Thread: Whatever happened to the venerable TC?

My old Auckland club was founded some 40yrs ago off the back of Action Pistol comps and Pistol Silhouette shooting in which the Thompson Contender single shot with its many and variable barrel/calibre options kinda ruled.

So what happened to all those TCs? Must be sitting out there somewhere, gathering dust? Rusting away?

Action Pistol is still a thing in a couple of locations but plays 2nd fiddle to IPSC nationally. Does Pistol Silhouette still happen anywhere? Whanganui perhaps? Sth Island?

I don't think I've ever seen a TC for sale. What a pity its not legal to hunt with one. Be a great pack gun in any number of diff calibres, 30-30 for one, or 308, or 270Win even. If your wrist was up to it.

I had one in .223 at one point. Cool well made pistol.

I believe there are many of them around in carbine form...as in have a buttstock but yes the pistol versions must have gone somewhere.

Plenty of G1 Contenders out there but they don't change hands very often

There are some of the pistols around but hard too get them off B cat and onto A cat without a lot of bureaucracy and hassles

And they max out at the 30-30 case family pressures so 308 and 270 are out

My barrels are

22 LR
222 Rimmed
6.8 SPC
7-30 Waters
30-30
375 Win

Sure there are some old 45-70 barrels out there somewhere but thats a really bad idea
With some aggressive fluting and shortening they are well under 6 pounds
And they shoot vastly better than you might expect
They may look a bit odd, but most guys are surprised how well the stocks fit and their point ability

Great for off hand shooting inside 100m

And yes ( before someone picks me up on it ) they are TC Contenders and not G1 Contenders

But because they did subsequently make a G2 Contender its easier too use G1 to distinguish the earlier model

SSK is making a brand new version of the G1. Called the SSK 50 from memory. With some slight improvements
Eye wateringly expensive, always out of stock and back orders only

there was a TC carbine discussed some time back....on here I think,was forsale on trademe... in obscure large calibre may have been 50 bewolf?? was something like that..had cracked through the wrist,there were two very similar in short space of time,why it has stuck in my memory.

The Contender has a 20mm shank without a reciever ring outside that
So that is the limiting factor for big bore cartridges

They do make 45-70 and 45 Muzzleloader barrels for them
The ML would be interesting but really just a toy in NZ. Fine for USA ML shooting seasons, I guess

The 45-70 is just plain stupid
I know a forum member used too have one and I think it is partly responsible for his cognitive decline !
( gun hoarding )

down loading .45/70 is so easy to do...the bottom tier loads are very mild...to me like a .410 no need for sabertooth tiger slaying loads in a light gun.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

down loading .45/70 is so easy to do...the bottom tier loads are very mild...to me like a .410 no need for sabertooth tiger slaying loads in a light gun.

The forum member who had the 45-70 Contender was shooting crocs and scrub bulls
And he had it wound off the clock
So maybe the cognitive decline was pre existing

well if we have time when I visit..might have to try a few of your lipstick loads out for size.

Fired a TC pistol years ago at steel. It was in some rifle calibre (not a thuty thuty) which I can not recall. The web between my thumb and my fore finger took a hammering.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

well if we have time when I visit..might have to try a few of your lipstick loads out for size.

Should be able too find something too break you
Or at least make you remember it for the following week

Thanks @akaroa1 I think I might have to join Micky on a visit one of these days, if I'm still persona grata on the Mainland lol..always wanted to shoot one of those.

Re moving them from B to A, is it their overall length that makes that legally feasible? If so, why have them on a B in the first place? Scuse my ignorance...

B because there are a few Contender pistols around
They come up for sale and could be re stocked and re barreled to be A cat legal

But it would mean a B car holder buying it and getting agreement from an arms officer or FSA to change to A cat

Lots of contender barrels that come up for sale in NZ are only 14" long and on a contender rifle stock are below minimum legal length

They can be made legal in various ways but are still short on rifling and therefore velocity

They can be stubbed and made legal length and full rifling and velocity

Worth the effort if you can find a contender pistol frame cheap
Not sure how the B to A would go

Never wanted to put any of my B Cat friends to the inconvenience and test the system