Author Topic: Contender Barrel on G2 Frame INCLUDES LOCKING BOLT ISSUES AND FIXES (Read 24650 times)

dave from mesa · « **on:** January 29, 2011, 12:26:28 PM »

I know this has probably been beat to death and I did a search but got nothing but confused.
Cousin wants to buy a Contender or G2. He wants 44mag and 223. I have a Contender 14" 223 barrel that he can have. I think he should buy the G2 w/44mag barrel but I don't know if my 223 barrel will fit.
Any help plz.

thanks

Keith L · « **Reply #1 on:** January 29, 2011, 12:45:23 PM »

G2 frames were designed and built to use all Contender barrels. The locking bolts may have to be polished to allow sufficient depth in the frame to allow the G2 to cock. I just had to fit the locking bolts on a used barrel I plan to use in one of my G2 frames. It took about 10 minutes.

Let us know if your barrel works in his frame. If not we can help with polishing directions.

Nice car in your picture. You build it?

Dezynco · « **Reply #2 on:** January 29, 2011, 03:53:59 PM »

Maybe there should be a "sticky" with a heading "how to make old Contender barrels fit your G2 frame". I don't know if this would risk too much liability though, too many jackpot lawyers.....

It's an easy thing to do, just a little fitting is all.

Keith L · « **Reply #3 on:** January 29, 2011, 04:46:53 PM »

There have been several very good descriptions of the process, much better than I could do. Perhaps one of those good writers could do it again and I will make it a sticky.

FWIW I have had to do the polishing to fit older barrels to my original frames, so it is not a new thing with G2s. It is one of those Contender things...

Lawful Larry · « **Reply #4 on:** January 30, 2011, 05:27:09 AM »

Most barrels will fit, but not all! I found this out when I bought an old Contender frame with two barrels. The old frame was old, about 1969 DOB. YOu could see a noticeable difference between the old barrels and the new barrels. I have eight new ones. The old locking bolts are much smaller thenet he newer barrels. I called TC up and then have a what they call an, "Easy Open Conversion".

I am in the process of sending my Contender back for the upgrade. Both the locking bolts and the frame have to be worked on. In my case, no amount of polishing would make those barrels lock into the frame.

dave from mesa · « **Reply #5 on:** January 30, 2011, 03:41:22 PM »

Thanks for the info guys. I have passed this info to my cousin. The rest is up to him.

Keith
A local guy here Gordon Levy built it. Don't know how to build a car and this is one that can get you in real trouble real fast.

dave from mesa · « **Reply #6 on:** January 31, 2011, 02:09:47 AM »

Going to take my cousin out this Wed to shoot my contender to see if he really likes it. Will let him shoot 10" & 14" 223. Then it will be up to him if he really wants to buy one.

dave from mesa · « **Reply #7 on:** January 31, 2011, 11:44:12 AM »

I just looked at the 223 barrel that I am going to give my cousin and it has one locking lug. My other barrels have split lugs.
Is one lug the non easy open style? Getting that fixed isn't a problem but I'm not sure that it needs to be done or not.

thanks

Curtis · « **Reply #8 on:** January 31, 2011, 12:51:24 PM »

I know from experience that a one piece bolt will not get along well with an easy open frame.

Curtis

dave from mesa · « **Reply #9 on:** January 31, 2011, 12:58:03 PM »

So can that be changed to a 2 piece?

Ladobe · « **Reply #10 on:** January 31, 2011, 01:19:56 PM »

Curtis is spot on for solid barrel bolts on any Contender frames with a higher than 195,000 serial number (1981-2000), or any stainless or Armor Alloy Contender frame. Can't say for the G2's because I never owned one. TC has always given the parts away free to convert to the split barrel bolt except for the phone call to them.

Curtis · « **Reply #11 on:** January 31, 2011, 01:52:34 PM »

Quote from: dave from mesa on January 31, 2011, 12:58:03 PM

So can that be changed to a 2 piece?

I can't say from experience, only what I have read from those like Larry who blazed these trails before me. I remember at least a couple of instances where someone got an inexperienced support agent at T/C who told them they would have to send their barrel in, but mostly T/C will send the split bolts free like Larry said. They're an easy swap.

