[P95Carry]

Despite my still way to long (to buy) list .. I do have a hankering to get a Contender .... and thus far have thought of a .223 ... appeals to me somehow for small critters .. sorta challenge .. plus I want one!!

However, it may be a ways in the future yet but occurs to me to see if there are any T/C fans here and what cals work well ....... I don't feel that rifles cals will be too ''pleasant'' much above this level ..... but hey ... what do you think?

[Stevie-Ray]

30-30 is a great caliber for the T/C. Sub MOA accuracy is normal for the Winchester and Remington factory loads if you do your part. Recoil is a sharp stab to the palm rather than the rolling boom of, say, a .44 Magnum, but not uncomfortable in the least.

Stay away from .45-70. Nuff said.

I agree with your choice of .223. It's what I have yet to get, but will one day.

Also popular is the .44 Mag, .22 LR, and just for kicks, the .410/.45.

[P95Carry]

Stevie ... thx for the input .. ya know .. had clean forgot about the 30-30 ... worth considering but maybe yet .. the 223 ''beckons''. :)

[E357]

I would get the 223 in an 18" heavy barrel for a rifle. If you want a "pistol lenght" 10-14 inches then I think a .22 hornet is better because is it much quieter and the smaller recoil will allow you to mount a rifle scope/bipod and not get smacked in the eyeball. If your going after dear with a pistol then the 7-30 Waters is like a sleek 30-30. In this case you would want a LONG relief pistol scope. The recoil is interesting.

But, in all cases you need to get a .22 match bull 10" barrel to impress your friends.

Elliot

[P95Carry]

E357 ... I am in fact also after a decent bolt in 223 ...... my Mini ''eats'' way too much food! :) :p

But .. there is an appeal re a 14" handgun in this sorta cal . tho I take your point re 22 Hornet. Thx.

[Handy]

.223 is going to be cheaper than Hornet, if you plan on shooting the cheap stuff sometimes. Of course, cheap .223 is darn accurate.

[Steve in PA]

I had a T/C Contender, stainless steel, 10" barrels.....one in .22 Hornet and the other in .22lr Match Grade....both had a 2x6 Bushnell scope mounted.

The Hornet was a tack driver at 100 yards......putting 5 rounds in a group no bigger than my thumb nail. The .22 Hornet was very nice, but tricky to reload because of the thin brass.

The .22lr Match Grade barrel was simply awesome. Also had great groups at 100 yards.

My next barrel to purchase would have been most likely been a 14" in .223. I've heard its excellent out to 300 yards or so.

[P95Carry]

Thx Steve ... my resolve is ever firming!!!

Trouble is .. I (we) am in wrong area for some real serious P-Dog shootin!! :) .223 is lookin better all the while!

[critter]

I have a contender with 2 barrels. Both are stainless super 14" types. One is in .223 and the other is 30-30 Win. Those 2 cover ALL my needs. Both are ACCURATE beyond belief-ie I have caused many 30-30 saddle gun owners who are content with 5 gallon bucket size groups at 100 yds to load up and go home when they see that 14"er shoot those 30-30 rounds. The .223 is even better!

Both are common calibers, easily reloaded, MANY choices for bullets, powder, etc. You can't go wrong with either but BOTH is BETTER!

Good luck and have fun!

[dev_null]

I've got two barrels for my Encore, one in .223 and the other in .308. The .223 is lots of fun, quite manageable, very accurate. The .308 is even more fun, but only for a while. Kind of like I imagine a Desert Eagle would be: a rush, but one's wrist can only take so much. Go for the .223, I think you'll enjoy it.

-0-

(I almost bought a .17 HMR for it, but then remembered: I already have a Crossman 177 at home. ;) )

[P95Carry]

Thx guys .... I think my decision-making process has now been all but set in stone:) Now just need the funding :(

I should have asked ... sorry, when you've already replied . but, any pointers re what you'd call ''sensible'' prices?? I wonder if I might find a pre-owned ....... tho maybe Contenders once bought sorta, ''stick around''!;) ?

[12-34hom]

221 Fireball. One of the absolute best chamberings for T/C; ever!

12-34hom.

[riddleofsteel]

For deer size game the 7-30 Waters is hard to beat. I have had a T/C Contender carbine, 14" Super and 10" custom with muzzle brake in that caliber.

