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Joined: Oct 2013
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Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,927 Likes: 1 |
Anybody using an 8" barrel on a Contender in either 357 Maximum or 41 Mag?
I am thinking about adding a pistol barrel to my frame and maybe trying my hand at a handgun buck this fall. Had been thinking of something In the 12-14" range but starting to think shorter is better since ranges in the timber will never be over 50 yards and most likely half that distance 99% of the time.
If you have one of these how do you like it and would you go with a 10" or longer barrel if you were to do it again?
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,918
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,918 |
I had an 8" 44 Mag, key word is had. Recoil was really rough and for me it was really no handier than my Super 14 30/30 so it went down the road.
I put some syntheic stocks on my Super 14 and put sling studs in the forearm and grip that way when I take it I just throw it over my shoulder and take off.
When I die I hope I don't start voting democrat.
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,927 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,927 Likes: 1 |
I get what you are saying about recoil. I had a 10" 44 and with full power 240 & 300 grain stuff it was a handful.
If I had that barrel again I would just shoot mid range loads, no reason for full power on a little deer.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 11,774
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 11,774 |
I had a 14" 357 max barrel on a contender, a custom from MGM. Terrific gun and cartridge. I don't think I would want the muzzle blast and recoil from an 8" barrel.
NRA Patron
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Joined: Apr 2005
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,937 Likes: 1 |
Full power 44 mags in contenders are brutal
I got banned on another web site for a debate that happened on this site. That's a first
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Joined: May 2002
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2002
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Full power 44 mags in contenders are brutal They are. I honestly believe a .30-30 recoils less.
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Joined: Oct 2013
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Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,927 Likes: 1 |
Full power 44 mags in contenders are brutal They are. I honestly believe a .30-30 recoils less. I know for sure a buds 10" 30-30 recoiled a good bit less than my 10" 44 mag. I wouldn't think an 8" Max or 41 Mag would be bad but I could be completely wrong.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
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Joined: Apr 2005
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,937 Likes: 1 |
Full power 44 mags in contenders are brutal They are. I honestly believe a .30-30 recoils less. The 30/30 recoils a lot less in my experience.
I got banned on another web site for a debate that happened on this site. That's a first
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 24,663
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 24,663 |
I had an 8" 44 Mag, key word is had. Recoil was really rough and for me it was really no handier than my Super 14 30/30 so it went down the road.
I put some syntheic stocks on my Super 14 and put sling studs in the forearm and grip that way when I take it I just throw it over my shoulder and take off.
THIS I had a 10" (IIRC) .44 mag and like many here, didn't much care for it. I also pitched it down the road for a 14" .30-30 and life was MUCH better. Then I traded off the .30-30 for the 7-30 Waters and that's where I stayed. Used the Waters for deer sized game and below, and .35 Remington for larger game. With factory barrels, to me those were the two most useful. Add a .223 or .22K Hornet and life is complete. But I divested myself of my Contender and accompanying paraphernalia about a decade ago. But not before setting it up as a carbine in .22lr and executing a Jihad on the Ozark squirrel population.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,920
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,920 |
I have a 10" standard TC bull barrel in .41 Magnum that I have been shooting since the 1980s...recoil is no big deal as long as one uses a grip that has a rubber backstrap like the TC replacement grip or one of the Pachmayer grips.
Used to shoot the barrel on an original Contender frame but found that the G2 has a little more room between the grip and triggerguard.
26 grains of H110 with a Sierra 170 JHC runs 1900 fps...flattens deer.
Bob
If you can not deal with reality, reality will deal with you....
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,920
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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ps...and no I would not go with the 12-14" barrels... If you are custom ordering this the barrels 10" and under pack and handle a lot better for woods hunting.
If you plan on putting a scope on board get a 2-6/2-7 LER scope or a fixed 2X...don't go the straight 4X for the woods...on close shots the FOV isn't wide enough...learned that the hard way.
Bob
If you can not deal with reality, reality will deal with you....
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 24,663
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 24,663 |
...recoil is no big deal as long as one uses a grip that has a rubber backstrap like the TC replacement grip or one of the Pachmayer grips... When I got my G2 it came with the wood grip with the rubber backstrap; I really didn’t like it at all. The rubber would grab my hand while the gun was trying to ride up like a SA revolver during recoil. Unless I wore gloves, I’d finish my range sessions with a hand that was bright red. Went back to the solid walnut grips and all was fine. Now I will say that .45-70’s are a different story. For those I want a Pachmayr and I’ll wear gloves…otherwise it’s somewhat less than pleasant. I never personally owned a .45-70 Contender, and my .35 Rem was my “big bore” and I found it just fine with the old style walnut grip.
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Joined: Oct 2013
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Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,927 Likes: 1 |
...recoil is no big deal as long as one uses a grip that has a rubber backstrap like the TC replacement grip or one of the Pachmayer grips... When I got my G2 it came with the wood grip with the rubber backstrap; I really didn’t like it at all. The rubber would grab my hand while the gun was trying to ride up like a SA revolver during recoil. Unless I wore gloves, I’d finish my range sessions with a hand that was bright red. Went back to the solid walnut grips and all was fine. Now I will say that .45-70’s are a different story. For those I want a Pachmayr and I’ll wear gloves…otherwise it’s somewhat less than pleasant. I never personally owned a .45-70 Contender, and my .35 Rem was my “big bore” and I found it just fine with the old style walnut grip. I had the factory wood/rubber grip on my 10" bull 44 mag and after about a dozen shots it would actually have imbedded rubber into my hand. Quickly changed that out for a set of Pachmayrs and it was a night and day difference. Thinking I am going to go ahead and order a barrel from MGM, chambered in 357 Maximum. Somewhere in the 10-11" range.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
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Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 17,821
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 17,821 |
I hate Pachmayr Grippers on anything other than a Contender.
There they are my fave.
Arthritis now, so no more Super 14 in .35 Rem.
I'd go with a .357 mag in 12", a reddot and Pachys if I was to equip a rig for deer.
But I got out of the TC game a couple yrs back.
Might get one again, but have been thinking Superredhawk 9.5" with a Burris FastFire.
They're all fun, just don't have the time or place to mess around with handguns like I used to.
Deer spot now is...............come gun season, you get one chance.
So rifle it is.
Have shot several Contenders, owned a few. I dislike bbls less than 10".
Last edited by hookeye; 07/14/17.
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Joined: Aug 2008
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,532 |
I've shot a 44 Contender a lot due to Iowa's weird deer hunting regulations and my dislike for scopes on revolvers. Even in a Super 14 they are harsh-come straight back into the web of the hand instead of rolling like a revolver. My 30/30 was much more pleasant but did have a brake so not an apples-to-apples comparison. With the change in our deer laws this year, my 44 Contender days may soon be over.
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2005
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I had a 10" 357 maximum, but traded for a 14" in 35 Remington. Havnt killed anything with it, but very accurate! http://imgur.com/a/VOr8n
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