I got my first Contender last night!

[ghostZ]

I bought a deer hunting pistol last night.  It is a TC Contender with a 12" .35 Rem ported bull barrel, and a 16" .22 barrel.
Contender with .35 barrel

Contender with .35 and .22 barrel.
 

I almost got a .375 but the price for ammo was alot cheaper for the .35.
Let me know what you guys think.

[Robert]

You're gonna have a lot of fun with it.  You might have been better with an unported barrel.  It will be a little hard on the ears, make sure you use ear protection when you go up plinking with it.  And just for the record, if you re-load, you can use some nasty little 357 pistol bullets in that cartridge.  Real good for yotes and terrorists.

[ghostZ]

Thanks...I hope I do like it.  I went with the ported because of recoil.  I have never shot a pistol with this powerful of a round so I wanted to make sure I don't have any problems.  I also went with the 12" because I "heard" it was easier to use in the woods.  
And at this point I don't reload...I really don't have anyone to teach me.

[Robert]

The 16" 22 can be used with a Carbine Butt-stock.  It looks like you already have a Carbine forend.  My little 10" 22 is amazingly accurate, I bet the 16" with a rifle scope would be a tack driver.  You are right about the shorter barrel being easier in the woods. You could probably get away with a standard belt holster.  I have a little sidekick holster that I originally bought for my Ruger P-89, and my 45-410 Contender carries in it just fine.  I went and bought a fancy shoulder holster for scoped contenders, and I  NEVER use it.  I went with a sling for my bigger scoped barrels, it works so much easier than a shoulder harness.  If the 35 is too much weight on your belt, you might consider a sling.  They work better with a pistol than a rifle.

[ghostZ]

I was going to go shop for a holster or sling pretty soon...don't know what to get.

The .35 has iron sights...I assumed that would be a good way to start.  I am just worried about 75+ yard shots.

Also the .22 has a weaver style mounting rail on it.  I wanted irons but that was the only .22 they had...so what should I get for that.  I bought some cheap rings last night but don't know what to get.  This will be for basic plinking and some small game.  Do I get the red dot sight or a cheap scope?  My main factor for this is $$$$$$$$$$

[Graybeard]

The FIRST thing I'd do is yank those old wooden grips off and put on some Pachmayr rubber on butt and fore end both. I used to have a set of grips like that on a 10" .44 Mag barrel and every time I fired it blood flowed.

GB

[ghostZ]

The FIRST thing I'd do is yank those old wooden grips off and put on some Pachmayr rubber on butt and fore end both. I used to have a set of grips like that on a 10" .44 Mag barrel and every time I fired it blood flowed.

GB

 :eek: Is it going to be that bad??  I had planned on getting different grips pretty soon but figured I would try these first to make a better deceision.  I am planning on hitting a shop tonight to see if I can get a red dot(I hope it is the best thing to get for the .22) and see what they have for grips.

[dakotashooter2]

Recoil of the 35 really isn't that bad. The pachmayers are nice in the field because the don't seem to "bounce" as bad as the wood when shooting across a rest (tree limbs, rocks, fenceposts, etc.)

[Robert]

If you are strapped for cash, I have heard of guys putting regular rifle scopes on 22's set up as a handgun, there isnt much recoil, so you can cheek up to it.  Wallmart has started carrying inexpensive Bushnell scopes, and I think a few others for 30 bucks or less.  One of these will certainly hold you over till you get dialed in.  I think GB is right, but besides Pacmyr grips, there is also a Decelerator grip that is wood with a rubber pad built in.  It works pretty good too.  You can find these sometimes on the GB Classifieds, or on E Bay.  I prefer the finger-groved Pacmyrs with a sling.  The 35 will definately make a great brush gun with rifle sights.  Also...the forend you pictured with the 22 barrel has a sling swivel, if you can get that to fit the 35, you can attach a Harris bipod to it to help steady your shot.  You might be able to get a little more 'reach out and touch'.

[Greybeard]

Welll I've not fired a 10" .44 mag in a long time. But as best as I can recall in barrels of equal lengths the .44 mag and .35 Rem kick pretty much the same. Your barrel in the photo isn't much more than the 10" of the old .44 mag I started out in TCs with many long years ago when those grips were all there was. Yes it was that bad and I've heard many others who used that set of grips you have say the same. I've lost a lot of skin and blood to that particular set of grips with a 10" .44 mag barrel attached.

Back then you had no choice. There were no other good options available.

GB

[spinafish]

Me thinks a red-dot sight would be just fine for close range plinking and close in squirrel hunting.  I will allow you to get to use your pistol without alot of upfront out of pocket expense.  Wal-mart in my area carrys BSA red-dot for not alot of money..would work with your .35 Rem also in the
woods...
as far as not having someone to teach you reloading..there is a whole bunch of guys who know what they are doing here at this site..good buy a good manual and read it front to back. It will be worth the money to see if reloading interests you.  I am fond of the Nosler manual,but just about any will give you enough info for you to make your mind up as to whether you are interested enough to fork over the bucks for the equipment..its addictive, don't expect to save alot of money..but you will have fun and have a sense of accomplishment when you and your home rolled ammo do good.  You will be able to make rounds that the big boys will never make,but will fill your purpose better than what they offer.  i.e. the pistol bullets Robert was speaking of..

