Wondering if anyone has played with one of these? I plan on getting a carbine barrel for my contender, just haven't gotten around to it yet. I know from an 18" tube, 200 gr @ 2000 fps is achievable, not sure what 180's would do, but I'd suspect around 2200 fps. Me thinks with a folding stock and decent iron sights, the contender carbine would be a compact little hammer.

You could always get a Dan Wesson Super Ram in 357 Max with a 8 or 10inch barrel. I wanna get one once pistol silhouette gets popular around here.

Paul,
I have a little .310 cadet martini in maximum. It will do 2300 fps with a 180 cast, with AA 1680. It cant be a very high pressure load as the martini extraction is poor with anything approaching warm loads.

I have a 10" 357 magnum barrel for my contender, with plans to re-chamber it to a 357 max. Due to the chambers generous throat, I'm able to seat bullets way out there, and have been pushing 200's 1700 fps. I have no doubt the max chamber would be good for another 100 fps with a reasonable throat, stretch it out to a carbine barrel and another 300 fps appears.

When I was a kid, my grandad had a contender with both a 10" pistol and a carbine barrel in 357max. I think all he ever loaded for it were 158gr semijacket hollowpoints, but, the carbine barrel would leave a .5" deep crater in a 3/8 steel plate! I imagine 180-200 in a carbine would be a real hammer!

I have a 10" 357max barrel for my contender pistol and presently I'm shooting 180gr speer flat points .358". I'm not sure of the exact velocity yet, but I the loading book suggests about 1700fps.... I think it may be more. A carbine barrel should just rip those things out there.

Infact, the more I think about it, maybe I should think about such a barrel myself....

.

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Toxophilie and carry a bent stick.
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I have a super contender with 14 in barrel in 357 max. 158's at 2200 I always thought that a carbine length barrel would be fun to have just haven't gotten around to it.

I'm going to be having a 357 Maximum made up on a Martini Cadet action.I'm figuring it ought to shoot Remington 200 grain RNCLs about 2050 FPS from a 24 inch barrel.Should make a good hog gun-I'll let you all know how it shoots and if it processes the bacon well.

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I'm out to wrong rights,depress the opressed,and generaly make an ass of myself!

I like my 357 max. but remember the 35 Rem is a lot like it. Given simular rifles well do better.

Ihave T/C Contender Maximum 14" barrel and Dan Wesson 8" barrel. ( I use T/C with carbine stock and silencer too) I have two questions: Where can I have syntetic carbine stock for T/C G2 and is it bossibly somewhere lever action rifles .357 Rem Maximum makers?

I had a 10 inch contednder in the Max , many years ago.
I used to use a 180 grain speer bullet that was designed for the .35 Reminton.
It kicked like hell , and I burned a black streak across the hood of my old datsun PU.
But It was fun.
I remember laying some very dry firewood on end and splitting it with the single shot.
...tj3006

I have had two H&R Handi Rifles in .357 Mag. The first one I ran a Maximum reamer in but sold it to someone that had to have it about the time I had the wants for something else.
That was about 10 years ago. Last summer I saw a green/natural laminated stock H&R Handi Rifle in local gun store in .357 Mag and just had to have it. It is quite accurate. I have not reamed it to MAX but can always do that again I guess. I've thought more about threading it for a compensator since all the 38 Spl loads floating around are mostly subsonic. Might be the perfect coyote suburban rifle with proper permits of couse. It is one very FUN rifle! The barrel is a fairly heavy 22" and there is a Limited Edition emblem in the side of the stock. Seems there is always a lot of 38 Spl and .357 Mag ammo around and I dont' have a pistol in that chambering anymore. This rifle is one fun way of using all that ammo.
Some guns are just "right".

Back when Ruger had an over run of the California Highway Patrol .357 #1A's I had a maximum chamber reamed and found 2000 for 200's and 180 Speer's at 2200 with Win 296 was easy and accurate. I couldn't resist going to a .358 Win on that rifle and also found it to be quite accurate, and a much more powerful round! To do it over again, I'd leave it stock.

Had a barrel made for a contender a few years ago. Chambered a .357 max on a .358 rifle blank. 22" with a muzzle brake. The hornady 180 gr ssp shoots extremely well with W296, and drops deer like a hammer. Haven't chrono'd the load, but it's near max. If you're thinking about something similar, you won't regret it. very efficient round, and if I get the opportunity to hunt black bears, it's what I'll use.

gd

I know Mike Bellm here in town gets a lot of requests about 357 Maxium barrels.. seems it is a real popular round in Contenders...

he was trying to talk me into one...

I've got a Savage 24V combo gun in .357 Max/20ga. I load the Hornady 180gr XTP to around 2100, works well on deer. Neat cartridge with alot of potential in rifle length barrels.