Hey KYODE...
Yepper's, I guess JD has turned loose and TC will be offering the 375JDJ (and maybe the 300 Whisper as well).
Been shooting the JDJ's for a long time pard, so should be able to answer some of your questions at least. I'm on my third SSK 375JDJ right now, either still have or have owned a bunch of other JDJ's by him, including a 338#2.
For starters, let me ask you a question. You want to shoot those little whitetails for the meat, or just to see how high you can fling em pard? :wink: Unless you download, the 375 is a bit much for deer, even of the big western mule variety - the 309 (on my third one of these as well) is a much better choice for this size animal. I'd call the 375 pretty much an elk on up (to anything) toy pard when hunting for meat.
As for the Contender or Encore - or to brake or not.... well, that depends a lot on you and your tolerance of recoil. I have no problem shooting the 375 on the "C" frame and unbraked, but have been doing the hand cannons for a long time. It is "nicer" with a good brake like JD's Arrestor on it, and yes, the extra pound or so of weight the "E" frame would have would also help some. But its just one sweet little rig on the "C" frame it was designed for and with Pachy Decelerators on it is almost a pussy cat. That'd leave the G2 out for the moment I think unless Pachy is making grips for it, but even with the wood grips and a good shooting glove, it would be quite manageable. A brake will really tame the torque, which I find a big plus as a one hander.
The 338 verses the 375 also becomes a matter of choice. Both are great for what they are designed for, and yes, the 338 will easily handle elk as well and would be a bunch easier on deer. But you might be a little undergunned when you go on that safari to the dark continent for the dangerous big 5 with it. :wink:
When it comes to the shear enjoyment factor in the hand cannons, more is better for me at least. Pretty impressive what a 375 can do with 300 grain pills, or even the 270's. And there is bigger yet from JD, a lot bigger!
Just some random thoughts to ponder, albeit biased ones.
If I can get into anything specific that will help, just drop me a note buddy.
Ladobe