Contender

Since its introduction in 1967, the Thompson/Center Arms Contender has grown a popular following as an excellent competition and hunting pistol and rifle. With a break action, single shot design, the firearm is offered in numerous calibers, ranging from the diminutive .22LR to the capable .357 Magnum and even up to the powerful .45-70 Government. Rifle calibers such as .223 Remington and .30-30 Winchester have also been produced. The popularity of the platform stems from the ease in switching out barrels, giving the shooter the ability to quickly change from one cartridge type to another. This is coupled with the fact Contender contained two firing pins, one for centerfire cartridges and another for rimfire cartridges. Among other factors, the opportunity to take scopes and other optics and the ability to turn the Contender into a carbine or rifle only boosted the popularity of the platform. With a stronger action and short, heavy barrels, the Contender is usually far more accurate than revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. Fans of the firearm include world renown competition shooters such as J.D. Jones, and its accuracy and modularity translates well into the world of hunting. In 1998 the Contender’s larger sister, the Encore, would be released, capable of using more powerful rifle calibers. This would be followed in 2003 by G2 Contender, an improvement on the original Contender, incorporating the Encore’s trigger group. Subsequently the Contender has come to be considered one of the most versatile firearms platforms in the world and is still popular today.