Review: Thompson Center Contender G2 Will Not Disappoint

There exists a place in every shooter that holds the desire to be precise and be able to place each shot exactly where it is aimed, regardless of external factors. There is only one path to do that. It is to have a perfectly stable shooting platform, with perfect sights or optics and firing in a vacuum that has no effect on the trajectory of a bullet. The rest of us, however, have to make due with what we have and try to pair together equipment that will approximate the perfection we seek.

Thompson Center Arms has created a pistol that may allow many of us to get very close to our desires for the perfectly placed shot. Herein lies the G2 Contender.

Being a pistol hunter, I am always on the lookout for anything that will allow me to increase my range as well as my accuracy. The G2 Contender series may very well be the grail of this quest.

Though its barrel can be quite long, it can have a bipod, and it can have a scope mounted to the top and while it resembles a rifle with the stock removed, it’s most certainly a pistol.

Its caliber ranges from .22 long rifle, to .45/.410, to .223 and .30-.30 to name a few. However, the beauty of the Contender series is that you can have all the calibers at the same time.

The G2 Contender permits you to change out the barrel to accommodate the other G2 series barrels. You could conceivable carry each of the above calibers with you on one trip in your daypack. The G2 Contender not only allows for interchangeable barrels, but also has an adjustable trigger as well.

I was partial to the .223 round, giving minute of angle accuracy with a rifle cartridge in a pistol frame. When firing from a rest or prone with a bipod it is possible, with practice and expected for most proficient shooters, to fire MOA groups consistently. 

These pistols can be used to tackle antelope in the plains, prairie dogs in the low lands, elk in the mountains, and whitetail in the forests (with the right barrel, of course).

But, in my opinion, the most important aspect of a contender, which leads it toward the more fair-chase aspects of hunting, is that it is a single shot, break open loading pistol. You have to make the first shot count as you most likely will not have the chance to reload and take a second. It encourages practice, accuracy and the most humane aspect of hunting in the quick harvest.

I would never encourage this to be used as a home defense or a carry pistol. It is specifically for hunting or target shooting, but is a real treat to utilize. If you have the yardage available to take long shots with a pistol, a Thompson Center Contender will not disappoint you.

Ballpark range for one of these pistols is $650. Barrels and frames will cost anywhere from $200 to $350.