Happy 4th! Copying this Newsletter here.

Yesterday was my first encounter with a G2, and I am impressed with it overall. There are a few points of engineering genius that should be tweaked, though, I think.

Good news, as indicated in an earlier Newsletter, is that my custom Encore trigger springs work in the G2. To that I must add that I DID find a slight difference that DID prove to be critical. That is the length of the upper arm of the trigger/sear spring. The factory G2 spring is identical to the factory Encore spring except the upper arm of the G2 spring is about 1/16th inch or so shorter.

Doing the first trigger job on a G2, which anyone that can do an Encore trigger job can also do, things were going well until instead of the trigger pull getting lighter, it was heavier. Sure enough, looking down into the frame I could see the upper end of the trigger/sear spring hitting on the inside of the frame. Pulling the frame back down and excising the offending spring length, presto, I then got a good pull weight, which was on the high side of the 2 1/2 pound range we were after.

So when using my custom springs in the G2, figure on clipping about 1/16" inch off the end with the curve in it.... the upper end of the spring. I gave this spring a bit more bend before shortening it to better assure there would be a smooth surface pushing on the forward side of the sear.

Installing the custom sear/trigger springs is the same as with the Encore. I did not check the width of the G2 sear, but it is possible you may need to shorten the "assembly pin" I supply with the Encore springs. Specially shaped pliers are still the best way to install these springs, and we may have a source of such pliers for sale one of these days..... working on it, still.

Engagement of the hammer's contact surface on the sear notch was quite marginal. Narrowing this forward, lower "nose" of the hammer from the top side allowed it to engage farther into the sear notch and provided a secure engagement that did not push off. The angle of the sear notch was made more horizontal also, again for a more secure engagement that would not allow the hammer to push off like it did when stoned at its original angle.

I took my camera along yesterday with the idea of getting pix for the trigger job CD update, which will include the G2 now that I see there is a direct crossover between it and the Encore, but I quickly realized I needed more time to identify key points and work out which shots I needed to demonstrate trigger jobs on the G2. So the photo session was vetoed until another time.

There are minor differences between the Encore and G2, but they are slight, so like I said, if you have done an Encore trigger job, don't hesitate to dive into a G2. Life is good. We don't have to learn a totally new system!

One thing I found annoying, is having to jockey a thick washer/spacer between the hammer and the inside of the frame. It is a nuisance, but it is far from fatal. Perhaps with further study, I can figure out why it was necessary to use the spacer instead of making the G2 hammer like the Encore's which does not have or need this spacer.

I found the G2 hammer an interesting hybrid of the latest Contender hammer with the selector/safety on top and the Encore hammer.

Growing up in Illinois and sending some of our corn to market on the legs of about 200 hogs per year, we never did find a use for the two rows of mammary glands on the boar pigs, nor have I ever found a need for a safety on a hammer..... other than as a means for TC to defend itself and to protect you from yourself when you don't reset the hammer block inside the frame and leave the hammer of the Contender resting on the firing pin with a live round in the chamber.

Speaking for myself only, I never found the safety on a Contender good for anything except making the gun go "click" when I expected to fire a shot. While I never lost any game to the "click" telegraphed to it, after a few such incidences with forgetting to move the safety/selector lever, I simply stopped using it.

I also have a problem with any mechanism that requires two motions to get a gun into action, in this case, moving the safety hoping you remembered to move it the right way when you don't have time to look down and read the fine print on the hammer, then cocking the hammer.

The Encore mysteriously does not need a safety on the hammer, so why was this boar pig mammary gland left on the G2 hammer?

Another point. While being able to instantly choose between rimfire and centerfire is neat and wonderful, how often is such an instant option needed? It isn't. You have to change barrels anyway, so once a barrel is on, a selection can be made and left alone..... which takes me to another point related to this... hold this thought.

The plug in the face of the breech of the Encore is held in place by a socket head screw positioned ABOVE the firing pin where it is easily accessible even with the hammer installed, so what did the omniscience at TC do.... they went back to the somewhat puny slotted head screw and put it BELOW the firing pin where it is very difficult to get to in precisely "Contender fashion"...... read, virtually impossible to get to, even with an "L" screwdriver, when the hammer is installed. So when the plug loosens, as they do from time to time to create havoc to the shooter, the shooter has no choice but to take the grip or buttstock off so he can remove the hammer pivot pin and remove the hammer to access the screw. In time, I predict this will be something you will love to hate.

Still holding the thought about the rimfire/centerfire selection? If the screw holding the plug in were topside like on the Encore where it could be easily accessed, then an offset firing pin hole (and eccentric plug) and corresponding screw location to secure the plug in the breech face would permit rotating the plug to provide the rimfire capability, and there would be no need for a selector gizmo or safety of any type on the hammer.

In my opinion, there are better places to stuff that selector than on the hammer..... somewhere where it never sees the light of day would be good for a start.

The G2 hammer has the same thin "waist" forward of the hammer spur in the same format as the Encore's hammer. Keeping a hammer extension in place on the spur requires one or more things be done:

1) Use excessive force on the set screw that damages the hammer, the extension, or the threads in the extension, then having to constantly retighten the set screw to keep the extension from sliding forward.

2) Either by force on the set screw or by grinding a notch in the hammer, create a notch for the set screw to seat into so the extension cannot slide forward.

3) Do as I do with my hammer extensions and provide a constriction at the back side of the slot which prevents the hammer spur from slipping through it.

"Num-num" here knew he was forgetting something yesterday when he went to town.... the calipers..... so I did not get measurements from the G2 hammer for making hammer extensions for it, but rest assured I will have extensions for the G2 soon. And they will be aluminum for light weight. Whether the G2 hammers will be prone to breaking with the weight of steel extensions on them or not, I do not know, but I would prefer to err on the safe side and just stick with aluminum.

