Hello Dr. Michael,
Hmmmmmm, so you want to be a T/C guy eh? You've been involved in lots of other shooting sports and think you have a lot of experience eh? Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do! If the bug bites, you should know ahead of time there aren't any remedies for the T/C disease - it's one hundred per cent terminal and irreversible. It's a long, slow painful way to go, but every one of us who has it will die with a big smile on his/her face. You could compare the love of T/C's to a narcotic drug, you always want more, but the same amount of the drug you took last time won't be enough this time. . .the only way around it is to get more, and more, and moooooorrrrrreeeee. . .
Your T/C choices will be bewildering, your ability to make them will be clouded by a severe and pronounced lack of reason, you will be confused, you will constantly exhibit symptoms of manic/depressive disorder as you euphorically shoot great groups today, then drearily wonder what happened as you spray em all in a 12 circle the next time you go to the range. Such is the life of a T/C junkie, the hopelessness of never being cured, the mechanical and zombie-like dedication to these break-open single-shots made in Rochester, New Hampshire, the constant quest for better accuracy, the latest scope, and more reloading toys my friend, you have my deepest and most sincere sympathy. You will love T/Cs and you will hate them (and everything in-between), but you will never give them up. You are done for and you dont even know it yet.
Repeat after me, my name is Dr. Michael and Im a T/C-oholic. I will be attending these T/C Anonymous meetings at GBO for the rest of my life, I know I can find comfort and solace here with the rest of you, and look forward to the support of this group. Would someone here please be my sponsor? I need your help.
If you are man enough to admit you need our help, we will give it to you, boy, will we give it to you! :-D
On a more serious note, you couldnt find a better hobby or a better bunch of folks to consort with. Welcome to the T/C world. :grin:
Choosing the most appropriate Contender or Encore usually involves determining what you will be using it for: 1) punching paper, 2) informal target shooting at pop cans, etc., 3) hunting, 4) some combination of the aforementioned pursuits, or 5) some new and really unique application none of us have thought of yet (but were always willing to take up some new recreational use for our T/Cs, just try us!). The other way of choosing a Contender or Encore is simple, you see it in a gunshop, you dont know why, but you just buy it because you had to the ultimate impulse purchase! Im sure no one here (and certainly not me!) would ever fess up to doing that, but if the truth were known (hopefully that will never be the case), a large percentage of the folks around here would have to admit to taking home a T/C pistol from the gunshop without having thoroughly thought it through fortunately, we have the cloak of secrecy here to protect us. . .innocent until proven guilty you know the drill.
Throw out some of your thoughts on how you want to use your T/Cs in the future and there will be a flurry of advice on what to use from the folks around here. The best thing about this group is that after you listen to their advice, you will undoubtedly understand why chocolate ice cream is made the reason is that not everyone likes vanilla. . .
Again, welcome!
Safe and good shooting to you.
Javelina
