Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots G2 Contender or Encore 357 Remington Maximum rifle build??

Which action would you build 357 Maximum on the Encore or G2 contender? What barrel length would you recommend? Looking to purchase a MGM barrel and a set of Boyds laminated stock. Do you think it would make a nice deer rifle for a youth?

I would suggest the .357 magnum instead of the .357 Maximum. Loading the Hornady 180 gr XTP or similar bullet you should be able to reach 1700 to almost 1800 fps which is more hand adequate for whitetail out to 100 yards.

The T/C G2 frame is your primary choice.


Doc

I looked into this idea a while back. One maker made a big deal out of how standard .357 chambers left a lot of accuracy potential on the table. He recommended rechambering .38 barrels to .357, I think, and both .38 and .357 mag to the Max. Accuracy with standard .357 in the new chamber was said to be fine. Don't know if it's hype or real.

If I were building one for deer, I think I'd go for the Max and use 180gr A-frames, not that a standard .357 wouldn't work.

The G2 goes about a pound lighter than the Encore and is considerably less oogly.

A frames where one of the bullet choices I was considering to use in the 357 max. I heard the same about the re chambering or aftermarket barrels like MGM.

Most of the discussions about deer rifles for kids are all about the caliber and the recoil involved. But way before a kid gets a chance to deal with recoil they have to handle the firearm. And even a light bolt gun is a handfull for a kid.

A little Contender Carbine is easy for a youngster. My Max barrel is an 18.5" 357 Mag that I had re-chambered. The first handloads my kids started killing deer with drove a 180 grain a little over 2000 fps. Bullets used were XTP and Partition HG. Postmortem revealed the XTP was coming apart at this velocity, and then the Partition was discontinued. A little experimenting and I discovered that the XTP actually performed better at around 1700 fps...stays together and makes an exit hole.

FWIW, the loading manuals state an absolute need for a crimp with this cartridge. My loads were more accurate without a crimp. Neat gun, fun to shoot, kids love it, and inside 100 yards you can't kill a deer any deader.

Was thinking about 21" barrel

Waiting for my 357 max Encore barrel now. 20 inch.
The crimp should not be an issue in a single shot but when there are 5 other rounds in a revolver recoil my cause some problems.

I had an original, but late manufacture, Contender frame with a 20" custom shop .357 Maxi barrel in the factory synthetic carbine stock. Dang nice light packing thing.

My loads used the Hornady 180 grain SSP and Speer 180 grain flat point, both with Speer's max load of AA 1680, both for half to three fourths of an inch at 50 yards. I don't remember if I had a Weaver K2.5 on it or if I temporarily "borrowed" my Leupold 2-7X RF special from another gun.

Sold it to buy something else. It was a good rig but I'm not sure the same package in .30-30, 7-30 Waters, or .25-35 wouldn't have been better yet.

Tom

In Michigan lower half of the mit we cannot use a necked cartridge.must be straight walled and not exceed 1.8" case length. Thus the reason for trying the 357 max. I'm gonna put a 450 bushmaster on my encore frame for me.

I had one. MGM Stainless Match barrel in 357 Maximum. Accurate and a look at the bore showed some of 'why'. VERY well cut rifling at least visually. I bought my barrel already at 18". It was what was available at the time. With the short OAL of the Contender I would buy a 22" barrel if I had my choice. It doesn't 'need' 22" but I like putting all the muzzle blast I can away from my ears. The T/C Contender is STILL HANDY with a 22" barrel, and MGM makes a great barrel! I've had T/C factory barrels in 30/30 and 223 that were NOT so accurate...(I don't know why).

I like a long barrel, just because a nose-heavy rifle holds better for me and I shoot it better. Like the others who have responded, the G2 would be my choice.

Check out Mike Bellm's web site on the .357 max. He says you can load .357 max. ammo in .357 mag cases in a single shot, just be sure to seat the bullet out to .357 max overall length. Max cases are sometimes scarce, so that's good to know.

I think a G2 .357 max would be a nearly perfect youth deer rifle, where straight cases are mandated. He/she can shoot squirrels, tin cans etc. with .38 special wadcutters all year, and sight in the max for deer season.

I had one built on a G2 handgun frame, believe it was 14"
Had the barrel made by MGM in Utah. I believe they offered different "lead" options in 357 Max chambering.
It was accurate.
I shot one antelope with it and lost interest and sold it.
I think its a great cartridge.

I have an Encore bbl that was originally a 357 Magnum barrel built by MGM. Mike Bellm bored it out to 357 Maximum. Although I've not shot it since completion, it will shoot very well, I am sure.

I had a Contender with a 10" Bullberry barrel. It was very accurate and easy to shoot. Big mistake letting the whole rig go.

No need for the added weight/bulk of the encore with a 357 max. I was pushing 200 gr cast 1900+ fps from a 10" contender, a 21" rifle should be able to push the same bullet 2100 fps and change, 2200 fps wouldn't be out of the question.

The two downsides of the max today is finding brass and powder. It's almost a one powder cartridge and AA 1680 is that powder. I don't know who has any 357 max brass in stock.

Nothing wrong with the 357 max as a youth deer rifle, but same can be said for the .223 and .243 and they will be much easier to find brass, powder and bullets for. 30-30 is also worth considering.