JJE
Member
This weekend I shot my new rifle at the Chabot Gun Range in Oakland, CA.
Gear:
- T/C Contender G2 rifle frame with T/C 23” .30-30 Winchester barrel
- Leupold VX-1 scope, 2-7x33, 1” tube
- Weaver 92A mount ($6 on sale from Midway!)
- Burris steel “ZEE” rings, high mount, for 1” tube
Initial observations:
The trigger on this G2 seems to break cleanly, although the pull could definitely be lighter. For hunting big game out to the range of the .30-30 cartridge, with a moderate-magnification scope, the trigger is probably fine. If I wanted to hunt varmints or shoot a 250+yard cartridge, and was using a rest, the trigger might become the limiting factor on accuracy. Old Contenders and the early G2s had a trigger over-travel limit screw, but that feature has been discontinued, so the trigger is basically non-adjustable, although several companies offer trigger kits or professional tuning.
The wood on the walnut fore-end doesn’t match the wood on the stock walnut stock. Doesn’t affect the shooting, just looks odd. Fit and finish is otherwise fine. Sling swivels are standard.
Fortunately, I was tipped off that the G2 needs high rings to provide access to the hammer under the eyepiece of the scope. The bore of the scope is 2 inches over the bore of the barrel, and I barely have ¼ inch to spare when cocking the hammer, even with this 33mm scope. Scopes with larger-dameter eyepieces might interfere with the hammer. Unfortunately, the G2 hammer spring supposedly can’t handle any extra weight on the hammer (just something I’ve read on the Internet). The G2 manual doesn’t mention hammer extensions or point out that you need high rings.
Because the butt cap and the trigger guard on the G2 stick out so far, this may not be a very comfortable gun to carry on a sling. I put a short sling on it and it jabbed me in the side just the way the shape of the gun suggests it might, although I have not actually carried it in the field.
Cleaning:
Before shooting, I ran a wet patch through the bore, followed by a dry patch. I didn’t clean during shooting, but after my 10 shots I ran a wet bronze brush through the barrel twice, followed by a wet patch, dry patches and a lightly-oiled patch.
Shooting the G2:
I shot Federal Power-Shok 150 gr soft-point, flat-nose ammo, which makes the standard 2,390 fps from a 24” barrel. Recoil is pretty much what I expected from a rifle that weighs less than 6.5 lb including scope, base and rings. You definitely know you’re shooting a rifle, but this setup isn’t going to hurt you.
I bore-sighted through the barrel at a 50-yard target with a 5.5-inch-diameter black center, then shot five 2-shot groups from sandbags, to get centered and about 2 inches high at 100 yards. This gives me a 175-yard zero and effective range of 200 yards. The groups looked like this:
50 yards, 2X magnification, 2 shots each:
1st group: 1.25 inch
2nd group: holes touching
3rd group: 0.50 inch
100 yards, 7X magnification, 2 shots each:
4th group: 1.25 inch
5th group: 1.75 inch
I was very happy about the tiny 2nd and 3rd groups, even though they were just 2-shot groups. Next time, I’ll start to work on field positions. If I can stay inside 2.5 inches at 100 yards while sitting and standing with shooting sticks, I’ll consider myself ready for hunting. This setup is obviously good enough for that kind of accuracy.
The VX-1 is my first Leupold and I was very impressed by the overall quality. The adjustments are “friction” rather than “clicks”, but that’s the only thing that gave away the price ($201 delivered from natchezss.com).
Gear:
- T/C Contender G2 rifle frame with T/C 23” .30-30 Winchester barrel
- Leupold VX-1 scope, 2-7x33, 1” tube
- Weaver 92A mount ($6 on sale from Midway!)
- Burris steel “ZEE” rings, high mount, for 1” tube
Initial observations:
The trigger on this G2 seems to break cleanly, although the pull could definitely be lighter. For hunting big game out to the range of the .30-30 cartridge, with a moderate-magnification scope, the trigger is probably fine. If I wanted to hunt varmints or shoot a 250+yard cartridge, and was using a rest, the trigger might become the limiting factor on accuracy. Old Contenders and the early G2s had a trigger over-travel limit screw, but that feature has been discontinued, so the trigger is basically non-adjustable, although several companies offer trigger kits or professional tuning.
The wood on the walnut fore-end doesn’t match the wood on the stock walnut stock. Doesn’t affect the shooting, just looks odd. Fit and finish is otherwise fine. Sling swivels are standard.
Fortunately, I was tipped off that the G2 needs high rings to provide access to the hammer under the eyepiece of the scope. The bore of the scope is 2 inches over the bore of the barrel, and I barely have ¼ inch to spare when cocking the hammer, even with this 33mm scope. Scopes with larger-dameter eyepieces might interfere with the hammer. Unfortunately, the G2 hammer spring supposedly can’t handle any extra weight on the hammer (just something I’ve read on the Internet). The G2 manual doesn’t mention hammer extensions or point out that you need high rings.
Because the butt cap and the trigger guard on the G2 stick out so far, this may not be a very comfortable gun to carry on a sling. I put a short sling on it and it jabbed me in the side just the way the shape of the gun suggests it might, although I have not actually carried it in the field.
Cleaning:
Before shooting, I ran a wet patch through the bore, followed by a dry patch. I didn’t clean during shooting, but after my 10 shots I ran a wet bronze brush through the barrel twice, followed by a wet patch, dry patches and a lightly-oiled patch.
Shooting the G2:
I shot Federal Power-Shok 150 gr soft-point, flat-nose ammo, which makes the standard 2,390 fps from a 24” barrel. Recoil is pretty much what I expected from a rifle that weighs less than 6.5 lb including scope, base and rings. You definitely know you’re shooting a rifle, but this setup isn’t going to hurt you.
I bore-sighted through the barrel at a 50-yard target with a 5.5-inch-diameter black center, then shot five 2-shot groups from sandbags, to get centered and about 2 inches high at 100 yards. This gives me a 175-yard zero and effective range of 200 yards. The groups looked like this:
50 yards, 2X magnification, 2 shots each:
1st group: 1.25 inch
2nd group: holes touching
3rd group: 0.50 inch
100 yards, 7X magnification, 2 shots each:
4th group: 1.25 inch
5th group: 1.75 inch
I was very happy about the tiny 2nd and 3rd groups, even though they were just 2-shot groups. Next time, I’ll start to work on field positions. If I can stay inside 2.5 inches at 100 yards while sitting and standing with shooting sticks, I’ll consider myself ready for hunting. This setup is obviously good enough for that kind of accuracy.
The VX-1 is my first Leupold and I was very impressed by the overall quality. The adjustments are “friction” rather than “clicks”, but that’s the only thing that gave away the price ($201 delivered from natchezss.com).
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