[Andrew Wyatt]

i'm partial to the bjornson qfarson .22/66. it's a wildcat based on the .22 short case that drives a 600 grain .66 caliber JHP at 36 FPS.

it's a great brushbuster. :neener:

[Okiecruffler]

I'll be picking up my .357 Contender this Friday if all goes as planned, but I'm looking hard already for my next barrel. I've decided to get a .223 or a .30-30, whichever one i find first for a good price. The only Contender I've ever fired was my dad's .444 Marlin. Incrediable results on whitetail, but not a load you'd want to spend much time getting to know at the range.

[P95Carry]

Andrew ..... that 22/66 recoil must be fierce!:D :neener:

221 Fireball 12-34hom?? No experience with that -- I think the big plus with .223 is availability and for me as many ... reloadable too ..... so, huge choice of variants.

[scotjute]

Has anyone any experience with .22 magnum round in the Contender?

[farscott]

I have some experience with the .22 WMR in 10" and 21" Contender barrels. Very accurate shooters. Of course, the .22 Hornet (or one of the improved Hornet versions) can be loaded to match the .22 WMR at much lower cost.

[dave5339]

I've got a buddy that has a TC with a Super 16 barrel in 45-70:what: Since my friend likes things that go boom loudly, I loaded him up some 45-70 max loads for a strong action.

My buddy then went and put one of those light weight plastic stocks on his TC.:eek: Then he didn't get around to shooting the loads I'd made him.

Long story short, I was DUMB:uhoh: to borrow it from him one time. 4 rounds later I was almost on my knees in pain. That thing packed a h*ll of a wallop!

My buddy finally got around to trying the "HOT" loads, he cheated though, he stuffed a sandbag between the rifle and his shoulder.:banghead:

The rifle/pistol is rather pleasent to shoot now that I've pulled all the loads and loaded them at light load for a weak action.

Semper Fi

[12-34hom]

P95, I don't think T/C even chambers a barrel for 221 anymore..:mad:

A large gun show would be the best bet to find one.

My first single shot "varmint" pistol was a 10 inch T/C pistol with a 4 power scope attached. .

Steve Timm who writes for =Varmint Hunters Magazine" likes this round alot to. Excellent round to reload for!!

50 - 52 - grain bullets work quite well pushed at @ 2400 - 2600 fps. Muzzel blast was fierce off the 10 inch barrel.

I still have around 20 boxs of Remington brass in 221. I wanted a Remington XP-100, but have not yet found one NIB. I settled for a Savage "Stricker" chambered in 22-250.

12-34hom.

[P95Carry]

P95, I don't think T/C even chambers a barrel for 221 anymore..

A large gun show would be the best bet to find one.12-34hom ..... I will still I think only be after the .223 anyways .. have loadsa cases and reload gear. But you have made me think .... am aiming to visit Market Hall gun show in Dallas on 14th ... so I must look around ... just in case.

[Ky Larry]

I have a Contender, 14 inch bull barrel, .223, 2.5x7 T/C scope. It will drive tacks. I also have a Ruger 77V in .223 . I've been trying for a while to come up with one load for both. No luck yet, but it's lots of fun. My next purchase is a .22 lr barrel or a .44 mag barrel.I have shot many .45-70 factory loads in my friends Contender. My S&W Model 29 has more recoil.

[P95Carry]

KY Larry .... not having mine yet I am not in a position to experiment but .... my usual rifle load for 223 is using Vit N-133 ..... works great (24.8 grns IIRC ... puckin a 55 grainer).

Do you think that 14" needs a slightly faster powder ... in Vit powders maybe I could consider N-130 ..... just wondering. Oh and ... what twist is your 14" bull barrel??

[357Man]

Another vote here for either the .30-30 or the 7-30 Waters.
If you are interested in getting into the carbine kit thing, I have a friend who hunts quite a bit, and this is just about the only "rifle" he hunts with anymore. He also pistol hunts with a 14" .30-30 barrel. He quotes me velocities in the 2300 fps range out of the 14" with a 150 Nosler Ballistic Tip. Great medicine for whitetails.
He has also used it to take several exotic sheep species in Texas. One shot, and done.