The .17 FB sounds like a double hoot. I don't have the fingers to handle those itty-bitty bullets, though. The .204s are about my limit. Vartarg. Hmmmm . . . .
Favorite contender barrels?
- Thread starter robbor
- Start date
GotRDid
Gold $$ Contributor
Where to begin…..
My Mother gifted me my first Contender as a reward for my High School graduation. A wonderful prize as consolation for missing the top 10% of graduates by less than 1/4%.
This was a 10” .357 Mag 10” octagonal bbl and a joy to shoot even with the iron sights. This was a modest beginning of a life long love affair with the Contender in all it’s iterations.
I have four receivers and the following barrels in rotation according to the seasons.
.357 Mag - 10” Octagonal (currently iron sighted).
.22LR 10” Octagonal Iron sighted Bbl.
.45 ACP - 10” Octagonal Iron sights.
10 MM - 10” Bull Bbl 2-6X32 MM Bushnell optic.
.30-30 Win 10” Bull Bbl w/ 2.5-7X Simmon’s EER Scope.
.30-30 Win Super 14 with 2.5-7X Simmon’s EER Scope
7MM TCU Super 14 with 2.5-7X Simmon’s EER Scope
.222 Rem Super 14 with 2.5-7X Simmon’s
EER Scope
.218 Bee 23” Bull bbl with Nikon 4-12X40 scope
.223 Rem 23” Pencil SS bbl with Nikon 4.5X14X40 optic
.44 Rem Mag Super-14 cut to 12.5” due to profound muzzle pitting with a 2.5-7X28 EER optic.
I look forward to working with more variants in the future.
Cheers,
GotRDid.
My Mother gifted me my first Contender as a reward for my High School graduation. A wonderful prize as consolation for missing the top 10% of graduates by less than 1/4%.
This was a 10” .357 Mag 10” octagonal bbl and a joy to shoot even with the iron sights. This was a modest beginning of a life long love affair with the Contender in all it’s iterations.
I have four receivers and the following barrels in rotation according to the seasons.
.357 Mag - 10” Octagonal (currently iron sighted).
.22LR 10” Octagonal Iron sighted Bbl.
.45 ACP - 10” Octagonal Iron sights.
10 MM - 10” Bull Bbl 2-6X32 MM Bushnell optic.
.30-30 Win 10” Bull Bbl w/ 2.5-7X Simmon’s EER Scope.
.30-30 Win Super 14 with 2.5-7X Simmon’s EER Scope
7MM TCU Super 14 with 2.5-7X Simmon’s EER Scope
.222 Rem Super 14 with 2.5-7X Simmon’s
EER Scope
.218 Bee 23” Bull bbl with Nikon 4-12X40 scope
.223 Rem 23” Pencil SS bbl with Nikon 4.5X14X40 optic
.44 Rem Mag Super-14 cut to 12.5” due to profound muzzle pitting with a 2.5-7X28 EER optic.
I look forward to working with more variants in the future.
Cheers,
GotRDid.
Ironman308
Gold $$ Contributor
I am new to Contender. Just picked up my first one. Today I’ll test out the 22LR. Ordering a long barrel 22 K Hornet and a 223 in the coming weeks. I’m really looking forward to shooting this platform.
My favorite was the Super 14, 30 Herrett stoked with 125 Nosler Ballistic Tips.
I should have never let that one go.
Same with the 14" 44 Mag...
I should have never let that one go.
Same with the 14" 44 Mag...
DeltaBravo
Gold $$ Contributor
10" 7 TCU over W748 and 14" 7 Waters over W748. Both did great at IHMSA back in the 80's.
375 JDJ 23" Barrel is a deer hammer.
357 Herrett 14"
30 Herrett 14"
44 Mag 14"
Near future 6x45 and a 257 TCU.
357 Herrett 14"
30 Herrett 14"
44 Mag 14"
Near future 6x45 and a 257 TCU.
The 309, 338 and 375 were based on the 444 Marlin brass. Easy as pie to form.
