I have two 14" Contenders. All of my hunting is done from elevated baited stands, though I seem to take about the same number from the ground when arriving at the stand. My pistols are 14" and 15" barrels in 7-30W and my scopes are 3x9 Burris and 2.5 X 8 Leupold. Weight is no problem and I always shoot from a rest or a tree trunk. So far so good.