I bought my Contender by "accident" in the late 80's. It came as part of a package deal I made on several guns. It was originally set up as a Super 14" in 7-30 Waters w/a T/C scope with lighted reticule. It's a sweet shooter and never failed to place 3 rounds inside a dime at 100 yards (off a good rest of course!)
When I got "serious" about reloading, I found I could not really get consistent data from my revolvers. By "accident" I purchased a .357 Mag bull barrel (it was only $100.00 for this LNIB barrel...I HAD to buy it).
I ran a couple rounds down the tube and was astonished with the chrono. data. It was the first time I'd seen the numbers settle down and tighten up.
After that I began gathering barrels to match the calibers I reload.
Another GREAT use for a gun I was only taking out to hunt once or twice a year. I don't have many friends who do this but they all agree it's a good method for testing reloads.
I now have 10" (non-ported) Contender barrels for most the calibers I reload. I'm still working on capturing a .41 Mag and .45 Colt but know it's only a mater of time before I run across a decent deal (I don't need perfect condition barrels for my use).
It's kind of fun searching for barrels...they are (at times) the best deal in a gun shop...sitting in the corner, collecting dust, just waiting to be purchased!
Are Contenders routinely used to measure reloads? It seems like it would be one of the most economical methods a reloader could use to duplicate the data in the manuals.
Just my .02
Have a great weekend!
Bob
