Contender fans,...mostly rifle/carbine, or still dabble with 'under 16" 'stuff?

[alan in ga]

I've sold all but one pistol barrel because this one is still interesting to me [a 45/70 12.5"]. I have started to accumulate a few rifle barrels tho.
Do any of you still shoot both, or have you pretty much gotten into and stayed with carbine and rifle barrels?
After a trip to the range friday, I'm thinking I don't care to do a lot of switching around with barrels and just did buy a second rifle stock and forend for my second of 2 Contender frames.
The 12.5" 45/70 barrel is starting to shake from fear it will be sold off : )

[Keith L]

I still do both, but am moving all the time more to pistols.  I have vision problems in my right eye, and it is far easier to compensate for pistols.

[alan in ga]

I have to have a scope on my rifles if I'm going to hit ANYTHING!
Shot my new 17HMR friday, great acuracy!!! 23" rifle barrel supplied by T/C to replace my defective 17 Mach II.
I've had 5 44 mags in Ruger revolvers [blackhawks/Redhawks]. Had a 45 Win Mag super 14 and traded it to a friend. Will play with the 45/70 for a while...love the .458 bore. It has a Simmons 2x-6x on it now.

[Ladobe]

Just the opposite Alan.   Over the 43 years that I owned way too many TC Contender frames and barrels, if it could be said that I "dabbled" at all it was with carbine length barrels.   Except in the early years, most of the carbine barrels I had were custom instead of factory as most were wildcats.    Contenders remained what they started out as for me, pistols - probably since I first got into them because I had become such a stricken handgun hunter that I was hunting less and less with rifles and remained mostly a handgun hunter to the end of my hunting days.

I kind of chuckled at your second stock set for your 2ND frame so you don't have to switch.    Having so many barrels is part of why I owned so many frames and furniture sets over the years.   I stopped switching around elements anymore than I had to in the early 80's when my interest started changing to wildcats.    I instead dedicated each barrel to a particular frame that was for a particular purpose to shoot similar cartridges and it had its own furniture set based on that useage.  It got much easier to manage when I stopped hunting big game and started selling off the no longer used commercial cartridge barrels and many duplicate barrels.   Then about 12-14 years ago I got the frame count down to 20 tuned easy open frames and about 40 barrels for all my uses.   That turned out to be a good balance for me as by then I was mostly only hunting long range varmints and predator hunting, and using mainly only wildcats (although I did still shoot IHMSA then and sometimes shot Contenders and Encores for that).

[alan in ga]

I feel vindicated! Changing barrels at the range [finally got there Friday] is just not a desirable chore for me. I'm very nit picky as to dirt/dust getting into anything and keeping the open frame/barrel lug opening/ and lug itself wiped and lubed was a bit of a work of 'non love'.
I have made several switch barrel bolt action rifles, and it didn't take long to figure out that I liked leaving a barrel "on and sighted in"!
The 17 HMR was a relief to find that it liked accuracy! The 17 Mach II needs another range session before I decide it's future. No sense in even making it an Ackley Hornet if it doesn't show promise as is. I wanted a 17 Mach II anyway so it's future will depend on another more indepth range session with more ammo types/tests.
I don't profess to be 'decided' on any of my Contender ventures but I just enjoy tinkering with them. I've always liked compact single shots and the G2 [I know their not your preferance!] frames I have will get played with  some more.
For coyote hunting here in the burbs' I still think a 38Spl/357 mag or max would be the cat's...er..the coyotes howl. Would need a can but that's another realm of discussion.
Yup, 60 years old this year and really wandering all over deciding what to shoot and toy with.
My thinking is to have a few guns and enjoy them, NOT to build up numbers of guns that will mostly sit in the safe.
I'll have two complete Contender rifles and a few rimfire barrels [22LR Match Bullberry/17M2/17HMR, and the 45/70 pistol barrel until I've plinked with warmer and warmer loads before I hit the "OUCH" load! : )

[Bullseye]

I have been fooling with Contenders for about 20 years but all in handgun form until not to many years ago.  Had a bunch of short barrels and have sold a bunch and now down to 8 handgun barrels and 3 frames I use them on.

A few years ago I came across a couple frames I got for cheap to nothing and decided to buy a 22lr and 223 23" bull rifle barrels.  They both shot great.  Then I recently got a special Hi Luster Blue G2 from the TCA and then got a 41 Mag Hi Luster Blue 22" bull barrel from the TCA.  That is one pretty gun.  Then I found a 22 Hornet 21" carbine barrel that I had to have and now have determined that the 21" barrel handle like a dream and think I might need some more of them.  I do only have 3 frames dedicated to rifles though, so I am switching rifle barrels now.

I like them and shoot them both long and short and do not plan on getting rid of anymore at the current time.  A lot of the calibers that I have in both short and long barrels are getting harder to find on the used market so I need to keep them unless I am sure I do not want them anymore.  However they do sit close together in the safe so you never know when they might reproduce and there could be more around.

[Flynmoose]

I love my G2s, carbine and pistol both. I managed to get four 20" custom shop barrels
before they closed shop , 223, 22 Hornet, 22lr and 38spl(since rechambered to 357Mag).
I have Encores as well but find myself reaching for one of the 20" carbines. I find myself
shooting carbines and rifles more as age takes its' toll on my eyes. I never was much of
a pistolero but enjoyed trying anyway, still do if no one is watching.
FM

[Dezynco]

I got into Contenders for the ability to shoot fairly long range with a pistol.  I've got a fine old customized Enfield 30-06 for the really long shots, say past 200 yards.  I like to carry a Contender because most of my shots are within 100 yards, and it's a nice compact package.  No need for an 11 pound rifle, since I can shoot 200 yards easily with my Contender.

I do have a 24" Custom Shop barrel in 375 Winchester that you would have to use a cattle prod to get it away from me!  It's my only rifle/carbine length barrel (so far)!  I've poped Coke cans at 300 yards with it - one shot, even though the longest shot I've taken a deer with it has been about 75 yards.  In my opinion, it's one of the best cartridges for the Contender since it is a nice balance between bullet weight, speed, and tollerable pressure.

I wouldn't mind having a 6.5x30-30 in a rifle length barrel some day, and may get a 300 Whisper in an 18" or 20" barrel if the $$ are available.

[dpe.ahoy]

I'm a newbie with the Contender, had one 20+ years ago that was a 16 1/4" 223 carbine that was sold to a friend when I needed $.  About a year ago I found a used 223 tapered 21" carbine that someone had refinished the wood and done a poor job of it.  Then I picked up a 35 rem 21" tapered barrel and now have a 21" 7-30 Waters barrel.  Need to get at least one more frame and would like to get a nicer stock set as well.  My original thought was to just use one frame and have an all-round, cover anything ya want carbine, with a 22LR or mag barrel I still think it would cover most bases here in Montana.  DP

[greenrivers]

Hey guys, I really enjoyed reading this. It seems that I am not the only one having some of the same issues as discussed. As a recent retiree, I have begun exploring the areas of shooting that have been on the back burner for years. One is the contender. I bought one a few years ago to stop the arm stretching that seemed to take place lugging a BAR around the mountains. Since then I swear that T/C puts something in there finish to make them adicting! They seem to multiply.
My question is, have any of you used any peep sights mounted on a handgun barrel that you liked and would recomend. I have a Hornet barrel scoped as the "old" eyes demand, but would like to find open sights that I can see. I tried a set of Tritium and found that they worked and perhaps opens were not a thing of the past.