Trying to save a T/C contender 221 Rem. & need Ideas

[ACES&8S]

Got this T/C Contender 221 Rem barrel & fore stock from my son. He got it from a guy
who had lost it for a long time. Looks like it was lost underground instead of in a basement.
I have 5 T/C Encore receivers & several pistol barrels which is why I got this to keep, but
as you can tell from the condition it will never be perfect on the outside again but the bore,
chamber, & moving parts are ok after cleaning & buffing, tumbling, & bluing.
Like I say, the bore & chamber appear perfect. It is a 10" barrel.
I don't have a Contender receiver & wonder if it will be worth buying one in order to
use this caliber which I am not familiar with? Anyone have experience with this caliber?
I have heard of the 221 Rem but why is it associated with the Fireball pistol.
I am familiar with 8" T/C Encore my pistol in 7mm08 caliber shooting well but not this
caliber of course.
I reload everything & wonder if it is worth the trouble?
I have finished all except bluing the rear sight & my wife will do the fore stock.
Any thoughts?

 

[troy fairweather]

great round, looks like it cleaned up nice. nice looking barrel to, any idea of the round count.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

I believe Remington introduced the cartridge in the xp100 bolt action pistol. I guessing sometime in the 1970's but possibly the early 1980's. that's about the time I became aware of it.

it was a unique pistol at the time. there was somewhat of explosion of interest in handgun hunting at the time.

you have done a very nice job of saving that barrel!.

if you do want to buy a receiver, you mite think about waiting to refinish the forestock and do the grip at the same time so everything matches up.

 

[ACES&8S]

great round, looks like it cleaned up nice. nice looking barrel to, any idea of the round count.

The best I understand the fellow bought a box of ammo for it & it cost to much for him at the time to keep buying for it.
The barrel was a gift & after a time it was misplaced, so not being a gun person he didn't care about it. No idea of the
time period but since it was new then I just need to find out when T/C began making them & stopped, the last production
will be the farthest date possible. I talk to T/C reps often maybe they can give me an idea of that date.
I got four of the original bullets with it, the box fell apart.
They are similar to .223 & shoot the same bullet which I load a lot but I don't see me getting into another bullet to load.
I don't know anyone with a Contender frame to try it with.
Do they even make this round anymore?

 

[troy fairweather]

The best I understand the fellow bought a box of ammo for it & it cost to much for him at the time to keep buying for it.
The barrel was a gift & after a time it was misplaced, so not being a gun person he didn't care about it. No idea of the
time period but since it was new then I just need to find out when T/C began making them & stopped, the last production
will be the farthest date possible. I talk to T/C reps often maybe they can give me an idea of that date.
I got four of the original bullets with it, the box fell apart.
They are similar to .223 & shoot the same bullet which I load a lot but I don't see me getting into another bullet to load.
I don't know anyone with a Contender frame to try it with.
Do they even make this round anymore?

i know hsm and nosler make ammo, a few make brass. lapua is about 75 cents each, it's easy to make brass to. it's a very accurate round. they were very cool in the xp100s.

 

[ACES&8S]

i know hsm and nosler make ammo, a few make brass. lapua is about 75 cents each, it's easy to make brass to. it's a very accurate round. they were very cool in the xp100s.

I have an Encore in 223 with the standard 15" barrel which is super accurate, but to invest in a contender
receiver with hope this caliber is as good as my other short barrels in a gamble.
Like I said I would love to have a friend with a contender receiver, maybe someone has one squirreled away.
& believe me when I say I really reload a lot of calibers already even after I cut down on the crazy calibers
a year ago. When I get started on one I won't quit till I have conquered it.

 

[troy fairweather]

I have an Encore in 223 with the standard 15" barrel which is super accurate, but to invest in a contender
receiver with hope this caliber is as good as my other short barrels in a gamble.
Like I said I would love to have a friend with a contender receiver, maybe someone has one squirreled away.
& believe me when I say I really reload a lot of calibers already even after I cut down on the crazy calibers
a year ago. When I get started on one I won't quit till I have conquered it.

maybe you can send it to someone on here to shoot and see how it does. you could ream it out or just sell it.

 

[Saleen322]

The 221 Fireball was developed by Remington based off a shortened 222 for the XP-100 pistol that was first sold around 1963. It has a good reputation for accuracy. When TC came out with the contender, the 221 was one of the early offerings as it was designed to work in a short barrel. The barrel you have is an early contender that you can tell by the non-screw on front sight, the early rear sight, and barrel shape. The 221 is an accurate and desirable barrel. Congrats on the find.

