Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: Hornseeker on July 15, 2010, 07:58:27 AM

Title: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: Hornseeker on July 15, 2010, 07:58:27 AM: I have a *censored* for a contender.... gotta get one asap! Whos got one? Tell me about it! Which barrels?

:drool:
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: CP on July 15, 2010, 08:13:37 AM: I used to shoot one. .22 LR & .44mag. Took a deer with the .44 and shot a few quail with .44 shotshells, some rabbits with the .22.

Very accurate and solid weapon but it got a bit heavy to pack around.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: Hornseeker on July 15, 2010, 11:16:12 AM: Main reason I'm giving it consideration is that I have a new dirt bike/trail bike and packing a contender on it would be way easier than packing my rifle.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: carpsniperg2 on July 15, 2010, 11:37:07 AM: i just got one about a month or so ago, very nice handgun been shooting them a long time but got a killer deal and bought mine. if i was going to buy a new one i would buy the encore pistol myself but used is pretty impossible to find of those guns. but they have some realy cool cals 22-250-7mm-08 30-06 7mm etc a little more choice. the standardc ontender has like 10-13 barrels then there is the g2 that takes a few more as well. if ya look back or do a search for contender you might see the pics i posted of mine.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: jackelope on July 15, 2010, 11:41:59 AM: I shoot an Encore rifle and my dad hunts with a Contender pistol in 7mm TCU. Great gun. It's a shooter to 150 yards or so.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: NRA4LIFE on July 15, 2010, 11:52:35 AM: I have the combo .45 Colt/.410 barrel that is a lot of fun. .410 doesn't pattern real well though. I also have a .223 barrel with a 4X Leupold on it. That sumbitch drives tacks at 100 yards. Great little gun.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: JackOfAllTrades on July 15, 2010, 12:01:03 PM: Hornseeker, What did you get for a trail bike?

-Steve
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: Bigshooter on July 15, 2010, 12:06:37 PM: I have .410 10inch and a 25-35 12inch.

My dad has a few I think his favorites are the .358jdj, .35rem, .44mag, and .444. I know he really likes the .358jdj. He has killed a lot of deer with it and the .35rem.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on July 15, 2010, 12:28:21 PM: I used to own and hunted with a Contender, I had a 30/30 barrel with a Burris scope, and a .357/38 barrel.
Then I got into Archery and sold it.
When my father passed away, I inherited his Contender
.45 LC/.410, .44 Mag, .30 M1, and .22 barrel with a Leopold Scope, I plan on getting more barrels when my financial situation improves.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: woodswalker on July 15, 2010, 12:45:51 PM: I have several with a good selection of barrels, 30 and 357 Herrett, .22LR, .44 Mag, 30-30, 357 Mag, .223, 45 long colt, 32-20 and .22 Mag.

Love them! fun to shoot, lighter than a rifle but not as easy to pack as a pistol.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: klickitat on July 15, 2010, 01:07:50 PM: I have a 1st gen. frame and 2 barrels. I have a 14" .223 with a 4X scope and a 10" .444 Marlin barrel. I have shot a few times but I need to get a new scope on it.

I wanted a Contender because I wanted to carry a .223 for coyotes and bobcats when I was hunting beer. The .444 was purchased because I never know when a Cape Buffalo is going to wonder through the back yard. Actually I some how acquired 12 boxes of .444 over the years and decided I needed a gun to go along with it.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: CP on July 15, 2010, 01:11:06 PM: I miss it:
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: yorketransport on July 15, 2010, 08:43:35 PM: I've played with the Contender for a few years. I've had 5 frames and the following barrels: 10" 222 Rem, 357 Mag, 7mm TCU, 44mag, 45/410, 45 Win Mag, 22LR; 12" 35 Rem, 357 Max, 45-70; 14" 7mm TCU, 35 Rem, 375 JDJ, 30-30, 223, 44 mag, 45/410, and 16" 45-70 and 300 BS barrels. Of all of these, the 10" 7mm TCU and the 14" 35 Rem and one frame are the only ones that are still with me. The 7mm TCU because it makes such a great sidearm while on a mountain bike, and the 35 Rem because I shot my first deer with it (a 110 yard bang flop :IBCOOL:).

I love the versatility of the Contender but the inconsistency would drive me nuts! One day a barrel would be shooting 1" groups at 100 yards. The next day I could go out with the same load from the same batch of reloads, and get 3" groups. It didn't matter who did the shooting. I just couldn't get consistency out of a Contender. I know that there are tricks you can do with adjusting the sizing dies that are supposed to help, but I just kind of lost interest for now. I have ADHD when it comes to guns though. In a few years I'll be frantically trying to get back all of the barrels that I sold or traded off. :chuckle:

I've decided to move over to the Savage Striker platform for my switch barrel handgun fix. I can get Savage take off barrels for about $50 instead of the $150-200 that Contender barrels cost. Plus I can chamber any cartridge that can safely fit into a Savage bolt action. Right now I have 204 Ruger, 243 Win, 7mm-08, 25-06, and 300 WSM barrels sitting on my work bench. Then there's the 338/284 Win barrel that should be here soon, and the 338-375 Ruger barrel that Benchmark is making for me right now. You won't fit that in a Contender!

Andrew
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: dad98684 on July 16, 2010, 08:49:42 AM: i have had tc encores for 10 years or so. i had taken a few deer with my 270 15" with scope, but the 45/410 is was my favorite. i have move on to the rifle configuration now with 3 different barrels, 300 win mag, 20 ga smooth, and a 22lr. i am looking to add a 45/70 with iron sights to my collection.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: Todd_ID on July 17, 2010, 09:04:48 PM: I have one with 3 barrels: .223, .357, and .35 Rem. The hands down favorite is the .223 with a Tru-Glo 2X Red Dot on it. It shoots much better than I do, for sure; a gopher at 50 yards isn't too safe. The .35 Rem needs a bigger man than me shooting it to make it a true 100 yard gun on a deer. I know that sucker is going to go off, and I flinch every time. The .357 is fun for playing because of the low recoil and cheap ammo, but it's pretty much a third wheel. The .223 is on all the time for ground squirrels; the .35 Rem comes out when a buddy wants to shoot it, and the .357 gets left home most of the time.
Title: Re: Who Shoots Contenders?
Post by: BLKBEARKLR on July 17, 2010, 09:07:22 PM: 35 Rem, Love the gun, have a 4 power lighted reticle scope on it, and bipods. Best shot to date is 167 yards on deer. But I am tkaing it out of retirement this year and heading to Wyoming with it. Goal is 175+ yards on antelope.