Need T/C Contender Advice

Beretta686 · January 7, 2009, 07:51 PM

I just ordered a sweet new, Carbon-Fiber .30 cal suppressor to mount on a 7.62x39 SBR AR-15 and it dawned on me that I just dropped a ton of $$$ for something I only have one platform to hang it on (but a very, very cool one at that).

But then I started thinking that I'd love to have a really accurate .22lr to use with my 22 suppressor, get a 308 to reach out & touch something and possibly someday get into the .300 whisper game.

Since I don't have the kind of cash to be throwing around on buy a whole new weapon for each of these ideas, I thought about getting a T/C that I can switch out barrels and really do it all, without dropping tons of $$$.

So I have a few questions:
1. Where should I shop for the "lowers" at a good price?
2. Should I get a factory barrel & thread it or should I get a custom one?
3. Is it better to buy a "lower" and start buying barrels or just a package deal?

Any advice will be really appreciated, since I know really nothing about Contenders.

Pahoo · January 7, 2009, 08:11 PM

If you are talking about Contenders, most out there are used as they have upgraded to the new G2's. Then, there are carbines and pistols. The last new G2 that I bought, I got the better deal on the total package. The best place to buy one, is right here in this forum, then GunBroker or other internet locations, Gun shows and last, a dealer that will give you a good deal. You will pay more through the custom shop. Just curious and not understanding but why would you want a suppressor on a .22LR ?

Be Safe !!!

sureshots · January 7, 2009, 08:19 PM

Consider the TC Encore instead of the Contender.

taylorce1 · January 7, 2009, 08:21 PM

I'm new to the whole T/C thing myself. I just bought a brand new Endeavor (Encore) frame from Ed's Contenders. http://www.edstc.com/

My advice for you is that if you want to use it as a rifle buy the Encore. The Encore frame will allow you to use a wider variety of calibers. As far as custom barrels vs factory just realize you can pick up a used rifle and sometimes a new one for the cost of a single barrel.

Your AR platform allows for a variety of uppers as well and and their are some pretty impressive cartridges that will work in it. The new uppers will be a little more expensive than the factory T/C barrels, but only slightly over the cost of some of the Custom T/C barrels I've seen.

troy_mclure · January 7, 2009, 08:30 PM

just ordered my encore pro hunter in .204 from buds. they had the cheapest price around.

i looked for about 4 months for a good deal on a used one. there just wasnt any.

you can get bbls from $200-$800. tho i have seen an ocasional one in the $150 range.

Beretta686 · January 7, 2009, 08:34 PM

Is there a difference between the Encore & Contender?

Please excuse my ignorance; my expertise has been in Evil Black Rifles & NFA toys and this is my first "classy" rifle.

Quote:

Just curious and not understanding but why would you want a suppressor on a .22LR ?

lol. You must never of shot one w/ a suppressor. It's so nice to be out there with no ear plugs or anything while shooting hundreds of rounds. I've got a .22 upper with the suppressor for my AR can't hardly put it down.

Thanks again for all the great information!

Pahoo · January 8, 2009, 12:07 PM

Quote:

lol. You must never of shot one w/ a suppressor. It's so nice to be out there with no ear plugs or anything while shooting hundreds of rounds. I've got a .22 upper with the suppressor for my AR can't hardly put it down.

Indeed I have, I have a .357mag with one as well as a .223. I didn't say it was a bad idea just don't understand the application on a .22LR. But hey, it's your choice and money and As I often say;

"I never tell a man what to do with his money or his wife"

Be Safe !!!

