Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots New to Contender

I have a long history with the Contender. This .410 pistol was my wabbit gun in the late '50's as a teen. Killed a bunch of swampers in Louisiana hardwood bottoms ahead of a pack of beagles. The old Lawrence holster shows honest wear. I didn't like the square edges of the OEM grip and made my own out of a piece of walnut. It was more comfortable. A .410 kicks a good bit and the sharp edges of that factory grip hurt my hand. I also have a "push/pull" Fajen laminated walnut/maple grip that's quite unique.

I have a .22 K-Hornet barrel with scope and a SS Contender with .410 barrel. Check out the way I used a short forearm and made a front swivel stud out of the front barrel hanger. Those barrels have two forearm screws, I used just one for the forearm.

The Contender is not a kids gun, in fact it can be dangerous. If you cock it and let the hammer down, you're resting the firing pen on a live round. You MUST cycle the action to bring the hammer block back up into safe position. With that caveat, it's a great gun with a great trigger and excellent accuracy.

Many fond memories here. Just be careful with those things and use something else to start a youngster. It's just too easy to forget to recycle the action for safe mode.

DF