I put a Christmas scope on my Contender (not Encore or G2) with its .223 barrel, stopped off in some BLM land, loaded up a round, made sure my muffs were solidly settled over my dainty ears, eared back the hammer, settled the crosshairs on a shot up propane tank, and let fly.

Click.

So I flipped the little hammer selector back and forth, checked the round (not a dent) and tried it again, with the same disappointing results.

On closer exam, I could see in the rimfire setting there was a firing pin ready to go, but in the centerfire position there was nothing but a hole. This is on the hammer, not where the hammer strikes. Everything looks ok there.

I got it a couple months ago, and shot it a few times without the scope to make sure it would shoot, so I know it used to go bang. Loudly.

I'd post a picture but I'm doing this from my phone right now and can't til later, but I'm pretty confident there is supposed to be a pin in there.

Does anyone know if those pins are available, how they are supposed to be retained in the hammer, and how difficult it is to replace? There are no good gunsmiths around me, and I'd hate to send it off.

Thanks.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

You might call T/C their customer service used to be second to none

Do you have two firing pins in the frame? If so, when you flip the hammer selector to the center fire side you should see a projection coming from the hammer just below where the one for the rimfire is now. The rimfire projection will be gone. If there is no projection in the centerfire setting you have a broken gun and it needs a gunsmith.
Pecos

Nope, no projection. I figure it must have come loose and fallen out.

If anyone knows how they are retained in there, I'd love to hear it. It looks like I could just remove the one used for the rimfire position if I could get it out and reinstall it in the centerfire hole. I'm never going to get a rimfire barrel for this thing anyway.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I took a close up of mine so you can see what it should look like.
The lighter pin is the rimfire. Top is to the left.

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Corripe Cervisiam

That part is fine on mine. My problem is in the hammer, where the selector lets you choose between centerfire and rimfire. In the rimfire position there is a pin, in the centerfire position there is a hole.

I tried emailing TC customer service (apparently now owned by S&W) and it bounced back. I'll call tomorrow.

I emailed a Contender guru, Mike Bellm, who says I'm SOL. The pins are pressed in place, and the hammer is a factory only replacement, if they even have the parts. I may just try to glue something in there.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Joe, I think his is missing from the hammer.

If I remember correctly wasn't it the second gen that had a middle position on the selector that kept either projection from hitting a firing pin? Been a while since I've worked with those and mine was a 1st gen.

Pecos

Damn Sig, stole my thunder with your reply to Joe.

Here is my hammer. You use a screwdriver to turn it to hit selected pin.
All that lint is from a sock that I keep it in.

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Corripe Cervisiam

When I lost the rimfire pin on my contender TC sent me the replacement parts free of charge. That was a dozen years ago long before the G2 or the S&W buy out. Hopefully S&W will continue TC's outstanding CS and still have parts for a long discontinued model.

At the time I really needed my rimfire pin for a .22 match, so while I waited I just swapped pins.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

Joe, mine is the later one with a lever. It looks like this:



Where this photo shows a pin, mine has a depressing hole:

__________________
“What you got, ain’t new.”

My serial number is 65xxx. I am not sure what year it was made.

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Corripe Cervisiam

If it were my show ... I think I'd go down to a hobby shop that deals in RC airplanes and eye up the music wire for something in the right dia. then do what comes natural like with a dremmel tool and a file.

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it just needs more voltage

It would seem that S&W has taken their usual holiday time off per this thread. So - Now that T/C is owned by S&W they're probably sitting around slamming eggnog too

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In dog years I'm dead.

Call the parts department direct at 1-866-730-1614

The parts list says they are factory installed only - see
http://stevespages.com/ipb-tc-contender.html

Thanks for the diagram - at least now I know that I'm looking for a "hammer nose pin". And it looks like the rimfire one is the exact same part as the centerfire one.

I tried called the parts department - they're closed til next week.

If I can't get one I think I can rig one up.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Note that I post very few whines.

However, that is the dumbest parts list I have ever seen because it is the first time I can recall seeing a NUMBERED parts list that has the parts listed alphabetically!
If you already know the name, you don't need for the diagram to be numbered.
Duhhhhhhh........

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

You said you don't expect to ever get a rimfire barrel. Why not just put the current rimfire "hammer nose pin" in the centerfire location?

That's what I'm going to try first - I'm just not sure how to get it out.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”