Which 5 pistol barrels for a T/C Contender, no particular purpose, fun load/shoot?

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MatthewVanitas

MatthewVanitas

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I've owned several T/C Contender frames in my life (single-shot, break-action, switch-barrel), ever since I was a teen in the late 1990s (FTF sale when I was of age), and have repeatedly bought and sold Contenders since I absolutely love the idea but rarely lived stably enough in a given state/country to give them their just attention, get serious about handloading and regular about outdoor range visits. Probably bought/sold four of them (with varying numbers of barrels) in 15 years.

Sometime when I move back to the US (living in Europe now), I want to finally get a G2 Contender, this time for keeps, maybe even get it engraved so I'm never tempted to just sell it again. I don't have any exact purpose for one since I don't usually hunt, and one of the only Contender-favored sports I really like is steel silhouette shooting, which I think I'd like to get into if I move somewhere where matches are common.

I was pondering what barrels to acquire, in the 10" or 14" standard lengths. For my purposes, I'd be looking for a span of cartridges that gives me a wide variety of different kinds of handloading/shooting experience. Other than silhouette, I don't have any specialized purpose, just out punching paper at long range, ringing gongs, smashing watermelons at medium range, etc. I'd be fine handloading all of them, and price isn't a huge object (within reason) since it's not like I'll be magdumping hundreds downrange at a trip. Setting aside .22LR as a given, what five barrels would y'all suggest? Here's an initial set of ideas from me:

- Something really small and (relatively) fast. Initially thinking .22 Hornet, but the brass is fragile apparently. So I thought about .218 Bee, or one of the weird ones like .19 Calhoun. Then I stumbled across the 5mm Remington Magnum Rimfire, and that got my attention since it has great numbers, a fun cult following with a neat backstory, plus the shortage of rounds after Rem abandoned it in 1984 led folks to create the 5mm Craig, an externally identical reloadable centerfire round. Since the T/C has a hammer-switch for rim/centerfire, I could use the same barrel to shoot the newly-produced 5mm RMR that's back on the market in the last 5-10 years, or handload 5mm Craig using the newer bullets that the .204 Ruger has created a demand for.

- Something "happy medium" and silhouette optimal: no wavering on this one, I have an intense fascination with the 6.5 TCU. Invented specifically for the T/C Contender and specifically for IHMSA. It's supposed to be juuuust enough to knock over ram silhouettes, with a great BC, low recoil and blast, loaded onto readily-available .223 brass, etc.

- An affordable mid-small-bore: I've always liked the .32 H&R Mag ever since it got so much press in the late 90s, so I'm thinking a .327 Ruger barrel so I can very cheaply, and with durable straight-wall brass, load either soft little puff rounds, or chuck some (relatively) heavy fat little marbles downrange.

- Something right down the middle, versatile, and quiet: I was always fascinated by the .300 Whisper but back when I was a kid suppressors were some kind of weird mysterious thing for rich guys. Now everybody owns cans (including me), so I'm thinking a .300 AAC Blackout would be easy, tons of components and load data, and useful if I do ever want to go out and shoot hogs in Texas. Or if I need to be a special-snowflake, I could get a .338 Whisper or some other such member of the Whisper family, to have something easily suppressible but different from every other Joe.

- Something big and bad of a "chuckin' pumpkins" sort. 45-70 would be the no-brainer here, but if I'm handloading I want to have something a little more edgy. Maybe .480 Ruger (I think the G2 frame can handle those?) or anything else in the .41, .48, or .50 diameters where I can sling just big balls of lead and destroy jugs of water or melons. I'm less interested in huge speed, and more in a nice slow "whoooooooomp" of recoil as I hurl a boulder downrange. I'm under the vague impression that there are a few .577 "sporting purpose exemption" cartridges for the Contender, including I want to say the old Martini cartridge since it's low enough back-thrust for even the small frame.


If I weren't handloading, it'd be a pretty easy choice. Probably .204 Ruger, .223 Reminton, .357 Mag, 30-30 WCF, and 45-70 Gov't. Don't necessarily feel obligated to stick to my criteria, I'm equally interested to hear folks' choices of 5 (other than .22) barrels for whatever kinds of hobbies, handloader or no.
 
