Contenders Get No Respect

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  • Last Post 13 September 2020
R. Dupraz posted this 13 March 2018

Checking loads for a 218 B in a new G-2 frame at 50 yds.

1" black pasters were aim points, 30 cal. hole in right one. These two, I think made the cut.  Incidentally, these bullets were weight sorted

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gemihur posted this 13 September 2020

G2's are for guys who either cock it prematurely, or can't remember to recock it after putting the hammer down, the trigger is better on the original.

I was out today with my 30 Herrett and decided my 'light' loads were enough to do what I might need.

Sorry, the lighting of this one doesn't show the cougar embossed, but she's original. Thanks, Mashburn, that rig was recommended by the late Junior Doughty! "The frugal Outdoorsman"

I shoot, therefore I am

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Tom Acheson posted this 13 September 2020

Oooooops......Meant to say poor success offhand with a scope

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Tom Acheson posted this 13 September 2020

Shooting a revolver off hand, as in hunting, is something that I’ve had poor success with. For deer hunting, iron sights works best for me. I can see the entire deer, I can where he is going, including the terrain he must traverse and I can see what is behind him. Where the bullet goes after exiting or missing the deer is very important.

 

If David can post the photo I send him, you’ll see the two revolvers I’ve taken my deer with.

The one bellow is a S&W Model 57 Mag with 8 3/8” barrel and  Bomar rear sight. The top one is a customized Dan Wesson 357 Super Mag, modified with a Douglas 1:14 twist barrel and chambered in .41 “Super Mag” (almost). It weighs 4.5 pounds and is a real pain to disassemble and clean.

At one time I owned a 10 1/2” TC, chambered in .32-20. And I also owned an MOA chambered in 7.62x39. These were used in IHMSA’s Production category. The MOA  is a lot “busier” to shoot than a Contender.

Tom  

                                   

 

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mashburn posted this 13 September 2020

Hello gemihur,

I do really like the looks of your contender rig. That one looks like it would shoot itself. My contenders have been laying idle for several years, but am getting the bug to put them back too work. I used to collect all of the contender barrels in all of the different calibers that Thompson Center produced. I had all of them, at one time, but have sold most of them off over the years .I still have all of the grips and forearms that they produced from the late sixties, when they started, up until they started the G2.I'm glad to see that you are shooting a Real Contender other than a G2.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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max503 posted this 10 September 2020

Difficulty holding crosshairs still is one reason I'm using iron sights on my 357 barrel for deer. I'll only take short range shots. Heck. I don't even care if I get a deer. Last two years I passed up easy shots just because..... The gun is so much handier without the glass on top.

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gemihur posted this 10 September 2020

Thanks for the recommendation. Sage advice is hard to come by these days!

Your description of pistol as rifle brings to mind a 22 Hornet setup I use

Thanks,

Jimmy

I shoot, therefore I am

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mashburn posted this 10 September 2020

Hello all of you Contender shooters,

Here is  how I made one of the most useful and handy walk about firearms I ever owned. I took a .22 RF Contender with a 10 inch barrel and installed a 1X4 compact rifle scope on it. That way you could lean up against a tree or take all kinds of weird hunting type rests and put your eye up close to the scope. I developed an arms crossed position with the shooting hand right up in my left armpit. It is unreal how accurate you can be with this position, even more so if you can lean your back against a tree or lean against anything practically. I installed a sling attached to the bottom of the grip and attached to the barrel. You could sling this thing over your shoulder airborne style and never have it get in your way. My brother-in-law and I used to set our shooting bench up on a high bluff over looking Glover River and shoot turtles. It didn't take long to shoot out all of the turtles with our centerfire contenders. We would then sling our little .22 RF contenders over our shoulder and start walking down the river bank stalking turtles. We would also enjoy some squirrel hunting along the way. If you have every hunted wild gray squirrels with a scoped contender you know what a bind you can get in trying to find a rest and then getting your head back far enough to use the scope. After I used this setup for a while, I felt just as confident as I did when carrying a .22 RF rifle out in the squirrel woods. If you hadn't thought of it, give it a try, you will be impressed

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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mashburn posted this 10 September 2020

The .22 Hornet was the worse Contender barrel that I ever owned and I owned a heck of a lot of them .At least you could say, it shot cast as well as jackets, both were horrible. All of the other barrels that I owned were very acceptable.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 09 September 2020

max503 ... i collect match takeoff barrels .. maybe one could help you ... i think i have some 224 match barrels left ... shilen or hart ... these are 14 twist, so 55 gr bullets are about the limit in these.  pm me if .  

ken

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Tom Acheson posted this 09 September 2020

.357 for deer...


Odd how states have varying handgun hunting firearm requirements.