 

[BigBlue 94]

I picked one up recently myself, though it's nearly NIB. The 221 fireball is as said a shortened 222, and was done to allow a higher percentage of the powder to burn in a 10" barrel. It has less recoil and bang than a 222 or 223.

Is the locking plunger on the barrel a one piece or a split piece? Octagonal barrels are more rare than the round, as are the forearms.

 

[WestKentucky]

Worth it to buy a frame??? That’s a judgement call you have to make. If you like your encore then probably worth it if you plan to shoot other calibers in a contender. Just look on eBay at the plethora of barrels in the $200 range and see if you want to dump $400 into a receiver and then start buying other barrels.

I personally would want to cut it to .223 or get an insert for 22lr but I’m certainly not the majority on that. Your other option is to flip it and put the money towards something else.

 

[BigBlue 94]

No! Dont rechamber it!

Contenders are fun because they dont have the heavy recoil that the encore (or savage stryker) has. They can also fire rimfire cartridges. The point of a contender for me is to be able to shoot lots of calibers. And since its single shot, you wont go through mountains of munitions.

I have ten contender barrels, and one frame. 22mag, 22 hornet, 221, 222, 223, 30-30, 30 herret (10 and 14"), 357 herret, &44 mag.

When I picked up the 221, I should have bundled it with a 25-35 win barrel too. But I didn't.

 

[ACES&8S]

The 221 Fireball was developed by Remington based off a shortened 222 for the XP-100 pistol that was first sold around 1963. It has a good reputation for accuracy. When TC came out with the contender, the 221 was one of the early offerings as it was designed to work in a short barrel. The barrel you have is an early contender that you can tell by the non-screw on front sight, the early rear sight, and barrel shape. The 221 is an accurate and desirable barrel. Congrats on the find.

I figured it is a 1'st issue barrel or I should say a first try by T/C in a short barrel, like you said the front sight with no screw is a hint.
A modular weapon today is all in on parts for sell.
I don't know what is about short barrels for me, but I have a very hard time getting on a moving
target with them compared to the 15" barrels, & then there is the scope I use. I have 3 mfg:
of scopes right now on my single shot pistols & I bet if I went thru them I could find one that
would help with the short 7mm08 barrel I have. It came with an Tasco scope on it which I
was about to junk until I shot it & it held on target even after moving it to center, I would have
bet a paycheck it would breakdown with maximum power in an 8" barrel. I am impressed enough
to keep it on there but like I said hard to keep on moving targets like groundhogs & turkeys because
it blacks out easy at arms length.

 

[ACES&8S]

I picked one up recently myself, though it's nearly NIB. The 221 fireball is as said a shortened 222, and was done to allow a higher percentage of the powder to burn in a 10" barrel. It has less recoil and bang than a 222 or 223.

Is the locking plunger on the barrel a one piece or a split piece? Octagonal barrels are more rare than the round, as are the forearms.

Is this the part you asked about?
This was before I cleaned them up.
I would call that 2 piece.
They cleaned up good.

 

[ACES&8S]

No! Dont rechamber it!

Contenders are fun because they dont have the heavy recoil that the encore (or savage stryker) has. They can also fire rimfire cartridges. The point of a contender for me is to be able to shoot lots of calibers. And since its single shot, you wont go through mountains of munitions.

I have ten contender barrels, and one frame. 22mag, 22 hornet, 221, 222, 223, 30-30, 30 herret (10 and 14"), 357 herret, &44 mag.

When I picked up the 221, I should have bundled it with a 25-35 win barrel too. But I didn't.

I remember when the 30 herret cam out there was a few fellows got them at work & that's all you could
hear was reloading the herret, I always thought they were saying Herta.
None of the Contenders remain in that bunch now, all Encore.
I was shooting the S&W 29 & Ruger Blackhawk at 100 yards with them then, learned quick it is hard
to beat a single shot.

 

[BigBlue 94]

Is this the part you asked about?
This was before I cleaned them up.
I would call that 2 piece.
They cleaned up good.

View attachment 826705

Yep that's a two-piece. With that, you can mount it on any contender g1 frame. It allows easier opening. Mine came with the earlier one piece, and wont break open without disassembling the pistol. I need to order one of those as a retrofit. Yours was most likely converted from one to two piece, as most octagonal barrels are older models.

