Reference a Thompson Contender Super 14 barrel chambered in 357 Maximum. I'm told they were very popular "back in the day"; less so now. I'm also told they are uncommon and even rare; I came up empty on Google search for an original barrel for sale; apparently those that have them are not parting with them. So, appreciate your thoughts on a source and reasonable price. Thanks!

Good luck finding an original TC barrel for that chambering. If you just want a high quality barrel for shooting and don't care about after market than Bullberry Barrel Works is probably the place to go. No cheap but a very nice product.

Bullberry Barrel Works - Contender/G2 Barrels

357 max is an excellent cartridge. go to Mike Bellm Custom TCs, for anything and everything you want to know. I have a TC 357 mag barrel re-chambered by Mike Bellm to 357 Max. Very accurate!! I was so impressed by the round, I hunted down A Dan Wesson in that caliber. Also very accurate.

Thoughts on fair market value for a TC barrel? Thanks...

A ton of good info on that sight. Didn't know about it before. Thanks for the link.

I have a 12" Thompson hunter bbl with the box for 275.00 shipped. The hunter bbl has a muzzle break, shot maybe 35 times. It's for the contender. Larry

They are out there, just takes some searching. I have two Contender frames - one G2 and one Original.

Picked up some 10-inch .357 Maximum barrels over the past few years. Surely there are some 14-inch barrels to be found.

Put a T/C Scope on one of these, zeroed at 50 yards. I use this for deer hunting here in Illinois.

Using a 180-grain Hornady XTP with IMR 4227 = 1450 FPS.

__________________
John

I recently picked up a 10" 357max Contender barrel from an older gentleman who is beginning to divest a lot of his collection, and he gave me about 300 rounds of cases and maybe a couple hundred that were loaded and ready to go.
I paid $175 for it all, but most Contender barrels in good condition go for around $200 these days. Stainless and less common calibers can run more. The .22 Match barrels can run a little more as well.

GB often has a couple hundred TC barrels for sale and you can usually find any caliber you want. Many go unsold at the $200 mark, so if you are patient, you can do ok on pricing.
I just checked now and there are a couple .357 Max TC barrels being offered at this time.
Here's one interesting 357max barrel, interesting because it has a peep sight mounted on it. I just thought it was interesting because of the sight, although I myself wouldn't be interested in owning it (I ONLY buy 10" barrels, period.)
Thompson center arms contender super14 357 Rem max : Pistol Barrels at GunBroker.com
And here's a 10" with no sights: T/C Contender 10' Bull Barrel in 357 Maximum : Pistol Barrels at GunBroker.com

One thing about Contender barrels you see for sale; a LOT of them are being offered without the rear sites because they had been scoped at some point. However, those rear sights are worth at least $30 or more, so whenever I shop for Contender barrels to add to my collection, I NEVER EVEN CONSIDER a used barrel unless it is complete with rear sights.
If you have absolutely no interest in ever shooting non-scoped, then by all means buy a bare barrel. Just know that there are different sights for different barrels so when it comes time to sell the barrel, you would be able to sell it easier if you could re-install the original rear open sight.

I think I've pretty much run out of TC barrels I need since the I have no interest at all in the calibers that I don't have. Now I'm working on making custom display boxes for each of the three Contender frames I have with their respective associated barrels (Stainless, AA, and a Blue).

Bottom line is that if you are patient and wait for the exact configuration you are looking for, it WILL show up eventually. When it does, just be willing to spend a few dollars more for it. Don't let the one that you really want get away from you, and, don't settle for a so-so barrel if it's not what you really want in caliber, length, material, and being complete.
If you are a "collector", then you might hold out for one with a box, but that has never been something I wait for if the barrel looks really good.
At the same time, probably half of the ones I've bought over time did come with original boxes, a nice plus for when I have to start divesting my own collection due to my own age considerations (probably in 5 to 10 years).

LASC has some good info on the 357max and on the 360dw that some prefer to load and shoot .

Buy a 357rem mag barrel and have the chamber cut for the 357max and with the proper forcing cone for your needs .

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_357Max.pdf
Dan Wesson's 360 Revolver Load Data & Range Testing
.357 Rem. Max. Chamber Throats

They are out there, just keep looking. I have found most of my barrels on eBay, some on gun broker. My favorite barrel is a 14 inch 30/30. I also have am very fond of the older tapered octagon barrels, the look so elegant to me.

Theres a shop in Ashville NC , Morrison's guns & ammo that stocks a larger number of T/C barrels .
Might be worth checking with .https://www.facebook.com/pages/Morri...05001899566830