Magnum Wheel Man · January 8, 2009, 12:28 PM

The Contender & Encore concepts are similar, only the Contenders can't handle as high a pressures as the Encores... even though they can be chambered for the 223, 300 Whisper or the 45-70, they are lower pressure cartridges... if you want to shoot 22-250, .308, 30-06, or magnum cartridges, you need the Encore...

if you buy an action, make sure it's registered as a handgun ( just because ) that way you can do either a handgun or a rifle stock on your action...

right now I'm building ( having my local smith buddy build me ) a carbine length 1 in 8 twist 223 barrel, & a 10" barrel in 5.7 X 28 out of one longer barrel blank...

as a reloader & avid shooter, ( as well as a big Contender collector ) I'd love to do the silencer thing... just not enough to pay for it...

longranger · January 8, 2009, 02:43 PM

Easier to do nice trigger job on the old style Contender(Cougar on the rock model) than G2's or Encores.G2's and Encores have dreadful triggers thanks to the attorneys.

HOGGHEAD · January 8, 2009, 03:01 PM

Personally I like the Encore over the Contender, but I do have both of them.

The best thing to do is to buy a frame only from a good gunsmith and have him do a trigger job for you right off the bat. By buying from the smith you will save a lot of time and money on shipping costs all around the country. I bought an action from Stratton and had him do the trigger job before he shipped it to me. That saved me a good bit of money.

Then buy the stock that you prefer, or that fits you best. I really like the thumbhole design in the laminate wood. They are really sturdy, and I really like the way it handles.

For a barrel I would(I did) order a custom barrel. When you order a custom you can have your barrel threaded for your suppressor(as I did) when you order the barrel. This also saves you a lot of time and shipping costs, and this allows you to have a more accurate barrel.

The 300 Whisper is a great cartridge. But for me it was useless. Why not just buy a 308 and load it sub sonic?? This alows you to shoot the same heavy bullet at sub sonic velocities, and you can shoot standard loads as well??

I have a few barrels for my Encore. My favorite is my 223 barrel with the suppressor. I use it for ground hogs out to about 325 yards. I worked up a sub sonic load with the 75 grain A-MAx bullet, and it is more than accurate enough out to 75 or 100 yards for close ground hogs. Then my standard load is a 40 grain V-Max bullet.

Below is a picture of one of my Encore's. The trigger was done by Bellm(he did a fantastic job). The barrel is an MGM 6.5X284 that really shoots. Tom.

taylorce1 · January 8, 2009, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Easier to do nice trigger job on the old style Contender(Cougar on the rock model) than G2's or Encores.G2's and Encores have dreadful triggers thanks to the attorneys.

Got my brand new Endeavor frame with a trigger job to 2.5lbs for $365 delivered from Ed's. Can't say enough good stuff about his service. Delivered my frame in less than a week after I ordered and didn't charge me extra for using my CC.

darkgael · January 8, 2009, 05:38 PM

Contender, Encore. They are great guns. With barrels available from T/C, their Custom shop, Eabco, SSK, Bullberry, Bergara and others, the number of calibers and types of barrels is astounding.
Pete

RAnb · January 9, 2009, 09:10 AM

I own the Encore, Contender and G2. The new G2 is just a smaller version of the Encore that uses contender barrels. Both the Encore and G2 can be cocked at any time after closing the action. The Contender has to be cocked only after closing the action, if the trigger is pulled with the hammer down, the action has to be opened and closed before cocking again.

The trigger pull length on the G2 is about one half inch longer than on the Contender. This makes it much less comfortable for me to shoot the harder recoiling calibers like the 375 JDJ.

If you want to shoot 30 caliber bullets heavier than 200 grains accurately, then you will need a 1-8 twist. The typical 1-10 to 1-12 twists will not cut it for heavy subsonic bullets. With the 5.56 sized rim, it is well suited for ar-15 uppers and any bolt gun previously chambered in 223 Remington. As far as I know, the TC 300W barrels are 1-10 twist. I have SSK ar-15 and contender barrels with the 1-8 twist, they are accurate and suppress well. The 300 whisper with its small case uses less powder and is less noisy suppressed when using subsonic ammo compared to the 308.