I have four barrels with solid bolts, a 22lr, a 256, a 357, and a 44 mag ......all 10" octagon. They work flawlessly on all three of my early frames so there is no need for me to change them. My only other frame is an easy-open stainless that does carbine duty only.

Curtis

Ladobe · « **Reply #12 on:** January 31, 2011, 06:24:09 PM »

Curtis,
I guess it could be said that I have blazed a few trails with TC's since early 1968, quite a few (hundreds). But now days the only way I could get down those trails would be in a wheel chair, and with somebody pushing.

Larry

Curtis · « **Reply #13 on:** February 01, 2011, 10:46:20 AM »

Larry I'm doing my best to live life so that "when" I find myself in the declining years I have memories instead of regrets about opportunities lost. From your many posts it sounds like you did the same. At 50 I'm just now waking up to the fact that there are things I used to do that I'd better not try now. I'm glad you still have an interest in sharing your T/C experience with us. Hopefully I can continue to enjoy this pasttime for some years.

Curtis

billythekid55 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 04, 2011, 06:17:48 PM »

Quote from: Keith L on January 29, 2011, 12:45:23 PM

G2 frames were designed and built to use all Contender barrels. The locking bolts may have to be polished to allow sufficient depth in the frame to allow the G2 to cock. I just had to fit the locking bolts on a used barrel I plan to use in one of my G2 frames. It took about 10 minutes.

Let us know if your barrel works in his frame. If not we can help with polishing directions.

I would be interested in the polishing directions. I have a .357 max that is very hard to open in my frame. Other barrels open fine. It closes and locks up tight. Other barrels open nicely, just this one is really tight.
Thanks in advance
Bill

Keith L · « **Reply #15 on:** February 05, 2011, 12:52:18 AM »

OK guys, lets write it up and I will post the results as a sticky.

How I do it is to start by cleaning bolt and the matching parts on the frame and trying it again. a couple of times that's all it took. If not then I use a black sharpie and color both top and bottom of the lugs, put the barrel back on the frame, and open and close the frame a few times. You will see the wear pattern in the marking. I use a fine stone and hand polish the bolt until the sharpie is cleaned off, re-mark it and try it again. Only on one barrel did I have to do this more than three or four times and the barrel locked up and hammer cocked. The last barrel I got needed a little more, and so I very carefully used a fine stone on a Dremmel and removed a little more. Be really careful with this: it is easy to remove to much.

I am sure one of the others will do a better job of describing this process and I will put it in the stickies.

Dezynco · « **Reply #16 on:** February 05, 2011, 03:16:52 AM »

What Keith L said...only I don't bother with the bottom of the lugs, just the top surface and the sides. I use a diamond grit knife sharpener with a little oil if a hard stone isn't sufficient. I'm a little leary of getting carried away with a dremel tool. Usually a hard stone or some 600 grit sand paper is all it takes, use oil to keep things flowing.

Remove the bolts, polish a little, reinstall the bolts, test. Repeat until it snaps shut and the hammer will cock. Ususall takes about 15 minutes.

Here is an illustration that I did that might help. A picture is worth a thousand words right? All you want is to polish off the ink from the Sharpie. This allows the bolts to slip into the frame and lock up. I've done it half a dozen times.

dave from mesa · « **Reply #17 on:** February 06, 2011, 04:56:36 AM »

Well my cousin found a Contender with a 44mag barrel in Reno (right now he is here in Mesa, AZ for a month). He lives there so it will be able to buy there at a gun shop. The guy told him it was stainless with a blue barrel and a Leupold scope, not sure what power. Figure the scope is worth maybe $300 and the guy wants $600 for the gun. Will have to wait till he gets home to see it in a couple of weeks.
Thanks for all your help

BTW some guy at a gunshop here told him he could buy a contender here I told him no as it is a pistol and he will have to do the Federal paperwork which is not allowed to an out of state person.

ted · « **Reply #18 on:** March 20, 2011, 01:07:12 AM »

I just bought a g2 frame. My 30-30 barrel will not work with it. I called T/C to ask them to send the newer locking bolts and they said they would not do this. that I had to send the barrel in to them so they could replace them with the newer locking bolts. I will try polishing them some first though.
Anyone else try calling T/C lately and ask for the locking bolts? I had read they used to send them.