In about 1982 Wyoming had a requirement that the round being shot had to have 500 remaining foot pounds of energy at 100-yards. It had to be a factory loading with published ballistic info. At the time .357 factory loads did not meet the minimum energy requirement. That requirement eventually went away. 

But I’ve never ran into a game warden where we go Mule deer hunting. I’ve always used CB handloads so it would have been an interesting conversation if I did bump into one. My first trip was 1977 with a 1903 Springfield with a low power Redfield scope. That resulted in (7) MN and WY deer.

In 1982 I switched to iron sighted handguns, a S&W Model 57 .41 Mag. Took (6) deer with that gun. Bullets were 220 and 295-grain, H-110, WW680, WW 296. In 1987 I started using a .41 Wyoming (shortened 200 Swift case, and 325-grain Hoch bullet and 4227. That gun got me (13) Mule Deer and (2) Minnesota Whitetails. So (21) total deer. While in Wyoming several coyotes were in the wrong place at the wrong time with the latter revolver above.

Historically 4227 with cast bullets in a .41 revolver have been the most accurate, at least in my two revolvers.

Will be going to Wyoming this Oct. but no hunting. I go to be with my son, besides, I’ve killed enough deer....and.....they get close to $400 for a non resident license!

Tom

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max503 posted this 09 September 2020

oughta get one, they're a hoot. Mine with the 22 match barrel is the most accurate 22 I have.

 

Same here.  My 22 LR match barrel is super accurate.  Been wanting a Short Match barrel for 22 CB's but the prices turn me off.  

Ever since Illinois has legalized handguns for hunting all my deer have fallen to my 44 Mag Contender.  Going to try a 357 this year.

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Larry Gibson posted this 09 September 2020

My Contender.  I have numerous pistol barrels and 2 21" rifle barrels of various cartridges.  This my 22 Hornet suppressed used for hunting small game/vermin up through coyote in size.  Jacketed load is Hornady 45 Hornet SP over 12.5 gr Lil'gun, runs right at 2500 fps.  Cast bullet is a soft cast 225415 over 2.0 gr BE for 1100 fps....quieter than my 22 cal pellet rifle.....

LMG

Concealment is not cover.........

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RicinYakima posted this 09 September 2020

It was fun shooting in a new game! Enjoyed those times 30 years ago.

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Tom Acheson posted this 08 September 2020

For quite a few years, in the early and formative days of IHMSA, a 10 1/2" Contender chambered in 7 tcu ruled the roost in the Production category! Using jackted bullets.

Tom

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Bud Hyett posted this 08 September 2020

You're right, I thought they were never to be accurate. Until I shot one in .30 Herrett and cast bullets. The one secret I found is being sure the action was fully closed the same for each shot. 

The SAECO #315 and RCBS 30-165-SIL in a Bullberry 10 twist barrel shot a 200-yard National Record in 2006. Unfortunately, Jesse Miller beat that record on the next relay by .058, more power to him.

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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gemihur posted this 08 September 2020

Creative wood gives 'em have character.

I shoot, therefore I am

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 06 August 2018

following joeb's adventures, i had to notice that his * pistol * seems to outshoot his * rifles * ... same savage actions, same class of barrels ...

and so i looked at the past several years of CBA  matches ... HOLY SMOKES, .....  the pistols tend to outshoot the rifles !!! ... say it isn't so ...

...   maybe a bit of apples and oranges ?? ... or ... ok, short stiff barrels might well be more accurate ....  

****************

kinda along those lines, it would be interesting if some shooters used " pistols " in the current  fall groundhog shoot .... be embarrassing to find out they worked well for that ....

ken  

 

 

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gemihur posted this 06 August 2018

Give 'er some legs and she'll really impress ya'

7-30 Waters

I shoot, therefore I am

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R. Dupraz posted this 19 March 2018

Online CBA Member

 

BigMan54 posted this 22 minutes ago

 

R-D,

"After seeing that FINE FOREND  you made.  That is a thing of beauty. I think even I could make a nice FLAT Forend like that". 

Well BigMan, I think you're a tad over the top with that comment, It's just a simple fore end made from a chunk of walnut. And then  pillar bedded to float the barrel. No part of the fore end touches the barrel or action. No doubt that you could duplicate it. Just takes a little time and a piece of wood.

Those pistol scopes are 2 1/2 -8 power Weavers. And I  use 1" black target pasters  for aiming points, both at 50 and 100 yds.

Works fine for me.

R. 

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BigMan54 posted this 19 March 2018

R-D,

After seeing that FINE FOREND  you made.  That is a thing of beauty. I think even I could make a nice FLAT Forend like that. 

Maybe not as nice but serviceable. I've used the Pachmayr  forend for so long, I've never thought of using anything else.

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

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