Any Contender Shooters here? Super 16 Addict Here. . . . .

[TheShootist1894]

I have had several affairs with a couple Contenders over the years, and while they always performed better than comparable caliber revolvers, I never felt the draw to them like a wheelgun . . . Always thinking in the back of my mind, this would make a dandy rifle, but as a pistol it was always a little weird for me, and eventually they went down the road in pursuit of #1's or other Handguns.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, local classified lists a G2 Contender 23" Bull bbl, 22LR Match at a good price so I snatched it up, took it to the last gun show to see what I might be able to trade it for, lo and behold the TC aficionados that set up 4 tables of nothing but TC stuff at my local show have a Super 16 22 Hornet barrel, we talk and before long I am walking out with that very barrel mounted on my frame. I traded them the 22 Bull barrel as it made the gun quite nose heavy, and heavy didn't fit my vision for the perfect do-all Contender Carbine. Scrounging the interweb I run across a 45-70 Super 16 barrel at a fair price and snag it up too, so at this point you can see where this is going, This thing is the beesknees, 4.3#, superb accuracy, and now I have the smallest and largest centerfire barrels TC made in the super 16, I just might 'need' some more to fill in in-between :lol: If anyone has any for sale, let me know


I also picked up a Pachmayr pistol grip and forend, just incase I come across a pistol barrel I cant resist . . .

22 Hornet shooting PPU factory ammo (no dies or brass yet) top target 50 yds flyer was from cold clean oiled bore, bottom two shots at 100yds, so cold here I quit after that, shot the 45-70 bbl with irons at 50, and it was 6-8" to the right as I forgot to center up the rear sight before going out, seemed to hit the same spot consistantanly however in the snow behind the target . . .may mount a Weaver K2.5 I have around here somewhere.

 

[Jim Puke]

I bought my first Contender in 1987 and added another the next year. I have had one of them since, although I seldom shoot it anymore and I have never had the TCR. I enjoyed mine a lot and had a lot of different handgun calibers in different barrel lengths. Actually, I didn't think that they would ever stop making it...they proved me wrong. It is great concept, however, I have never had any interest in the Encore.

 

[GetGunz]

I have owned a couple..solid accurate platform.

 

[mikewriter]

I have a 16" .45/.410 I guess I'll hang on to and just use as a short little, shotgun. Also have a 14" .44 mag barrel with a 12" suppressor welded to the barrel to stretch it to just under 22" that is my favorite hog killer, both on carbine stocks. Very handy. Yours looks very nice.

 

[TheShootist1894]

Sounds like a sweet setup with the can on it mike!
If ya ever want to cut loose that 45-410 bbl keep me in mind ;-)

 

[mikewriter]

If I ever decide to get rid of it, I'll let you know first. Actually had though of putting a can on it and shoot sub-sonic .45LC. since it is 16", I wouldn't have to weld the can on to use a shoulder stock, like I did with the 14" .44.

In the .44, I shoot 335gr hard cast Dave at Montana Bullets made me - at an average of 1050 fps. These bullets in this gun made me a believer in hard cast. Twice so far I have killed to hogs with one shot - and still didn't find the bullet! It isn't movie quiet, of course, but I don't need hearing protection, and it is a lot quieter than a full power, unsuppressed .44 mag!

 

[TheShootist1894]

I dream of building a Ruger 77/44 much like your Contender setup, as now Ohio is allowing us to hunt deer with straight walled cartridge rifles and suppressors .

Appreciate you keeping me in mind on that 16" barrel, Thanks!

 

[FastEd]

My ole favorite Encore was this .454 Casull. At a 100 yards it will take down anything...

 

[Biggfoot44]

Don't have any 16in bbls, mostly 10in , and my .45-70 is thé 12in w/ factory muzzle break.

The litmis test for Contenders ( and such things generally) is to be able to think of them as their own third catagory , not a rifle , yet not a belt gun.

 

[mikewriter]

I agree they are a "neither or", and I've always thought they filled a necessary segment of the firearms world. I've seen and handled a 12" .45/70, but for some reason didn't shoot it. That .454 is very interesting - and I've never really had a "yen" for a Casull. Seems I heard they were also chambering for .480 Ruger?

 

[mikewriter]

I agree they are a "neither or", and I've always thought they filled a necessary segment of the firearms world. I've seen and handled a 12" .45/70, but for some reason didn't shoot it. That .454 is very interesting - and I've never really had a "yen" for a Casull. Seems I heard they were also chambering for .480 Ruger?

