N.R.A. 100th Anniversary Contenders

It almost always starts quite innocently enough with the purchase of a single frame and barrel for use at the range or afield, and is usually followed shortly thereafter by the purchase of yet another frame or barrel for some other intended purpose, and before you realize it, you’re hooked!

Most of us did not start our journey with the intention of ever actually becoming a collector, but with so many affordable items constantly beckoning our attention, we soon find ourselves continually in search of our next acquisition. For some, the lure of multiple barrels in a variety of chamberings is hard to resist, while for others, owning an example of the many frame variations that were ever produced is of much more importance. In either case, the folks at Thompson/Center Arms have succeeded quite nicely over the years in offering an ample supply of either to equally please any and all collectors! For some, owning an example of just about everything ever offered by the folks in Rochester is the only way to go! Items such as catalogs, patches, pins, banners, belt buckles, as well as barrels, frames, TCR rifles, Encores, Icons, and many of the various black powder offerings are all fair game for the die hard T/C collector. Many of these items are easily obtained, while others tend to be a bit more elusive, especially those that were produced in much smaller quantities. For example, I would dare say that one would find it a whole lot easier to add an octagonal barrel offering chambered for the 44 Mag Hot Shot cartridge to his or her collection than one in the same octagonal configuration chambered for the elusive 223 round. One might also find it a bit easier ( and much less costly ) to locate and early puma etched Contender frame than one bearing the Eagle etched pattern. As a matter of fact, there are several items that were manufactured in such limited quantities, that locating an example to add to ones collection might take years to obtain, if even at all! One such item is the subject of this brief article.

The year 1971 was to be quite special to all members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) for it marked to 100th Anniversary of the groups existence. Wishing to commemorate this special event, NRA executives solicited the manufacture of a limited number of special edition firearms from some of the various firms who offered such products. Surprisingly enough, the fledgling firm of Thompson / Center Arms, whose Contender pistol had only four years earlier been introduced to the shooting fraternity, had volunteered to build several prototypes for evaluation in honor of this event. The smooth flat surfaces of the Contender would lend themselves perfectly to being adorned with some form of ornamentation specifically for this occasion.

With only several months to complete the project, T/C executives set about to find just the right combination of design and processes in an effort to present the most pleasing of all the samples submitted in hopes that theirs would be chosen as the one and only firearm used to honor this most important milestone in NRA history. As can usually occur when items of this nature are sought , the talents of many individuals are necessary to complete the project, and time can pass all too quickly before everything falls correctly into place. Such was the case with this particular project, as told by those supposedly in the know, for by the time several examples were completed and presented to NRA officials for evaluation, the contract had already been awarded to the folks at COLT, who had earlier submitted an appropriately adorned model 1911 semi-auto pistol as their entrant for consideration.

The story has it that the 6 ( or however many that were actually produced ) Contender prototypes that were assembled in honor of this event were serial numbered X-1 thru X-6, and when returned to the factory, they were offered for sale or awarded to certain individuals within the company who had at some point, expressed a desire to own one.

The whereabouts of these six special handguns remained somewhat of a mystery for a good number of years until the formation of the Thompson / Center Collectors Association ( TCA ) in 1986, when members of the group commenced to document the many frame and barrel variations that had been manufactured by the company throughout the previous 20 years. It was then that several examples of the NRA prototypes began to surface, most of which were still owned by company employees and officials. As more of these magnificent guns presented themselves, facts that were at one time considered accurate, were suddenly being questioned. Examples began to surface with different numbering sequences, and the idea that only a single etching pattern was ever offered was quickly proven incorrect when a second, altogether different example made itself known. To date, three totally different numbering systems have been documented . The originals bearing the prefix “X” ahead of the numbers 1 thru 6, the second group displaying the prefix “CA” ahead of the number 1, and the third group of guns which are simply numbered without prefixes . The exact number of guns that actually exist within each group continues to remain a mystery and most likely will continue to do so for many years to come for factory documentation makes no mention of the various etching patterns used on most of the Contenders that were ever manufactured.

