# Barrels For a Contender



## Stu (Oct 23, 2008)

I have a Thompson Center Contender; model prior to the G2 series. My Contender is chambered for a .35 Rem and I found a G2 Contender barrel in a 45-70 barrel and was wondering if the barrels are interchangable. I sent and e-mail to Thompson Center and never got a reply.


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## WTM45 (Oct 23, 2008)

The original Contender frame will not fit G2 barrels.
A G2 Contender frame will fit ALL Contender barrels, pre-G2 and G2.


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## HandgunHTR (Oct 23, 2008)

WTM45 said:


> The original Contender frame will not fit G2 barrels.
> A G2 Contender frame will fit ALL Contender barrels, pre-G2 and G2.



Not true.  All Contender barrels will fit on either frame.

For the old frames that have not been converted to the "easy open" by TC, they get a little finicky with the split locking lugs, but all you have to do is change them out to the one-piece type.  You can do this yourself as long as you have a roll pin punch.


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## WTM45 (Oct 23, 2008)

HH, I'm not at all trying to be argumentative.

I have old style Contender frames, un-converted.
I'm not gonna modify G2 barrels to make them work.  I know it can be done.
I am giving general info to someone who asked.  
The original un-modified Contender frames do not work with G2 barrels.
A G2 frame will work with any of the barrels, original or G2.
A G2 frame will not work with original grips.

I'd be interested in T/C's reply to his E-mail.


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## Mac (Oct 23, 2008)

I'd be interested in T/C's reply to his E-mail.

me too


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## contender* (Oct 23, 2008)

The G2 barrels will work with the easy open frames. It is rare to find a Contender frame that is either not the easy open or has not been sent back and converted. The only REAL diff between the Contender frames and the G2's is the furniture will not interchange.


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## sharpeblades (Oct 23, 2008)

*t/c frame*

times 2


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## HandgunHTR (Oct 23, 2008)

WTM45,

All I have is the old style contender frames. Every barrel that I have works on all of my frames.  Some of the barrels were bought as recently as two weeks ago.  
There really isn't any such thing as G2 barrels.  There are G2 frames and grips, but not barrels.  Contender barrels are Contender barrels.  The only thing that has changed on the barrels over the years is the locking lugs.  Even before the G2 came on the market TC started using a split locking lug on their barrels.  On the frames that haven't been converted to the easy open style, the split lugs don't always engage the interlock.  So, they don't always have to be changed, but sometimes they do.  As I said, it takes less than a minute to do it.  Just drive the pin out, remove the lugs and spring, put the spring back in, put the lug in and put the pin back.

Like Contender said, the only thing that is not interchangable from the old-style Contenders to the G2 is the grip.

This is directly from Thompson Centers website:

G2 Contender® Compatibility with Old-Style Contenders
The G2 Contender frame will accept all Contender barrels and their corresponding forends (except Herrett forend). The G2 frame will not accept old-style grips because of the change in grip angle. Blued or stainless barrels are readily interchangeable. 

http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/g2Contender.php

Not that it really need mentioning, but if any barrel will work on a G2 then any barrel will work on an old-style Contender.


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