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Thompson/Center Arms, Rochester, NH, USA. Thompson/Center was founded in 1966 by Kenneth Thompson and Warren Center. Center had developed a design for a single-shot pistol, and Thompson had the manufacturing capabilities to make the pistol and together seem to have formed an excellent partnership. They developed one model, the Contender, and for many years it was the only thing that the company made. It was a single shot pistol with an external hammer and the ability to inter-change barrels and calibres rather quickly. By changing the barrels the shooter can have at his option almost any calibre in the world that will not break his arm through recoil, and even a few that will come close to it. Always changing with the times, Thompson/Center has brought out a wide range of calibres, both factory and wildcat, in order to gauge the public’s mood and desires and sometimes to even shape it. It has been available in various barrel lengths. The 10” and 14” are still available. The 8.75” is now discontinued. The standard barrel styles currently available are: tapered octagon, bull barrel, vent rib tapered barrel, or 14” target barrel. Thompson/Center also developed cartridges known as “hot-shots” in which a plastic shot capsule is used in calibres .357- or .44 Magnum, and in both of those calibres, a detachable choke can be supplied for the end of the barrel. In .44 Magnum this gives the shooter the ability of essentially having the equivalent of a .410 gauge shotgun in the form of a pistol. These shot capsules have proved their use on snakes very times over. Since the gun is so versatile, it is not unusual that in the mid 1970s custom stock and barrel makers began making long barrels and rifle stocks for it, but it is very important to remember that according to US law, possessing a rifle stock and short barrel for this pistol would make it illegal unless registered. The Thompson/Center Contender is a single shot pistol with an external hammer. The pistol can easily be converted to either rim-fire or centre-fire calibres by merely flicking a switch. To open the action, all that is required is to pull back on the trigger-guard, unlocking the rear of the barrel allowing it to tip forward. To change barrels, have the pistol in the locked position and remove the fore end. Then unlock the barrel, swing it forward and lifting it off the frame. The new barrel may then be installed. When changing the style of barrel it may be necessary to change the style of fore end used so that the internal inletting of the fore end may match the bottom of the barrel. (Ref. ‘Price guide for collector handguns’ by R H Balderson, ‘Pistols of the world’ by Hogg and Weeks p239)

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