Whats your Favorite Shooting caliber in the Contender Pistol(or carbine)?

[jmlv]

I know for a lot of you the Contender is about Hunting. For me my hunting days are past me. I just love to shoot the shortgun be it a handgun or sometimes a favorite carbine(I love my Winchester Trapper carbine in 357). I like a number of different caliber for "just shootin" The king of them all must be the 22 LR. This caliber is just accurate as all get out at almost any range you would want to shoot anything with it. I have a num,ber of barrels in this caliber - a 6.5" a 10" and even a 16.4" carbine/pistol barrel!
The next 2 favorites are rifle calibers which may surprise some of you. I love shooting my 14" 30-30 & 223 barrels they do long range accuraty well and make a bit splash when they hit something voltile(like a 2 liter soda bottle or a punkin left over from Holloween etc. ) Cans of all sizes jump nicely too with these especually with unopened cans and hollow points<VBG>. Last but not least is the 410 barrel these make shooting insects on the fly(dragonflys make great fun targets) not only possable, but fun as well.
the 410 shells also are great for destroying things at close range(about 20-25 yards) again like fruit soda and unopened cans. the critters always get to eat the leftovers.
So what barrels and calibers are the most fun for you? For just plain fun shootin that is?

[SD Handgunner]

Gee your list is not so different than mine.

If I just want to go out and burn up some ammo at short to moderate range, my SST Super 14 .22 LR Match Contender Barrel gets the nod. This barrel is so accurate it makes me look good. 100 yard groups off the bench run around the 3/4" to 1" mark for 5 shots. Remington Bulk Hollow Points also do quite a number of Ground Squirrels (we call em Flickertail Gophers in these parts). 

If I want to stretch the range a little, shoot larger varmints or coyotes my SST Super 14 .223 Remington Contender Barrel gets a work out. This has to be the most accurate T/C Factory Barrel I have ever had. With it's preferred load (55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips loaded with H-4895) prints groups that really make me look good. If I shoot a group much over 1/2" at 100 yards from the bench with this barrel "I messed up".

For larger critters yet, namely Whitetail Deer I dig out my SST Super 14 7-30 Waters Contender Barrel. This ones perferred load uses 120gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips, again loaded with H-4895. Average muzzle velocity is 2436 FPS and most of my 3 shot groups at 100 yards are in the 3/4" range.

I just this fall acquired a SST Super 14 Vent Rib .45 Colt/410 Contender Barrel. As yet I have not had the opportunity to take a Pheasant with this barrel (actually haven't even shot at a Pheasant with it as yet). However this fall I carried it in my work vehicle and it made short work of skunks that ventured into town. The very first skunk I shot with a Federal 3" #6 Shot 410 Shotshell really amazed me. The skunk was on a dead run at about 20 - 25 yards and it rolled it with a single shot and a finisher was not needed. I have done considerable pattern testing with 410 Shotshells at 18 & 25 yards, and am pleased with the results I have been getting with it's perferred shotshells. Not really sure if this barrel will see use as a .45 Colt or not, I guess it all depends on how it shoots if I ever get around to trying .45's in it.

Larry

[Plinker]

Favorite = The barrel I have on at the time.....

   If ya pinned me down,it would be....  .22LR , 17hm2 , .22Mag , .17HMR , .223Rem , .357Max.
Those six could keep me happy for a long time. With the .22LR and 17hm2 take'n up about 90% of my shoot'n time.

[Dezynco]

I carefully chose all my barrels, so it's hard to pick a favorite.  However, my 30-30 is a lot of fun just because it's so danged accurate!  I can load it up or load it down, and it doesn't seem to care what bullet you stuff into it.

I recently traded for a 357 Herrett barrel that is extremely accurate also, but the recoil so far is a bit punishing.

My old daddy has a 32 Magnum barrel that I'd like to get my hands on for a while!

Like I said, it's hard to pick a favorite! 

[Curtis]

Interesting topic.  Like you I mostly just shoot ........and I love it.  Last Tuesday I spent seven hours at our public gun range.  I've had very few opportunities to hunt and was not able to take them for various reasons.  Texas is a hard state to hunt "casually" in unless you own land.  Opportunities to shoot "reactive" targets like you mention are few and far between too, I usually am relegated to punching paper.

That said, I agree with your choices.  I have a 10" 223 barrel that sees more time on a frame than any other.  It's accurate, cheap to handload for with its small bullets and light appetite for powder and pleasant to shoot despite its roar.  The barrel I go to second most often would have to be my 14" 7-30 Waters.  It is every bit as accurate as my 223 and I'd really like to get her out somewhere where she could stretch her legs.  100 yards is just not enough real estate for her to show her stuff.  Another one I really enjoy is my 10" 357 Herrett when I'm in the mood for something more lively.  I've been very surprised and pleased with the accuracy of this barrel, and the big gal has enough bite to be fun but not painful (except for the time I sat for almost 200 rounds and lost the skin on the web of my thumb).  However, every time I pull out the diminutive 22 I realize just how much fun shooting can be.  I have this 14" barrel equipped with a 4-10.5 x 50mm rifle scope and at moderate distances you can see the bullet hole happen!

