I spoke with a custom barrel maker regarding a 7TCU carbine barrel for my Contender today. The first thing I need to decide is which bullet or bullet range I plan to use. He wants me to submit a dummy round so he can make the throat accordingly. I plan to use this barrel on both groundhogs and deer. What bullets do you recommend? I'm leaning toward a maximum weight of 140gr and using a 1:9 twist. I will be posting this question on several forums for maximum input. Thanks!

If you are going to hunt varmits and deer and not concerned with knocking over steel, your thougths seem logical to me. Even in a rifle length barrel, I'd still recommend the 120 grain Hornady SS pistol bullets, that's what I use in my contender carbine for deer and varmits, as well as my 10 inch TCU. If you want heavier, the 140 ballistic tip would likely work.

Have fun with it, the TCU makes a sweet carbine.

regards,
Graycg

Ditto the 120g for Hunting, either with Hornady or Nosler polymer tip. My opinion.. you'd be better served (trajectory, energy and performance) with this faster, lighter bullet (as opposed to a 140 or greater).

Having said that - the most accurate bullet in my 10" is a 139g Hornady SP. However, I'm using it for IHMSA, where 1700fps and zero expansion is ok.

[ 03-28-2003, 02:57: Message edited by: NRC ]

I know you have given a lot of thought to your project but I think the 6.5 TCU would work even more effectively than the 7mm version as a varmint/deer round. The 6.5 could use a 85g bullet for varmints and probably a 120 or so for deer. Plateau Hunter