I'm considering purchasing a Contender - had one and sold it in a moment of desperation. Most of what I do is casual target shooting with my rifles and handguns. Occasionally I go after varmints of one sort or another. Mostly I enjoy trying to put together good groups at 25-100 yards. If I get a chance to shoot silhouettes again, I'll do that also. What calibers and loads do you like for target shooting and fun. I'm thinking about a .44 Mag, but wonder if that will be unpleasant to shoot for an hour or more due to recoil. I'm comfortable with full house .357 loads in my GP 100 - any idea how the recoil might compare to the harder kicking .44 in the heavier Contender? Any suggestions or preferences? Thanks.

7-30 Waters would be my pick. This cartridge will do everything you mentioned without hard recoil, plus if you ever want to go next door and hunt PA whitetails, it'll do that for ya too!

Of course there is a problem with this caliber shooting good groups from 25-100 yds. Most of them shoot AWESOME groups at these distances and beyond. (Limited only by the shooter)

Did I say factory ammo is available too, if you don't reload?

[ 01-16-2003, 07:09: Message edited by: T/C nimrod ]

Even though i am a 41 fan i would have to pick the 357mag as the best fun/versatile caliber. The 158 & 180's full power loads are easily handled. The 110 & 125's are a lot of fun to shoot, recoil is light and make excellent varmint bullets.

The 44mag is also a good one but serious loads in it can be a handful.

FWIW

EDIT: I am working on a 110 grain bullet load for use in Field Pistol. I have yet to chrono them yet but they should be good with the same sight setting from chickens to rams!

[ 01-16-2003, 07:17: Message edited by: MSSmagnum ]

MSSmagnum - you have PM

Ok Lets add this one up.

Good Groups for target shooting. yes the 357 and the 44 are good But NOT as good as a 221..But You would also like to shoot Varmits???
But you also state you might want to shoot SILY WETTS with it?

well all this comes together with the 6.5 TCU or a 7 TCU

More accurate than the big bores.'
Enough poop at the Silly Wetts and KNocks the snot out of the ground hogs.

Fireball.............see all your problems solved

You say you want something for varmints and maybe animals up to deer size ?...that is able to knock over full size IHMSA rams with authority ?...light recoiling ?...easy to load for ?...and extermely accurate ?

"The 300 Whisper ! !"

I've got 10 and 14" Contender barrels in 300 Whisper as well as a VV rebarreled XP-100 in the chambering and I absolutely love the round.

Several folks on board have had great success hunting with the Whisper and after shooting one in IHMSA matches for a couple seasons now, I'm beginning to feel, because of the light recoil and tack driving accuracy, it's "The Round" for iron.

For silhouettes I'm loading a Sierra 168gr HPBT Match over 18.5grs of AA1680 and the fellas that are hunting with them are using either Single Shot Pistol Bullets or Nosler BT's.

Don't sell the 300 Whisper short and give it some heavy consideration, it's a great round and meets the needs you've expressed.

[ 01-17-2003, 10:43: Message edited by: IKE ]

I got into shooting TCs so I wouldn't have to pick just one.

My suggestion would be to get two different barrels. One for varmint shooting and the other for silhouette and maybe a deer or two.

Varmint Caliber - 14" .223 Rem
10" .221 Fireball

Silhouette/Deer - 14" 7-30 Waters
10" 7mm TCU

If you are really intent upon getting a straight wall pistol cartridge, then I would go with the 357Max over the 357Mag or 44Mag.

I've seen some really good suggestions here. These came from people who know as well, not some guy styling and profiling. However, I'd like to put in my $ .02 worth (and remember, I told you what its worth!).

First you "need" a .22 LR barrel. The 10" balance best. In this you can shoot everything from the Aguila Colibri to any of the .22 LR ammo. Good for targets in the basement to barn rats to squirrels. More importantly, great practice on the cheap. Will really help you get to know your frame.

You need to determine whether or not you want to reload. I suggest a big yes (it is a great hobby in itself) and you may already be doing that. If you are and have dies for one of these cartridges, I'd lean towards that particular cartridge.

Your SECOND barrel should be either (and all in 10") a:

- 7mm TCU: You can get barrels and dies fairly cheaply and they shoot everything well, or so it seems. It is also effective on varmints and even deer. Mild recoil.
- .300 Whisper (aka .300/221) or it's clone with a rim the .300/221R (which you can get a the TC custom shop). It is in the same ballistic class as the 7mm TCU and is very popular for this reason. Ditto on the mild recoil.

In any case, you're going to have a heck of a lot of fun trying them all out. Join the TC-List and see what a degenerate fool you can become shooting these things. Not only do they shoot well but they have the built in customization possibilities all guys like with the ability to swap barrels, scopes, forearms, grips (and stocks) and can be pistol, rifle, shotgun, etc. Just a lot of fun and the people who are interested in shooting them are great as well.