The small one should be easy, .221 Fireball. It was designed for shorter barrels. You could even look at a .17 Fireball or .20 Vartag. The 6.5 TCU is my choice also, but I always wanted a .25 Herrett. Next could be a .357 Maximum, they are thumpers. I don't know if I ever want to shoot a 45/70 in a handgun! The Maximum is accurate and big enough for most things. I would probably just get a .17 HMR instead of a 5mm, just for ammo availability. But you can load .223 sized ammo for the same price as mast .17 HMR or .22 Magnums....
 
I know you stated pistol barrels but don't discount the carbine barrels. Mine are all super accurate.

.222, 30-30. .35 Remington, 7mm waters to name a few.
 
I like the .221 Fireball, .38SPC (suppresses great), 7-30 Waters which is a great deer round in the Contender, 45-70 and probably .44Mag.

All of those are easy to get except for the .38. Can get a .357 but some cans won't take that pressure which is why I suggest the .38. If you can't get a .38 I would go .357Max and be cautious what loads go in it if the can is on it.

Tons of oddballs out there for it which are easy to find and pretty cheap for a handloader. Not my thing though since I like easy to find stuff when possible.

Barrels have gone up recently so as a handloader I would buy the deals when they come up and go from there.
 
One of the slickest Contenders I've ever shot was a .30-40 Krag. Very mild recoil, very fast stepping, one of the best sinlge shot varmint guns I've ever shot.

And the .45-70 by all means. Load that with a 500 gr. cast bullet and really churn up the turf.

And the .338 Woodswalker for sheer screamin' velocity.

And certainly .32-20 for just plain fun.

Bob Wright
 
I like odd, and that's where the contender shines. I have 2 barrels currently, 44 mag 16" and 7-30 waters 10". I very highly recommend the 7-30. That barrel is comparable to the 30-30 which the 7-30 is derived from. It is good on whitetail but I wouldn't go after bigger critters with it. For elk or anything bigger than whitetail I would go to the 44 mag with 300 gr lead. In the smaller calibers I would be looking at 20 tactical, 17 fireball, or 222.
 
2 that surprised me as being great Contender cartridges are the .222 Rem and the 30-30. Brass is plentiful, accuracy is terrific, and they aren't too much cartridge for short barrels. 30-30 is very soft shooting a Contender, much more so than a .44 rem mag or .45 Colt.

Those barrels get awful light in the big bores and recoil gets nasty.
 
The Thompson Contender is the gun that drove the nail into the coffin for Pachmyr grips for me. The day I was introduced to the Contender, the frames were all fitted with rubber grips. Didn't like them to begin with, and by day's end my hand was raw and to the point of bleeding. We were shooting .43 Marlin, .444 Marlin, .45-70 and .338 Woodswalker. These cartridges all pounded heavily, and those rubber grips abraded my hand something awful. For the big bore stuff for me, its wood all the way!

Bob Wright
 
PO2Hammer is right. I had a 12" ported Hunter in 44 mag. that I got rid of fairly fast. It sheared the scope mount screws off on the second shot and I had to get it tapped out for bigger screws. I do have a 10" 44 Hotshot barrel but haven't shot regular 44s in it.
I also have a 45/410 that I have shot 45 Colts out of that was mild. My first and favorite barrel is a Super Sixteen .223, with a 2X7 T/C scope on it. Many prairie dogs have fallen to it in years past.
 
Five barrels - all ten inch.
.22lr
.357 magnum
.44 magnum
.30-30 Win
And.....223 Remington
 
i could live with
1 22LR
2 223
3 357 / max if you like to hunt for brass thats why i sold the one i had
4 44 magnum this is what replaced my max
5 30/30 AE
that's my list and i'm sticking to it
 
For a barrel under 16", does .223 have a significant advantage over .221 Fireball? I know the .221 was designed for a pistol barrel, so does .223 get enough burn to be significant better? Setting aside having available factory ammo and cheaper brass.
 
221 vs 223

The question regarding the .221 vs the .223 is a good one.
Not having a .221, I can only look at load books.
It seems to me that the .223 has the advantage. Lyman lists loads for a 14" barrel and 50 gr. bullets at 3000fps. The 221 in Sierra shows 2600 from a ten inch. I doubt that The extra four inches are producing 100fps per inch.
Pete
 
I keep thinking about how much I would like to have a .327 fed barrel. I think that may be my Christmas gift to myself, but I may stick with .357 because I already have plenty rounds, components, and guns for that barrel to hang out with.
 
I like the .221, first barrel I had for a Contender. Flat shooting, not a big fireball and mild on the shooter. I think those are the gains for it. It is being used for what it was meant to be, a pistol cartridge.

