Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Bellm TC question

Finishing up my encore build and I know the Bellm hinge pin is a must have for accuracy. I went to his site to order one and I see 1x, 2x,3x,4x. How do i know which one to buy? Do I need to wait until i actually have my barrel from MGM? I got lots of questions about this. I called Bellm and left a message but I havent heard back yet.

It all depends on how well your current pin fits. They will just keep trying the next size up until it is difficult to drive the pin in . My encore is at HausofArms getting a action job and the pin fitted. The factory pin is snug, I doubt it will go higher then 1x but I might be wrong. MGM Barrels are all set for 2x and I have not seen anyone offer a pin larger then that.

Bellm hinge pins are oversize. If your pin holes in the frame are loose, they will solve that problem, but you've got to have the frame (and any barrel you want to use on that frame) drilled out to the new specification of the oversize pin. I've shot 4 or 5 Contender frames, and none have ever been loose. The factory pin has been just fine. If you don't have the problem, you don't need the fix.

So based on what you said I should probably go with the 2x, if I even need it? I think I will just wait until my barrel is in hand then go from there.

They absolutely do not ream out the pin hole. They increment the pins until they find one that fits. They go up to 2x. Encore barrel opening is at max 2x. My action is being worked on by Kurt and that is being checked.(pin fit). They would have to ream out every single barrel used on that receiver if they reamed out the pin hole and it was greater then 2x.

Generally...1X hinge pin is a tight fit most of the time. I only used a 2X once and wish I hadn't......took too much effort to drop the barrel once opened.

Exactly. It's a "fix" for a problem that doesn't exist, except if you've shot your frame loose with too hot loads, then you've got to ream every barrel you'll use on that frame. Nothing wrong with the stock pins. All the T/C I have shot shoot better than I can hold, and I can hold well under MOA.

I join in the recommendation that you don't do anything about an oversized hinge pin until it is proven you need it. If your frame is in good shape, I don't think you'll need to worry about it.

I use a 1x in mine. I have 3 MGM barrels and a 2x wouldn't go through them.

Thanks for the input guys. Unfortunately I have plenty of time to ponder over all of this since my barrel is going to take 14-16 weeks to get here. I am very excited about it thought and I am sure it will be worth the wait. Since I am a lefty, i decided that the only real way for me to have what I want in a rifle is to go the thompson/mgm route. What I may wind up doing is go ahead and order the hinge pin "kit" on bellmtc which comes with a 1x and 2x pin. That way when (if ever) I do need it I will have both.

MGM makes really good barrels. I have a 358 Winchester, 260 Remington and 6.5x55AI. They're all great shooters.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. All of my barrels are TC so I can't comment on MGM. 50 cal ML, 12 ga slug barrel, and a 30-06 and they shoot great. They all are pretty tight, never even crossed my mind that I might need a different sized pin.

I just sent mine in to get the trigger lightened and springs replaced, as part of that deal they check the pin fit. My pin had to be driven out so I am assuming that the worst that might happen might be a 1x but doubt that. TC 308 barrel so far but I plan on buying a MGM muzzleloader barrel .

How do you like the 358? I was between it and a 25-06 and went with the 25-06. I feel pretty confident that I will order multiple barrels so the next will be either a 358 or 35 whelen. What length barrel did you use on the 358?

Spoke to Mike Bellm over the weekend. Very nice guy. He told me that often times the hinge pin isnt needed when the frame is new, however with harder kicking calibers you can need one sooner. He did say that his hinge pin does still fit tighter and can help accuracy up front. I ordered the 1x-2x hinge pin kit (comes with both 1x and 2x). I figured if the guy was nice enough to return my call I owed it to him to spend $30.

I think that's in order. Mike loves to talk about T/C's and how to make them more accurate.

I was on the phone with his son, Curt Friday and ordered a Henry single shot rifle in 357 Max. I had planned on ordering the 350 Legend until Curt convinced me that the Max, when properly loaded, will outperform the Legend. We'll see...

I picked up a Contender at a gunshow, you could hold it by the wrist, point it up, twist back and forth and hear it rattle................... the .3752 pin made it tight............

I bought a BRAND NEW Contender, put a brand new Bullberry bbl on it, and it did exactly the same thing, not worn from shooting, it was unfired, the .3752 pin made it tight...................

The first one had a 22RF bbl when I bought it....

Hunter;
You may want to take a look at the adjustable hinge pin offered by E. Arthur Brown. It is fully adjustable for standard and oversize hinge pin holes. I've used the 1X and 2X pins from Bellm with fair success, but the EAB Co pin is far easier to use and allows
you to tune the tightness of the hinge and find the "sweet" spot for peak accuracy.
Good Shooting !

Perhaps, but you can’t prove it by me. The .44 I bought had about .010 between the case head and the breech, so much that it would unlock at times, and “accuracy” was dismal. The solution was to shim the breech, but that’s a PITA on a Contender if your other barrels are snug fits as is. Mine was, so down the road it went, with the shim kit included. The dealer I bought it from said MGM was “slipping” a bit, and such problems were common.

Very good info! I wasnt aware of the eabco offerings. I like all of the tinkering that can go into these rifles so I am sure it will make its way to my house.