 

[ACES&8S]

Yep that's a two-piece. With that, you can mount it on any contender g1 frame. It allows easier opening. Mine came with the earlier one piece, and wont break open without disassembling the pistol. I need to order one of those as a retrofit. Yours was most likely converted from one to two piece, as most octagonal barrels are older models.

A question, since you seem to know about the Contender business, what do I look for in replacement parts & receiver for this barrel?
Before I cleaned up the parts enough & tested them to make sure they will work, I was expecting springs to be bad but all ok, I looked
for the parts & come to find out the G1 you mentioned sounds to me like a second generation of this barrel or is this a G1???
I still haven't settled for keeping it, however, I do want to know my options & how to name it. If it isn't a G1 what is it?
That is one reason I like Encore stuff, they are just a cut down rifle, which I have several of as well. I actually was looking for a rear
sight to set on a new Encore 45/70 I this past year, was looking at lots of after market sights when I looked into an old rear sight
from an Encore .223 pistol which is scoped now. The sight is perfect for my old eyes, the original 45/70 rear sight sucked, it was
the buck horn type like a 30/30 leaver action would have which I can't get a visual grip on.

 

[BigBlue 94]

Ill start by saying I'm not a pro at the TCC, but have done some research lately. There are two contender frames. Actually three. The first and second are G1. About the only difference is the seconds are engraved on both sides of the frame with the puma. Firsts are smooth I believe. All octagon barrels are older models, fitting the G1 frame. The G2 frame is what's currently being made and breaks open very easy. However, the trigger is not as good as the G1s. G1 and G2 barrels are not directly interchangeable as far as I know. One may fit the other but not the other way around.

Your barrel has an angled lug and the split plunger meaning it was made for the second G1, which is way more common than the original G1 and easier to open. It's possible that your barrel was either modified with the split plunger or sent back to TC for that same mod.

G1 frames have I believe 4 different hammer mechanisms based on year made. This mech is for switching between centerfire and rimfire. None are really any worse than the others. Mine has a small rotary switch on the hammer itself.

I paid 35 bucks just for that same exact forearm you have there and 225 for the barrel.

The only real difference between encore and contender is the encore is a bigger frame capable of handling the full power rifle rounds. The contender is smaller, and the factory never chambered it in full power rounds. The biggest factory chamberings were 30-30, 7-30 waters, 357 herret, and 45-70. There are some 45/410 barrels out there. Being smaller lends itself to being easier packed and more maneuverable. Third party companies have since chambered the contender in over 200 calibers.

Also be aware that contenders come in both rifle and pistol configurations. If it's registered as a rifle, you must keep it that way, or it becomes an SBR. But if its registered as a pistol, you can add a rifle length barrel and buttstock, then change back to pistol. The TC factory buttstocks are fairly rare and expensive. I have one packed away, waiting for a rifle length barrel to come along. If you possess a buttstock and pistol, but no rifle barrel, you are in constructive possession of an SBR. I'm storing my stock in a seperate locale to negate this.

I have 3 different target style pistols. The contender, a savage Stryker in 22-250 (holy hand cannon batman) and a savage "Stryker like" 22 mag. Both savages are left hand bolt action, right hand eject. Handy, but not as much as a contender imo. The 22-250 is now a legal deer gun in my state but I'd rather take the contender.

TC made some special barrels for 44 mag and 357 mag called hotshots. They also made ammo of the same name that were shotshells. They used an 8" rifled barrel with a 2" screw in "choke" that had straight rifling to stop the shot column from spinning. The hotshot ammo is gone, but CCI makes shotshells still and speer at least used to make reloadable shot capsules. Here's my contender with the 44mag hotshot barrel with extension removed for firing normal bullets.

 

[ACES&8S]

Also be aware that contenders come in both rifle and pistol configurations. If it's registered as a rifle, you must keep it that way, or it becomes an SBR. But if its registered as a pistol, you can add a rifle length barrel and buttstock, then change back to pistol. The TC factory buttstocks are fairly rare and expensive. I have one packed away, waiting for a rifle length barrel to come along. If you possess a buttstock and pistol, but no rifle barrel, you are in constructive possession of an SBR. I'm storing my stock in a seperate locale to negate this.

I wasn't aware of the rifle stock vs no rifle barrel being a violation, but all is well with our stuff. My wife has some Encore stuff as well
& loves her ,308 rifle.
With the story on the barrel being as it is told, it shouldn't be changed in any way = unless whoever bought it for him had it done
before he gave it to him.
All things considered I have enough T/C stuff as it is. Guess I will just fix it up, get a receiver to test it with & sell it.
Even if it shoots good I have a lot of good shooters.
Besides all I would need to get me into Contenders is to buy just one receiver & that would start a flood of = More, more I want more.
Thanks for all the info.

