Whitetail season is going fine. Wish I had made some pics. I have 3 whitetail for the season . All with my contender. Two with the black powder pistol. My 5th one shot kill in a row with it and another with my .35 Remington(a much over looked caliber) I have killed 30 something deer with this contender round and have gotten sledgehammer kills expecially since I went to the Hornady ssp 180 grain. The 100 plus lb. buck dropped in his track literally with only a bawl and a kick. He was shot thru the liver and lungs aand not in the back as I thought. I load it quite hot and it does the job. I bought me a strker ,243 Win but left it in the safe. It is not as natural feeling as a contender(my Striker has a thumbhole stock) I will make a picture of the next one if he looks like the one in the Hartford insurance ad. EVERYBODY Have a Safe and HAPPY Thanksgiving. Watch those tree stands and dont let the big one get away. HAPPY HUNTING remember it is not just what you kill but the experience. I challenge anyone to show me a movie or anything else (maybe a fine willing redhead) that compares to a deer stand on opening morning again HAPPY HUNTING JESS

congratulations! never shot a 35remington, but i'd say it has to be a great deer getter.
what kinnda black powder handgun you taking your deer with?
what kinnda loads, bullets etc. you shooting in the black powder handgun?

[ 11-25-2003, 22:23: Message edited by: KYODE ]

I just started using a G2 Contender in 35 remington this year(after years of using a 44 mag ) but I haven't been lucky enough to get a deer with it yet.From the power it has,and what I've heard,I'd have to agree with you pistoljess.

Congratulations on the good shooting. I had a 35 rem I use to use in IMHSA was a fun cartridge I liked shooting the 250g bullets and also shot 158g 357 bullets in my XP 100. The 250g did a number on the rams when clamped down in the winter
Crow Mag

kyode. I kill all the deer with a contender. I shoot a Gonic .45 blackpowder barrel. I would not buy another one. I would get a custom barrel from someone else that is a .450 bore instead of .458. No one makes a .458 sabot. Mine rusted so bad from day one that rifling is nonexistent so I shoot a sabot with a 200 gr, 10 MM hornady xtp pistol bullet. I can only shoot 75 Gr. of pyrodex otherwise you couldnt hit a barrel standing in it. I must have been very luck I killed one this year at near a 100 yds. If you could crank this load up to about 100 to 120 Grains it would ber awesome. The first deer had a busted heart and very little lungs left. The second one (the 100 yd. one) left lung material at the sight and sprayed it all over the ground where she fell about a 100 yds later. I believe vvg makes a muzzleloadong barrel for the contender. If you buy a Gonic and I wouldnt buy a 50 cal. in Stainless Good luck jess

Hey jess.You ever use hard cast in that 35 rem,or just jacketed? And if so,which do you like better?I'm using hard cast and thinking of switching to core-locks.

[ 11-27-2003, 05:58: Message edited by: Squirrel Hunter ]

Pistoljess, I pretty much have the same questions as Squirrel Hunter. I was just curious as to what tpyes of bullets you have used what type of performance you have had from them.
I picked my 35 up in a trade a few years back and had not even shot it until this spring. All I can say is that it has had some bad press in the past just like the 30-30 in a Contender. It has shot every type of jacketed bullet VERY well that I have tried. My 35 uses 30-40 Krag or 303 British brass, so as to incorperate a rim.
Jeff

I have shot 180 gr. hornady flat points, 180 gr hornady ssp's and hornady 180 gr ,357 xtp all with good results. My friends shoot the 158 gr .357 pistol bullet and the 170 gr. Sierra hollow cavity but I dont get enough penetration to suit me. I shot a 90 lb. buck in the neck with the Sierra and it killed like a sledge hammer but did not exit. Had this been a quartering shot it would have just crippled the deer. My favorite is the 180 gr, ssp. I shot a buck with it opening day hit the rib going in and left a silver dolar size hole on the far side. I did have a 180 gr. fail to expand on a 150 plus yd shot. Missed the rib going in and made a dime size hole in the liver(I know bad shot) That is what got me started shooting the XTP. I have killed only two deer with the XTP and tissue damage was excessive. The XTP is only designed to shoot at 1750 max I think and my muzzle velocity was about 2350. I have contemplated getting another barrel and thought I would go to the 45/70 but I will not the 35 will do the job if you will do yours. I have killed 30+ deer with it and except for that failure to expand i like it better than a rifle. I have killed only two deer with a muzzleloading rifle and i with a rifle in about the last25 years I guess. I feel stupid taking a rifle hunting anymore it is just so much more fun with a pistol Watch sizing because I have set the shoulder back to far and it won't shoot. neck size only. I have never tried cast bullets on deer. Before you go hunting be sure you can shoot because your groups open up when that heart goes to pounding. Know your gun and its capabilities and you will be surprised what a 35 will do if you do your part. Happy thanksgiving

Thanks jess.

pistoljess, I had not looked at the XTP's to much, I waafraid they would not handle the speed. Although I did speak to one fellow a while back that said he was using Gold Dots, a 357 Max I think.
I am thinking that the Nosler 180 Partition HG may work well?
At the moment what I have loaded are some 180 Remington bulk 357 mag HP's. Now ya have me some what concerned if I will get full broad side penetration with them. The range would be 75 yards or less. But on the same note I don't want to be able to throw a cat through him either, if ya know what I mean.
I have not ran any of these over the crono. They ended up in about the same 3" group as the spitzers at 200.

The 35 bullets seem to either perform at the top end or the lower, and not much to choose from in the mid range area.

I picked up some Remington 150 Spt's a while back, but then a few guys told me they shot well, but did not expand very well as if maybe the core was to hard.
Jeff

Sounds like some good experience Pistoljess. I had a 358JDJ for a while that was a hammer, dropped my best buck with it at 150 yards with a Hawk 25o grain RN. Regarding yor Gonic barrel, it hardly seems fair to blame the gun for not cleaning it, it seems you were unfortunate enough to find out that muzzleloaders(even stainless ones) need to be cleaned the same day they are shot, 1 night and they are ruined.

Kevin I think my problem was the rust came with the barrel from the factory. It was very hard to load from day one and I went thru the whole thing. My buddies leave their T.c."s loaded for weeks at the time and never rust like this one does. I got some red-orange deposits out of the bore when I cleaned it before I ever shot it, called thr factory and they said they used a red grease in the bores it was not rust I cleaned it the same as I have been cleaning muzzleloaders for 35 years and it was rusty when I picked it up again ( I cleaned it again and it did the same thing over. I think the rust was imbedded in the bore when I got it. Gonic probably makes a good muzzleloader bbl. but I am not satisfied at all with mine. I have muzzleloaders that have had black powder used in them and left loaded with pyrodex from one year to the next that are in better shape than this one Thanks for the reply I AM JuST STUMPED ON THIS ONE

Maybe it's a different steel they use?

could be. They say it is 4140 chrome moly but if it is it is a defective piece of steel. It is stong i have shot 160 gr of pyrodex and a 405 gr 45/70 cast bullet and it didnt blow I have no answer unless somewhere after boring and rifling it was allowed to rust or maybe betwteen boring and rifling and it just wont quit. Thanks