TC contender

About the Difference between A-6 or A-7. 44 definitely easier to reload for and way nicer to shoot out of Contender pistol.

.30 caliber 125 gr Nosler accubond out of the .30-30 contender is a load an acquaintance swears by for deer-pigs on down. This combo may outrange the .44 in some situations.

But for most applications, they overlap so much that its 6 of one and a half-dozen of the other. Not a bad problem to have .

Stay safe.

Speed kills, that would be the 30-30. Its also flatter shooting. More for longer shots.

Scope required, for full benefit.

In Georgia the 44 magnum will take down about any animal in the state. I still have a 44 magnum with a muzzle brake fun to shoot. Also had a 30/30 without a muzzle brake it was no fun to shoot.

My contender wears a .357 barrel for cheap practice shooting, and a 7mmTCU for more serious work. Haven't taken a deer with it yet, but it certainly has the horsepower. The 7TCU is easy to load and easy shooting. IMHO, there are better cartridges in both the highish velocity bottleneck and slow and fat category availble. A 30-30 or .44 will get it done in their niches, but others will do it a tad better. I think a .35 Rem barrel would be the best of both worlds for hunting uses. You can run it like a .357 mag for practice, max for lighter critters with a heavy pistol bullet, or slow and heavy rifle loads for bigger critters. I own a .44 mag barrel, but haven't mounted it or acquired loading supplies. For sale if anyone's interested.

It all depends on what you are going to use it for? Other firearms you own will also probably have some bearing.

But it really boils down to personal choice!

Years ago shot a 7mmTCU in silhouette matches after 40 or 60 rounds you knew you had shot a match.

It’s a Contender. Get both.

and then a dozen or so others.

I have both barrels,( a 10" 44 mag and a 10" 30-30) for my Contender. Have shot several deer with each. Deer shot at close range (10-35 yds) with the .44 have dropped in place, not so with the 30-30. However at ranges of 40=85 yards (85 is as far as I have shot a deer) I found the 30-30 seems to drop the deer faster. I shoot 210 grain bullets in the .44 and 130 grain bullets in the 30-30. My all time favorite caliber for deer in the Contender is the .375 Winchester. It's a hammer on deer.

For what use?

My experience with shooting 30/30 based wildcats in contenders (see my avatar) is that pretty much no matter what you do, a contender is a little bit flexy for bottle neck cases with that large of a case head, and the combination of that and the very thin case web of 30/30 brass leads to fairly short case life. Just something to consider. You will get much better case life with a straight wall case like a 44 mag. I've had a few 44 barrels and am about to order a 445 super mag.

Keyfer 55 said:

3030 win. vs 44 mag. I prefer the 44mag!
Any thoughts?

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That’s easy: under 100 yards: 44 Mag. Over 100: 30-30.

Personally, I don’t even like 30-30 recoil from a mid weight rifle, much less from a pistol.

I just want someone to start making frames again. Is that too much to ask??

I prefer my 7-30 Waters in the Contender platform.

.30-30 for me. Love it.

I have several barrels for my T/C. I love the .44 Magnum as I have several guns in this cartridge. My preferred hunting round is 7-30 Waters.

The .44 Magnum requires one more step to load (maybe two) compared to the .30-30. Not sure why it’s “easier”…





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Neither... 357 Herrett for the win!

I think im up to 13 barrels for my G1 contender.

Ks5shooter said:

I prefer my 7-30 Waters in the Contender platform.

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I agree although mine is a 7mm International Rimmed Super 14 barrel.

Both are 7mm cartridges based on the 30-30 case.

I bought a first generation Contender once to get the frame. It had a 10" 30-30 barrel on it. I traded off the barrel before I shot it to get a 10" 22 Hornet barrel. The 22 Hornet barrel was re-chambered to 221 Remington Fireball.

As others have said, the 30-30 will shoot flatter out to a bit longer ranges than 44 Magnum but the 44 Magnum will provide more thump up close. One has to pick what limitations he has to deal with.

A 44 if you want the10", a 30-30 if you want to use a 14".

Ks5shooter said:

I prefer my 7-30 Waters in the Contender platform.

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Good choice, it's my go to combo for mule deer and antelope.

Smaug said:

That’s easy: under 100 yards: 44 Mag. Over 100: 30-30.

Personally, I don’t even like 30-30 recoil from a mid weight rifle, much less from a pistol.

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I'm in this camp between the two but I only punch paper and bang steel now