Just curious, how many of you own something like this.

They were the rage back in late 70's and 80's, numerous
manufacturers, and as time went on, not so much.

I hear and or see little about them today.

This one competed in IHMSA with iron sights on it
for a few years, and then moved onto deer hunting topped with
Redfield 3 ring base ( recoil compensation) it's a handful
with full house 7-08 Rem. Trigger is 1.5 lbs.

No problem putting venison in the freezer with this set up,
back in the day.

Leupold Vari-X EER 2X of the same vintage.

Custom laminate center grip stock, pillar blocked action.

Started out as a Remington XP-100 in 7mm BR,
which I promptly had re chambered to 7-08 Rem, before it was ever fired.

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Very nice but I really never considered them hand cannons, more like hand rifles. I have a couple of .475 Linebaughs I shoot and love. The custom Ruger is fairly compact with its 5.5" barrel. The BFR not so much, but I consider them more of the hand cannon genre. Great for whitetail as well, though I don't reach out beyond 100 yards.

I'll toss in a .480.



When I got this 454 in the late 80's, it was king of the hill. Now, not so much.

I had a Thompson Center Contender in .35 Remington, topped with a Leupold scope. I loved it. Shot exceptionally well, I thought. Unfortunately, it and a number of other firearms and other items were stolen not long after the Air Force moved me to Prattville, AL.

I've got a 14" TC Contender with a 30-30 barrel re-chambered to 30-40 Krag. Easy open frame with trigger adjustable for pull, creep and over-travel. With a saw-handle Pachmayr grip it reminds me of shooting a pistol grip pump shotgun. Muzzle blast is terrible.

It ain't Smith but I like it a lot.

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On the whistle draw and fire 6

Pipsqueak!

Bowen Ruger Redhawk 500 Linebaugh.jpg
I'll put up my Hamilton Bown-modified Ruger Redhawk .500 Linebaugh against any other hand cannon. It will injure you if not handled properly. I was speaking with Mr. Bowen regarding Howdahs, and he allowed as how that "Ruger" IS a modern Howdah. Yup.

I wanted an XP-100 years ago in the 1980's, but I never did get one. Instead I had a TC Contender SSK .444 Marlin throated long.

XP-100: I think a .416 through .500 belted magnum would be a nice chambering for such an item.

Today, I have X-frame S&W 460 and 500 magnum revolvers; I attached a pic a few posts ago. I also have a DW PM-7 with .460 Rowland barrel, for my auto-loader hand cannon needs.

The knife, tell us about the knife in your avatar!

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Dick Burg

...600 nitro express...

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A Country Boy Can Survive

Currently have 3 XP's, 35 remington, 7mm tcu that started as 223, 7mm bench rest. Have as well, 3 Savage Strikers, 243, 7mm-08, 300 WSM. There are numerous Contenders and an Encore of various calibers focused for the most part on hunting deer.

I remember seeing photos of some guy who made a 458 win mag single shot bolt action handgun. It had 2 grips at about 45 degrees to each other. When he fired it prone it lifted most of his body off the ground.

Once again, just because you can doesn't mean you should.

The biggest "Hand Cannon" I have is a Taurus Judge Magnum in .45LC/.410 Bore 3".



However, it's the size rather than the power which makes it a Hand Cannon. Sure, it's no slouch with full-house .45s or 000 .410s, but it's nowhere near some of the so-called Hand Cannons out there.

In all seriousness I stand in awe of you guys that can shoot some of the above repeatedly.

If I couldn't see you load it and get prematurely terrified I might get one aimed shot but would probably flinch so bad on number two I'd shoot my toe off.

"I can't wait to get the cast off my hand so I can shoot it again."

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On the whistle draw and fire 6

Currently I have a 4 3/4" FA 83. Years ago I owned one of the first 500 Linebaugh Rugers that John converted. I think it was a 5 1/2" gun.

Dang. I clicked the link thinking someone might have a nice handgonne collection...