As said above, get the pistol frame because you can go back and forth between pistol and carbine. If you get the rifle frame, then you are stuck with it as a rifle unless you register it as a short barreled rifle with the feds and pay the $200 tax.

If you have access to a lathe and are not all thumbs, then the cost of a good silencer can be less than a custom barrel. It costs me $30 plus the $200 tax to make a decent silencer for my 300 whisper. I learned to operate a lathe while making my first silencer.

Ranb

January 7, 2009, 07:51 PM	#1
Beretta686 Senior Member Join Date: May 11, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 761	Need T/C Contender Advice I just ordered a sweet new, Carbon-Fiber .30 cal suppressor to mount on a 7.62x39 SBR AR-15 and it dawned on me that I just dropped a ton of $$$ for something I only have one platform to hang it on (but a very, very cool one at that). But then I started thinking that I'd love to have a really accurate .22lr to use with my 22 suppressor, get a 308 to reach out & touch something and possibly someday get into the .300 whisper game. Since I don't have the kind of cash to be throwing around on buy a whole new weapon for each of these ideas, I thought about getting a T/C that I can switch out barrels and really do it all, without dropping tons of $$$. So I have a few questions: 1. Where should I shop for the "lowers" at a good price? 2. Should I get a factory barrel & thread it or should I get a custom one? 3. Is it better to buy a "lower" and start buying barrels or just a package deal? Any advice will be really appreciated, since I know really nothing about Contenders. __________________ "Our contract called for 16 cases of rifles and ammunition for $10,000 dollars, not a machine gun...........That is our present to the General"-Pike Bishop “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

January 7, 2009, 08:19 PM	#3
sureshots Senior Member Join Date: March 17, 2008 Location: Piedmont,NC Posts: 464	TC Encore Consider the TC Encore instead of the Contender.

January 7, 2009, 08:30 PM	#5
troy_mclure Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2008 Location: gulf of mexico Posts: 2,716	just ordered my encore pro hunter in .204 from buds. they had the cheapest price around. i looked for about 4 months for a good deal on a used one. there just wasnt any. you can get bbls from $200-$800. tho i have seen an ocasional one in the $150 range. __________________ There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."

January 8, 2009, 12:28 PM	#8
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	The Contender & Encore concepts are similar, only the Contenders can't handle as high a pressures as the Encores... even though they can be chambered for the 223, 300 Whisper or the 45-70, they are lower pressure cartridges... if you want to shoot 22-250, .308, 30-06, or magnum cartridges, you need the Encore... if you buy an action, make sure it's registered as a handgun ( just because ) that way you can do either a handgun or a rifle stock on your action... right now I'm building ( having my local smith buddy build me ) a carbine length 1 in 8 twist 223 barrel, & a 10" barrel in 5.7 X 28 out of one longer barrel blank... as a reloader & avid shooter, ( as well as a big Contender collector ) I'd love to do the silencer thing... just not enough to pay for it... __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

January 8, 2009, 03:01 PM	#10
HOGGHEAD Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 2008 Location: Rivesville, WV Posts: 637	TC Personally I like the Encore over the Contender, but I do have both of them. The best thing to do is to buy a frame only from a good gunsmith and have him do a trigger job for you right off the bat. By buying from the smith you will save a lot of time and money on shipping costs all around the country. I bought an action from Stratton and had him do the trigger job before he shipped it to me. That saved me a good bit of money. Then buy the stock that you prefer, or that fits you best. I really like the thumbhole design in the laminate wood. They are really sturdy, and I really like the way it handles. For a barrel I would(I did) order a custom barrel. When you order a custom you can have your barrel threaded for your suppressor(as I did) when you order the barrel. This also saves you a lot of time and shipping costs, and this allows you to have a more accurate barrel. The 300 Whisper is a great cartridge. But for me it was useless. Why not just buy a 308 and load it sub sonic?? This alows you to shoot the same heavy bullet at sub sonic velocities, and you can shoot standard loads as well?? I have a few barrels for my Encore. My favorite is my 223 barrel with the suppressor. I use it for ground hogs out to about 325 yards. I worked up a sub sonic load with the 75 grain A-MAx bullet, and it is more than accurate enough out to 75 or 100 yards for close ground hogs. Then my standard load is a 40 grain V-Max bullet. Below is a picture of one of my Encore's. The trigger was done by Bellm(he did a fantastic job). The barrel is an MGM 6.5X284 that really shoots. Tom. Last edited by HOGGHEAD; January 8, 2009 at 03:07 PM.

