TCA barrel question

[OK hunter]

I have a couple of Contender barrels marked TCA.  Apart from the obvious, Thompson Center Arms, is there a special significance in barrels so marked?

[Grumulkin]

Actually, I don't think TCA stands for Thompson/Center Arms but rather for Thompson Center Association.  I know that on occasion, there have been some special barrels made for that group.

[Ladobe]

Grumulkin is spot on.     
There have been many special run barrels offered to only the TC Assoc members over the years in configurations, barrel lengths, and chambered for cartridges either offered or not offered in standrad production ran barrels at the time.   IMO the most interesting are the octagons from "snubbie" to "buntline" lengths for odd ball or first time offered cartridges or wildcats.    Most if not all TCA barrels are short run with low numbers made, and so are quite collectable to some folks.

[OK hunter]

Thanks for that information guys.  now that you mention it, I remember seeing a TCA barrel selection offered on Ed's Contenders website.  My example is beautifully blued and is in an odd caliber, of sorts...25-20 in a carbine length.  I'm excited to run some rounds through it as a small game gun and a pinker.

[Ladobe]

The 25-20 Win is a great little round for your uses Cliff, and far more accurate on a TC frame than the old lever guns it was developed for.   The one I had way back for my Contender's was a 10", and it was easily good to go for anything up to the coyotes I shot with it.   I never used it for deer or anything larger, but I'd bet a lot of deer and bigger have been shot with the old lever guns though.   I didn't use the 25-20 as much as I should have because I was having just too much fun with a 25-25 Stevens barrel I also had at the time.    Just liked the long and sinuous look I guess even though it wouldn't drive bullets any faster with either black or duplex loads than the 25-20 would, and it was dirtier to clean up after.     But nobody else on the block had one...