The original Thompson Center Contender is light, thin, and the most versatile firearm ever made. Warren Center designed a masterpiece and Ken Thompson provided the manufacturing expertise to bring that masterpiece to market. Over fifty years and 580,000 guns later, SSK has updated this work with modern manufacturing materials and processes making the gun stronger and more precise than the original. The SSK-50 is a continuation of the original design with complete cross compatibility with the Contender in barrels and components.The SSK-50 is produced to the nominal geometry specifications of the last iteration of the Thompson Center Contender with extreme precision and low variation. A new benchmark for frame consistency has been established. 56 years of Contender barrel production from at least 8 manufacturers has led to an evolution in barrel geometry and variation that cannot be compensated for in a fixed design. Although customers report very high percentages of frame/barrel fit ...