I picked up an encore pistol earlier this year and am debating dabbling with the rifle barrels. I've checked Ed's t/c's and e-bay, and was wondering if there are any good sources of used tubes.

Actually, I've bought most of my Encore & Contender barrels on eBay. I'm only telling you this since I really don't need any more. In addition, most of them weren't used. You could also try gunbroker.com though I think the good deals are a bit harder to come by there.

One thing to do is to make sure you know the market and what barrels are worth. I've seen barrels go on eBay for as much or more than one would pay for a new barrel from Midway, etc. if one took advantage of the occasional Midway bargains.

Try Natchez shooters supply They are new and prices are great ! personally I wouldn't want a used barrel ! I had a new out of box from T.C that was not stressed relieved , it walked shots high and right ,five shots over 12", Get a new barrel so you have a guarantee !

I prefer new barrels but T/C stands behind their barrels even if bought on eBay. I recently sent them one purchased on eBay with a similar problem of shooting high on the first shot. I paid for shipping to T/C and they fixed and returned it at no charge.

A "rifle barrel" over 15" on a Thompson Contender must be used with a shoulder stock to be legal.

A "pistol barrel" under 16" on a Thompson Contender must be used with a handgun stock.

Them's the federal regs. Otherwise you're working in the "sawed off shotgun" area of firearm violation. If the barrel is over 15", the OAL of the firearm must be 26" -- AND the bbl. must be at least 16" in a rifle, and 18" in a shotgun.

Grumulkin ! Glade you had T/C Guarantee help an got satisfaction ! Couple years back I had new out of box from Gander Mountain a .50 Encore + .280 Rem The .280 was perfect, The .50 was improperly stress relieved every shot walked average 1.0 inch direction 1 oclock from center of target , I returned it to Gander , they sent it back 3 or 4 months later it came back with letter that there was nothing wrong with it , I then looked threw the barrel and saw the broken shadow in barrel and would not accept it ! Their gunsmith at Gander didn't know how to see s shadow in rifling and understand that this was a bad barrel ! The manager got 4 barrels from the stock area and gave me my pick , I found only one other that was not stress relieved properly , Manager was a very congenial person . I shot the new barrel and took target back to show them at Gander how a good barrel was compared to a bad one , as for Thompson Center Never again !

A TC pistol can have any length barrel they make.

A rifle stock on the same action MUST have a barrel 16" or longer.

quote:

Originally posted by DFC:
A TC pistol can have any length barrel they make.

A rifle stock on the same action MUST have a barrel 16" or longer.

NOPE -- Pistol grip stock must use a bbl. 15" or shorter. That's a federal firearms reg for any gun. If the bbl. is over 16" the gun OAL must be 26" except in a shotgun bbl, which must be 18".

Law applies to Contenders, which is why they came out with a shoulder stock.

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Here are the summaries and citations:

Rifle/Carbine Title I firearms: 16 inch minimum length barrel as measured from the end of the barrel or permanently attached accessory, to the bolt face and a minimum overall length (OAL) of 26 inches with the permanently attached stock extended. For a semi-auto UZI with a metal folding stock, that means the OAL is measured with the stock open. It can also have a permanently attached wood stock. If it has a quick-detach wood stock, it must meet the OAL requirement with the stock off. Note that some states are more restrictive then these federal regulations.

Short Barreled Rifle (SBR): ref. GCA of 1968 Title I, Chapter 44,921 (7), (8) Any rifle or Carbine having a barrel less than 16 inches long and an overall length less than 26 inches with the permanently attached stock, extended. $200.00 Transfer Tax.

Any Other Weapon (AOW): ref NFA, Title II, sec 5845 (e). Firearms with a rifled barrel length less than 16 inches or less than 18 inches shotgun, without a buttstock. This classification allows the use of a vertical forward grip but prohibits the installation of a buttstock. $5.00 Transfer Tax.

Pistol (Title I): Barrel length 16 inches or less without a buttstock. The pistol must have been originally assembled as a pistol and not a conversion of a rifle or carbine. A Pistol cannot have a vertical foregrip.

The best source for T/C barrels I've found is Ed's, at:
www.edstc.com

The only reliable way to get in touch with Ed is by phone at:
405-879-0879.

I've bought new and used from him, and I have traded barrels with him. He's very fair, and is nice to deal with whether you're buying, selling, or trading.

Grayybeard Outdoors has a dedicated classifieds for TC Encore/Contender items.

Encore/Contender Classifieds

There is a Bullberry 6.5-284 with forend, scope, brass, dies and bullets for sale on ebay. If you are looking for an encore barrel in this caliber, this looks to be a pretty good auction to follow.