.
agree 100 prcent.....
Definitely dirty move.
I'm going to start looking for a used Contender. And a few barrels. I had a Contender in .22 rim fire. It was the most accurate pistol I ever handled. I lost it due to divorce.
I'll find another one and build myself a hunting collection!
It's sad what S&W has done to TC.
Very nice video and very good shooting, young lady. My Contender, that I've had for many years, has a ten inch bull barrel in .223. I have a 1 1/2 power pistol scope on it. It's really accurate and fun to shoot. I also have a ten inch barrel in .357 magnum with iron sights. But it's only been on the gun a couple of times. I just really like the .223.
Lance Henricksen character from the movie Hard Target got me here! Lol
The Contender is a neat gun. I want one.
Bravo, a nice video on an exceptional unique high quality longer range Hunting pistol platform.
You have a great channel here. She always does a great job.
Awesome review. I'm off to the T/C website to shop!
Ive shot my scoped TC Contender in .223 and .410/.45LC for years. Only complaint is that the hammer spring was occasionally not strong enough for 5.56 surplus ammo.
Really beautiful gun.
I have one with a 3 barrel set, 223, 357 mag. and 44 mag. Love this gun.
My dads got one of these had it since I was like …. I dunno .. 12 years old I’m 40 now it’s practically mint . We took it out a free times I always loved the engraving of the mountain lion or what ever it’s supposed to be .
These were popular when I was a kid. Knew several ole timers who used them. If memory serves me correctly one was chambered in .22-250
As an Encore. The G1 and G2 frames are not strong enough for the higher pressure cartridges.
I used my dad's 45lc 410 contender as my first grouse hunting gun and I remember the first time I fired it at a grouse I got excited when it flew and went to shoot it one handed and it kicked back and the hammer pierced my upper lip lol.
Sucks smith and Wesson killed the tc brand , I never had a chance to get one of their firearms .
I have owned a Super 14 in.44mag for many years, also a .223 barrel. One thing you did not mention is when the action is opened, but the hammer is not cocked, pulling the trigger is the actual trigger pull you would feel if you had cocked the hammer.
I have the early one with 10 inch octagon barrels, 22 cal, 22 hornet, and 357 mag all scoped with a 1.5 Bushnell scope, I also have a 45 acp and 44 mag with chock, never fired. A fun gun is an understatement. My next want is a 22 mag in this format.
I have 8 in lt 44 mag 200 g has more recoil it ends vertical elbow plus wrist stunning love it
I just picked one up on an auction. Too bad the company went out of business. The extra chamber barrels are all going up in price and are harder to find. I’ve seen some 22lr barrels going for over $300. Jun 2023 here. At 50 yards with an iron sight that was some awesome shooting young lady!! No way I’ll be able to do that. But will have fun trying. Great in-depth video. Thanks
Awesome for sharing thank
My old Winchester 30.30. or my 25.35. been around more than 120 yes.
I was looking for one of these for a little while. Only ones on gunbroker were in 22lr. I didn't want to pay the extra for a bigger barrel. Walked into LGS yesterday and they had a contender in 45-70......I am a little scared.
My original contender sustainedca broken hammer during a move. It seems that replacement parts were not available, back then. Sooooo, I sent it to the S&W/TC shop and they lost it. They never admitted that, but after hemming and hawing around for a couple of months. They finally sent me a new frame. Now S&W is shutting them down. Only owned one S&W in my life. Probably never own another.
Well, you received a new frame. S&W are good guns.
In cal 4 gauge for shotschels ?
Nice group
Nice group.
Why have they discontinued the Encore and Contender lines?
Morning!!!
Esta marca seus produtos e modelos já me conquistaram desde o ano 1990.
Entretanto SEMPRE foi muito COMPLICADO para um brasileiro adquiri-los. 😡
CONGRATULATIONS 👏🏻👏🏻 👌🏻
Too bad S&W bought TC and have stopped producing this fine firearm.