JayHHI6818
Silver $$ Contributor
I’m a SSK addict! 
My first custom
barrel was a SSK 14 inch stainless 309JDJ Contender barrel and then I couldn’t stop buying more! Couple winters ago I made this cartridge display board of the cartridges I have from SSK.
One row is parent case, middle row is necked up or down case, and other is the formed case.
My first custombarrel was a SSK 14 inch stainless 309JDJ Contender barrel and then I couldn’t stop buying more! Couple winters ago I made this cartridge display board of the cartridges I have from SSK.
One row is parent case, middle row is necked up or down case, and other is the formed case.
Attachments
JEFFPPC
Gold $$ Contributor
I had a good time shooting, IMHSA with a pair of 7TCU barrels. I had a 14 inch 6TCU barrel that it took a real bench gun to outshot it. Also a Hornet barrel for Field Target. But the number one fun barrel was thev32 H&R Mag 10 inch. It looks like a junior size . 38 case but shot tiny little cloverleafs at 100yds with a 12x scope and exploded pigeons. A 7/30 Waters set up as a carbine was a great 5 lb deer rifle to carry in on a bicycle to the far ends of game lands.
Last edited:
snert
Silver $$ Contributor
The TC is esoteric. I love em.
I went to the 357 Herrett in NY for deer back when the political retards deemed "38 or larger" pistols as legal for deer where slug guns were the only game allowed.
I shot 19 deer with it.
One was 165 yards, shot from a reclining knees up, strap around my knees "creedmore" position, and one at 142 yards from a sand-bagged position in a tree stand. The vast majority of the others we shot at 97 yards...all standing beside the same viburnum bush about twenty yards into a pasture field. It kinda got silly, year after year, shooting the same shot.
A 180 grain SSP bullet and a healthy dose of 4227 made for a flat shooting, simple to carry 14 inch deer blaster. I made believers out of a lot of punkin ball shooters.
I have since used a 22 K hornet and a 17 FB barrel for PD and a 22 match barrel for plinking. If I were not getting old, I think the TC would be my go to all around gun. But I am burning my cash on more expensive stuff now. I highly recommend the TC contender for real hunter/shooters.
I went to the 357 Herrett in NY for deer back when the political retards deemed "38 or larger" pistols as legal for deer where slug guns were the only game allowed.
I shot 19 deer with it.
One was 165 yards, shot from a reclining knees up, strap around my knees "creedmore" position, and one at 142 yards from a sand-bagged position in a tree stand. The vast majority of the others we shot at 97 yards...all standing beside the same viburnum bush about twenty yards into a pasture field. It kinda got silly, year after year, shooting the same shot.
A 180 grain SSP bullet and a healthy dose of 4227 made for a flat shooting, simple to carry 14 inch deer blaster. I made believers out of a lot of punkin ball shooters.
I have since used a 22 K hornet and a 17 FB barrel for PD and a 22 match barrel for plinking. If I were not getting old, I think the TC would be my go to all around gun. But I am burning my cash on more expensive stuff now. I highly recommend the TC contender for real hunter/shooters.
I bought two frames in 1980 with 10" and 14" .22 rimfire and 7 TCU barrels to shoot IHMSA steel. Sometime in the 90's I aquired two stainless frames and upgraded my barrels for silhouette shooting. My two favorite barrels for IHMSA shooting are 15" bullberry in 6.5 Bullberry Imp. match for UAS and UAS half size. It is very accurate and has accounted for 28 perfect scores in half size shooting the 120gr SMK at only 1850 fps with 18.5gr of IMR 4759. For UAS Big Bore and 500 meter Big Bore I shoot the 140gr SMK at 2000 fps with 28.5gr N140. It wears a 7X Burris with target knobs. The other barrel is a 15" Bullberry .22 match for UAS and UAS fifth scale. It's also very accurate with Eley Club and accounted for 9 perfect scores in Fifth Scale. It wears a 3-12 Burris with target knobs.
