I find it funny that the "authority" on TC's recommends a hinge pin that, according to MANY of the shooters that I've heard from, doesn't really seem to make a difference and in some cases decreases accuracy. I'm not attacking his motives or experience, but I'm always sceptical when the recommended fix for every contender or encore out there happens to be a product that the person making the recommendation is selling. Add that up to the number of people who have tried it and say it doesn't work or causes problems, and you might start to question some things.
MEK, I would say that you need to just take your gun out and shoot it. The pin in my contender removes easily, but it shoots great. I wouldn't worry about it unless you can't get groups like you want them. Sometimes the pin might help, but I wouldn't mess with it unless there is a problem. Contrary to what you might hear, there are a lot of factory barrels that will shoot wonderfully for you.