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Author Topic: Contender barrel fitting help needed!  (Read 962 times)

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Offline baranjhn

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Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« on: November 13, 2011, 07:48:33 AM »
I just purchased a new to me, non G2 contender. It is an easy open frame with the 3rd variation hammer. I just bought a 10" .38 special octagon barrel, and it won't fit! It feels like it gets jammed into the gun, and the barrel won't release to break open. Am I missing something? My other two barrels go on and off without a problem. I looked at the lugs, and they are slightly different. The barrels that fit, have an "E" stamped on the underneath, and the .38 has a "G". Any help is appreciated.

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Offline giddens1972

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2011, 05:20:25 PM »
If I were you I'd give TC customer service a call.  They've always been good about helping me...1-866-730-1614
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Offline rescue_171

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2011, 06:06:30 PM »
Call T/C Customer service and they will send you a new split lug for the barrel. I am going throught the same thing now. The lugs are on back order but they will send one when they come in.
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Offline baranjhn

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2011, 07:56:07 AM »
I called T/C customer service, and they want me to send the barrel and gun in for repair. I was hoping I that I wouldn't need to do that. >:(
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Offline spinafish

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2011, 12:25:52 PM »
did you ask what the turnaround time would be?  do they cover shipping?
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Offline baranjhn

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2011, 12:55:04 PM »
turn around time was 3 to 5 weeks, and there was no mention of shipping coverage. All in all, I'm not too pleased. The reason I bought this was for ease of barrel changes, but if I have to go through this, I may get out of it.
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Offline Keith L

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #6 on: November 16, 2011, 01:00:20 PM »
look in the stickies on the top of this forum.  Read the thread titled Contender Barrel on a G2 frame.  It describes the process of fitting the locking bolts properly.  If after reading this you still feel that it is to much to do then you should get out of the Contender world.
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Offline rdlange

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2011, 01:58:33 PM »
I got the same problem with an early hotshot barrel... one piece locking lug.  Thought it would work on an early frame.  NO... now it's stuck on that one.  So I guess I gotta take out the trigger group, and then stone the lug.  OK...

I did call TCA and they said they'd send me free, a set of split lugs, having told them what barrel I had.  That was 2 weeks ago.  Maybe they'll get here for CHRISTmas.

Be well...
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Offline baranjhn

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2011, 03:58:42 AM »
Quote from: Keith L on November 16, 2011, 01:00:20 PM
look in the stickies on the top of this forum.  Read the thread titled Contender Barrel on a G2 frame.  It describes the process of fitting the locking bolts properly.  If after reading this you still feel that it is to much to do then you should get out of the Contender world.

I didn't look at the sticky for the G2, because it's not a G2 farme, it's the last generation. However, after you mentioned it, I did, and polished up the bolt myself. Now it work fine. What I meant about getting out of the Contenders, was because of the customer service issue. I didn't want to send my gun every time I had an issue with it. Prior to S&W taking over, T/C would have sent me a new bolt.
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Offline rdlange

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2011, 04:21:53 AM »
Took mine apart and got the barrel off uncomplicated.   But...
 
The two vertical ears on the trigger guard that push the locking lugs forward are badly worn where they contact the lugs, and the two points on the trigger guard beside the sear are also gouged where they contact the frame when pushed up.  And the frame where the lug slides back under had the metal curled up in a burr from use.
 
Looks like maybe this action is used up and the trigger guard needs replacement and/or conversion to easy open.
 
I did polish the lugs but still not opening without dissembly because the locking lug is not being pushed forward far enough. Note that TCA has already said they'll send me replacement two piece lugs.
 
It's an old frame so I'll be checking on how to send it back to TCA and let you know what happens.
 
Good sticky and link to trigger work was helpful if I had a newer frame.
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Offline Dwayne TX

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Re: Contender barrel fitting help needed!
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2012, 03:42:49 PM »
Did you ever find anything out?  I talked to TC's customer service this morning about doing an easy open conversion on an old frame I just bought and was told now that the custom shop is closed, all that stuff is handled from the S&W Performance Center.  He said the $55 conversion TC used to offer is no more.  Basically you send the frame to S&W and they quote you what it would cost to do the conversion.  He threw out $230 as an amount he's heard.  Some of the comments he made seemed like he didn't care for S&W too much. 
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