New to the board but been around a while. A good friend of mine Don Shearer turned me on to the Contender and the work he and Mike Bellm did on the Bellm Triad. Mike has done two barrels for me. The 308Bellm and the 358Bellm. With Don's expert guidence I was able to develope loads for both that shoot sub MOA. Consistantly. Wish that all you folks could have the good fortune to be able to learn from a pro like Don.

I have taken deer, antelope, elk and caribou in the past year; all with the Bellm chambers.

Lots of stories to tell about these hunts. Will post if there is intrest.

I will say that all where clean kills except the Antelope. After that hunt I changed my fore arm to one that had a swivle connector on it. To that I attached a "SnipePod". It really works. Trying to use shooting stix just didn't work with the pistol but works well with a rifle.

Don suggested that I post the loads so here goes.

308Bellm Rem .444Marlin necked to 308, Primer CCI200, Pwdr 4895 41 Gr, Bul Sierra 2145 wt 165gr
Bullet Setback .013
Crono at 2250fps

358Bellum Rem .444Marlin necked to 358 Primer F210, Pwdr H322 42 gr, Bul Nosler 35225 225gr
Bullet Setback 0
Crono at 2104fps

Guess the pictures will have to wait until I setup a URL.

Welcome to the board, justahunter. I haven't got a contender rifle or pistol, but it's been something i've been after since the mid 1990s. I would however, be very intersted, as i'm sure everyone else would be, in hearing the stories for each of your tags.

[ 01-13-2003, 05:57: Message edited by: Curtis_Lemay ]

I'm with the General, I would like to read the stories of your hunts.

My hunting ended up being NONEXISTENT this year so I would enjoy hearing/reading of others trips.

I would also like to hear about the performance of those bullets at the velocities listed!

LouisB

Well Shooters, somehow I missed my friend's original post. I guess it is because I usually hang out over on the Single Shot Pistol Page. But today I had lunch with Justa and learned he had posted about his Contender hunts. I was with him on one of those hunts and let me tell you - - this guy is really playing his post humble as he is an impressive pistoleer and those hunting experiences are really worth posting. Each has a story that I'm sure you all would enjoy reading about. And yes, I did give him a hand in getting started with the Contender, but that is a pretty small part of his success with the Contender. Since he needs a little push to get him to give some detail about his hunts and success with the Contender, let's get after him!!

Don Shearer

justahunter,
Welcome to the board, now lets get busy and get them stories posted here, I'd love to read them.
Mark

Welcome to the board. I would love to hear about your experiences. I have a 308 Bellm and enjoy it.

I once e-mailed Don Shearer with some questions, he e-mailed me back with excellent detailed information.

I'm sure glad there's guys like Don and Mike B. that have such a wealth of knowledge and are always willing to help.

Congradulations on your hunting success.

I have never met either Don or Mike. But I have gained a wealth of knowledge from the both of them. I consider you lucky, both on your hunt as well as the company you keep.