Excellent
favorite hand gun to hunt down mages
Custom 30-30 Ackley 18” barrel in carbine configuration 👍
Where can I get one?
John Wick 4 dueling gun :>
I have the same one in caliber 6.5 T/CU super 14 but I can't find ammunition, could someone help me with that?
You will have to handload it. It's a wildcat along with its brother calibers. The 6mm, 6.5mm,.25 TCU,7mm and .30TCU. They are based on the .223 case just necked up and fire formed. I have a 6.5 in a Contender and an XP100.
Excellent commetary
My dad has the super 14 chambered in 30.30
Lance Henriksen, Hard Target
you are a good shot !
Nice,, got one in 3030
Every
Shot
Counts
Who else here from John Wick 4?
I tried to contact but all it showed was semi autos .
I have always wanted one in .30-30 but never understood why single shots cost as much (or more) as a large frame revolver.
If I had one guess, accuracy with low recoil, because of this its more of a premium hunting handgun that can be used as a shorter distance rifle, while a large frame revolver is meant more for defensive use at closer ranges
i had a contender in 22 hornet that was a good pistol but I wanted something bigger.
I bet the .22hornet was fun
@@roberte.genelyda1151 try a 22 hornet rifle you will love it, here in north Carolina many deer hunt with 22 hornet, 22 mag ,22 LR .and all three legal .fact is if a person a good steady shot at reasonable distance should have no trouble taking deer if legal where you live.next to my 22-250,6.6 x 55 Swiss , many deer taken with my scoped marlin 22 mag , mostly vital area shots . nanna and papa wishing you well.
Maybe a K Hornet? I have one.
I know how asinine this will sound, but I would like one of these in a .25 ACP. That being said, an explnation is in order. Every 25 I'm familiar with comes in a 2 to 2.5 inch barrel. In a 6 inch quality barrel, a subsonic 50 grain bullet should be very accurate little round, theoretically. I think this could breathe new life into one of the least respected cartridges made. I think it's worth a shot.
I want one😊
NICE 👌🏻🇺🇸🇧🇷
Dam,right,1
Marksman Pistol from GTA V
I wish I didn't sell my 357 max barrel
Even if T/C was still making guns, it's not the same company and definitely not the same customer support.
Hard target movie
Because of that movie, you can't swap stocks & barrels to use the same frame as a handgun or rifle/shotgun
I would never want this lady shooting at me
If these are such great handguns ? Why did they stop making them ? I can not find one anywhere ! Am I missing something here ?
s&w bought them out and deprioritized them from what I could find out soi guess their machinery and personnel have been reassigned to bad i to was looking for a set
I think Smith bought them for their investment casting expertise. I have 4 frames and about 30 different calibers of barrels both bull and octagon. Of the 4 frames 2 are 5 digit serial nos and 2 are 6 number serial nos. I have a good time with them but some of them have a sturdy recoil, like the .45 Win mag or the .357 Herrett.
There is no 308 barrel for contender, at least not well known. For encore yes.
Clambering for the Contender is limited by the strength of the frame face. J.D. Jones creates clambering in the .444 Marlin case and the .225 Winchester case. The .375 JDJ has all the power to take down anything.
Good shooting, Girl. The 45/.410 is great fun on rabbits.
Until S&W got ahold of the company
.. a friend had one in a 30-30 rifle caliber... what a handful.. but a 308.. yikes..!!!..
no 308 on a contender
My UA-cam celebrity crush 😊 ❤
With an optic on you'll be a tad more accurate.
I hear smith and wesson has shut thompson part of their mfg down for good , I guess no more contenders , they was already hard to find now impossible and priced off the chain , I've owned 2 in the past and kick myself for getting rid of them .
Didn't this hand gun essentially allow hunters to use rifle round cartridges in a way that would allow them to work around regulations mostly in midwestern states that disallowed rifles for hunting deer for safety reasons?
Seems like I remember this thing being a big deal among hunters when I was a kid in Indiana in the 70's.