T/C Pistol ??????

Depends on what it is for. I prefer the 10" barrels for portability. I like the .22 for head shots on squirrels, the .222 for wood chucks out to 100 yards, the 30-30 or .357SM for deer, and the .44 mag and .375 Winchester for hogs and deer.

So many options. Depends a lot on what one wants/needs to do.

45-70 for giggles (yes, I have some issues). .22 for a slow day of plinking and relaxing. 7-30 Waters for deer, 30-30 for deer if I don't want to reload the 7-30 (back in normal times when 30-30 was everywhere), the 410 is interesting for small game.

Lots of options there! I really like the platform. Yes, it has some limitations but in a pistol I have no issues with those "limits".

my 2 favorite 14" 221 fireball and a 14" 730 waters.

My first Contender is a 10" 357 Magnum. I've added a Super 14 7mm international Rimmed barrel that I used for IHMSA.

I've always been intrigued with 221 Remington Fireball so I added a 10" barrel. Actually, it is a 22 Hornet barrel I had re-chambered for 221.

I like all three. Each has different purposes.

I also have 22" 221 Remington Fireball Contender carbine barrel. It produces about the smallest groups of any of my rifles. And, I have a 21" 22 Hornet Contender carbine. A slick little short range varmint rifle.

8" 44mag barrel is pretty compact...



I havent any experience with the 10" and 14" 30 Herrett or 10" 357 Herrett barrels it have. No ammo. Well im slowly going through my grandpas old 30 Herrett loads because I found a lot of split necks. A few are okay though. No 357 Herrett. Got 357 dies, need 30H dies.

I’ve got a contender with a 2” barrel. The forearm is 5” long however. I cut it off to make concealed carry. 300 Win Mag. When I shoot it the wood forearm starts on fire.

30/20, 6.5" barrel

I competed in IHMSA for over twenty five years and had several barrels and frames in both the Contender and Encores and well as three center grip Remington XP-100's.

Getting long in the tooth I started thinning the herd a few years ago and sold all of my Contenders, Encores and XP-100's except for one Encore frame and a 15" scoped barrel chambered in 6.5x55 Swedish.

I have 2 frames for 4 barrels. 10” is great for use as a true pistol. Big bores can get pretty abusive. 44 mag is my absolute limit there and I actually sold my 44 barrel because of the recoil.

I have 14” 223ai because I want cheap small bore but I wanted different. Should be a good varmint gun. I haven’t messed with it much yet.

I also have a 14” 30-30 and love it. Plenty accurate and not a ton of recoil or noise. It’s high on the list for any critters I might consider eating.

7-30 waters. My first barrel that I liked. (44 was first barrel but was too much). I have ticked off rifle shooters who couldn’t hit by wearing out their gongs with the 10” pistol. It’s a wonderful round. Only fur it’s found so far was a coyote and I didn’t go looking for it.

my latest and greatest is a 357 Herrett. It was cut to 10”. I haven’t even had it on a frame. I broke down my reloading bench to move right before the barrel arrived and I don’t have a bench set up in this house yet. From what I hear it’s a thumper but recoil is still tolerable and it can sling heavy lead adequate for everything from mouse to moose.

I’m very interested in finding a contender. It will likely be the next gun I buy. I want to set it up with a pistol brace and a 10-14” scoped barrel. Not sure on what caliber, I’ll likely take the first one at a good price regardless of the caliber. I’ve gotten a wild hair for the .375 jdj. It looks like a serious hammer of a round. Could be fun with heavy cast Bullets deer and hogs.

The 3030 14" has been my #1 deer slayer, 223 for prairie rats, 357Max, just because I have a revolver in that caliber!

I've had a few barrels over the years but the 2 I kept are a 10" 44 magnum and a 14" 22LR

WestKentucky said:

my latest and greatest is a 357 Herrett. It was cut to 10”. I haven’t even had it on a frame. I broke down my reloading bench to move right before the barrel arrived and I don’t have a bench set up in this house yet.

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I just returned a set of dies for 357 Herrett to midway because I already had a set in my cabinet... They received them back yesterday. Just in case you were looking

I have just the one frame, but nearly a dozen barrels.

22lr, 22 mag, 22 hornet, 221 FB, 222, 223, 30H 10 and 14", 357H, and 44 mag. I like odd calibers so any of those and a 6.5 Grendel barrel are always "on my list"

In my earlier post I mentioned the pistol barrels i have for the Contender. I also have Rifle set ups for a 18" 22WMR, a 18" 256 Win Mag, and a 18" 445SM. I use the 22WMR and the .256 for called in coyotes, and the 445 is a back up deer rifle

Fyrstyk said:

In my earlier post I mentioned the pistol barrels i have for the Contender. I also have Rifle set ups for a 18" 22WMR, a 18" 256 Win Mag, and a 18" 445SM. I use the 22WMR and the .256 for called in coyotes, and the 445 is a back up deer rifle

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There was a TC rifle stock in my grandpas collection when I got it. But no rifle barrels... So I keep it at work, 25 miles away until I find one. Suppose I could thread the 223 super 14 and pin and weld a brake on it. That doesnt sound like a bad plan actually.

I only have TC Contender barrels in two calibers -- .44 magnum (10" stainless and 16.25" blue), and .22LR (12" blue, 14" Super Match stainless steel, and 23" stainless).

If I HAD to pick a favorite, it would probably be the 14" .22... In this configuration, I call it my "Hammer of Squirrel"...


But I currently have my sole Contender frame configured with the 23" rifle barrel. For some odd reason, this barrel seems to like Super Colibris out to about 30 yards...

Brother did a 10-inch 450 Marlin barrel on his Encore. It was mildly unpleasant to shoot. He replaced it with a 10-in 44 Mag with a pistol scope and it's a pussy cat in comparison and remarkable accurate for a 44 Mag.

TC Contender Carbine in 22lr with the TC Recoil Proof 4X scope (overkill). Has done 3/8" at fifty yards. Usually 1/2". Another one in .223 with a spare 30-30 barrel.
Finally, a final, before G2 pistol with .22, .222, .30-30, .357, .44 mag hotshot, 45 colt, and 45/410 barrels.
Favorites: 22 carbine, 357 pistol.
All seem to be far above most other guns of the same chambering in accuracy. Could just be me.
Either going to sell one of the carbines or make it into another pistol as I have the grip and many forends. Probably .22 in one, 357 in the other. Carbine usually wears the 30-30, 21".

.22 mag and .35 rem, in 14".
Scope for small critters, RDS for big game.

BigBlue 94 said:

There was a TC rifle stock in my grandpas collection when I got it. But no rifle barrels... So I keep it at work, 25 miles away until I find one. Suppose I could thread the 223 super 14 and pin and weld a brake on it. That doesnt sound like a bad plan actually.

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Exactly my plan for my 223AI barrel.

BigBlue 94 said:

I just returned a set of dies for 357 Herrett to midway because I already had a set in my cabinet... They received them back yesterday. Just in case you were looking

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I got dies with the barrel when I swapped. My barrel is a touch rough and the one I let go of was nice so the die set and brass made up for the difference.

What caliber & barrel leight is your favorite
combination???

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My 15” Bullberry Contender in .300 Savage. Frighteningly accurate and deadly on over two dozen deer.




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I made this years ago my plan was to hunt pigs and Deer with it 13" 454 with 4 port mag na ports shoots like a 44 magnum and my contender with a 10" 44 magnum barrel