[ghostZ]

Guys thanks alot for all of the advice and help.  I assume that your advice will help me enjoy this gun and the sport a bit more.  I will post on monday how the shooting was...wish me luck!

Well just for tomorrow I am sticking with these grips(shooting mainly the 22 with a few .35s just to get the feel)...I will have to look into the bipod that mounts to the sling point.  And tonight I am going to walmart to get a red dot...Sure hope they have them.

As far as reloading books...I am a book freak.  I research the heck out of stuff before I buy/try something(I have been researching/shopping for a contender for over 2 years and just now got one )    A reloading book was on my short list.

[Robert]

See if they have some padded shooting gloves .  That would help some till you find a good set of grips.

[Ladobe]

Welcome to the world of TC's, and to GBO as well pard.   The gang here has a lot of experience, and most will be eager to give you a leg up on TC's and reloading for it I am sure.   I've been "struck" with Contender's about 34 years now, and reloading even longer than that.

I also am going to recommend the Pachy Decelerator grip set for that 35 Rem, ported or not.   Last thing you want to do is start off getting kicked around by it, maybe develope some fear of it and the resulting flinch or bad habits.   The 12" will be stout both in recoil and torque with those wood grips, although the muzzle break will help some with the latter.   Even my "much bigger" (than the 35 Rem) handcannons become manageable with the Pachy's mounted, and a pleasure to shoot.   A set usually goes for upwards of $55 on the auctions, but deals do come along on them.   Scope wise a red dot will probably work out fine on it if your shots at deer are fairly close.   Just make sure it is well mounted - double check those screws.

On the 22 barrel, since it is a 16 1/4" job, you may just want to stick a rifle scope on it at that.   You'll have to shoot it off a rest/bipod with that scope on it - not real easy to shoot offhand, but because of the barrel's length you'll have the extra advantage of shooting it both as a pistol, and as a rifle by simply buying a rifle buttstock for it.    You'll get far more versatility out of the 22 with something other than a red dot sight on it, so you might consider the rifle scope or if that doesn't interest you get a good pistol scope for it with some magnification.   The 22LR's are amazingly precise if you can see what you are shooting at well enough.   If you go the rifle/pistol route, you might look at the Swift Premier 4-12 rifle scope to hold costs down to start.   I was surprised how good a scope it is for only a little over $100 after a buddy twisted my arm for nearly a year to try one (I bought 2) - and that coming from a guy who normally mostly shoots Burris on his handcannons and Leupold or Nikon on his rifles.

Reloading wise, there are a lot of gents here who have done it at least as long as I have, and GBO also has some great reloading forums to consider as well.   You'll have no problem getting all the help you need.

Rattled long enough, but have a great time shooting tomorrow and getting to know your new TC's.   I am sure you'll be hooked like the rest of us very soon.   :wink:

Ladobe  :bye:

[KYODE]

hey ghostz  i'm shooting a bsa 4x16x40 riflescope on my 14" 22lr match barrel. cheap scope, but i like it real well so far. i shot 1/2" 5 shot groups at 50 yards two days ago :eek:  best two ammo's i found so far tied at 1/2" AVERAGE :shock:  wolf match target(mid priced ammo) and (federal) american eagle 40gr solid(cheap ammo). may be a couple to try in your barrel. :grin:

[longwinters]

Ghostz, you will enjoy the Contender.  Tons of info on this site.  Great guys to ask questions of and share experiences with.  Enjoy.

long

[Bug]

Ghostz,
  One thing you might try, untilyou upgrade your grips, get a pair of unlined leather gloves. They can be had for under $5. Cut the fingers off at the middle knuckle. This should serve to protect your hands, somewhat, until you change grips. I often rub the palm area down with some rosin on the right hand glove (I'm right-handed). And watch where you put your left hand, with the .35. You don't want to stuff it up between your right hand, and the trigger guard tang! Hope this helps>>>>>Bug.

[ghostZ]

Thanks guys.  First off I didn't get a sight on the .22 before I went to shoot saturday(long story) but I did shoot the .35!  I didn't use gloves or change the grips yet.  It was awesome! :grin:   My first shot was with no rest and almost no aim(you guys scared me a little :oops: ), It wasn't bad at all.  My dad and an instructor both shot it and think might have lit a fire for them both on the contenders.  The student didn't shoot it, she had already shot ~500 9mm rounds.  Anyway I shot a few more times and finally used a rest for my last shot.  I wasn't very far out...maybe 20 yards and was 1/8" off the center "X".  I was pretty happy for just out screwing around, using irons, and it being the first day of me shooting it.  
I bought another box of .35(diff brand) and plan to dial it in in the next few weeks.  I hope to have some new grips by then as well.
Later saturday i bought a BSA red dot for the .22.  I only shot 2 rounds after I put it on due to it starting to get dark and the darn bugs trying to carry me away.  I think I am going to like the red dot.  
When I get some more saddle time on either of them I will post to update my progress.
And yes I think I have caught the contender bug...I am already planning on buying a 223 barrel for little furries next summer.