Being new to contenders I just want to make sure I have this right. Will a G2 Contender barrel fit on a G1 Contender?

Well, there is really no such thing as a G1, but original Contender barrels will fit a G2 and vise versa in most cases.

How do you know if a certain G2 barrel will fit an original Contender?

The muzzle loader barrels are the only g2 barrels that don't fit a g1 as far as I know...

Most fit issues that seem to occur are with really old barrels and octagon barrels that have the one piece locking bolt. They may lock up just fine but then stay locked when one tries to open the action and then the gun must be taken apart to get them off. T/C eventually went to a split locking bolt, and old barrels can be fitted with the newer split bolt if needed.

Another thing with older barrels is that previous owners may have tinkered with them along the way. It was a fairly common practice to masssage, or stone, the surface of the locking bolts to get a barrel to work on a specific frame.

My frame is of more recent manufacture and I stay away from old barrels with the soldered on front sight and octagon barrels just to be safe. I've never had a problem with a "modern" barrel with the split locking bolt. I also like to remove the front sight when using an optic and the newer barrels allow that.

Thanks for the info. It helps.

Do you know the date of manufacture for your 'Tender frame?

http://www.handgunhunt.com/tech/t1/index.html

my gun is #336944 which was made sometime in the first six months of 1989.

I don't think you'll have any problems if you stay with modern barrels then.

Thanks, that is good to know.