Put this set together many years ago and have hardly used it... This year I plan to mostly handgun hunt for deer but usually take one rifle along. While digging around the gunsafe trying to decide what to take I ran across the T/C Carbine that was in need of a scope switch. So off came the 6-18 Nikon and on went a 2.5-8 Leupold... Then I pulled out the rest of the "set" to see what I had left.



.223 barrel is a SUPER 16 which is on the frame.



Next down is a T/C Collector's Assoc. SUPER 16 .41 Magnum with 1.5-4 Bushnell Trophy

Then a SUPER 16 in .22 Magnum with a Shepherd 3.5-10 scope

The bottom scoped barrel is a TC Custom Shop 18" .22 Long Rifle barrel with a Leupold 3.5-10AO scope.

And last but not least a Custom Shop 18.5" .410 barrel.



..and the whole works also fits in a single wide hardcase...




Stock and forend are from Choate I believe...

Fun gun to shoot, accurate and a pleasure to carry...so it looks like this will be the pistol backup for the season...



Bob

neat guns! My favorite backpacking rifle is a G2 carbine with a .22 WRM 17" MGM barrel and a Leupold 2.5X Compact. And I always take the same action with a 28 guage barrel, also by MGM, quail hunting at least once a season. It is 24" w/an IC choke tube, very handy to carry in the rough country and kills 'em just fine.

Thanks for the tip...I have a Browning in 28 and a barrel for this one would be interesting...

Bob

those 16" are really handy...

i had one of the TCA 16" .41's, sold it to another TCA member at some point & then i started missing it so i put together a carbine with a 16" MGM semi-bull in .41mag, and it is a really nice shooter. also have a 16" 45/70, , and 18" .30reece (.30x357) by OTT, & an 18" 5.7x28, also a TCA barrel.

always thought i could use a 16".22WMR, and i could dig a .32mag carbine for plinkin....

What do you think of that .30 Reece? I met him at the Wanamacher's Gun Show in Tulsa a couple of years ago and he gave me one of the cases. It has intrigued me from the first time I saw it.

Ed

very agreeable little round...H110/296 etc make it pretty happy with Hornady 110 v-max, & Barnes 110 TTSX..have also tried 4227, lil gun, and so far it has had pretty fair accuracy with about everything.

Congrats to the OP for building a very nice Super 16 set!

I've developed a fondness for thumper calibers in the T/C 21" Carbines.



35 Rem
375 Winchester
44 Mag,
A 7-30 Waters; not sure whether I'll keep it.
.410 2 1/2-3"


DMc

Nice set yourself....

Bob

I'd really like to have one of these to start my boys on. One with a 22lr, 35Rem or 357 Max, and a 410bbl would be perfect for what I need!

Just wish they were easier to find and not quite so expensive! Though I've never even shot one, I've always had a thing for Contenders. Thanks for posting the pics.

the .357max makes a most excellent deer carbine..

various TC porn...

41mag...


30Reece..


assorted carbines..


weight of a .375win carbine in factory tupperware, with a B&L 2-7x up top..


24" 30/30Ackley Improved..


from the top, 22hornet, 17Ackley Hornet (barrel & stock by Bullberry), TC Custom shop 22K-Hornet on bottom.


7mm TCU carbine..
[img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b179/FyrepowrX/2-CENTERFIRES/IMG_1122.jpg[/img]

1.75-6 shortys on assorted spare barrels...
[img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b179/FyrepowrX/2-CENTERFIRES/leupolds.jpg[/img]

6.8mmSPC, 4X up top..
[img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b179/FyrepowrX/2-CENTERFIRES/68spc.jpg[/img]

Wow that's the best T/C collection I've ever seen!

Mike

IMPRESSIVE!

Jim

And would be legal here in IN with our goofy rules.

I'll second that...

Gerald, did you paint the synthetic stock? Krylon Speckletone?




