I have seen quite a few pics of your T/C break action rifles,handguns.
My question is ,what would be the best of the different models of contender/encore,etc to get ,in your opinion,as far as handling,accuracy,choice of barrels,etc.
I used to have a contender about 20 years ago,and wish I still had it.The 10" 30/30 barrel probably wasnt the best option to have.
(my ears have never recovered)

I still use and prefer the older-style Contender and not the newer G2 or Encore. I figure if I can't kill whatever I am hunting with the cartridges the Contender will handle, then I wouldn't be able to kill it with some super-magnum, either. Yes, I've used the Encore -- quite a bit, I might add -- but favor the smaller Contender.

The Encore, while beefier and heavier, handles cartridges of higher intensity and is obviously the more versatile of the 2 systems. All the standard favorites are available, such as the .308, 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, etc.

And while the Contender is limited, cartridges such as the 6.5x30-30 AI (6.5 Bullberry IMP), 7-30 Waters, 6.5 JDJ, 30-30 AI and 309 JDJ will take care of any deer or hog nicely within reasonable range. In fact, the current load with the 129 grain Hornady SP (37.5 grains N160) I am using in my 26"/1:8 6.5 Bullberry IMP barrel by MGM retains over 1200 ft./lbs of energy at 300 yards.

You can get good barrels for either system. While factory TC barrels can be good shooters, custom makers such as MGM (www.matchgrademachine.com) offer countless options and calibers you won't find in the factory's catalog -- not to mention some incredible accuracy as well. Bergara is now offering Encore barrels over the counter, and of all the ones I've had my hands on, MOA or better was a piece of cake, even with factory ammo in a cold, new barrel.

What I like about the cartridges I am using is that standard cup-and-core bullets work exceptionally well -- much like a premium -- at the modest velocities I am pushing them at.

Granted, the calibers I refer to are a handloader's-only proposition, and the single shots do have idiosyncrasies that the typical bolt rifle shooter never has to deal with.

But to me, the Contender in a rifle format was not only a natural progression but something also brought on by necessity. For years, I hunted almost exclusively with handguns, particularly the Contenders, but in the past few years, when the pain in my hands became too much to ignore, I had to give them up. Since I had the frames, it made sense to give the carbine/rifle barrels a whirl -- and I am glad I did.

They offer versatile performance, minimal recoil, surgical accuracy and on-game performance that has to be seen to be appreciated.

But back to your question: the Encore would probably be the more versatile and user-friendly of the two and should be the choice of the non-reloader. But to me, the Contender is certainly no slouch in the performance department.

Also, a 26" Contender or Encore will handle much like a 21-22" bolt rifle. My 7mm Bullberry has a 20 1/8th inch barrel, and while it handles beautifully, I wouldn't go any shorter than that as I don't care for muzzle blast to be that near my face. (I hear the 16.25" factory barrels are big sellers, though.)

bobby, given the current regulations, is it possible to change your TC from a pistol to a rifle without fear from the alphabet soup boys? is the TC not regulated like an AR style rifle, where once you first assemble the receiver as either a pistol or rifle, it must remain in that configuration?

This is a hot topic and one oft-debated.

Simply stated, and as TC's legal team will tell you, as long as the frame is properly-stocked, there is never a problem. That means nothing shorter than a 16" barrel on a rifle set-up. You can have a pistol rigged with a barrel of any length you like.

Others will argue that only a frame that began as a pistol can be converted to a rifle but not vice versa, and I do see their reasoning. However, when frames are sold over and again, there is NO SIMPLE WAY to track the actual origin. A call to TC can get you the answer, but that's not a 'round-the-clock option, either.

But the bottom line is that there is NO case on the books of any TC owner ever fined for having a properly-stocked firearm.

Keep it legal and you will be fine.

Bobby, it looks like the deer didn't mind the flood too badly. Nice buck.

Did you send your Contender frames back to have the cocking issues changed? Just curious.

Nice deer congrats!

LWD

Larry-

I am not certain what you mean by cocking issues. If you mean the easy-open conversions, my frames are actually above serial #195,000 and thus are of the easy-open style.

Mine have had trigger jobs and nothing more.

As to the flooding, the deer took a while, but most have returned. There are still some that I have not seen, so whether they moved on (by choice or by water!) or did not survive remains to be seen.

There are 2 vey nice bucks that haven't been seen by anyone since then, but considering that the rut is in full swing, there may be other reasons keeping them away.

Other than the serial number above 195,000,is there any option to avoid,or look for? I seem to remember that barrels with a different finish wouldnt fit blue frames?How are the various models different? the one I had,had the puma on a cliff on the side I see on some of your photos.Is the G2,a contender ,or encore,or neither?

