Thompson-Center Contender Pistol

Facts about Thompson Center Contender Gun and some facts, Thompson-Center Contender Pistol is a pistol made by the Thompson Center Arms Company, based in Springfield, Massachusetts. This company was founded by K.W. Thompson and Warren Center, hence the name. Thompson Center was bought out by Smith and Wesson in 2007. Thompson Center is still called that, though it is also called Smith and Wesson Hunting.

The company is famous for its single shot pistols and rifles with interchangeable barrels. They make muzzle loading rifles as well.
Thompson/Center is the only arms manufacturer to successfully sell on a large scale commercial basis a switch-barrel firearm. Thompson/Center Contender Pistol is credited with bringing back the muzzle loading rifles in the 1970s, a niche that was almost obsolete and full of antiques until the company started building a reliable, modern muzzle loading rifle called the Hawken.
The Thompson/Center Contender Pistol comes in two generations. The G1 or first generation Contender uses the same dimensions.

Generation 2 or G2 of the ThompsonCenter Contender Pistol started with the Encore pistol. It had a new trigger mechanism. However, both generation one and generation two have a grip/buttstock combo assembly that contains the trigger mechanism.

The Thompson/Center Contender Pistol G2 or second generation uses the same barrels and fore-ends as G1. The barrels are interchangeable except for the muzzle-loading barrels. The biggest change is the Encore style trigger group. The grip angle changed. The grips also shifted. Other changes in the name of safety include the dry firing ability being limited to only being possible in the safe hammer position. This minimizes the possibility of accidentally firing the gun during dry fire exercises. The Encore is heavier than the generation one pistol, capable of higher chamber pressures for bullets like the .30-6 and 7mm-08.
Removing the fore-end and pivot pin lets the owner change an Encore pistol to a barrel chamber or muzzle loader or shotgun barrel. Thompson Center Encore barrels are interchangeable with other barrels. The Contender pistol’s greatest strength is its versatility and flexibility. You can swap out barrels and other components to handle almost any caliber of bullet. Simply remove the fore-arm, remove the frame hinge pin, select another barrel and put it in place.
The G2 of the Contender pistol is intended as a hunting handgun. Buyers can select the barrel to be used with the receiver to fit a number of bullet calibers. The manufacturer allows people to choose the frame and stock assembly, the caliber of the weapon (to which the correct barrel is matched) and then it is built. Because it is a pistol, frame assemblies must be sent to a Federal Firearms Licensed dealer or FFL dealer. Pistol frame assemblies refer to the combined frame, grip, pistol fore-end and fore-end screws.
The Thompson/Center Contender Pistol was the center of a court case that went to the Supreme Court. It was determined that a Contender pistol can be turned into a rifle. You can put a Contender pistol grip on a rifle frame, provided the receiver was originally sold as a pistol. You are not allowed to put a rifle receiver on a pistol per ATF regulations.

The Thompson/Center Contender Pistol is a versatile and powerful handgun. Thompson/Center Contender Pistol came out in the 1960s, until the G2 Encore came out.