DMc

yup, sanded the stock a bit, degreased/cleaned with alcohol, then primer basecoat, topped with a couple coats speckle paint, then matte sealer. has worn fairly well, kinda has a bit of texture to it.

..THAT is quite the collection. You are as bad with TCs as I am with .41s....

Bob

Looks like Gerald's 41 would give anyone a run for their money in the accuracy dept.


DMc

I've played with T/C Carbines, great guns.

I had a 16" bbl T/C, set up with a stock, but got to worrying about ATF regs and short rifles. So I converted mine back to a pistol, using the old Fajen push/pull grip. It's a loop type stock, one hand pushes the other pulls. Pretty stable.

What's the scoop on 14", 16" barrels set up with a rifle stock? Could an overzealous ATF agent slap you with a big fine?

DF

the 16" barrel is legal in carbine format, no worries there.

is this the push/pull set you had ? i used one on a 30/30ackley Imp setup for a few years, worked fairly well...

Yes, that's the Fajen push pull grip. Mine is maple/walnut laminated.

The gun I had put together was the .410/.45Colt, so I don't know if it would be considered a shotgun or a rifle. I got concerned enough to take the butt stock off and go with the push/pull grip.

Would appreciate opinions on that.

DF

the 16" 45colt/410 barrels are classed as rifle barrels, so no issue with using it with a rifle stock.

Thanks for that info.

I may replace the push/pull with the rifle stock.

DF

FyrepowrX,

With your info, I replaced the rifle stock, which had been slimmed down and refinished. I like the way the gun handles better with the std. butt stock.

Here is a photo showing the 16" .45/.410 bbl. on a SS receiver. I used the small forearm and let the forward forearm retaining screw holder become the front sling swivel stud. Shown is the Fajen walnut/maple laminated push/pull grip.

Below is my other .45/.410 that I rabbit hunted with during the late 50's as a kid. I built the pistol grip, not happy with the sharp edges on the factory handle, also shown. I wasn't recoil shy, popping a bunch of .44 mag. caps during those years. That handle wasn't/isn't comfortable. T/C could have done better, IMHO, designing that grip.

The other barrel is a .22 Hornet with M8 2X EFR Leupold, a really accurate combo.

DF

i'm diggin that .45/410 setup!

my only 45/410 at the moment is a 10" armour alloy vent rib barrel, gonna try to make it a point to chase some rabbits this year with that, we've seen more bunnies this year than in the last 3 years combined, and if i dont get 'em the coyotes probably will.

at some point i think i'm gonna have to find a .410 carbine barrel, have one in 28ga now & would like a 410 to go with it.

Thanks,

Using the single screw, short pistol forearm on a double forearm hanger, 16" barrel and letting the front hanger become a sling stud, sorta gives the little gun a safari rifle flair.

Instead of having a Carbine feel, it's more like a stocked pistol with a rudimentary forearm.

I like the way it handles and looks.

DF

Gerald, I believe it's against T/C etiquette to have both a 410 & a 28ga. Being the nice guy I am, I'll buy you a 410 bll and you can send me the 28!

Best deal of the day!


DMc

Get in line DMc!

A little fo-ten with a tad longer barrel than DF's, and a LOT longer forend. Won't shoot 45's but spits 11/16's oz of 7 1/2's purty well. Don't really need a 28 ga.,for an extra 1/16 oz of shot. If I were to find a 28 ga barrel I'm going to whistle real loud, then send smoke signals to Biathlonman before I buy it. hehe


DMc

Nice!

I like it. I didn't know they made a 28 ga. That would be sweet, as thw 28 is a lot more gun than the .410, IMHO.

What's the other barrel?

BTW, I always liked Bullberry offerings, owned some at one time. Check'em out on line.

DF

Hey DF, FyrepowrX is the only human being on the face of the planet that has a 28 ga that I'm aware of. So they were definitely made in limited numbers.

The bottom barrel in the pic above is an unappreciated 7-30 Waters that I threw in the pic for fore arm reference.

