What are your experiences (hunting and target, but MOSTLY hunting) with the pistol length barrel on the Contender.
Luckily TN is VERY hunter friendly with limited rules and liberal bag limits for deer ( NOTHING like AL, but more than good enough)and so I thoight I might just go "pistol" only starting this year!

LouisB

I own a Gonic pistol barrel and a Gonic carbine kit for the Contender. WATCH OUT. I never could get the pistol barrel to stop rusting even using their cleaner(suspect it was in the barrel when I received it) The carbine barrel is USELESS. It is the .45 Magnum supposedly .458 diameter. Just like the pistol barrel I had trouble loading it. The pistol barrel would shoot only fair when new. I have shot it with 150 gr. of Pyrodes behind the 4o5 bullet and it only shot fair and did have some recoil. A call to the factory got me an independent Smart--- that wanted to help me none at all. As far as I am concerned they wont make good tent pegs. The theory behind the heavy powder charge and heavy bullet is probably ok, but the .45 is an an unusual barrel diameter and they dont make sabots. If this is the only place you can get a black powder barrel I would go ahead and get it but I would get it in .50 and STAINLESS STEEL. I think there is some management changes in the company and I have thought about sending it back even out of warranty to see if they would do anything and if I do I will keep you posted, I have nothing to loade and have over 500 invested. sorry for talking your ear off but beware. If you find someone with a good black powder barrel for contender please let me know. Pistoljess@comcast.net