I have a Remington XP-100 in 7mm BR, which, when I purchased it used, looked like this:

(see thumbnail below)

The owner had installed a Wichita rear sight, and had misplaced a front sight on the muzzle. However, he was more interested in ten-shot groups with a fairly high-powered Burris. I bought the gun without the scope, replaced the front sight where the factory planned it to be, and sighted the gun in properly with the Wichita at four distances. I also decided that I was getting a little old for iron sights with this pistol. I then installed a Leupold M8-2x EER, and sighted it in. I was quite happy with the results, which, IIRC, run about MOA on a good day. Maybe not award-winning, but about as well as I can see with a 2x scope.

I also have an H-S Precision 2000VP in 7mm-08 with a Leupold EER 2.5-8 scope. This is a somewhat heavier pistol. The two pistols recoil about the same, with the 7mm-08 possibly a little more violent. I would not want to convert my XP-100 to 7mm-08, and I am glad that my long consideration of 7mm-08 vs. .308 for the H-S precision resulted in choosing the lighter-recoiling cartridge.

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I keep my eyes open for an XP100 in 221 Fireball. That gun with just iron sights I think would be great fun shooting at my indoor range. They usually are not priced cheap when I find one in that format, I also want it in very good condition. I will get one of these days. Meanwhile you guys have fun shooting yours in the big boy calibers!!

When the XP came out in 223 you couldnt give a 221 fireball away...practically literally. I bought several for less than $200.00 for the actions.

For IHMSA Silhouette I used a Thompson Contender, first in 7 TCU, and then in 7x30 Waters.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I have a TC Contender with 35 Rem, 7x30 Waters and 223 barrels==need to get it out and shoot it again!

I bought my original .221 Fireball for $119.00 at Skaggs in Tulsa. Still have it.

Have a 100R in 7-08, also Encodes in 223Hornet, 223Rem and 243 in the short barrels.

Sure, I used to shoot IHMSA matches, pre-scopes, using a variety of guns I put together. My absolute best was a modified XP100 in 7BR for which I hand crafted a Walnut Claro 4X stock blank to fit like a glove--took me to many 40's in the unlimited class. Then I had a TC Contender action with a 10" barrel and grip for 7SM (a 357 SM case necked to 7mm) and a 15" barrel and better grips for a 357 SM round (180 gr, silhouette bullet @1650 fps). Also a DW SS 8" barrel in 44 Mag for revolver class. Shot all the classes but the Unlimited using my customized XP100-7BR was easily the best. That shot a 140 gr SPBT 2400 fps on a line to 50, 100 and 150 m targets (same setting on my 4 position Wichita sight!); and it shot a 162gr HPBT @1850 fps to slam down the ram at 200 m. Hard to beat! Happy to post pictures but don't have them stored on a server anywhere; just my PC.

Some of those are called "hanfles", being hand-held rifles for the most part. I fired one a time or two years ago.

J D Jones made those famous if I recall correctly.

I used an 8.3/8 m29 in production standing in those good old days.
I would NEVER use any gun with a 1.5 pound trigger pull for hunting!
Way to dangerous.

My "hand cannon" is a 10/12" Contender "Hunter" in 375 Winchester. With 220 grain factory rifle ammo and the ported bird cage on the front it much tamer than my 4" 28 with 157 FBI LSWC. However, I love to shoot it at dusk (Just enough light to see the backstop) The muzzle flash is bigger than a beach ball!

Ivan

My hand cannon is a Thompson Encore with a 15-inch 30-06 barrel. Even if you don't hit the target it will fall from fear. Everyone at the range will turn their head to see what the heck that was, and some may wet their pants.

I used to shoot IHMSA a lot. This was before NRA got into silhouette and ruined the game. I shot in revolver class, standing class, and unlimited class. I had a T/C contender with 30-30 and 357 Herrett barrels. The 30-30 was OK with cast bullets.
But, I had more fun with the S&W revolvers, namely a M29, a M27, and a M25-5. The 44 and 45 were really great fun! A cast 245-255 gr. SWC at 900 FPS or so is plenty for silhouettes, even the 200m rams. Just work out the elevation, squeeze off a round and wait (patiently) for the clang!
I got rid of the contender....

Best Regards,
Jim

Sounds like real gem! What powder did you use to achieve 2400fps with a 140gr bullet?

