If you were going to start a new Contender rifle, what caliber would you consider for whitetail deer and hogs?
If you are looking for lots of factory ammo offerings then something in the 6mm, 6.5mm or 7mm area will work very well. I'm a big fan of the 7mm-08 and it will work on everything you might want to shoot.
If you're loading your own ammo then you can go all sorts of directions. You've been given some good advice on caliber selection.
The 308 based cartridges are not an option for the Contender but are great in the Encore. There are good 6.5 and 7mm options for the Contender, as mentioned in preceding posts.
I find the Encore too big and not as nice in the hand. MGM makes 6.5 Grendel bbls for the G2 Contender. The G2 feels different than the original Contender, but isn't bad like an Encore. Just my 02.
The 308 based cartridges are not an option for the Contender but are great in the Encore. There are good 6.5 and 7mm options for the Contender, as mentioned in preceding posts.
You're right, I completely whiffed on the Contender frame and 308 based cartridges. Good catch.
After fooling with many different rounds in my Contenders I sort of settled on the 30-30AI. A bit more zip than the regular 30-30 and it does seem to reduce backthrust. Big plus is virtually no trimming.
I've killed a pile of deer with the 14'' 30-30 and 125 grain Ballistic Tips. Would group in a quarter at 100 yds. Deer would make a little semi circle about 15-20 yds and stop and be looking back till they fell over. Shoot em the same place with the 300RUM and they run flat out till they pile up. Seemed so sweet to shoot em with the 30-30.
Just a thought, rimmed cartridges ala. 30-30 are always a better choice in a Contender. .35 Remington barrels have a tendency to have misfires for some reason. 6.5 JDJ based on the .225 Winchester is a marvel in a contender package if you reload. The 7-30 Waters is your Huckleberry if you are stuck with factory ammunition.
Experience is what you get, when you don't get what you want!
The reason 35 Remington misfires occur is because of oversizing the brass and creating a headspace issue. Lots of Contender shooters have a hard time adjusting dies for minimum headspace. My favorite deer cartridge in a Contender is the 7-30 with 120 grain pointed bullets.
I have a 375 win carbine barrel. Handy to carry and deer don’t like it. Also have 357 and 30 herret barrels. Haven’t shot the 357 but the 30 is crazy accurate.