High velocity cartridge for contender pistol

[Saleen322]

Off the top of my head, I have:
22 LR
22 Hornet - most accurate center fire barrel I have
222 - accurate
223
7 TCU - accurate, best 200 meter barrel
30 Herrett - good accuracy, very efficient
30-30
32/20 - good pistol round
357 Herrett - good but healthy recoil
357 Maximum

Maybe some others I can't think of right now. If you can find a Hornet, you can't go wrong. I won a lot of IMHSA matches with the 7 TCU and a couple with the 30-30. Good luck to you.

 

[James Mc]

Can't go wrong with the 222

 

[KansasPaul]

I'm thinking .220 Swift. I would think that it would be awesome in a contender.

 

[bluetopper]

If I recall....the 220 Swift is Encore only. Too much power for the Contender.

Any by the way, have Contenders been discontinued from the Thompson Center line?

 

[dickydalton]

Yes they have. That's why barrels are pricey. I have a Super Sixteen in 223 that is deadly accurate and I have a 44 Mag Hotshot also. Love em both and bought up lots of Hotshot ammo whenever I found it.

 

[BCRider]

Long range for me and a contender is 100+ yards. The downloaded 44 can do that, but I want fast and flat. I'm thinking strongly about 204ruger.

Well, 100 isn't far for much of anything. But if you want flat and fast and go for a .2'something that the others have suggested then I suspect you'll soon be dabbling with some 200 and 300 yard plinking as well. So assuming you'll use a scope you may as well get a good one that'll give you a good reach for 200 to hedge your bets.

 

[WestKentucky]

true, 100 isnt too far, but the current crop of albuterol inhalers which i rely on due to asthma has something in it that makes me very jittery...to the point i have sold off all my benchrest guns because i cant shoot them well enough to suit me anymore. i tried the lead-slead thing but never was too happy with it. got frustrated and started trading in on handguns which i cant typically still shoot. my contender 44 is 3" at 75 yards which is the farthest i have shot it...in another persons hands that would probably be considerably smaller. It has a 2.5x bushnell on it.

 

[loose noose]

I have the Contender also and a variety of barrels in .22 Match Long Rifle up to .44Mag in the 14" Super. I believe the most accurate is the .223 using a 52 grn bt hp.

I also have the Contender in the carbine barrel in every thing from .223, on up to 30-30. Again I find the .223 to be the most accurate especially on p-dogs out to 250 yards.

Anyway enjoy that Contender, they are literally a blast to shoot.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I would highly recommend the .30-30. Mine is a Super 14 barrel and regularly does MOA, if I am doing my part, with both 150 and 170 gr loads. Recoil will get your attention, but is by no means objectionable. Can't say that about my Super 16 .45-70 barrel, which I would recommend to NOBODY.

 

[MCgunner]

My fave deer hunter is the .30-30. Carries nearly 1000 ft lbs at 200 yards. Sighted 3" high at 100 yards, it hits dead center POA and about 1.5 MOA at 200 yards (2x optic). I'm shooting a 150 Nosler BT over 34 grains of IMR3031.

I have a 7mm TCU barrel that's quite accurate, shot it in IHMSA for a while until I bored of it. It's not the gun on paper that the .30-30 is for hunting medium game, though, so I still have the barrel, dies and such, but never shoot it.

I didn't read the whole thread, but the OP didn't mention the JDJ stuff. There's some stuff there that is impressive on paper. I've thought of diving off into one of the JDJ rounds, but the .30-30 just seems like enough to me. Mine is the 12" compensated "Hunter" barrel. Very light recoil, but take your hearing protection to the box blind.

 

[BCRider]

Given your situation posted in #32 above I'd say you just go ahead and get and shoot whatever makes you smile. Hell, get a couple of the ones suggested and try them out to see if one makes you smile more than the other. As the old saying goes "life's too short.... ".

At 60 I'm still doing OK in the eyes and nerves department. But a lot of my contemporary shooters are struggling and switching to red dots and such. We smack talk each other good naturedly but I know that they are doing what is needed to carry on enjoying their range time. And in the end I'll do the same. I'll complain bitterly but at least I'll still be shooting, riding and enjoying myself even if it's not on the same terms I was able to do when younger and more fit.

I may even change my tune about red dots on handguns and scopes on lever rifles......

 

[s4s4u]

I want a good long distance barrel for it.

What do you want it to do at said long distance?