Gman, I have been shooting Contenders for many years. To start with all of the barrels I shot were Factory Production Barrels. Their accuracy is what has endeared the Contender to me. Then as I progressed with my passion for Contendrs I opted for Custom Barrels. This was largely due to the custom barrels being offered in chamberings that the T/C Factory didn't offer.
Did the custom barrels offer an accuracy advantage over the factory production barrels ? I can not honestly answer that question as I have never had a custom barrel and a factory barrel in the same chambering to compair. I can say that all of the custom barrels I have had have shot great, but then I have had many factory production barrels that have shot great also.
In the end the way I see it is this, you spend your money and you takes your chances. I would like to think that the odds of getting a custom barrel that did not shoot would be less, and the reason is simple. The shops putting out custom barrels do this as their main business, and as such hopefully pay more attention to detail. On the other hand the T/C Factory not only produces barrels, but complete guns and accessories as well so they are producing many more products than just barrels.
Now everything should be as clear as mud, right?
Larry
