Specialty pistols and what you use them for?

I shoot long range with mine. Hunting is a hoot, but there are only so many days each season I get to hunt productively, whereas I have far more range time available throughout the year. 10/22 Chargers are probably my favorite, since I can feed them so cheaply with no concern for barrel life, and of course, 300 yards is a long damned ways for one of these little guys, whereas the centerfire SP’s need a lot more air under them before they become interesting.



It’s not as svelte as an XP100, but I rebuilt this Savage Striker to let my son get started into centerfire specialty pistols. It left the factory with a 10” Sporter weight, nut style barrel in 243win, but I had it rebuilt with a shouldered 15” Proof Research Competiton Contour blank, chambered in 6 Creedmoor. It gives up speed to my 24” and 26” rifle barrels, but it makes it to 1000 before falling subsonic.


I’m trying to convince myself to follow in the footsteps of @xphunter and put a pistol barrel and stock on my .375 Cheytac action when it gets here.

With the exception of my 22 pistols, all the rest could be described as "fighting" or "service" type pistols. I do have a Glock 23 (40) that I'm not especially in love with, but it sees regular duty as a sidearm when I'm hunting. Otherwise, it just sits in a drawer in a tool chest.loaded and ready for me to take with me hunting- unless something crazy happens when I'm in my shed where that tool chest is.

I feel that my CZ Shadow2 Orange is a specialty pistol. And I only use it for that, as a target/comp gun. The pinnacle of the art in the production class, IMO. Fun gun to shoot.

I also owned the gun in my avatar. Colt Anaconda/Realtree .44 mag. Bought it new with the intent to take it deer hunting. Never did. It was very accurate at the range though, if you didn't mind the recoil. Sold it recently on Gunbroker for mid 4 figures. I just was not using it and the market was hot for them, so why not?

adcoch1 said:

Hello all,
I've never owned a specialty pistol, no contenders, or xp 101s, or anything else. I've been very interested in them forever though, and I'm curious, what are your favorite specialty pistols, and the intended uses you own them for?
I want a encore, but cost has driven me away several times, and I rationalize away building a bolt pistol with using rifles. What am I missing out on?

Click to expand...

TC stuff is really expensive now and a bolt pistol has so many more pluses for me.
I do about everything you can imagine with bolt action specialty pistols.
The easy button with a center-grip bolt rig is the Nosler Independence 48.
The easy button with a rear-grip bolt rig is the Kauger Arms Black Widow.
I can post a host of pics and vids, if desired, but what would you like to accomplish (dream big) with bolt action specialty pistol?

FAVORITE: Custom center-grip XP-100's!!!

https://bulletin.accurateshooter.co...-ernie-bishops-bolt-action-specialty-pistols/
https://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2019/02/the-batman-pistol-wicked-xp-100-in-6-6-5x47-lapua/
22 GT rear grip at WY-SHOT

Some videos from WY-SHOT: https://sebrests-usa.com/wy-shot/
22GT video from above and...
Mladen running my 308 Win XP-100 ("Dirty Thirty')


Dan shooting my 6.5x47L Black Widow:

Model 41 S&W 22 LR that was taken to Clark Custom Guns for a Target Trigger job , reliability package and tuned magazines .
It was used only for Indoor NRA Bullseye Match shooting ... it's only used to shoot out the X-ring of a paper target in slow ... timed and rapid fire in indoor competition ...
And it was good at it ... for many years ... but my eyes got old and we had to retire .
Gary

adcoch1 said:

I forgot to mention AR-15 specialty pistols, I do use those a bit, but those chargers are really cool...

Click to expand...

There was an old school print gunzine writer who called such a thing a "pistifle."

pifle, hand-rifle, rifle without a stock...
A number of terms out there describing SP's

I have killed animals in size from pd's to bull elk with SP's.
Longest pd is beyond a mile, while the longest big game animal is just over a grand.
LR tactical and PRS matches with them out to and beyond a grand
1K BR matches with them.
And I put on a LR pistol shoot and pd shoot (handguns only) in June every year, just NW of Gillette, WY
Where in Montana?

1st shot connections at each distance with the Black Widow
10” targets @ 400, 496, 575, 645, and 673 yards

Ive got a Contender with like 13 barrels, a Savage 516 FSAK Striker in 22-250, with a 14" barrel, and a 502 Striker in 22 Mag.

I mostly hunt targets with them. But i would like to get a deer under the contender's belt. Likely in 30 Herrett or 357 Herrett.

The Savage Strikers would make great mountain guns for big game hunting. Plus they are repeaters, where most other SP's are not. Right hand action with left hand bolt handle works really smooth.

I always thought a T/C Contender in 22 LR might be fun for squirrel hunting, but I never seriously looked into it.

One day one day I will have one I’m really liking the look of the Nosler but @Varminterror’s savage striker has me intrigued

adcoch1 said:

Hello all,
I've been a handgun hunter off and on for all my adult life, primarily with a 7.5" Ruger redhawk. Taken lots of deer with it, and used various 22lr and other handguns for small game. But I've never owned a specialty pistol, no contenders, or xp 101s, or anything else. I've been very interested in them forever though, and I'm curious, what are your favorite specialty pistols, and the intended uses you own them for?

I want a encore, but cost has driven me away several times, and I rationalize away building a bolt pistol with using rifles. What am I missing out on?

Click to expand...

CajunBass said:

I always thought a T/C Contender in 22 LR might be fun for squirrel hunting, but I never seriously looked into it.

Click to expand...

Years ago I really looked into the world of TC Contenders and Encores in .223, .22WMR, and .22LR. It drove me to go "down" to a Ruger Single Six 9.5" barrel, then tune it and scope it. Not really in the same field of play, but it did scratch an itch for me.

horsemen61 said:

One day one day I will have one I’m really liking the look of the Nosler but @Varminterror’s savage striker has me intrigued

Click to expand...

The Nos is the easy button for a center-grip bolt rig.
Have one in a 6 Creed

adcoch1 said:

Very cool. We will be up in the mountains just north of Drummond mt

Click to expand...

How far of a drive to Gillette?

horsemen61 said:

One day one day I will have one I’m really liking the look of the Nosler but @Varminterror’s savage striker has me intrigued

Click to expand...

Get an early striker if you can, it has the best trigger. They are essentially a savage Model 10 action, with a different trigger setup. They can be converted to a rear grip using a rifle trigger of some sort. Never looked into it. Mine is still stock except for adding a compensator. They accept any small shank prefit barrel.

Dont overlook the new savage bolt pistol either.