My last .45/70 was a Number One. Probably a symptom of my age, but I found it uncomfortable off the bench even with pretty light loads. The thought of a Contender so chambered gives me the willies.
I have a Contender carbine under construction, but in the lowly .44 mag, which is plenty for our scrawny whitetails, and a lot easier on the shoulder of an old sissy. Considered the .30 WCF, but a Henry SS .308 makes that kinda redundant. My MGM .44 barrel is a 20" bull, which should make up into a pretty compact and handy brush crawler.
The Henry, BTW is worth a look in .45/70 too. For about the price of an aftermarket TC barrel, you also get a nice (sometimes very nice) walnut stock. Only caution is that the comb is pretty low for scope use, and might rise up and greet your face pretty hard on a kicker.