Having hunted Whitewings in Mexico for over 10 years, I can assure you a 28 will not out perform a 410. If you're on the bird, he's gonna crash, be it a 12 ga. all the way down to .410. The 3" 410 is highly under-rated!


DMc

.410 is the gauge for the Masters, not the kids.

So, I take my hat off...

I'm a 28 ga. fan, have both gauges.

DF

24" 28ga...has screw in tubes but i pretty much always leave the I/C tube in there.

Cool.

Don't think I've seen one of those. It must be near one of a kind.

DF

My 410 has a choke tube also. I've never taken it out so I can't say what restriction it is. Someone said they're interchangeable with Remington chokes. True or false?

PS: Gerald, I like the red pads on Contender stocks, as did almost everyone owning Rugers, Are red pad versions in greater demand?

PSS: Gerald, (i.e. 28 ga.,) I think what DF meant to say in the post above was.., "You Suck!"


DMc

Red pads were standard on early model carbines, as were the checkered grip panels. T/C later made a couple changes on stocks, including going to a slightly thicker grip profile, black pad, omitting the checkering, etc. forends also went through a few changes...the one on that 28 is actually a G2 carbine forend, recent production.

some early carbines slipped out now & then that had some juicy good wood!

...so was the 28 ga. made by T/C or one of the aftermarket suppliers? How many were made?


DMc

that one is a factory barrel from the T/C custom shop, in hi-polished blue finish.

over the years a few makers have offered the 28ga, but never in large quantities. Van Horn and a few others (pretty sure i saw a Bullberry 28ga at one point) have made various offerings in 28ga.

T/C had listed is a custom-shop proposition for a few years, dont ever recall seeing it as a regular production item. dunno total production numbers, but betting it is fairly low. last few i've seen for sale on ebait & gunbroker went for moderately high prices.

Gerald, thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge!


DMc

Yeah!

Screw the knowledge, he needs to share the barrel!

I'm a big fan of the Contender in carbine form. Here's what I have at the present time.

1) TC blued 24" .410 barrel
2) TC blued 24" 209x45 barrel w/ Leupold Vari-x II 1x4
3) TC SS Custom Shop 21" 357 Maximum
4) TC blued 16 1/4 Bull 17 HMR w/ Leupold VX-1 4-12x40
5) TC blued Super 16 22 LR w/ Leupold FX-1 4x28 Rimfire
6) TC blued Super 16 22 Magnum w/ Leupold VX-II 4x12-40
7) TC blued Super 16 22 Hornet w/ Leupold Vari-x 4.5-14x40
8) TC blued 21" Carbine .223 w/ Leupold Vari-x IIc 6-18x40
9) TC matte Custom Shop 22" 7-30 Waters w/ Leupold

Very nice T/C stable! Can the muzzle loader be used on a Contender frame?


DMc

G2 only, although I think the original can be modded to work.

Never fooled w/BP, is it fun?


DMc

I love it, but most of the black powder guys I know only do it because of the extra deer season with either sex legal. They purely do hate to clean up a muzzleloader after firing. I have seen some barrels that were so neglected that the rifle was ruined. Some have moved to smokeless muzzleloading not for the extra range, but for the easier cleanup.

I even have a couple of muzzleloading squirrel rifles- a .32 and a .45. My eyes are not so good with open sights anymore, so I haven't shot them much lately.

Leon...my eyeballs arent working as good as they used to, i swapped all my front sights on my .32's to hi-viz beads, that helped a bit.



TC offered the muzzleloader barrels for the G2 only, partially to avoid patent infringement...a company named Gonic Arms patented an original contender muzzleloading barrel a good bit before TC ever offered it. Gonic made a lot of .45 barrels, in both pistol length & carbine length....have also seen a few .50's, and a .32 barrel.

The TC G2 muzzleloading barrels were made in straight bull .45, and a "step-up" diameter .50. As Leon mentioned they worked only on G2 frames only because TC addded a pin to prevent lockup on the original frame, which 60 seconds and a dremel will fix.