You might have noticed in all that I didn't pick a favorite.  If someone wanted to limit me to one caliber choice, they'd have a fight on their hands!

Curtis

[hunterspistol]

      I like the old 32-20WCF in a 10" barrel. It shoots soft enough for all day fun. A lot of silhouette shooters have told me that it's finicky but, I've never had a problem with it. Wheelweights cast to bullets, still shoots soft to 100 meters. I get great accuracy, and few problems.  Second up is my first lead thrower, the 22 Hornet. About the same story there, reloading takes the bite out of ammo prices. Better reloaded than store bought.

     I have 4 22lr machines, two TCs and 2 rifles. One is scoped pistol, the other unscoped. One is scoped rifle, the other unscoped.  Lots of fun, the 22 Hornet would amaze you though, has a better trajectory. Those 10" barrels ARE loud, lol.

[yorketransport]

I find myself spending alot of time with a 10" 7mm TCU. I hang a 12" gong , walk off to a random distance, then turn and fire. After the shot I range it with the laser to see how close my estimation was.

[Dezynco]

I've got a 10" 7mm TCU barrel that I haven't had time to piddle with yet.  The first several times (maybe 20 or so) that I've shot it weren't so great, but I know it is because my cartridges are more or less "thrown together".  When I get a chance, I'll do my homework, I know the accuracy potential of the 7mmTCU is great.  It's such a wicked looking little cartridge too!

It could become one of my favorites also!

[bobg]

Just for fun shooting i like my VV 221 Fireball. Followed real close by my VV 300-221. Due to problems with my hands i don't shoot the larger calibers anymore.      bobg

[David D.]

Favorite rim fire pistols is the 14" 17Mach2 followed by the 14" 22L.R., love to plink and hunt tree rats with both.

Favorite center fire pistols for target 14" SSK 257JDJ, 14" SSK 6.5JDJ, 14" MGM 30-30IMP. For deer hunting I like the 30-30IMP then the 6.5JDJ.

I have no rim fire carbine barrels but thinking one in a 20" MGM 17MACH2

Center fire carbine barrels I use a 20" OTT 6.5JDJ for deer and a 24" MGM 221fireball for varmint.

[Hopalong7]

A favorite is hard to pick(and changes quite often), but for "just shootin'" I've usually favored my 45-70 loaded rather mild then along came the .17HMR.  It got a lot of my time until ammo went out'a sight.....and then there's the....oh well, there's just too many great choices to pick from.  I guess that's a good thing.  GOOD SHOOTIN', Walt   

[Graybeard]

I don't shoot the TCs anymore neither Contender nor Encore but back when I did I had two favorites really. For deer hunting hands down it was the 7-30 Waters followed closely by the 7 TCU. For just plain fun shooting and hitting what ya aim at all the time out to insane distances it was the 6 TCU and it doubles nicely as a varmint/predator killer as well as paper puncher. I'm sure in a pinch it would even do for deer tho I never used it for that purpose.

I might however have shot more .22LR than any other since I used it for silhoutte competition along with the .32 H&R Magnum back in my NRA silhouette competition days. I guess tho if you added up the weight of bullets send down range the .44 magnum might have sent more actual bullet weight down range for me than any other.

[skarke]

Love the 223.  It is ridiculously accurate, light recoiling, and cheap to reload.  With basic BR reloading techniques, good trigger and rest, and a and low/no wind, 5s and 4s are pretty common even for me out of a 14 inch barrel, and I'm an amateur at best.

[skb2706]

.204 Ruger because it makes a true varmint gun out of a Contender.

[Ladobe]

Have two actually.   By far the 375JDJ is my favorite handgun cartridge, both for hunting anything I want to with it and for just plain fun to shoot.   A close second is my 14" 17 Ackley Hornet for varmint hunting mostly but also for some predator hunting.

I don't shoot 22 RF's anymore, not since I got the first 17HMR... so maybe I'd have to add both the 17HMR and 17M2 to my list which I also have custom pistol barrels for (+ carbine for 17HMR).



 

[Heavy C]

In my Contender pistol hands down has to be my Super 14 in 7-30 Waters.  That is such a pleasant round and so far has been very accurate.

In my Contender carbine it's a 223.  Mine has a 20" bull barrel and with 45 grain hollow points that thing is unbelievably accurate.  Wish I had more chances to take critters with it.