Thus far, all of the frames currently in the hands of collectors or still retained by factory employees, bear one of three different etching patterns. The first bears the likeness of the NRA “Minuteman” and the words “American Rifleman” and on most examples known, this etchi8ng is usually found on the right hand surface of the frame. The second known pattern replaces the Minuteman etching on the right hand surface with the NRA logo as pictured elsewhere in this article along with the words “ 100 Years” and the dates 1871 and 1971. The third etching pattern, which is this far always found on the left side of the frame, bears the word “Centennial” beneath the number “100” with the NRA logo etched within the interior of the first zero and the words “First 100 Years” encircled by the second as pictured. It is not known how many of each pattern were ever produced, but the quantity of each seems to be equally dispersed amongst those which have already been documented. I have been fortunate enough throughout the years to have found not one, but two of these extremely elusive collectables, and while both were of a different serial numbering, their etching patterns were identical. One would have to surmise that as these prototypes were being readied for submission to the NRA for approval, several different patterns were produced in an effort to determine which looked the best, hence the reason for the difference in the variations found thus far. Whether or not other patterns exist which have not yet been documented certainly remains a possibility as items of nature which are produced in such small quantities can sometime remain unknown for a good many years, having been stored away in the bottom drawer of a bureau or desk since leaving the factory almost 40 years ago. As with all things manufactured by the folks at Thompson / Center , one learns to seldom say “never” when speculation arises as to the existence of any item, for one can often be proven wrong.

For those who prefer to assemble a collection of all the early Contender frame variations, this will indeed be one of the most difficult examples to add to their collections, for very few exist, and those that do are seldom offered for sale by their owners. As a mater of fact, in the twenty plus years that the TCA has been in existence, I can only recall a single NRA commemorative having been offered for sale, and unfortunately, I did not act quickly enough to make the purchase of it. Finding examples of the early flatsides and eagle etched Contenders will be somewhat easier than the procurement of an NRA commemorative, and one should be prepared to pay top dollar if one should ever present itself. Then again, one could always surface at a show or shop in your area with a price tag not much higher than the more common Puma etched example, for not all are aware of the scarcity of these commemoratives, and a very good deal could still be had.

Should any of your be so fortunate as to run across one of these extremely rare collectables, please take a minute to jot down the serial number and make a note of the etching patterns exhibited on both sides of the frame and report such findings to the TCA so that we may continue to document quantities and variations. Barrel information should also be included such as Type , length, and caliber if at all possible.

I have always been of the opinion that not all of these NRA commemoratives were produced during the same time period. I firmly believe that all of the “X” prefixed guns were the original prototypes submitted to the NRA for approval and returned to the factory. With the etching stencils still in house, I surmise that a second batch (quantity unknown ) was assembled a short time later perhaps as awards or per the request of long time company employees or for friends and acquaintances of Mr. Thompson or Mr. Center. It is also my summation that those found bearing standard T/C serial numbering were simply etched using the NRA stencils at the request of other T/C executives or employees again, several months later that the original offerings, until such a time that the stencils were most likely no longer available, or that company officials simply denied any further requests. My theory would certainly account for the variation in serial numbers and further account for the fact that some are found with Type II barrels attached while others bear Type III offerings. Of course, trying to date a frame by the barrel Type attached does not, on most occasions, provide an accurate assessment of the information being sought as in most cases barrels are easily interchangeable and there is simply no way of knowing if the barrel accompanying the frame is the one that was indeed attached to a particular frame when it left the factory. However, I have found throughout the years that most of these limited production guns such as Eagles and NRA commemoratives are seldom if ever fired and rarely are the barrels ever separated from the frames as most of their original owners almost always recognize the value of keeping items of this nature in their original condition which can, in some instances, aid in dating such an item.

To research any of these early Contenders^® or for more information on how to join the Thompson/Center Collectors Association, simply contact Art at ( 207 ) 252-3663 or by e-mail at tcaogs@metrocast.net

Art Lamontagne President
Thompson/Center Collectors Association

Visit our website at thompsoncenterassoc.org

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