Yes, I personally own a Remington XP100 in .223 in original plastic stock that will shoot 1 & 3/4" at 200 yards from a bench with bipod. My coyote pistol. Mine wears a vintage 2-6 Redfield varible glass sight.
Steve

Purchased an XP-100 a few years ago, all original in 221 Fireball, absolutely love it. Fun to shoot, and load for. Excellent accuracy. It won’t be leaving me anytime soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Win 296 was best with Rem small rifle match primer (I don't remember powder weight but was around the capacity of 32 gr). The barrel had been lapped and then treated inside and out by JD Jones with a special chrome (not shiny) coating, which gained me about 100 fps from expected for the load (before and after on my chronograph). All my cases were trimmed, neck turned, and made as perfect and identical as possible.

This is a handful a T/C contender in 45/70! A 405 grain bullet is about all that you would want to shoot. I still have this pistol as well as several 500 S&Ws and a 460 S&W.

Here is mine a 50-70 homemade, 6lbs.[IMG][/IMG]

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"I'm feeling MUCH better now"

Sold my .221 converted to .223 many years ago. Looked for a long time to find this unshot example in the original .221 Fireball. When I meet the seller at the gun store to transfer it no one had seen one before, it caused quite a stir.(this is California) He wanted $500 for the gun or $600 with the Burris 4X and mounts. That money actually leaped out of my pocket. Even on a bad arthritis day I can enjoy shooting this "hand cannon" unlike my other HC the 500 S&W.

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Sweet looking gun. 9.4 times more punishing power than a 30-06 so this guy says:

Sean Linnane: 600 NITRO EXPRESS PISTOL

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A Country Boy Can Survive

I've had Contenders and Super Mags they didn't float my boat.
Biggest thing I keep are 44 mags, the bigger stuff is to new to
interest me and I don't have the need for anything bigger than
44mg. I just turned down a BFP 45/70 that was NIB, guy wanted
to trade in for a 29-2 NIB. When I told him what I would give him
against the 29 he left in a huff. If I'm Going to carry a gun that
is that heavy & bulky, I would carry a carbine.

.54 cal pistol

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This thread, as most here do, has really gone off topic. From XPs to Judges?
Steve

The use of the phrase "hand cannon" may have helped to misdirect it, if that is actually what happened.

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Formerly Model520Fan

I’m a big fan of varmint handguns, I have a couple XP-100s as well as Savage Strikers and a few Lone Eagles.
Fun to shoot and rarely will some one pick one up and shoot it better than I do. Not so with rifles

I only have two (the XP-100 in 7mmBR and the H-S Precision 2000 VP in 7mm-08), but shortly after I got the H-S Precision, I had it out at the range and was shooting at 100yd, and I believe that this was when I was shooting it better than factory guarantee, which I recall was 1/2 inch at 100yd three-shot groups. I did that well or better five-shot groups, both factory (Hornady) and handloads. I let one or two others shoot it, one a young fellow who looked like he was military. He shot it about as well as I did, and I let him finish off the ammo I had with me.

Always nice to see that at least some of the next generation knows what to do with a gun.

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Formerly Model520Fan

Back in the 70's there was a gunsmith named John Towle. He owned a company named TNT Arms in North Conway, NH. He made all of this stuff on Wichita actions. I has him do some custom work for me on a Model 15, and when I went to pick it up I saw some of them. As I recall one was 7mm Rem. Mag, and another was 458 Win. Mag( full size). I remember the day I picked it up, I saw his wrist swollen the size of a hardball from competing using his own creations. I still have the Model 15. Smoothest action I have ever experienced. I have never tried to sell it. Not much demand for a Frankengun.

My my buddy Bob and his hand cannon.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

How so? It's not like there's some proper definition for the term "Hand Cannon" which clearly defines that which ought to be considered one, ergo you get a wide variety of guns appearing in the thread.

In fact, if you go by Wikipedia's article on Hand Cannons, pretty much any handgun could be considered a Hand Cannon since they are in essence just a miniturized handheld cannon.

Besides, the thread would be a lot less fun/interesting if everyone in the thread conformed to some arbitrary definition of a "Hand Cannon" and nobody else bothered to post anything at all.

Heres my hand cannon!!

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NRA Life Member
CPO