(also voids your warranty if you do so, if that is of concern to you...it wasnt to me)

i have also seen MGM, and bullberry custom barrels in muzzleloading format....i have a 24" MGM fluted 209x45 with smoke brake, and a TC factory 24" 209x45 carbine; thy shoot pretty well.


MGM 209x45:


Factory G2 209x45 barrel, with the pin lopped off to work on old style contender frames..i leave mine on an armour alloy frame.


some typical groups with the factory 209x45 tube, Hornady .40SST's in sabots. killed a few deer with those, pretty effective, and the TC factory twist shoots them pretty well.


Leon..what bullets are you shooting in your 209x45?

As fun as the muzzle loader looks, it'll have to wait a while.

Just picked up this 44 Mag barrel from a fellow member here on the "Fire". I've missed a couple of nice scopes on eBay and am also looking for the longer Encore forend to finish it off.




DMc

My .45 is an old TC Cherokee. Not an inline, but a side lock. My .32 is an old Navy Arms Mule Ear. So I am shooting round balls at squirrels. The sights on the Cherokee are not so bad. TC always had good sights, but the Mule Ear has a front post sight and a rear U notch. The two do not go well together. I think a fiber optic bead up front would work well with the rear sight. Seems like I have a new project to take care of.

BTW, those are some really nice looking rifles.

Started with a 30/40 krag in a Ruger #3, but a #3 doesn't have an exposed hammer. There were several others then a G2 and a second G2. Barrels are as follows:
24" MGM 30/40 Krag great barrel
23" TC 375 JDJ shoots well
24" TC 44mag rebored to 444 Marlin shoots well but beats the snot
out of me off the bench
24" TC 45 Colt yet to shoot this
22" TC 28 Ga
18" ? 410

I've got one of those muzzleloader barrels coming tomorrow if someone were so inclined. Would make a great trade for a 28 gauge barrel, just saying if someone were so inclined...

I am the other person with a 28 Gauge T/C barrel. I find it a big step up over the 410 I had.

More T/C pics:



From the top:
In Rynite stocks
22 LR, 21"
35 Rem, 21"
7-30 Waters, 21"
Stainless 44 Mag, 24"
Wood stocks
357 Max, 21"
,410, 21"
375 Winchester, 21"

Fun little carbines.


DMc

Thanks for all the pics guys! Has anyone heard when or if TC will start producing the G2 again? A bit of limiting looking yesterday showed that production was slated to start early 2012, but the lack of them available suggests to me that didn't happen. I hope they get to it as I'd really like one of these for my boys. Oldest is left eye dominant so he shoots lefty and the 3yo appears to be righty, so this would be a slick platform to get each of them started on.

Here is the latest conquest of my .30-40 Krag Carbine.
Uncas shot this buck using one of my Speer 130gr FP "plinking" loads last week in Kansas.
I posted this originally on the "Campfire" under the title "Kansas, Uncas, and the .30-40 Krag Buck". That will explain why he shot that round at this beauty.



Ed

WOW GUYS!!!! Have been away from this for a while...some great pics and info here.

28 ga...I remember when they were offered... Having shot dove with 12, 28 and .410 I would rather use a 28 than a .410 any day...

And a beautiful buck!!!

Bob

My sons .22lr

Great thread!

I just happened on an old Contender in damn good shape with a pair of pistol barrels (45/.410 and 30-30) via lard who traded into it. Ive run an Encore for a while but wanted the slimmer Contender for my son (the M7 youth is still a bit large) .

A 17" 6.8 barrel is now on its way to NH. A .35 Remington carbine barrel will round it off nicely if I can find one.

George

Hey George! Merry Christmas!
Keep an eye out for a T/C youth stock. They come up on eBay once in a while.

Also there's a 38-55 21" barrel on eBay right now. I have a .375 Winchester barrel and if you check Gun Broker there's a bidding war going on for 2 boxes of Big Bore .375 Win ammo. Currently it's at $171.00 GEEZ!!

