New bbl & Contender Locked and won't open!! HELP!!

Juanjo

Juanjo

Member
Well it had never happened to me.. as the ol' saying goes. I purchased a .22 Hornet barrel from a Great Guy here on the forum, you guys may know him as Catwhacker I was so excited to get the barrel in the mail quickly.. soon after I had things to do with kids, family ya'll know how that goes. Last night finally broke down and made some time to put it together as I was already planning to go hunting today, well we can't plan for things and unfortunately sometimes things don't go as planned, as such is the case.

I removed the TC .22LR Octagon barrel from my contender and removed nicely and easily. Then I installed the .22 Hornet bbl that I just received, to my surprise the barrel went right in and locked up nicely without any movement whatsover what many may consider a perfect fit, upon trying to break open the chamber it would not budge, it was locked as though it was welded shut, I removed the locking pin and had to remove the barrel, I visually inspected the barrel and the frame and nothing seems outta the ordinary. So for my peace of mind I installed the .410/45LC barrel that I also have for the Contender and it too went in nicely. I removed it once again and I looked at the frame and it looked a little try so i added a drop or two of remington oil and padded dry the excess of the frame. I re-installed the .22 hornet barrel and again it went in nicely with out any problems but as soon as it locked it didn't want to open once again, to remove it I had to take off the pin once again and remove it that way..

Has anybody had this happen to them before? I text Catwhacker and he responded right away( never a lack of communication ) He mentioned that his contender was at least 20 years old and that he never had such a problem. I am leaning towards the idea that maybe my contender's age has a lot to do with this problem as mine is one of the first one's off the assembly line, made approximately 1964. Please help, I appreciate any and all suggestions, ideas or experiences.


Thanks,

Juan
 
lugs are to tight, need to run a dremmel tool or a file over the top of the lungs or just the back side (closest to the grip of the lungs- to remove just a CH. Or you could swap out the lungs for the oct barrel see if both work that way. Best to have split lugs.
 
How do you swap the lungs is it by removing the little pin that holds them almost at the center between the lock hole and the lungs? I know that the one for the oct barrel is not split while the one on the hornet is. Please advise.

Juan
 
Two bits of advise.....never oil any lock up surface on a Contender. Never grind anything on a Contender without knowing exactly what you are doing and even then a very fine stone is much better.

Call TC and tell them you need a set of split locking bolts for your barrel. They are easy to change if you use a small c Clamp to push the bolts (yes they are called bolts not lugs) in and drive out the pin. Loosen the clamp and the bolts will drop out. Reverse order to install new ones.
 
Yes there have been several changes over the years in locking bolts. Tell them your problem, give them the serial number and they can help. If they cannot help you I can probably round up a set of correct bolts to send. 30 plus years of Contenders leaves me with a few spare parts.
 
Last edited:
Yeah I looked at both mechanisms and they are different the hornet has a pin sorta thing and the original bbls have like a hex bolt on the bottom, I am sure this is an easy fix. Thank you all for your help.


Juan
 
Ok.. Here it goes.. I called TC Arms and they said that the barrel is made for the newer contenders and the G2's The only way that I can fit the barrel into my antique frame is to send it in and have it modified. Recommendation: To buy a G2 frame to fit the barrel or have my frame drilled and tapped to convert to easy open.


Juan
 
It would be interesting to have info on the years of the Original Contenders that the Newer barrels wont fit. I have an older style Contender that I got a .22KHornet barrel for and had no probs. Apparently all of the Barrels are not G2 and original Contender compatable.
 
I am going to call them again maybe they have something they can send or print out, I was told however that the 195k+ in serial number are compatible with the G2 barrels. They should print that on the box.. IMHO.


Juan
 
Not sure which frame you have- looked like a Second Generation (second model) not to be confused with the new G2- TC made 3 gens in contender before the Encore (not counting the SS Gen 3s), then made the G2. The original "TC Contender" (now AKA first Generation) has much more scrolling , the Second Generation has the push pin in the hammer, Third generation has the selector switch. Barrels should fit fine between Gens 2 and 3. And also fit the G2. You might want to call Ed and ask him his opinion. I could change over 200 barrels on the Gen 2 and 3s, but gets more selective on the first gen. More later.
 
GySgt,


The Contender that I have was apparently made around 64'-65' and is considered first generation, with a serial number in the 4 thousand range. It has a flat slot on the hammer to change from rimfire to centerfire and has the majestic panther on the scrolling on the sides.


I called several places from Bellm's TC, trackofthewolf.com, and TC several times today and they claim that style of locking bolt is no longer made and therefore would have to find one or send my action to get worked on and left compatible with G2's.


Juan
 
it sounds like you do have one of the first ones. There are folks out there that want yours as a keeper not a shooter- you might be better off getting a shooter than the keeper collector piece. TC made one of their prettiest frames then with additional scrolling mated and gloss bluing. But can get picky on what it will mate up with.

The pic you sent me a couple weeks ago was a 12 inch barrel made for the G2. So yes it is apparent that it would take more than polishing to get them to like each other. You may want to check with Ed to see what he will work with you on a new frame or a trade out. Good luck. JHG
 
Yeah you right, it may go up for sale pretty fast.. I buy guns to shoot them not to have them look pretty.. Just my .02

Juan
 
1980 and older frames don't interchange with newer Contender and G2 models. I think the serial number at the change is about 183000. I have a 1973 frame and everytime I get a new barrel I have to send it to TC to have it matched to my frame. TC don't charge for the service but you do have to pay shipping. I have also had the easy open convertion performed by TC and I still have to send it in to match new G2 barrels. It will work with most pre G2 barrels now but I've still found a couple older barrels that wont fit. my serial number is around 12000 and it dates 1973 Don't do any mods to your barrels have TC do them you don't want it to pop open when you shoot. Try this link http://www.edstc.com/ I called and got some good info from Ed when I was setting mine up. Hope this helps Chris,

http://www.handgunhunt.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm&PHPSESSID=f5e1d7l65o8lrmsdchl8fk5k62

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php

Before convertion
DSC_0002-10.jpg


After
DSC_0019.jpg
 
VaPredHunter, Nice read, and yeah it seems like it's going to be about the only option, I did consider filing like forementioned but I don't have those kinds of skills and it's like sending a plumber to do advanced accounting.. it ain't going to happen...

Juan
 
A very pretty frame! I also like that oct barrel with brake.I don't recall ever seeing a modern brake on an old barrel. Brake looks like from a new version of the 12 inch hunters w 2 inch brake. Did you have that made?
 
Back
Top