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08-24-2018, 05:03 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Central PA
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Mice Thru Moose - All In One Small Bag
I am mostly a big bore revolver kind of guy when it comes to hunting, but I decided to spend a morning today on the range with the most versatile handgun I own.
It fits in a small nylon zip bag that stores perfectly behind the seat of my truck. Plenty of room in the bag for a couple boxes of cartridges and shells, an a couple foam hearing plugs. It excels at long range target shooting, small game and predators, Pheasant and Grouse, hand thrown skeet, and big game from deer to moose.
I have taken a fair number of woodchuck with it, as well as half a dozen pheasant, one grouse, one coyote, and a doe.
It is, of course, a Thompson Center Contender...
The three barrel set consists of a Super 14 barrel with a 4x Swift scope in .223. It will group a solid five shots into 1 inch at 100 yards with a 50 grain Sierra.
A Super 14 barrel with a 2x Leupold in 30-30. It is also a 1 to 1 1/2 inch gun at 100 yards, and would probably do better with
a higher power scope and a better shooter.
The final barrel is a 10 inch octagonal chambered in .45c / .410 shotgun shell. Unlike most .410 chambered handguns, the barrels shallow rifling, along with the screw on choke (really a section of rifling with no twist to straighten out the shot pattern) allows it to shoot nice patterns out to about 25 yards with high velocity #6's, and will drop a pheasant if you can aim it straight. The .45c is not so accurate in this gun, but I bought the barrel mainly for .410 use.
After todays performance on the range, I think this neglected gem will be my opening day buck gun here in PA this year.
Anyone else a TC fan?
Larry
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08-24-2018, 06:32 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Harlem, Ohio
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I am very much a T/C fan. Two actions and about 12 barrels. The only 22 LR barrel I have is a Super 14 Match barrel, that I have never shot! My favorite is a 12" hunter with Iron sights, in 375 Winchester! I love shooting it just before twilight turns to night. The muzzle flash is about three and a half feet in diameter. I stood off to the side as my brother shot it and the muzzle flash was about five feet long!
I bought 100 rounds of factory ammo back in the 80's when I bought the barrel and still have 92 factory rounds.
I got rid of a 223 Super 14, and very much enjoyed my 7 TCU Super 14! But the last few years, my 2 actions have been sporting 10" bull barrels; one in 22 Hornet and one in 221 Fireball. I've been able to get 1 1/2 inch at 50 yards on the Hornet and several groups just under and just over 1" at 50 yards with the Fireball.
I also have my personal hand cannon: a Super 14 in 44 Mag that I had Mag-Na-Ported. I shoot 35 year old Barns Original 300 grain soft points Over 296. I have these loads locked up separate, as I fear they would destroy my 29 or 629, they are so far above SAMMI limit loads! When I fire this barrel with this ammo, it hurts my lower back and both shoulders using a Weaver stance! But wow, what it does to things! Think of your worst fear (like getting mauled by a Tyrannosaurus) This combo will defiantly put you at ease!
Ivan
Last edited by Ivan the Butcher; 08-25-2018 at 07:30 AM.
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08-24-2018, 08:08 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Ohio valley
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I do have a G2 with a 50 cal black
powder and a375 Winchester
Barrels have shoot deer with both
My brother and I have shot a bunch
Of small game over the years with
Mod17s . A squirrel or grouse shot
With a revolver all ways tastes
better
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08-25-2018, 12:20 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Wyoming
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I too have a few Contenders with a bunch of bbls Have sold some barrels like a fool(41 mag 45 auto etc Only one bbl I did not regret selling. My Thank you Jesus bbl a 45-70. Very accurate for the first 3 rounds....then it all went badly. I have a vent rib barrel in 45/410 and have shot 5 pheasants with it so it can be done. but they have to be close. My favorite barrel however is a 14 in 357 Rem Max. It is a deer killing machine. and good to about 200 yds with the right load. Always wanted a 375 Win bbl though. BTW I bought the Max barrel at an auction. Had a carbine forend and a Leupold VXII 1x4 Rifle scope on it. Later in the auction I got the carbine stock and receiver to go with it. The fellow had been using it as a rifle. Combined price for both was 260 bucks
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08-25-2018, 02:13 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: SW MT
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3 Contender frames and two Encores. 22 lr, 22 hornet, 357, 44, 30-30 7 tcu pistol barrels and 223, 7-30 rifle bbls. Encore is 243, 7mm08 and 7 Rem Mag. There is a lot of joy with game taken using a single shot.
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Front sight and squeeze
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08-25-2018, 02:52 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Coastal Maine
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I now have 5 Contender frames and a bunch of barrels. My first one was a 4 barrel set of octagon in .22rf, .256WM, .222Rem. and 45/410. All in a package returned to the gun shop. Bought it for $95. Still have it. Then there are two frames with silhouette set ups and 8 ounce triggers and leupold 6.5-20 target scopes. A4th set up as a .17HMR rifle with 21" barrel and another carbine in .22LR with 21" bbl;. Love them all. I have other barrels in 14" .223 and a silhouette barrel in 25-20. I had a .270 REN barrel but let it get away.It was too noisy as I got older. Great guns and real good shooters.
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08-25-2018, 05:42 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Virginia
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I have a Contender and an Encore. All Super 14 barrels for the Contender the first was a .30 Herrett then a .44 Mag and finally a 45-70 with comp. The Encore is a long gun with a .50 bp and .375 H&H Mag barrels. I have taken big game with all. I took one of my big black bears with the 375 Encore. That rug is 7'2" nose to tail.
old 1911 fan
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08-25-2018, 06:49 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Twin Cites, Minnesota
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I have this Contender with 14" barrel in .44 Magnum caliber. I have a Weaver 2 x 28 scope on it. The gun is very accurate at 100 yards using my home cast 310 grain gas checked bullets from a Lee mold and 2400 powder.
I had kind of forgotten about it! I got it for deer hunting, but honestly, I dislike the taste of whitetail so much that I really don't want another deer!
The long, heavy barrel really tames stout magnum loads. My young nephew likes to shoot it. He doesn't know it, but I give him light .44 Russian ammo to shoot in it! He has a lot of fun thinking he's shooting a .44 Magnum!
I am going to have to get it out again and shoot. Thanks for the reminder!
Last edited by Warren Sear; 08-25-2018 at 06:54 PM.
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08-25-2018, 07:06 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Twin Cites, Minnesota
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The only barrel I have for mine is the .44 Magnum one that came with it.
Reading through all the posts above got me to thinking... I recently acquired a AR-15 in 300 ACC Blackout caliber with a 16" barrel that I like. I am seriously considering getting a suppressor for it, and if I do, I was just now thinking that it would be nice to have a barrel in that caliber for my contender for quiet shooting.
Does anyone know if a 14" 300 Blackout barrel is available?
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08-25-2018, 07:19 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2014
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A serious question for you folks. The .44 magnum is the most powerful cartridge I have fired in a handgun. I'm trying to imagine the felt recoil of a handgun chambered in .30-30 or .45-70.
How does it compare?
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08-25-2018, 08:52 PM
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The 30-30 is not bad..neither is the 44 mag with most loads. I have a bunch of over 300 gr bullets that shoot well out of the Contender with about a much 2400 as I can get in there. They are not all that much fun though. The 45-70 was accurate and to be honest no fun with 400 gr bullets or heavier. The 300 gr bullets were easier to take but still not a lot of fun. So that is why I sold it. The 357 Rem Max did well enough to shoot any bigger game I might want to shoot. The 30-30 is not the most accurate round out of the contender...the reason for the 30 Herrett
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