Any IL T/C contender deer hunters out there?

[Savage Shooter]

I am looking for a barrel for my t/c contender for deer season here in illinois. I was leaning towards a super 14 .44 mag barrel since my gun already has a super 14 .223 barrel on it I'd just like to stick with the longer barrels but I'd go for a 12" if it was cheap. I liked the .44mag for the price of the ammo and the variations of loads available for it. I was curious what you guy's are using out there that is legal in illinois (not 100% sure on the reg's).thanks

 

[MCgunner]

Does it have to be a straight walled case? I like my 12" .30-30 hunter barrel, myself. Light recoil, very accurate. Gives you 200 yard capability depending on your rest.

 

[Savage Shooter]

Yes I think it does, and it has to be under a certain length. I know for sure that I can't use a 30-30 because thats what I was going to get until I found it was illegal from a friend that teaches at the local range.
nice piece by the way, like the compensator

 

[MCgunner]

Well, if they limit case length, too, then obviously they're trying to keep you from using anything other than revolver calibers. In a Contender/G2, that pretty much gives you the .44 mag I reckon. It'll do fine out to 100-125 yards are so and, frankly, in the field, you won't find too many situations where you have an adequate rest to shoot much farther. I hunt from tripod stands that have good, solid rests, but even with that, 150 yards is getting a might far.

Your probably going to find that .375 Winchester and .45-70 cases are too long if they have a maximum case length requirement.

 

[Savage Shooter]

Even if there wasn't case length requirments there is no way in @#$% I'm shooting a 45-70 out of a pistol I am no that desperate to shoot a deer with a pistol when I have a perfectly good shotgun that will be sitting right there. I will be hunting with both at the same time probably in my blind or a stand. I'll rig up something to use as a solid rest. I probably steal the scope off of my .223 barrel and put on the new barrel or maybe a reddot, but I like scopes better. I won't be shooting over a 150yards it's mostly woods but I can get some fields shots now and then.

 

[MCgunner]

I guess an Encore in .458 Win mag is out of the question, then.

Actually, on deer, the .44 mag will reach nearly as far as the .45-70 considering you really can't hot rod the caliber much in a contender. It's going to be your best bet, I think. Even out of a 10" barrel, a .44 mag can scream. Out of a 14" you're approaching carbine length and .44 mag out of a carbine is pretty wicked.

 

[Jeffm223]

44 mag is an excellent choice for deer out to 150 yards with a T/C. Whatever you do though, don't get a stock T/C barrel. It's a coin toss in terms of quality, and their rifling is sup-par. Try one of these and pony up for their compensator, it's worth every penny .

http://www.bullberry.com/TCbarrels.html

 

[Savage Shooter]

I want one of those barrels really bad. I have heard really good things about them. My gun says yes but my paycheck says no But My dad and I bought are t/c contender's at the same time at and auction his is a 10" SS in .44mag it seems to shoot pretty good.

 

[hardluk1]

savage shooter Get the 30-30 barrel and shoot the hornady rubbertipped bullet in it for deer.You can buy ammo in any store for it too. You can buy a minimum reloadering set. Single stage press and load nosler ballistic tips for hotter and harder hitting rounds. There are also a mountian of custom rounds and barrels for the contender. Go to Specialty Pistols Forums and those guys will hell you out . There is also a barrel swap group there maybe someone in your area.

 

[MCgunner]

But, he cannot use the .30-30 in Illinois by law, has to be a straight walled case. That's the whole discussion. My own .30-30 fires a 150 grain Nosler ballistic tip at 2100 fps and retains almost 1000 ft lbs at 200 yards. It's very flat shooting, but in a shotgun only state, you gotta figure they'd outlaw rifle calibers.

I've got ONLY TC barrels. I've got no problem with TC barrels. I even shot well enough with a 7mm TCU barrel in IHMSA competition using a TC barrel. My .30-30 is a TC barrel and shoots 1.5 moa and that's plenty good 'nuf for hunting. I've never heard of this "poor rifling quality" with TC barrels. Sounds like internet truism to me. Take that stuff with a grain of salt.

BTW, you can often find used TC barrels at gun shows. My .22 barrel, 10" TC, was bought for a hundred bucks at a gun show and it's as accurate as my most accurate rifles and I have a couple of really accurate rimfire rifles.

 

[NCsmitty]

Some information on handgun hunting regulations.

Illinois Regulations
Legal Handgun Equipment and Restrictions
Centerfire handguns of .30 caliber or larger with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches, and single-shot muzzleloading handguns (black-powder handguns that are incapable of being loaded from the breech end) of .50 caliber or larger capable of producing at least 500 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle according to published ballistic tables from the manufacturer. Semi-automatic handguns, or handguns altered to allow for shoulder firing, are not permitted. Centerfire handgun ammunition must be .30 caliber or larger, with a case length not to exceed 1.4 inches, and available as a factory load with the published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a capability of at least 500 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. Single-shot muzzleloading handguns must use a projectile of .44 caliber or larger with sufficient black powder or "blackpowder substitute" (such as Pyrodex) to produce at least 500 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. Modern smokeless powders (nitrocellulose based) do not qualify as a "black powder substitute." Non-expanding military-style full metal jacket bullets cannot be used to harvest white-tailed deer; only soft-point or expanding bullets (including copper/copper alloy rounds designed for hunting) are legal ammunition.

NCsmitty

 

[MCgunner]

Even my rather short 7mm TCU ammo measures around 1.75" case length or abouts. They're talkin' magnum revolver rounds.

 

[Savage Shooter]

Thanks NCsmitty I was looking for that.