 

[cfullgraf]

The 221 Rem Fireball is a nice cartridge. More velocity/energy/range than 22 Hornet, less recoil and noise than 223 Remington.

The cartridge was originally developed for a 10" barrel and it shines as a hand held varminter.

In 221 Remington Fireball, have a 10" Contender (rechambered 22 Hornet barrel with a 1:16 twist), a 22" Bullberry Contender rifle and a Remington 700. Both rifles shoot sub 1 MOA at 100 yards with the Contender being a bit better.

While the supply of cases can get spotty at time, forming dies are available for 221 Remington Fireball. Fairly simple process as case forming goes but it does have a few steps. It at least that means that cases would always be available.

I bought my forming dies 15 or so years ago when the commercial supply of cases was drying up (pre-Obama era shortages). I made some from both 223 Remington and 222 Remington as a trial in case the supply of cases dried up completely.

Case life is good as well.

 

[BigBlue 94]

You can't own just one! Haha

 

[ACES&8S]

I bought my forming dies 15 or so years ago when the commercial supply of cases was drying up (pre-Obama era shortages). I made some from both 223 Remington and 222 Remington as a trial in case the supply of cases dried up completely.

That Obama era was a boom to the AR & semi auto pistol market, I know first hand how it moved in this area & talking to others
all areas of the market prospered from him & what's her name pushing for bans & such.
I have a 22 Hornet in a CZ rifle which I use on fox & such, it is a little much up close but ok enough to save the fur as long as you stay center.
Any .223 I use is always too much to save fur, I don't know how they save the fur on the tv shows. I guess I need
to download my ammo but that would sacrifice range which is up to 300+ yards here.

 

[ACES&8S]

You can't own just one! Haha

No I can't just own one of any modular firearm. Like what is the next option like?
Believe me I went thru lots of AR varieties just like the market wanted, until I finally realized my 700 Rem Tactical
can launch the same bullets & I am not going to be in any firefights, not any time soon anyhow.
Fortunately thanks to the ban threat I didn't loose any money with the first builds, second, or third.

 

[ACES&8S]

that had straight rifling to stop the shot column from spinning. The hotshot ammo is gone, but CCI makes shotshells still and speer at least used to make reloadable shot capsules. Here's my contender with the 44mag hotshot barrel with extension removed for firing normal bullets.

I forgot to tell you that is a great looking pistol, like on the movie Police Squad, Bordering On Magnificent !

 

[cfullgraf]

Ill start by saying I'm not a pro at the TCC, but have done some research lately. There are two contender frames. Actually three. The first and second are G1. About the only difference is the seconds are engraved on both sides of the frame with the puma. Firsts are smooth I believe. All octagon barrels are older models, fitting the G1 frame. The G2 frame is what's currently being made and breaks open very easy. However, the trigger is not as good as the G1s. G1 and G2 barrels are not directly interchangeable as far as I know. One may fit the other but not the other way around.

Yes, I forget the exact history of the Contender but there is a frame that is not compatible with most of the barrels. If I remember correctly, the current generation frames will accept the same barrels as the first generation barrels. But I have slept a bit since then.

I understand the current Contender frame has a trigger system similar to the Encore, just scaled down for the smaller frame. My early generation frame Contenders, three at this time, with the adjustable triggers are much better than the Encore frame that I have. I was a bit disappointed in the Encore I bought but I have done some tune up things that have improved its performance. With my experience with the Encore, I have no plans to add a current generation Contender. The modular capability of the Contender makes that un-necessary.

I have a couple Bullberry barrels and stocks and have been pleased with their performance and Bullberry's service. I do not have any experience with the other aftermarket Contender barrel makers so I cannot comment on them.

 

[WestKentucky]

ere is a frame that is not compatible with most of the barrels

You may be referencing the plated gun. I think it was called armalloy or something similar. That stuff is not interchangeable. I have never actually seen any of it in real life though and I have had my contender for 10 years or more and have been scrounging for barrels the whole time. Being a cheapskate I have had a total of 4 barrels and 2 of them I flipped. The 44 mag was painful, and the 30 Herrett was too much like a 30-30 for me. Sold it planning to buy 30-30 but never did. I should start looking again.