Thompson/Center Contender
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 254 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.45 kg
- Introduced
- 1967
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Thompson/Center Contender is a single-shot, break-action pistol introduced in 1967 and designed by Warren Center. It uses an exposed hammer with two frame-mounted firing pins (selected by a hammer-mounted switch) so the same frame can fire both rimfire and centerfire barrels. Its defining feature is a modular interchangeable-barrel system: barrels ranging from roughly 8.5 to 16 inches in dozens of chamberings, from .22 Long Rifle and .223 Remington to .45 Colt/.410, drop onto a single frame, making it one of the most versatile target and handgun-hunting pistols ever produced.
Warren Center developed the action in his basement before partnering with the K.W. Thompson Tool Company, giving rise to Thompson/Center Arms. The Contender became a favorite of metallic silhouette competitors and handgun hunters thanks to its rifle-like accuracy and the ability to swap calibers in seconds with a single takedown pin.
More than 60 production chamberings were offered over the Contender's life. The original (G1) Contender was replaced by the redesigned G2 Contender in 1998; G1 production ceased around 2000. A .223 Remington barrel makes it a capable varmint and small-game hunting handgun.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Thompson/Center Arms
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1967 to 2000
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 254 mm
- Overall length
- 375 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.45 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Break action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Trigger pull
- 21.0 N
- Capacity
- 1
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 870 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1350 J
- Effective range
- 200 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Interchangeable barrels
Top break action
Dual firing pins
Adjustable trigger
Adjustable sights
Exposed hammer
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,909 pistols | 1.45 kg | 794 g | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 375 mm | 196 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 254 mm | 102 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 1 | 8 | Among the smallest capacities |
Answers
Questions about the Thompson/Center Contender
How much does the Thompson/Center Contender weigh?
The Thompson/Center Contender weighs 1.45 kg (3.20 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Thompson/Center Contender?
The Thompson/Center Contender is chambered in .223 Remington.
How many rounds does the Thompson/Center Contender hold?
The Thompson/Center Contender holds 1 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Thompson/Center Contender?
The Thompson/Center Contender is 375 mm (14.8 in) long overall, with a 254 mm (10.00 in) barrel.
Who makes the Thompson/Center Contender?
The Thompson/Center Contender is made by Thompson/Center Arms (United States). It was designed by Warren Center.
When was the Thompson/Center Contender introduced?
The Thompson/Center Contender was introduced in 1967 and discontinued in 2000.
How does the Thompson/Center Contender operate?
The Thompson/Center Contender uses a break action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Civilian sport shooters and handgun hunters
- 1967
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/thompson-center-contender' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "thompson-center-contender", "name": "Thompson/Center Contender", "manufacturer": { "id": "thompson-center", "name": "Thompson/Center Arms", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1965, "website": "https://www.tcarms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "updatedAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "version": "6e03ad2e55da23af676557757c032bd5ff2842b9ed2b76c069e94a6704976dc8" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1967, "barrel_length_mm": 254, "weight_empty_g": 1450, "action_type": "break_action"}