Armour Alloy

                                           
”All metal surfaces, internal and external, with the exception of sights and springs, are finished with Armour Alloy II. Harder than stainless steel, Armour Ally II is a permanent corrosive resistant, electroplated coating which will not separate from the base material.”

The above quote was the description used on the pages of the 1986 Thompson / Center annual product catalog ( No. 13 Revised )  to announce the all NEW  Armour Alloy Contender and its various barrel offerings. The description also stated “Harder than stainless steel, it improves lubricity. Actions function smoother and parts move with less frictional drag. Providing thirty percent longer barrel life than stainless, it reduces wear on all moving parts and shrugs off the effects of corrosion and erosion. It also reduces fouling which contributes to more consistent velocity from shot to shot. Simply stated, all metal surfaces of the frame and barrel are completely plated in electroless nickel.”

All Armour Alloy frames are designated by an “A” prefix serial number as pictured at right.  The first Alloy frame was serial numbered A2001 with the run ending some four years later with serial number A10897.   The lugs of all Alloy barrels are stamped with the letters “AA” making them quite easy to identify.  I have, on various occasions,  seen both barrels and frames being advertised at gun shops and shows  as stainless steel, by dealers and individuals who were not aware of these Alloy offerings. I usually make the effort to explain the difference so as to allow these various individuals to correctly label such items prior to sending them off to a proud new owner only to have said customer call and complain several weeks later when his new barrel or frame does not readily interchange with the remaining items in his or her collection.

It was clearly stated on every piece of literature offered by Thompson / Center with regards to these Alloy offerings, that they were NOT interchangeable with any of the blued frame and barrel offerings.  It should also be noted that these Alloy offerings are not interchangeable with any of the stainless Contender barrels and frames that were later introduced as they too were of the same dimensions as the blued offerings.  
    

From 1986 until their final appearance on the pages of  the 1989 annual product catalog, these Alloy offerings were referred to by various names such as  Armour Alloy, Armour Alloy II and T/C Alloy II .  The various descriptions used throughout the production period gave no indication that there was any difference
between the three.  Barrels were offered in both ten and fourteen inch lengths and were available  in the following chamberings: Ten inch offerings included the 22 LR, 223 Rem , 7mm TCU, 357 Magnum,  357 Remington Maximum,  44 Rem. magnum,  30-30 Win, 45/410 w/iron sights, and 45/410 vent rib. Super 14 offerings included the 22LR, 223 Remington, 7mm TCU,  44 Magnum,  30-30 Winchester,  7 x 3 0 Waters. 

In 1976, a special group of Contender pistols in Armour Alloy were assembled in honor of the IHMSA 10th Anniversary ( as pictured below )  and all were fitted with 10 inch barrels chambered for either the  7mm TCU  or the 7mm Super Mag. ( 357 Remingtom  Maximum case  necked down to  7mm )  These guns were serial numbered 10-01 and up above the letters I.H.M.S.A, as is also pictured below.  I believe that this offering was limited to a run of 250 pieces.
     

I have owned several of these Alloy offerings throughout the years, and contrary to the notice by the factory that these were not interchangeable with any of the blued or stainless offerings, and actually encountered a few found a few that functioned quite nicely without alteration, regardless of what color barrel was installed! 

This was of course, not the norm, but it certainly could, and did occur from time to time.  I surmise that the variation in the thickness of the Alloy plating was the reason for this occurrence.  Pivot pins for both the blue and stainless offerings measure approximately .3742 to .3745 in diameter  for both the blue and stainless offerings vs. a measurement of  .3707 to .3710  for the Alloy. It is this diversity of measurement between the pivot pin and holes that limits the interchangeability between the  frames and barrels  of Alloy units and all others.
    

I have not checked as of late, but T/C did at one time offer a solution to this problem, by aligning and straight line burnishing both frames and barrels to  accept  the standard blue and stainless hinge pins. This operation will allow the interchangeability of all components. A quick call to the factory at ( 603-332-2333 ) to inquire as to whether or not this service is still being offered should remedy any problems you might have regarding any of these Alloy offerings.

When first introduced on the pages of the 1986 catalog, these Alloy offerings were fitted with Herrett style grips and forends, but by the printing of the following years catalog ( 1987 ) all of the Contender pistol offerings were being fitted with the newer style “Competitor” grip and re-designed forend.  These new grips were  ambidextrous  and employed the use of a rubber insert in reducing the effects of recoil on some of the more robust cartridge offerings.     
     

All Alloy II products were discontinued after a production period of only three an a half years ( mid 1986 to 1989 ) perhaps due to the increased cost of the labor intensive plating procedure. During this period, the retail price of a complete gun with barrel ranged from $365 to $380 which was about $60 dollars higher than a standard blue offering. Alloy II barrels were priced between $130 and $180 each which was approximately $45 dollars more than the same barrel in blue finish.  I surmise that  it was this increase in cost as well as the non-interchangeability of components that contributed to the offerings early demise.   Surprisingly enough, even with fewer than ten thousand of these frames ever having been offered, they do tend to present themselves on a fairly regular basis,  and make a very nice addition to just about any  and  all  Contender collections.
 

Shooters tend to prefer the purchase of frames and barrels which have been modified by the factory to readily interchange with any of the blued and stainless components. Collectors however, tend to pay a premium for guns and barrels which have not been altered. 
   

There are a good many shooters who still prefer the use of the older style Contenders to the newer G-2 offerings, and finding one of these earlier Alloy units and a barrel or two in their favorite cartridge offering is just what they are looking for.  
      

For the collector who is just starting out and wishes to compile a complete set of frames and barrels of a certain group or configuration, these Alloy offerings make a great place to start! The challenge and expense  of finding a pair of frames and twenty or so barrels should more than provide the novice collector with a sense of accomplishment once the task has been completed. Why not get started today!

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