Minimum barrel length is 16" and you better allow a little for their goofy rulers. If the barrel is threaded you could pin or weld a muzzle device to get the length.

 

Thanks JTJ.

Yeah, I was pretty sure that was the case but I had never needed to truly know the answer before.
I do think it's illogical but I dont think anyone will ever bother fighting that particular battle, nevermind winning it.

 

If it is possible you might consider a pistol brace. I dont know how or if it could attach. I have one on a Charger and it has a short barrel.

 

You know, that's a good thought.
It might make handling a long barreled Contender handgun doable.
My Contender in 35 Remington was an accurate gun but could only be shot well when rested. Theres just too much weight out in front and nothing to counteract it with but the strength of your wrist. The brace would add wrist support and some counterweight.

 

Contender brace

Check out a Choate M4 grip for the Contender. I just bought one and put a KAK brace on it with a Super14 ,22 Match. barrel. Makes a nifty "pistol".

 

That looks pretty good. A buffer tube would screw in to the threads. You could even get a UTG folding mechanism.
https://www.riflestock.com/store/product/thompson-contender-m4-pistol-grip/
https://www.opticsplanet.com/leapers-utg-ak47-side-folding-stock-adaptor.html

 

Contender

The only way you can legally put a rifle stock on a Contender is if it has a 16 inch barrel installed.
It is legal to change it back and forth between a pistol and a rifle , but the 16 inch barrel must be installed before the rifle stock is installed.

I have never seen an arm brace on a Contender , but that doesn't mean they are not made.

You might be able to use a rifle stock with a shorter barrel if you get it taxed as a short barrel rifle , but that is something I don't know much about.
That is a question for the ATF.

 

You might be able to use a rifle stock with a shorter barrel if you get it taxed as a short barrel rifle , but that is something I don't know much about.
That is a question for the ATF.

TC had to go to the Supreme Court over the carbine stocks. Prior to 1985 having a carbine kit (rifle stock) and a barrel shorter than 16" was considered "constructive possession" of a SBR and required a tax stamp.

Since TC won the case just having the parts is no longer a crime. Just make sure the stock/handgrip is first off and last on. Having the gun put together wrong is still a crime (constructive possesion vs actual possesion).

The same applies to AR's but gets a lot more complicated.

 

Why not just Form 1 that rascal into an SBR? Then you can use whatever barrel length you choose with a legit rifle stock. It’s only $200.

 

Have shot Contender/G2 rifles with TC Match 22 LR barrels and, yes, they will keep up with the typical Annie rifle. My G2 rifle with a 23" 22 LR Match barrel goes under half inch at 50 on a regular basis, sometimes as small as quarter inch. Standard, non-match 22 LR barrels, not as likely, as accuracy can vary quite a bit.

 

RimfireGal - do you have any experience with the older high-polish octagon profile .22 barrels?

 

Yes, have had several 22 LR and many other chambering as well. The octagon barrels were some of the nicest finished barrels TC ever made and they are accurate. Makes an octagon barreled Contender a different animal to carry. However, they're much lighter than the round barrels, making them tougher to shoot with accuracy. For sure, they could never compete with the heavier round barrels in silhouette. Note, too, that TC never made an octagon in a match barrel version. By the time TC offered a match barrel 22 LR in the late 80s, they had stopped making octagon barrels, which they actually catalogued as "standard" barrels in the early days, not octagon.

 

Kragman, my simple understanding is that if the original configuration of the T/C receiver was sold and registered as a stocked carbine w/ 16" plus length barrel (, installing a pistol length barrel on it was an invitation to Club Fed. Constructing a pistol from a rifle without a stamp from the Government is illegal.

But if the construction was originally sold as a pistol, then adding a rifle stock and carbine and over length barrel was fine. Pistol to rifle - good. Rifle to pistol - bad.

Why this is such an issue - I have no clue.

The above is my understanding - please read the fine print before cooking. :t

 

J R

My original question was in regards to adding a carbine buttstock to a Contender handgun with a 14" barrel.

The firearm would then have a barrel 2" shorter than the normal minimum for a rifle, but it would meet the minimum rifle length requirement.

Its easy to assume that the configuration above is illegal, but knowing that the Contender handgun in particular had been the focus of a successful court challenge (but not knowing the details) I felt that it was worth asking about.

In the end, it seems that the 14" barrel simply cant be used unless the firearm is registered as an SBR.