So far, everybody has been talking about silhouettes in terms of Big Bore (200m game), but nothing about Field Pistol (which is a 100 yard game). This is a silhouette discipline that falls more inline with the goal of target/varmint shooting. And the "chosen" cartridge for this purpose...(drum roll please)...why it's the .22 Hornet!! (and there was much cheering). Also you could consider the .30-20 as it is often very similar in capabilities to the .300 Whisper, but is also legal for field pistol. I hope this different perspective helps you to maintain your perspective.

i just love the 6mm's, and sounds perfect for your use. i don't know about the silhouettes(sp?), never shot them. the 6x45, 6x47,6tcu are a pure pleasure to shoot and highly accurate. i like all the calibers, just wish i could own one of each.

Take notice everyone has a favorite, yet nobody denies anyone's personal pick? Asking a group of people that shoot a gun that is actually "a whole lotta guns" may be a pretty tall order! I'm lovin'it

Of course, now......which one to get next?........

T/C Nimrod,

I didn't list my favorites just what I thought might work best for Ferdinand.

My favorites (all carbine): .22 LR, 7mm TCU, .30 Herrett, .38-55 Winchester, and .45-70.

My favorites (10"): 7mm TCU

Guess I DID list a favorite! Sorry about that.

Thanks guys. The responses are rather enlightening. There were no supporters of my prospective choice - .44 Mag. I'm glad I asked. The .357 Max suggestion appeals to me, especially after reading another thread on that caliber specifically that was started today. For some reason, I am leaning towards a straight wall cartridge for my first barrel. I wonder if I can make .357 max ammo on my Dillon SDB. 7 TCU definately seems very versatile and capable. A few years ago, I turned down a deal to buy a frame, barrel and big bag of brass for $300. I have a hard time with the idea of fire-forming brass. I may have to get over it - just seems wasteful, and a PITA. I'll have to look into the .300 Whisper. No doubt, .22 LR will be added somewhere along the way. Thanks all for the insighful responses.

I currently have 2 10" barrels, a 357 Max and a 300 Whisper. You can't go wrong with either one.
If I could hunt deer with the max here in Illinois, I'd probably not bothered buying the 300 Whisper, but I'm happy I did.
Greg

To me there ain't nothin' more fun than stoaking the fire from a 14" SSK 45/70. Next would be my 14" SSK 30/40 Krag and one of my new favorites a 12" SSK 375JDJ. You gotta love shootin" "HANDCANNONS"

7TCU gets my vote. Fun to shoot, very accurate and enough power to hunt with. Everyone should have a 22lr barrel also. Heck the 22 centerfire barrels are a blast and accurate. 17HMR is a great contender barrel. Taint no bad cal for contenders. Have a ball.

7mm TCU is good.
Fun "plinker" with cast or jacketed bullets and could handle you other needs handily!

357 Max is best for all your needs. I am not 100% sure but think you could get away with using 38spl/357 Mag dies in the Dillon. Max dies should work if you have not bought any yet, but is limited, It will depend on the amount of travel on the ram in your Dillon.

Max is FAR better than any give it credit especially when loaded up in a Contender.

180 grain bullet at 1750 fps and 150-158s really zing out of a 10" barrel.

LouisB

[ 01-18-2003, 03:50: Message edited by: TCLouis ]

I shoot Hunter Pistol and use a 10" 22 Match and a 22 Hornet. Both have rifle scopes on them and I love the low recoil and GREAT Accuracy I get with them.

Check with your local Gun Club and see what they shoot NRA or IHMSA. I sold my 14" 7TCU as my club only does Hunter pistol, 10" barrels only.

I also have a 10" 357 MAX and love it.
You could find a 357 MAG and have it reamed out to a MAX and it will have a better chamber than most of the factory MAX barrels,
NOTE: Rechambers are not allowed in HUNTER PISTOL Matches only Factory Original Barrles can be used.
That said you can pick up used 357 Mag barrels for possibly the lowest cost of all Contender barrels. Rechambering is musch less than the outragous price on the auctions for a MAX barrel.

Hand Cannons are great but can come latter once the addiction has fully developed into a full fever such as you will see openly displayed on the forum here

B_Koes
What is your best Hunter Pistol load in the 22 Hornet?

My favorite load is 7.6gr WW296 with a Sierra 55gr SBT using Winchester brass. This load generates about 1725-1750fps from my 10" barrel. I've been thinking of trying 8gr of powder and chronograph it...would like to see 1800fps, but my load currently will group inside of .75" for 5 shots @ 100yds so I'm not incredibly motivated to change things. I have not had a problem leaving a ram that I hit...I just wanted a little more velocity.