pressure limits for 445 mag in old contender frame

[finisher]

Greetings folks. This is my very first attempt at any forum post as I am not very cyber savy.  Please bare with me for any error and ignorance. A couple of years back I was given an old frame contender and have enjoyed nurturing it with a 22 mag 10", a 223 21" taper carb, and similar 22LR and I even moved up to a 44mag 14". I have had more fun with this gun than any other I have owned. I like to keep my calibers pretty basic ( military,and wide production; 9mm,45acp,223,7.62x39,357, etc.) As I feel that its the man behind the gun that counts, and that one should be able to pick up any firearm and hit his target within reason regardless of tuning ,caliber or money invested. In extreme combat situations you use whats available and it will not always be a custom tuned rifle with custom ammo but God bless America for their availibilty! Anyway, I apologize for going off on a tangent there. Question: Will the old frame contender hold up to constant use of factory or max loaded 445mags? And what about the G2?  I know that for a 7.62x39 barrel the answer is no. The reason I ask is as I stated before, I like to keep my calibers basic for budget and logistic reasons. I am not quite ready to move up to an encore just yet so I would like to know my limits. I've read alot of good posts from alot of good people and look forward to corresponding with you all .Thanks... Finisher

[7-30 Waters]

Yes the old Contender frame will stand upto the pressure limits of the 445 Super Magnum.  Accurate powder company has reloading data for this cartridge on there website.

As for the 7.62x39, I have a custom Contender barrel from Bullberry Barrel Works of Hurricane, Utah.  .308 bore and 1:10 twist.  The only stipulation when shooting this barrel is all ammo is handloaded.  Factory ammo for the 7.62x39 is too hot for the Contender frame and will cause major damage to the gun and you.  Most of the factory ammo is loaded with .310 diameter bullets causing unsafe pressures in your gun.  I use standard .308 bullets with my barrel and have had no issues.  So if you are a handloader the 7.62x39 is a fine cartridge for the Contender.

[finisher]

7-30, thanks mucho for the info. I am not a handloader so I wonder if Bullberry might offer the 7.62x39 with the standard size bore and would that be pressure safe for the old contender.  I am mostly interested in factory ammo.  I understand the benefits and potential of handloading and I even have buckets of once fired brass in various calibers that I've kept saying I would one day reload but with three toddler boys and living in the busy "police state" of California I just dont have the time.  Maybe when the kids get older. But at least I now know that I can get full factory horsepower out of my frame with a 445 SM instead of just a 44Mag. Thanks again. Finisher.

[reloading_rich]

Finisher,
I use a 14" 445 SM in my older frame tenders.  At first I had a tough time finding a workable load for it but eventually found some older data that works just fine in my barrel/frame configuration.  My brass is 30/40 Kraig that has been formed with 44 Mag dies and then fireformed using a reduced load.  I have laid up a pretty good stock of Winchester 680 powder which works great in this and many other calibers.  I am loading these rounds with 36.0 grains of Winchester 680 under a Barnes 275 grain JSP bullet.  I have shot this load over a chronograph at 1900 fps. I get excellent accuracy and the deviation in velocity between 10 shots was 33 fps.   It is an awesome hunting load and just pancakes Hogs in the 250# class.  I am at the top end of the load data and would suggest that you start considerably lower and work up looking for signs of excessive pressure.  Every gun barrel is different and your max load may be less than what I am using.  Hope this helps

[7-30 Waters]

I would lean towards an Encore frame if you don't handload.  The Encore frame can handle any pressure level for current factory offerings of 7.62x39 ammo.