 

[mikewriter]

This is my suppressed .44 Contender. I have friends who run a hog hunting operation in Seguin, Texas who use Ruger 77/44's with integrally suppressed barrels. They shoot 300gr Hornady XTP's at subsonic velocity and report they sound about like a pellet gun. Kill LOTS of hogs with them. Like my gun, 75 yards is about maximum effective range.

 

[TheShootist1894]

Purpose built, that is a thing of beauty, just a different kind of beauty, did Johns guns do that for you or? thanks for sharing!

 

[mikewriter]

I pretty much put it together myself. The suppressor was built by Longview Class III Arms, in Longview, Texas. I put the cheekpiece on the stock, will have to look it up to see who I got it from, but I also have one on the stock with my .45/.410. Stock is a cheap plastic one, but works well. Camo is Krylon and camo duct tape. I was sitting in a tripod stand one evening, trying to get one of the first suppressed deer kills after texas made that legal, and even though the titanium suppressor was not really reflective, I wondered if it would be better covered up? Just as duct tape had a myriad of uses, I find camo duct tape comes in very handy, also! cope is a Bushnell Elite 4200 in 3x9. The cocking lever extension came from Belim, kept coming loose so I put a hose clamp on it. Also have a hammer extension from Belim. From sling attachment I made from an old scope ring and an eye off an old outrigger from my boat. Plenty accurate with those big bullets to 75 yards, and I've also shot a big sow with a 300gr Barnes "Buster" that worked well.

Heavy little gun, though.

 

[contender]

Well, I got hooked on the Contenders back in the stone age. (Actually, it was in the early 70's when I fired my first one, and soon after bought my first one.)
I agree they should be considered a "third" category of gun, as they are unique.
That said, I have taken over 100 whitetails with one, as well as a lot of other game. Accurate, easy to shoot, and versatile. Plus, to change calibers isn't as expensive as buying a whole new gun. Many of my barrels are 10" & 14". Only a few are longer.
Hard to beat a Contender.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Had several Contenders back in the day and liked the look and feel of the older models but not the function of the actions, which seemed kinda complex for a hunting single shot. Finally got rid of both the carbine and the pistol, but kept the 21" carbine .410 barrel for some reason.

When the G2 came out, I had just the opposite reaction: hated the look and loved the function. So I got a G2 carbine and it's been one of my favorite firearms since. I have the original .410 barrel, a 16 3/4" custom .22 WRM barrel, a 24" 28 guage barrel, and a custom fluted 24" .25-35 barrel. Mostly I carry the .22 WRM barrel and scope tucked in my backpack and the .410 barrel on the gun with an AWESOME 3" magnum #6 shotshell in it for snake/cottontail/grouse duty. (Haven't figured what the 28 guage barrel is good for yet).

The .22 Magnum barrel goes on when I spot new coyote sign or find a ground squirrel colony.

Those Super 16s are nifty!

 

[TheShootist1894]

Jealous Mike. . . .nice

 

[mikewriter]

The only handgun Contender I have left - my son says I have to keep this one. It's an AA plated frame and 14" .30-30 barrel, with nice wood.

 

[Don Lovel]

Top of my list to check out every one of them I find in pawn shops and LGS and gun shows. I had a Super 14 41 Mag, a 10" 45 Winchester Magnum, a 10" 223 and Owens inserts that I shot 22LR & 22 Mag pretty accurately out of.
I have not owned one for over 20 yrs but sure would love to have a kit of old frame Contender, muzzloader barrel and super 16 Bullberry barrel in 35 Remington. A setup I have seen slam wild hogs before. Maybe another 223 barrel or a 6mm TCU, I used to shoot a friend's 14 in that at IHMSA matches, nice round

 

[mikewriter]

I had a .223 barrel and a 44 mag in the set with the .30-30 , but sold both of them. At one time had a Bullberry 6mm/.223 with dies, but let that one go, also, think it was a 16", but might have been a longer carbine barrel. Fun guns, very versatile.

My switch hitter gun right now is an old Mossberg pump 12gauge. Have a slug barrel I never use anymore, and a .50 muzzle loader barrel. The ML is interesting, uses the pump action to open the action for placing or removing primers, has a new magazine cap that converts that (now) unused space to hold the ramrod. Not as easy to operate as a break-open gun, but pretty accurate.