T/C contender barrel length

[MTAire]

I recently purchased a G2 TC contender in 12" 22LR and I want to get a new 223 barrel.

I also purchased a pistol sized hardcase that can accommodate the contender. I thought it would be able to handle a 14" barrel too, but it looks like it's not big enough.

I'm not really keen on putting the contender into a rifle sized case but I'm also not thrilled at buying a new pistol sized case either... I'm not even sure there's one that would fit the contender.

Anyway, people shoot 223 out of 10" and also 14".

Am I getting a marriage of difficult to handle and inaccurate if I get a 12" barrel? I.e. does this get the worst of both worlds, or is 12" pretty good?

Anyway, some thoughts from contender owners would be appreciated.

['ol shooter]

I have a zippered soft case made specifically for Contenders for mine that can carry the Contender with a 14" barrel in the center, with two side zippered pockets for extra barrels. They are all big enough to hold a scoped barrel. All my barrels are 14", the .223 is a T/C. If you want a shorter barrel, I would consider getting an MGM. I have one in .357 Max, and it is a high quality product.

[JTROKS]

I have a 14" bull barrel in 223 Rem and it's loud even without the muzzle brake. It is accurate and very fun to shoot with a bipod. I also have a 21" bull barrel with Tamer muzzle brake in 223 Rem. I brought those 2 barrels to shoot pdogs in AZ. I reserve the 22-250 and 270 Win for the longer shots. I used a case for an over under hard case. With one frame I can fit the pistol configured TC Contender with the 21" barrel and stock inside the case.

[MTAire]

That's a good idea actually. Now that I think about it I can fit a detached 14" barrel in the case with it, so I don't have to settle for 12". These barrels change out quickly so it's not a big deal.

But now I'm wondering. I want to keep the pistol enclosed for transportation legal purposes because I don't have a trunk. Is it legal to transport barrels without enclosing and locking them?

If so, what does it take for a device to be classified as a pistol? Can people lock up their contender frames in a small pistol case and carry their barrels loosely?

Also, do you guys recommend MGM or bullberry over the t/c factory barrels?

[pacrat]

The only part of a TC Contender/Encore that is a "firearm" is the frame. So it must be locked in a fully enclosed container during vehicle transport. Because every good leftist demrat politician knows that they are the weapon of choice for gang bangers to do drive byes with.

You can legally let your barrels roll around on the floor of your car if you are so inclined.

[JTROKS]

This is very similar to what I had.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1768629283/plano-gun-guard-all-weather-tactical-series-rifle-case-polymer-black

There's enough room in there for a fully assembled TC , 2-3 extra pistol barrels, a stock, bipod and a chihuahua.

[Garand1911]

Get a rifle case to carry all the barrels your gonna buy for the TC.

I like TCs but been having bad luck with them lately.

[MTAire]

Well at least the legislature condescended enough to let us buy them without extorting TC to spend money to prove they won't fire when shaken violently or thrown at a wall or something.
I have a rifle case but I'm going just to stop at two barrels. I'm probably just kidding myself though.
What bad luck with TCs have you been having?

[JTROKS]

Stopping at 2 barrels is hard to do. My original plan was 3 barrels for I was into varmint shooting back then. I had 223 Rem in 14" and 21" bull barrels. Then a 16.5" 7-30 Waters for big game. Then 16.5" 45-70 for bigger game. Then I couldn't resist a trade offer for more barrels. So far I've been lucky in getting accurate barrels.

[dfletcher]

I recently purchased a G2 TC contender in 12" 22LR and I want to get a new 223 barrel.

I also purchased a pistol sized hardcase that can accommodate the contender. I thought it would be able to handle a 14" barrel too, but it looks like it's not big enough.

I'm not really keen on putting the contender into a rifle sized case but I'm also not thrilled at buying a new pistol sized case either... I'm not even sure there's one that would fit the contender.

Anyway, people shoot 223 out of 10" and also 14".

Am I getting a marriage of difficult to handle and inaccurate if I get a 12" barrel? I.e. does this get the worst of both worlds, or is 12" pretty good?

Anyway, some thoughts from contender owners would be appreciated.

Boyts or Allen makes a case that will allow you to carry a 14" scoped pistol in the middle and a 14" scoped barrel on each side. Inexpensive and heavily padded.

In a discussion of 10", 12" or 14" in 223 barrel profile is probably more important than length regarding how pleasant each is to shoot. But obviously a liitle more length of the same profile helps. I'd start off with a standard 14" heavy barrel. You won't get "inaccurate" from any of them based on length. A 14" barrel tends to use the most common forend types and screw spacing.

Regarding "difficult to handle" it's only a 223. Handling recoil on the T/C is different than other handguns and there isn't a "45/70 is brutal out of a rifle, it must be killer out of a pistol ..." comparison. I've found a good deal of "limp wristing" works best for me. So long as you don't lose control of the gun or allow yourself to get knocked in the head, by the gun or scope, just roll with it. I have 405 Win, 45/70, 375 H & H, 8mm Mauser and 308 pistol barrels and for the most part give just a bit of resistance but otherwise let them lift. Bullet weight makes a difference too. In a 15" 350 Rem Mag 110 grain pistol bullets @ 3,000 fps are a breeze. 250 grains, not so much. A good brake doesn't hurt either, unless you happen to be at the bench next to me.

BTW, MGM is a great company to deal with. Excellent products & customer service.

[JTROKS]

My 16.5" 45/70 with Tamer is brutal with 405 grn hardcast. In pistol configuration I usually keep a 6-9" Harris bipod mounted on the forearm to slow down rearward travel of the gun. It bends the heck out of the screw with less than 10 rounds.

[dfletcher]

My 16.5" 45/70 with Tamer is brutal with 405 grn hardcast. In pistol configuration I usually keep a 6-9" Harris bipod mounted on the forearm to slow down rearward travel of the gun. It bends the heck out of the screw with less than 10 rounds.

T/C used to offer, maybe still do, a 12" barrel which included a brake. Between the brake and the cartridge length I think it had about 9" of usable barrel. The load I used from was the Hodgden magazine, over 50 grains of H4198 and a 300 JHP supposedly doing 2,100 fps. Even though I used the Pachmayer rubber backed grip it was just too much of a bear to shoot so I went to the 14". It's the only set up I just said "screw it" on.

BTW, with a little work the Pachmayer grip can be accommodated to the G2 frame. A little hogging out of the interior, Acraglass and some fitting and it looks factory original to the gun.

[JTROKS]

T/C used to offer, maybe still do, a 12" barrel which included a brake. Between the brake and the cartridge length I think it had about 9" of usable barrel. The load I used from was the Hodgden magazine, over 50 grains of H4198 and a 300 JHP supposedly doing 2,100 fps. Even though I used the Pachmayer rubber backed grip it was just too much of a bear to shoot so I went to the 14". It's the only set up I just said "screw it" on.

BTW, with a little work the Pachmayer grip can be accommodated to the G2 frame. A little hogging out of the interior, Acraglass and some fitting and it looks factory original to the gun.

Great job on making the Pachmayr grips work. I can only imagine how brutal a 12" 45/70 barrel can be on both ends. Shooting 300 grain Winchester factory ammo with my setup was very enjoyable. My groups gave me confidence of hitting game where it counts up to 150 yards using 2 MOA red dot sight. My 405 grain handloads were a handful, but sure is exhilarating to shoot. A friend of mine didn't want any of it for he thought the gun recoiled so far back that it would hit my head.