The smaller size of the G2's grip gives more room between one's knuckles and the back of the trigger guard, which should appeal to many, but for my purposes, I was hoping to find a more vertical grip angle...... a long raking grip angle is not conducive to best shooting in my opinion.

Another engineering point that first looked like an "attaboy" for TC was the 1/4" long trigger overtravel screw. Just about every time I do a Contender trigger job, I question the ancestry of the person who continued all those years to use a nearly useless 3/16" long overtravel screw in Contenders. Pulling the overtravel screw out of the G2 to clean it prior to Loctiting it brought a smile to my face.... TC finally got the idea and put in a longer overtravel screw. GREAT! Then I adjusted it...... well, you know what they say. One "awes_ _ _ " wipes out 250 "attaboys."

When the overtravel screw is set to be an EFFECTIVE overtravel screw there are only a few threads left holding it. It is almost screwed all the way through the hole in the back of the trigger guard. While it may or may not ever move and cause a problem, for reliability the screw should be longer than the 1/4" issue screw length, and I will do some searching to see what is commercially available.

Hinge pin fit with the factory pin was rather loose, as is the norm, and I supplied the owner of the G2 frame with one of my .3752" oversize hinge pins.

So what is the bottom line? Overall, I like the G2 and think it will work out great. There are things that would make it better, but TC never has listened to me directly, if ever, and will not likely start any time soon. However, if enough of you make your views known, who knows..... some of these little things might be changed. I'm not holding my breath though. There are two ways to do things, it seems. The right way and the TC way.

We did not check the pull weight on this frame out of the box, but it was quite heavy.... much heavier than the owner was comfortable with even for hunting. Whether you use my custom Encore trigger/sear springs to do your own trigger job or send it to Bradbury's for me to do it for you, there is no need to be handicapped by a heavy, rough G2 trigger. For the time being, use the existing Encore Trigger Job info on the website and my online store when sending G2 frames to Bradbury's for me to do the trigger job. Everything is the same, including the prices.

Based on this first one only, I think we (both YOU and I) can get as velvet smooth trigger pull on the G2 as we get with the Encore frames.

The long awaited G2 does exist! And it should be a real hit with shooters. I like it, and I think you will, too.

All the best......

Mike

Bellm online store, Newsletter, and forum Home page:

http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php

Mike
Thanks for the report on the G2. Now it's just a matter of them getting produced & out on the market. I was planning on getting one eventually, just wonder how long it will be before they are readily avaialable.
Rich Jake

Mike, Thanks for the info on the G2. I picked up my new frame last week and will try it out next weekend. Once I have tried it out in stock form, I will likely be looking for upgrades like those described in your post. I am in Rochester, NH currently (I live in Dayton, OH) and stopped by the TC custom shop to look around and chat. I feel lucky to have received a frame so soon after its release. The guy at the counter said that they have tens of thousands of backorders for frames. I hope to be posting a positive report on the first trial of my G2 in a week or so.

I was staying true to form and finding faults with the G2, but should have expressed my satisfaction with the apparent strength the long over due gussetting on the sides represents.

And, while folks are usually pretty fond of the Contender's trigger, I find that the Encore's trigger is actually smoother than the Contender's, and this first go around with a G2 trigger job was equally impressive for smoothness.

With the stretching out of tolerance that is always a potential when you push a Contender a bit hard now alleviated, a mechanism that does not leave the hammer resting on the firing pin when one decides not to fire a shot and lowers the hammer on a loaded round, a mechanism that allows cocking the hammer without having to open and close the barrel to reset the striker (as in the Contender), a trigger that is very easy to smooth up, and the compactness of the frame Contender shooters have always been fond of, the G2 should prove to be very popular.

Also, word back from the owner of this frame indicates my Encore hammer extensions fit the G2... so there is some more cross over.

Another plus is the Encore-style coil hammer spring, a good departure from the cap-gun spring used in Contenders.

The innards of both the Encore and the G2 are more substantial than some of the Contender parts.... to name a few, the small stud that holds the interlock, the adequate but rather small striker spring, the sear return spring, and the hammer block spring. The trigger guard return spring screw in the Contender is also a week point.... these tend to strip out from time to time.

In the G2, the only really frail item is the spring that pushes the trigger back.... and I am trying to remember, but I think the interlock has a small spring similar to the Encore's. Other than that, the parts inside are pretty hefty, Encore style.

I feel that for the average individual, the G2 is much, much easier to take apart and put back together again than the Contender is.... with the exception of the screw that holds the firing pin plug in the breechface. Both are somewhat of a pain and more difficult to deal with, though the G2's hammer is much easier to take out and reinstall when accessing this screw.

I've put my request in for a G2 frame for myself. I think it will be a good success. Overall, I like it..... but I may very well Loctite the selector lever on the hammer to centerfire and leave it that way!

All the best,

Mike, aka, THE TC Hairy Tick

Well, i got to try out my new firin iron sooner than expected. I arrived home early today and took my new G2 frame, 10 inch 7mm TCU barrel and two boxes of pre-fireformed ammo to the range. I had never shot a 7mm TCU and had no idea what to expect. Oddly, the recoil seemed less than that of my GP100 6 inch full lug. I figured that the 140 grain bullet over 24.5 grains of 748 would have more recoil, but happily, it didn't. The gun felt a little crunchy in operation, but seemd to get smoother as I shot. The trigger was worse than I had led myself to believe it would be - a bit of creep and heavy. Mike - I will be checking out the trigger upgrade soon. I got the gun to hit the paper after a few exploratory rounds that went way off to the right. After getting used to the gun and sighting it in, I was able to shoot three shot clover leaf shaped groups with no problem at 25 yards. I'll have more time to try it out at 50-100 yards next weekend.