Keith L · « **Reply #19 on:** March 20, 2011, 04:18:31 AM »

For some time it has depended on who you spoke with if locking bolts were sent to anyone that asked. Do try polishing the bolts prior to sending your Contender to TC.

headblade · « **Reply #20 on:** August 12, 2011, 09:57:23 AM »

Have any of you noticed two different types of split locking bolts? I seem to have an older 10mm auto barrel that has split locking bolts that also contain the bar that holds them together to only allow front and back sliding movement between them both. And my new recently purchased 14" 44 mag barrel has split locking bolts and each piece appears to have a nipple on the side but can move front, back, and sideways independent of each other.

Lanny · « **Reply #21 on:** September 21, 2011, 06:47:08 AM »

One more thing... The older barrels with the target saddle sight will not fit on the G2 frame....
The boss on the frame is in the way......You`ll see if you try it.....Don`t ask how I know..

6.5Jeffrey · « **Reply #22 on:** January 01, 2012, 11:43:07 AM »

recently switched a 30-30imp MGM barrel from a Contender frame to a G2 frame went from 1" and no functioning issues to 5-6inch and occassionally will not lock up AT ALL!?
this a locking lug issue?

jmohme · « **Reply #23 on:** January 17, 2012, 05:24:09 AM »

A little reversal here.
I have an opportunity to buy a couple of older contenders, not G2's. Can current G2 barrels be fitted to old Contender frames, or am I better off passing on these and putting my dollars towards a new Contender?

Keith L · « **Reply #24 on:** January 17, 2012, 01:31:40 PM »

I have both kind of frames and both kind of barrels and have no trouble switching back and forth. You may have to polish lugs once in a while, but that isn't a bad job.

TNBilly · « **Reply #25 on:** January 18, 2012, 02:46:42 PM »

Quote from: 6.5Jeffrey on January 01, 2012, 11:43:07 AM

recently switched a 30-30imp MGM barrel from a Contender frame to a G2 frame went from 1" and no functioning issues to 5-6inch and occassionally will not lock up AT ALL!?
this a locking lug issue?

Yes, could well be. It could also be a headspace issue. From what I've seen the MGM barrels are wonderfully accurate, usually, but have these little "fit" problems along. Not hard to fix, you'll just have to do some measuring and figure out what's going on.

rosewood · « **Reply #26 on:** July 27, 2012, 01:19:02 AM »

Quote from: 6.5Jeffrey on January 01, 2012, 11:43:07 AM

recently switched a 30-30imp MGM barrel from a Contender frame to a G2 frame went from 1" and no functioning issues to 5-6inch and occassionally will not lock up AT ALL!?
this a locking lug issue?

Here is what I found, have a contender and G2, the bbl on the contender was a 35rem and the bbl I got for the G2 was a newer 7-30 bbl. The locking lugs on the 35 bbl would not lock up on the G2. The 7-30 bbl would work on the contender but would occassionaly hang up. I swapped the lugs from the 35 to 7-30 and visa versa, and as long as the correct lugs are used on the frame, they work perfectly. May be a bit of a pain swapping them back and forth, but nothing a hammer and punch can't handle, but if you contact TC or MGM, they may send you a new set of lugs (or bolts as they call them). I am sure polishing and fitting would take care of the problem, but then you have changed the lugs to where they may not fit back on what you took them off of.

wheeldoc1 · « **Reply #27 on:** December 02, 2012, 09:14:26 AM »

Thank you for the input, I have 2 frames a late 1981 and a late 1982. The 1981 frame has issues with unlocking, while the 1982 frame works with all 3 of my barrels [357 mag., 30-30 winchester, and 44 mag]. All 3 barrels have one piece bolts. Thanls again I will look into this as a cause.