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Armour Alloy II frames and barrel choices by years. [message #39303] Thu, 08 October 2015 12:28
jamesgammel is currently offline  jamesgammel
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In 1986 T/C released their Catalog 13. Sometime later in 1986, they published a Revised Catalog 13. Significant to Contenders was the Armour Alloy II release, and also a 21" carbine 410 barrel.

AA frames and barrels are often confused with Stainless, however, there's no excuse to have that confusion. AA (Armour Alloy II) frames have 1) the familiar crouching cougar on it's side panels and 2) serial numbers Prefixed with "A"; whereas Stainless frames Have the angry cat motif and serial numbers prefixed with "S". Barrels: AA barrels are stamped with "AA" on the right side of the barrel's hinge lug and the proof star isn't surrounded. Stainless barrels have a proof mark that's a star with a SQUARE surrounding it, and NO "AA" on the right side of the hinge lug.

"AAII" is a plating applied all over the barrel, including the hinge pin holes, bore and chamber, even the sight screw drilled and tapped holes. That plating keeps AA barrels and frames from interchanging with blued or stainless barrels and frames. One can "ream" the hinge pin holes to make the AAII frames and barrels fully interchangeable; The Custom Shop offered that service for a "fee". Some other vendors did as well. Unreamed holes will appear "frosted", reamed ones "shiny". Reamed are more apt to rust, however. Unreamed are more valuable to collectors, and more apt to draw a premium on the used market. However, if you want it's rust-prevention/retardant capability (rest of the barrel), you may want to pay a premium for the reamed over the same barrel in stainless, just make sure you keep the hinge pin hole well oiled. AA hinge pins are Stainless and .002 smaller in diameter than blued or normal SS hinge pins.

1986+: 8 10" bulls made available: 22 lr, 223, 357 Mag, 357 Max, 44 Mag, 7TCU, 30-30, and a 45/410 barrel with an internal choke and adjustable front and rear sights like the rest of the line-up. 357 Mag and 357 Max made in just the 10" Bull length.

a Vent-Rib 10" 45/410 with adjustable sights was also available, the rear was a "flip-up", windage adjustable; front elevation adjustable.

The 5 14" line-up: 22lr, 223, 44Mag, 7 TCU, and 30-30.

Guns were shipped with Herrett grips and forends.

1987: Grip was changed to the Competitor, forends to a new slabside.
10's still had the 8 cals available,also true for the 10" VR 45/410.
14's saw the 35 Remington added, bringing total cals available to 6 in this length.

1988: Same 8 10 Bulls, The 10" VR now had a bead front sight, non adjustable and non flip-up rear sight.
14's saw the 7-30 Waters added, increasing 14 options to 7.

1989: No changes, same as 1988

1990: Deleted. AA's lasted almost 3 1/2 years +/-. 14" 35 Rem made 3 years, 7-30 Waters just 2. 2 years also for the 10" 45/410Vent-Ribbed with non-adjustable sights, year and a half for the 10"VR with adjustable sights.

Jim

[Updated on: Thu, 08 October 2015 13:06]

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