After trying the 35 Remington in my G2 Contender carbines last year, I decided to switch them to 30/30. I got to take them to the range the first time last weekend in this configuration:
Both barrels are by MGM. The scopes are Meopta MeoPro 6x42 with No. 4 reticles. Tony G provided the stocks and forends.
I had loaded 170 grain Nosler round nose Partitions and 165 grain Nosler spritzer Partitions with Leverevolution powders. Neither carbine liked the 170 grain round nose Partition load. The stainless steel carbine with the 20" barrel did not like the 165 grain spritzer Partition load. The blued carbine with the 22" barrel shot the 165 grain spritzer partition well enough, 5-shot groups under 1.5" at 100 yards.
The Meopta seemed unwieldy and cumbersome on these little carbines. I replaced them with Leupold VX-R 2-7X33 scopes with the Firedot 4 reticle. This makes a visually appealing package:
The Nosler manual has 30/30 load data just for their bullets. It shows Varget as the most accurate powder with the 170 grain Partition, so I assembled loads with Varget and went to the range today.
It was sunny and 72 degrees with quite a bit of wind. I had to use extra staples to keep the targets secured to the backboard. I anticipated that I would only be proving that it is hard to shoot well in a strong wind.
The blued carbine continued to shoot adequately with Leverevolution and 165 grain spitzer Partitions. Groups averaged about 1.25", 5 shot center-to-center. This would normally delight me but for the other carbine.
The stainless steel carbine was a real surprise with Varget and 170 grain Partitions. It shot 5 shot groups of 15/16" and .75" center-to-center.
The stainless steel carbine takes the best advantages of the properties of the G2 Contender. Short, handy, steady and accurate, it is intended for shooting whitetail deer from a ground blind in the forests of west-central Pennsylvania. I have a particular elevated blind in mind with its back to a boundary fence along which deer meander overlooking a creek bottom about 100 yards away. Now to take it from concept and the range to the hunt this fall.