The TC barrel that I've had the most fun with is a !4" .222 that I bought to take on my first PD trip in 1986. I machined rim clearance and used .357 Max brass necked down. At the time I only had one varmint rifle so I shot the TC a lot, about 4-500 times a trip. It has been shot close to 8,000 times in the 30 trips to S.D. and Montana. Started with a 7X Burris then switched to 6.5-20 rifle scope and always wore a Harris bipod on a long fore end.
JSH
Gold $$ Contributor
I have had my fair share of various lengths and calibers over the years. At one point I had all of the factory 10” barrels. I have culled down quite a bit. Started shooting cast exclusively for IHMSA, a good 10” 357 magnum is hard to argue with for use across the various classes of center fire. The 30-20 is another one that works well.
30-30 got a bad reputation from unknowing users. It is one of the better chamberings imho.
I got hung up on 35’s as they were just super easy to get to shoot with cast. 357 magnum was my first. A short while later I swapped a 12” 7-30 for a sort of wildcat, another 35. It is a 35 Remington rimmed, you can use 303 British or 30-40 Krag brass. A file trim die makes short work of case trimming and forming. The rim fixed all of the short comings of the rimless 35 Remington. I have loaded it up and down with jacketed and cast. It can be tame as a house cat or a real monster.
Prior to using cast I had shot a lot of 7TCU as many others did. Ran across a heck of a deal on a complete rig in 7-30 Waters. Never ran any cast through it but it saw a large amount of jacketed use. It was a bit much for IHMSA 1/2 size. Always wished for a 6mm30-30 (another story but the caliber is what made me buy a WW high wall in 6mm30-30 AI a while back)
I procured a 6TCU. A lot of the negative written on it came at a point when targets were set full foot, no topple point. It is a fine cartridge and performs over and above what it should. I later bought an XP in 6-223 and the 6TCU was sold to someone that wanted it more than I did.
I have had several carbine barrels. I bought them for the kids, they lost interest and I parted ways with all of them. I know a lot of folks really like the little carbines, strangely I have never missed any I had. Probably because I could shoot them as a pistol equally well.
As mentioned by others here, my interest have swung down a different road and the see little daylight anymore. I tell myself to peddle them off and let someone else enjoy them. I have to much time in working with them to do that. 6-7 barrels, all with lots of 500 of more pieces of ammo or brass, maybe I should have seeked out professional help still me years back LOL.
30-30 got a bad reputation from unknowing users. It is one of the better chamberings imho.
I got hung up on 35’s as they were just super easy to get to shoot with cast. 357 magnum was my first. A short while later I swapped a 12” 7-30 for a sort of wildcat, another 35. It is a 35 Remington rimmed, you can use 303 British or 30-40 Krag brass. A file trim die makes short work of case trimming and forming. The rim fixed all of the short comings of the rimless 35 Remington. I have loaded it up and down with jacketed and cast. It can be tame as a house cat or a real monster.
Prior to using cast I had shot a lot of 7TCU as many others did. Ran across a heck of a deal on a complete rig in 7-30 Waters. Never ran any cast through it but it saw a large amount of jacketed use. It was a bit much for IHMSA 1/2 size. Always wished for a 6mm30-30 (another story but the caliber is what made me buy a WW high wall in 6mm30-30 AI a while back)
I procured a 6TCU. A lot of the negative written on it came at a point when targets were set full foot, no topple point. It is a fine cartridge and performs over and above what it should. I later bought an XP in 6-223 and the 6TCU was sold to someone that wanted it more than I did.
I have had several carbine barrels. I bought them for the kids, they lost interest and I parted ways with all of them. I know a lot of folks really like the little carbines, strangely I have never missed any I had. Probably because I could shoot them as a pistol equally well.
As mentioned by others here, my interest have swung down a different road and the see little daylight anymore. I tell myself to peddle them off and let someone else enjoy them. I have to much time in working with them to do that. 6-7 barrels, all with lots of 500 of more pieces of ammo or brass, maybe I should have seeked out professional help still me years back LOL.
Ron Gorski
Silver $$ Contributor
222 rem and 270 JDJ
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