January 7, 2009, 08:11 PM	#2
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	If you are talking about Contenders, most out there are used as they have upgraded to the new G2's. Then, there are carbines and pistols. The last new G2 that I bought, I got the better deal on the total package. The best place to buy one, is right here in this forum, then GunBroker or other internet locations, Gun shows and last, a dealer that will give you a good deal. You will pay more through the custom shop. Just curious and not understanding but why would you want a suppressor on a .22LR ? Be Safe !!!

January 7, 2009, 08:21 PM	#4
taylorce1 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2005 Location: On the Santa Fe Trail Posts: 8,248	I'm new to the whole T/C thing myself. I just bought a brand new Endeavor (Encore) frame from Ed's Contenders. http://www.edstc.com/ My advice for you is that if you want to use it as a rifle buy the Encore. The Encore frame will allow you to use a wider variety of calibers. As far as custom barrels vs factory just realize you can pick up a used rifle and sometimes a new one for the cost of a single barrel. Your AR platform allows for a variety of uppers as well and and their are some pretty impressive cartridges that will work in it. The new uppers will be a little more expensive than the factory T/C barrels, but only slightly over the cost of some of the Custom T/C barrels I've seen.

January 8, 2009, 02:43 PM	#9
longranger Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Location: Buffalo WY Posts: 1,056	Easier to do nice trigger job on the old style Contender(Cougar on the rock model) than G2's or Encores.G2's and Encores have dreadful triggers thanks to the attorneys.

January 8, 2009, 05:38 PM	#12
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	T/C Contender, Encore. They are great guns. With barrels available from T/C, their Custom shop, Eabco, SSK, Bullberry, Bergara and others, the number of calibers and types of barrels is astounding. Pete __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

January 9, 2009, 09:10 AM	#13
RAnb Junior member Join Date: July 20, 2008 Location: WA, USA Posts: 447	I own the Encore, Contender and G2. The new G2 is just a smaller version of the Encore that uses contender barrels. Both the Encore and G2 can be cocked at any time after closing the action. The Contender has to be cocked only after closing the action, if the trigger is pulled with the hammer down, the action has to be opened and closed before cocking again. The trigger pull length on the G2 is about one half inch longer than on the Contender. This makes it much less comfortable for me to shoot the harder recoiling calibers like the 375 JDJ. If you want to shoot 30 caliber bullets heavier than 200 grains accurately, then you will need a 1-8 twist. The typical 1-10 to 1-12 twists will not cut it for heavy subsonic bullets. With the 5.56 sized rim, it is well suited for ar-15 uppers and any bolt gun previously chambered in 223 Remington. As far as I know, the TC 300W barrels are 1-10 twist. I have SSK ar-15 and contender barrels with the 1-8 twist, they are accurate and suppress well. The 300 whisper with its small case uses less powder and is less noisy suppressed when using subsonic ammo compared to the 308. As said above, get the pistol frame because you can go back and forth between pistol and carbine. If you get the rifle frame, then you are stuck with it as a rifle unless you register it as a short barreled rifle with the feds and pay the $200 tax. If you have access to a lathe and are not all thumbs, then the cost of a good silencer can be less than a custom barrel. It costs me $30 plus the $200 tax to make a decent silencer for my 300 whisper. I learned to operate a lathe while making my first silencer. Ranb