Are Contenders a dying pastime?

[nksmfamjp]

To me, theses are a great pistol that I haven't paid enough attention to since the 90's! Someone on here caught my eye with a 30 Herrett and now I've bought 3 barrels this week!

30 Herrett
17 HMR
7-30 Waters

I'm going nuts! I already have a 375 JDJ!

My concern is where will I find stuff. Barrels and frames will be floating around forever. Gunsmiths that work on them seem to be kind of limited. ….and then dies for all these crazy calibers!

To top it off, I read that the Specialty Pistol Forum is closing…..

I still remember ordering my first from JD Jones. It was a 375 JDJ. He was great to speak with on the phone. We talked about everything from gun to scope to scope mount to holster to shot distance on game. Between that and his book, I was in love. I still look at that book! I killed a couple deer with it out to 200 yards! My dad and I were just hunters. We didn't really comprehend how much recoil that was or how far we were shooting. We were amazed how it hit.

I got my first pistol buck with a Ruger SA 10.5" Super Blackhawk. I took that shot at 125 yards with total confidence because we shot it a lot at 100 yards. It was a perfect shot, but the deer went down like an archery shot which I wasn't used to then. I got close and finished the buck off. Still, I don't think I could make that shot today. I was about 17 at the time.

I forget all the gunwriters of the time, but I was a huge consumer of JD Jones and similar people influencing the gun world into long range handguning.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Ernie]

Bob Milek was my inspiration for specialty pistols.

 

[dogbuster0006]

They're just not the "cool thing" anymore I grew up reading about them and shot my first one when I was 10 or so. It was a 14" 223 and I killed a couple deer with it, never could afford to buy it from dad's buddy though. Anyone who's still got a contender loves loves it, used to see barrels in every gun shop and on eBay for little of nothing. I finally found an encore and a 243win 15" barrel I could afford and have never looked back.

 

[EarlJr]

They're just not the "cool thing" anymore

Unfortunately for us enthusiasts a more correct statement couldn't be made.

 

[nksmfamjp]

They're just not the "cool thing" anymore

That's probably true. Functional, efficient and "right sized" rarely seems cool.

Now, I just need to find an 8-10" 22LR Barrel!

 

[Baker Alvin]

I once bought a box of barrels of many varied caliber, that did not have greatest care, bores were good.
Picked up stuff for them at gun shows. Today it must all be in storage. Glad I have what I do.

 

[belldar]

35 Rem double From last year with Covid at the time.

 

[300 PRC CUSTOM SAKO]

To me, theses are a great pistol that I haven't paid enough attention to since the 90's! Someone on here caught my eye with a 30 Herrett and now I've bought 3 barrels this week!

30 Herrett
17 HMR
7-30 Waters

I'm going nuts! I already have a 375 JDJ!

My concern is where will I find stuff. Barrels and frames will be floating around forever. Gunsmiths that work on them seem to be kind of limited. ….and then dies for all these crazy calibers!

To top it off, I read that the Specialty Pistol Forum is closing…..

I still remember ordering my first from JD Jones. It was a 375 JDJ. He was great to speak with on the phone. We talked about everything from gun to scope to scope mount to holster to shot distance on game. Between that and his book, I was in love. I still look at that book! I killed a couple deer with it out to 200 yards! My dad and I were just hunters. We didn't really comprehend how much recoil that was or how far we were shooting. We were amazed how it hit.

I got my first pistol buck with a Ruger SA 10.5" Super Blackhawk. I took that shot at 125 yards with total confidence because we shot it a lot at 100 yards. It was a perfect shot, but the deer went down like an archery shot which I wasn't used to then. I got close and finished the buck off. Still, I don't think I could make that shot today. I was about 17 at the time.

I forget all the gunwriters of the time, but I was a huge consumer of JD Jones and similar people influencing the gun world into long range handguning.

Thanks for reading!

I am a Contender and Pro hunter fan. MIKE BELLM is THE barrel guy. His son Kurt has a parts /supply store for all TC stuff.

 

[TxPhred]

I am a Contender and Pro hunter fan. MIKE BELLM is THE barrel guy. His son Kurt has a parts /supply store for all TC stuff.

+1 on Mike Bellm, he has all the springs and tutorials for accurizing Thompson Contenders/Encores/Prohunters. As well as hinge pins for tighter lock ups.

 

[300 PRC CUSTOM SAKO]

35 Rem double From last year with Covid at the time.

I just got a 35 Rem super 14 and had Mike Bellm make it a 35 Rem -R. I got 30-40 krag brass and formed and trimmed to make the 35 Rem-R. It formed very easy. I haven't shot my Gen 2 Contender in a while so I'll be danged if I can find my grip and fore end. So now I'm waiting for g2 grip from eabrown and a modified g1/g2 fore end. The fore end has to have a cut out were the barrel/reciever meet on a g2. The screw measurement was wrong on the eabrown site for that modified fore end. It is not 3 5/16 but 3 1/8. I have a g1 barrel and the screw spacing is 3 1/8 inch or 3.125 inch. So it took a couple calls to eabrown but hopefully I'll be shooting my new 35 Rem -R soon.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I'm sad to see TC discontinuing the Contender/Encore line but I guess that's what the market dictates.

I have an Encore that has a Mike Bellm trigger job done and one of his oversized hinge pins. It is chambered in 260 Remington and it fun to shoot. My longest kill to date is 155 yards on a whitetail.

I also have a Katdin (spelling) carbine barrel in 450 Marlin.

 

[westexhunt]

I sold off some of my contender barrels years ago and regret it a little. Still have Super 14 223, 10" 22lr and 10" 44mag. The 22lr is my favorite. I will get it threaded one of these days.

 

[CMP70306]

I think the proliferation of pistol braces and SBRs is probably the primary reason as I'm seeing more braced bolt action pistols appearing on the market.

 

[memtb]

Bob Milek was my inspiration for specialty pistols.

nksmfammo…..Congrats on your newfound passion! They're a great, practical, versatile , accurate handgun! Enjoy!

Bob Milek and my uncle inspired me to get a Contender. Uncle got a .375 JDJ right after it was introduced! I started out with a 14" .223 REM. It's superbly accurate…..a serves it's intended purpose quite well!

I love my Contender in the smaller cartridges, but, I'm a revolver shooter/hunter at heart! For big game, I just gotta stay with a big bore revolver! memtb