The .223 will do all the same and with a heavier bullet if you like. Will be more noise/blast though. Gain is cheaper, readily available ammo.

Personal preference I think in the end. I've often thought about selling my Fireball barrel simply since I don't shoot much now and if I do it isn't the first barrel I grab.
 
T/C used to make a 22 K hornet barrel just fire 22 hornet in the K hornet chamber and you got brass though the 221 fireball may be a better choice. I fired a Contender in 45/70 years ago,factory ammo 300 gr bullet 12 inch barrel with a built-in muzzle brake. 3 shots and my wrists and elbows said "enough".
 
Really only need 2 barrels IMHO to cover the widest range of stuff

1. 22rf can hunt or shoot IHMSA. 10" with CB's is still loud though (so scratch that for polite pest control).

2. .357 magnum. Can hunt chucks to deer with it, plus IHMSA (reg or field pistol)

....................

Me? I have 3 Contender barrels............each on a frame (I don't switch barrels).

1. .22 rf 24" (made from 513T bbl by old coworker)
2. .22m 10" magnum handgun
3. .35Rem 16.25" Rem rifle

A Super 14 in .35 Rem is a hoot! No freakin' porting needed, but do put on the Pachmayr Grippers. Hate those grips on anything but a Contender. they feel right on it, and work. For deer handgunning it kicks butt.

FWIW all my Revolvers and Autos get reg Hogue grips (rubber).

Big boomers on TC..........might shorten lifespan of the frame.
If I had to get 5 barrels though (per the OP)

.22 10"
.22 21"
.22 mag 21"
.256 win or 6mm-223 21"
.35 Rem (14" or 21").
 
A lot of the suggestions similar to what I've owned in the past. Off the top of my head, other than the given .22LR, the barrels I've owned have included a .223, .44 Mag (with that weird choke) that I fired both regular rounds and shot out of, a custom .45 Long Colt from Bellm because I was fascinated by Taffin's writings on heavy .45s, and a 45-70. Honestly, maybe I was using light trapdoor-level loads for the 45-70, but I found it not bad at all as a carbine, and to have a lot of rise but not painful kick as a 16" pistol.

I also, despite not being a handloader, had picked up a few odd barrels that I never once used, including a rechambered 6.5x30-30. And I want to say one or two other weird oddities I found cheap at gunshows with no real practical course to start handloading for. I realize the practicality of 30-30 and .223 for people that want off-the-shelf ammo, but part of my whole Contender interest is handloading, and the smugness that comes from handloading the less-attainable.:neener:

I have a particular attraction to cartridges specifically designed for short-barrel "pocket rifles", thus my interest in something like the .221 Fireball over the .223, or the .30 Herret over the 30-30. The Herret was made with the very intent of cutting out the inefficiency of firing the 30-30 out of a short barrel, without losing too much power. Same with the .256 Winchester, short-barrel design, though again 6.5mm TCU kinda fills up my middle area of spitzer rounds larger than .22 but smaller than .30.

Thinking more on the light stuff, and still attracted to the 5mm Remington, though something like the .20 Vartag is also relatively optimized for a shorter barrel and is way faster than the 5mm. But no urgent need there.

At the large end, still looking less at a big stomper, and more at something big but slow, even if it has a trajectory like a chucked brick. I used to be in the artillery, so an almost mortar-esque little round would be cute (mortars are small and cute too compared to howitzers).
 
I have :
223 Super 14
30-30 Super 14
45-70 12" with MB
45LC/410 10"

Had:
32-20

Want:
22LR
35 Rem

I've shot quite a few Deer and 1 Antelope with the 30-30
Would like to try out the 45-70 on late season cow elk someday.
I thought the 410 barrel would be fun for grouse
The 223 is fun on a prairie dog town
They're a fun gun with little real world utility but I don't see me getting rid of them, in fact I'm always on the watch for cheap frames and scopes so I don't have to change things out.
3 scopes and 2 frames so far.
 
The .22rf is pretty handy. Can hunt small game with it, slap in hyper velocity and do some varmint hunting. Being a break open, can also drop in CB's for polite pest control just outside of town.

I run a .35 Rem in rifle form (Super 16"). Nice deer round. Less recoil than a slug gun, better fit (after adding cheekpiece). Nice trigger too.

Thought about a 14" in handgun for deer again...........but am content to just run the rifle. Think a 14" bull .35 Rem looks best as far as TC handguns go.
The 16 w taper in handgun looks gangly.
 
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