I also have sold all my handguns,save one ,because of hand/arm troubles.
Is the contender carbine that much lighter than the encore ,or a regular bolt action?

All of mine are the older-style Contender. The G2 looks like a miniature version of the Encore, and the buttstocks will not interchange (but can be made to).

The short-lived Armour Alloy Contender frames will not accept blued or stainless barrels without modification. The coating effectively reduced the hinge pin hole size, but TC will modify these for a nominal fee. You can also do this yourself; it's a piece of cake.

Also, some of the early lug types may not lock up properly on some of the newer frames, but that is a simple fix as well, and TC will send you the proper set free of charge.

So, in a nutshell, anything stamped Contender or G2 will interchange.

The Encore can only accept Encore barrels.

As to ease of handling, it may be a personal preference, but they do seem to balance so much better for me than a bolt rifle. And, a Contender is about a pound lighter than an Encore given similar setups.

Here's the type of Contender frames I use. They're all over serial # 195,000:



Here's the Encore. The G2 Contender looks like a miniature version of this design:

couple more ,if you dont mind.
I know the contender is limited to a certain size case,what is the largest case size you can get in it,is the G2 able to accept bigger cases?
I believe you say the bulbery chamberings are a 30-30- improved case-is that correct?You seem to prefer either the 6.5 or 7mm chambering,is that correct?
IIRC ,when I was loading for the 30-30 contender I had,I had to make sure the case headspaced on the shoulder,rather than the rim,to avoid problems.Do you have any special procedures to avoid trouble with the sharp shoulder?
You look to be left handed from your photos,what model or make buttstocks do you like best?You look to have a few different ones?

Case size is not so much the limiting factor as to what will work in the Contender as is the actual backthrust against the frame generated by the round itself. Many things come into play, and instead of delving deeply and going on for a few thousand words, I'll direct you to a link:

www.bellmtcs.com

In short, the improved cases, with their attendant minimum body taper and sharp shoulders, are better suited to the single shots than more conventional cartridges with generous taper.

Cartridges based on small case head size, no matter if they are rimless like the .222/.223 family or rimmed like the wildcats based on the 5.6x52R round, can be run full throttle in the Contender. Rounds on the 30-30/.225-type cases generally need to fall into a pressure range (but pressure itself is not the final word with the Contender; I'm just issuing it as a guideline) of around 42,000 c.u.p. Rounds based on the 45-70 brass -- or the old 45-70 itself --must be kept even milder.

With anything but the small case head size, you can't rely on conventional indicators with the Contender. If you do, chances are you've already exceeded what the Contender can handle and may have stretched the frame.

Also, the G2. while obviously built a bit sturdier, can't handle anything more potent than the original Contender.

I really like the various 6.5 and 7mms, in part due to the excellent selection of bullets that work at modest velocities and the fact that they offer the best of both worlds: ample bullet weight to be suitable for medium game and plenty of velocity to give a reasonably-flat trajectory.

And, the 30-30 case, in improved form, serves as an excellent launching pad. THese offer virtually identical performance to wildcats based on the improved .225 Win case.

My 6.5 Bullberry IMP is nothing but a 6.5x30-30 AI with another name. My 7mm Bullberry is a bit different. It's essentially a 7mm International Rimmed with the unnecessarily long neck trimmed back to give a case length of 1.75".





Truth be told, perhaps the most efficient and hottest case for Contender cartridges is the 5.6x50R. From a 14" barrel, a 6.5x50R Bellm will outrun the 6.5mm JDJ by a solid 125 fps with almost any 120 grain bullet and up to 150 fps in select loads.

I had a Bullberry barrel in 6.5 TCU rechambered to the round a few years ago. It was a burner, but then a problem arose: brass availability and quality. Once-fired RWS was overly-expensive and difficult to find, but when Hirtenberger became available, I jumped on it. The first batch was fine. The next lot had consistency issues, and the brass in the case necks was so thin that it wouldn't even hold a bullet in place. I finally ditched the project and moved on, but the 120 grain BT and 120 grain Speer Hot Core at 2500+ fps were dandy little loads that reached out to longer distances with ease.

As to stocks, www.highplainsgunstocks.com gets my vote right now as the quality is superb, the price right and the turnaround FAST. For specialized forends, Dave Dolin on the Specialty Pistols board does some incredible work that is not much more than standard factory pricing.

For barrels, I highly recommend Match Grade Machine.

Bobby,
I notice several of your carbines have ventilated recoil pads. It's to increase the length of pull for fit reasons, right?
I've got a T/C Contender carbine in .223 and would like to find a bit longer length of pull stock...

Hey Bobby,

Great answers as always, but I have to admit that I enjoyed this thread for the pictures, not the article!

Good Hunting,

Bob

Thank you,Bobby,for the info.Im going to start looking for some examples to examine.