Encore vs G2

[Tobiano]

 Hi All...


    Am a bit disconcerted. Had wanted to get an Encore with a 15" .243 barrel but - having tried the Encore frames at the local gun shop -  I've found to my chagrin that they are a real stretch for my beefy hand, and the G2 frame feels a lot better.
   Unfortunately, the G2 doesn't handle calibers like the .243 and would limit me to things like the .223, the 6.8 Rem., the 7 TCU, the 30/30 or the .44 Mag and I would need to determine which of those is most likely to be effective on deer out to at least 150yds.
   Is there a website somewhere that shows Contender loading data for these calibers (or all Contender/Encore calibers)
   Are any of you folks taking deer with the G2 type calibers and have a recommendation ?
   I've taken a few deer with my Super Blackhawk but have restrained my shooting to between 75 and 100yds. Will the .44 magnum from the Contender 14" do well oout to 150yds. or so ?
   I know the .223 from a rifle will do fine from a rifle - how about from the 14" Contender.

  All experiences, opinions, thoughts, ideas etc. welcome !

 
Many Thanks !

[David D.]

The 7-30Waters, and the 6.8 will do what you want. If you are a reloader here are a few, 6.5JDJ, 257JDJ, 30-30IMP. and there are several more wildcats more than capable of doing this. I mention these 3 because I have used them. The .223 will kill deer but personally I wouldn't use it. Most new manuals will have several calibers in the pistol section with TC data. I am sure more will jump in here with their chosen round for the G2.

[KYODE]

the 35 remington is one fine deer thumper. it will work farther than most would think too. i've taken 3 bucks at roughly 200yrds in the past 3 seasons. a stout load of H322 and the 180gr hornady ssp at 2150fps+ works great. mine is a similar rimmed version using the 303 british case and regular 35rem dies. it is one of my top choices. the 200gr rem round nose has a good rep as well.

[Grumulkin]

Are any of you folks taking deer with the G2 type calibers and have a recommendation ?

I took a deer with a Contender carbine in 222 Remington.  One shot at 80 to 100 yards was enough.

   I've taken a few deer with my Super Blackhawk but have restrained my shooting to between 75 and 100yds. Will the .44 magnum from the Contender 14" do well oout to 150yds. or so ?

My Contender handgun barrel in 44 Remington Magnum will do about 1.5 inch 3 shot groups at 100 yards.  It is, of course, scoped.  It should work on deer at 150 yards though I haven't used it for that purpose.

I know the .223 from a rifle will do fine from a rifle - how about from the 14" Contender.

My scoped 14 inch Contender barrel in 223 AI will do less than 1 inch 3 shot groups at 100 yards.  It should work for deer.

Now, if you want an elephant gun (yes, really), a Contender in 375 JDJ will do the job.

[Doc T]

     If you don't reload, the .30-30, 44mag, and 35 Remington would all be very good for your needs, especially with Hornady's new ammo for lever action rifles.  The 6.8 Rem would be great as well.  If you reload, the 7-30 Waters would be better than the 6.8 (in my opinion) due to the fact that you can load spitzer type bullets.  Factory ammo in the 7-30 only comes with a flat point bullet. I take the factory ammo and pull the flat point bullet out and replace it with a Nosler Ballistic Tip in the same weight.

     All that being said,  my next barrel is probably going to be a 35 Remington carbine barrel from the Custom Shop.

     Doc T

[Heavy C]

Tobiano, I have the G2 in 7-30 Waters with a 14" barrel.  It's awesome, especially with 120 grain Nosler ballistic tips.  What I did was bought a bunch of factory loads (Federal is the only one that makes it) and dedicated some range time.  I then sent off my brass to Ron Reed of Reed's Ammunition and Research.  He reloaded them with the ballistic tips which improved my groups a lot.  Ron is a GBO sponsor by the way.  You can't go wrong with the 7-30 Waters it is pleasant to shoot and you have options even if you don't reload.

Good luck!

Heavy C

[Slufoot]

    Is there a website somewhere that shows Contender loading data for these calibers (or all Contender/Encore calibers)  
 

I'm assuming that you reload since you asked about loading data for these handguns.
I had a 7-30 Waters for several years and took several deer and groundhogs with it. On deer I used the 130 grain Sierra SSP (Single Shot Pistol) bullet on the first few deer. It worked great out to about 150 yards but when I stretched the range to 200+ the bullet didn't have enough velocity to properly expand. I shot a big doe with this bullet at just over 200 yards and she took a few steps and stopped, I reloaded and settled the crosshairs behind her shoulder again and squeezed the trigger. Again she took a few steps and stopped, I reloaded and fired the third shot behind her shoulder and this time she ran behind some pine trees out of my sight. When I got to her she was dead and I had a three shot group about the size of a softball right behind her shoulder, the bullets were acting like FMJ's at the distance I was shooting.
After that incidence I switched to the Nosler 120 grain Ballistic Tip and it never let me down from very close range off hand shots to about a 275 yard shot on deer.
I bought an SSK 338 JDJ#2 barrel for my Contender several years ago and it is an absolute sledge hammer on deer and it has good range also. After getting this barrel the 7-30 didn't get used so I sold it.
If I were going to buy a factory barrel for a G2 for deer hunting and I reloaded, I would get a 15" barrel from the custom shop chambered for the 30-30 Ackley Improved. Barrels from the custom shop are a good deal and Lee makes 30-30 AI dies at a great price. The 30-30 AI in a 15" barrel is knocking on the heels of the 309 JDJ at about half the price. In my opinion this is the best chambering you can get for the G2/Contender that has Thompson Center stamped on the barrel. Any better performance and you are going to pay a lot more just to get a little gain. Another great thing about the 30-30 AI is that you can still shoot factory 30-30 ammo in it, matter of fact thats how I form my brass for my Marlin in 30-30 AI.
A Nosler Ballistic Tip is a great bullet for deer hunting with the single shot pistols, I would probably try both the 125's and the 150's in the 30-30 AI.

GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot

[Pacecar]

30-30 with the Hornady LeveRevolution ammunition

http://www.realguns.com/archives/120.htm

[poncaguy]

My 6.8 Rem shoots less than 1 inch at 100 yards, very nice round, mild recoil.