How Many Ways Can You Shoot a Shot?

By James A. Derda

This book is about the Thompson/Center Contender single-shot pistol and is printed in full color. There are over one hundred pages depicting working photographs followed by an informative description of each photo. The book describes the history, versatility, barrels, ammunition, special tools, equipment, standards, and shooting tips all relating to this pistol from the experience and opinion of one enthusiast.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524640743

Book preview

AuthorHouse™

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2016 James A. Derda. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/20/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-4075-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-4074-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016915629

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the members of the Underhill Rod & Gun Club and mostly to my wife, Carol, who allowed me to remain in my man-cave, uninterrupted, to complete this work.

WARNING

The author has made every possible effort to verify that the information presented in this book is true and accurate. The author and publisher disclaim any and all responsibility for its contents. No liability is assumed for any accident or action resulting from the implantation of this information.

Caution: Older and newer T/C components do not always interchange safely. Although parts will fit, they may not function properly.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Midway USA

Lehigh Defense

Buffalo Arms CO.

Huntington

Lee Precision, Inc.

Hornady

RCBS

Match Grade Machine (MGM)

SSK Industries

Hodgdon Powder Company

Weaver Products

Thompson Center Association

E. Arthur Brown Company, Inc.

Blue Book of Gun Values, Thirty-Fifth Edition

www.squirreldaddy.com

www.bellmtc.com Bellm TCs Headspace

www.edstc.com Ed’s Contenders

www.LarryWillis.com

www.Handloaders.com

www.wikipedia.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: CONTENDER VERSATILITY

CHAPTER 2: CONTENDER BARRELS

CHAPTER 3: CONTENDER AMMUNITION

CHAPTER 4: TOOLS

CHAPTER 5: EQUIPMENT

CHAPTER 6: HEADSPACE

CHAPTER 7: SHOOTING

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION

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Single-Shot Pistol

Thompson/Center stands for the Thompson Tool Company and Warren Center. These two entities came together in 1965 to form the Thompson/Center Arms in Rochester, New Hampshire. The Thompson Tool Company had a distinguished reputation for making tools and Warren Center was a brilliant gun designer who received a patent for being able to quickly interchange barrels on a single frame. Their first offering, introduced in 1967, was the Contender single-shot pistol, which included a frame and five octagon barrels. In 2002, Smith & Wesson purchased T/C and moved their production facility to Springfield, MA in 2010.

Over a period of time I have collected fifty Contender barrels, all chambered for a different caliber. It’s not a record by any means but it was an accomplishment. This book starts by illustrating the Contender versatility, followed by a description of each barrel, the ammunition they shoot, and a list of essential tools and equipment necessary to accomplish this undertaking.

CHAPTER 1: CONTENDER VERSATILITY

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Contender Single-Shot Pistol

Above is a photograph of a fully assembled Thompson/Center Contender single-shot pistol chambered for the 22 Hornet. Its versatility will be illustrated over the next few pages by showing how easy it is to change the barrel to another caliber, namely the 256 Winchester Mag. Rimfire barrels can also be exchanged with center fire barrels because the hammer contains a three-position selector switch, which can be positioned for rimfire, safety, or center fire.

Warren Center introduced this concept in 1967 and it is now 2016. In almost fifty years, hundreds of thousands of frames and over a million barrels have been manufactured and they are still interchangeable today. The 50 barrels listed in this manual all fit, function, and shoot on the same frame. It is remarkable how such a simple idea has worked so well over the years. And it’s not just barrels from the parent company TCA (Thompson Center Arms), it’s also barrels from MGM (Match Grade Machine), SSK Industries, and other after-market manufactures. Warren Center took a brilliant idea and made it commonplace today.

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Begin Exchange

To