If you check GB for 38-55 ammo, it's $38-40 a box!

This would be a real sleeper barrel, sure to gain value!

Kindest Regards,

DMc

Here ya go George! Just showed up on Ebay.

T/C Contender 35 Rem


DMc

Enabler.....laffin'!

Thanks, and Merry Christmas to you and yours. I'm gonna have to make s run on that .35

Guilty!

Merry Christmas George!



DMc

Here's my .30-30 Carbine. The forend is a TC, the stock is a Bishop. I'm not big on thumbhole stocks, but this one fits me quite well; if you bump into one of these I'd suggest you give them a look.



One of these days I need to refinish the wood so they both match. Style-wise they go together well.

And I guess I'll share mine.. its a 30/30 AI (just sold the barrel though)Time to go shopping again..

Nice! Where do you get the wood stock/forearms, and how much $? Putting together a 16" 357 Maximum.
Thanks

With the 16" barrel consider going with a synthetic stock or maybe one of those earlier T/C wood stocks. With those short light barrels a heavier stock makes the gun feel pretty light in the muzzle. The light stock to me makes it feel more like a balanced gun that's just scaled down.

Keeping this thread alive. Just put this one together today. 44 Mag Super 16. Thanks to FyrepowrX, laffim64, Hairhunter, and other members here on the Fire. If there's a better ladder blind gun, I don't know what it'd be.






DMc

Very cool.

Thanks 257heaven! I thought this thread was for sure dead after almost 24 hours without a reply post. I think I'll wear head phones over ear plugs when I shoot it. Never had a rifle this short OR this lightweight!


DMc

those little shorties swing easily & are about as fast handling as you could want. Good score, and topped with my all time favorite TC carbine scope...love the 1.75-6 compacts.

nothing special here but here is my 223 and little doe.

[img:left][/img]


And I'm almst embarrassed to show this bubba'd 44 mag,but I got tthe super 14 barrel for $75 for a project and welded this pipe to it for a lenght of 17". It's the handiest little setup, and I like it even though it's ugly

[img:left][/img]

[img:left][/img]

Very nice, this is what I wish my 44 carbine looked like.

I think your photo's are awesome! Great doe pic, and hey.., American ingenuity at work on the 44! Looks like a silencer!

Was the doe a DRT?


DMc

Well thanks. Sometimes bubba "gun work" (even I wont call it gunsmithing!) gets folks blood pressure up!

The doe went about 10 yards. Shot it at 60 yds with a 53 grn tsx. Shot one the next year at 50 yds and it made a little 20 yd half circle. I was pleased.

Have you shot any WT's with the 44?

DMc

oddly,no. Something else always seems to be in my hands when the opportunity rises.

If you think that will be loud you need to hear my 444 ported
Katahdin barrel when it barks.
The bite is far worse.:)

Post a pic of that bad boy!


DMc

I've always though eBay was a pretty good market indicator for pricing and values.

What's going on with Contender barrels????

410 barrel

44 Mag barrel

22 LR barrel


Bizarre!


DMc

They like the long ones, evidently!
Personally, I prefer an adequate length of barrel to efficiently facilitate the pressure curve of the powder charge and no more, 15" is usually enough... an inch or more of brake to make the buttstock legal!

Ebay prices are way out of line right now. Years ago I followed ebay barrel prices and features, updated a spread sheet daily with the info, and would bid only up to 75% of the average, once in a while I won, and that is how I built my collection until i got into custom barrels.

Now I just check Ed's.

Anyone have a single lug 16-21" forend they're not using? Hit me up!


DMc

I'm assuming you have to call Ed to check? He doesn't seem to update the website too often.

I hate to call him right now in tax time, unless I'm mistaken that he is a CPA or some such line of work.

Well I gave it my best dog whistle, fired up a big ole cigar, but I guess someone was snoozing...



24" T/C Custom shop 28 gauge w/3 chokes; compliments the .410 nicely!


DMc