Author Topic: T/C Contender?  (Read 1495 times)

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Offline Win 1917

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T/C Contender?
« on: May 28, 2009, 01:36:43 AM »
I did a forum search on this but I only found a couple responses from 2003 so I thought maybe I would ask again. What is the suitability of a T/C Contender for silhouette shooting? I have a young family so from a $ standpoint the possibility of having one do-all gun is pretty attractive. I would mostly be using it for smallbore rifle and IHMSA but I want to be able to shoot high power when I have the chance. Are any of the Contender rounds suitable for high power sils?

Offline Win 1917

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Re: T/C Contender?
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2009, 01:24:59 AM »
Rereading my post I guess I could ask the question differently. Would something like a 7mm-30 Waters (140grs @ 2500fps MV) have enough umpf to reliably knock over rams @ 500m?

Offline Nobade

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Re: T/C Contender?
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2009, 03:18:27 AM »
Short answer, yes, 7-30 waters has enough power for high power silo. So does 30-30.  However, Contenders are not the most ergonomically correct rifles out there, and most people have trouble hitting much with them. If you can hold and shoot one well, there is no reason why it wouldn't be good for either silhouette dicipline.

Oh, another barrel you might look into is Eaben Brown's 6.5 BRM. Basically a 30-30 improved necked to 6.5mm. Should make a dandy highpower cartridge.
"Give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand, and I'll break the lever."

Offline Win 1917

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Re: T/C Contender?
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2009, 04:42:37 AM »
You'll have no trouble convincing me to use a 6.5-30-30 variation instead of 7mm  ;D. I just had the ballistics handy for the 7-30 handy when I posted. 

If you don't mind me asking, what part of the ergonomics of a T/C doesn't work well for sil shooting? Or the other question, what is it about good sil guns that makes them good? With the T/C's, I like the feel of the thumbhole stocks but definitely not the standard stocks. I was thinking something like this might be a good stock for a Contender:    http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=698113  Would it be legal to use?

Offline Nobade

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Re: T/C Contender?
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2009, 10:46:49 AM »
It should be legal as a standard rifle, but not a hunter.

As for ergos, TCs are narrow and light weight. It all depends on how you like to place your non trigger hand, but mostly they are hard to hold. Now, how to explain what makes a good offhand stock? Proper balance with enough weight to damp the muzzle end, but not so far forward to make the butt want to climb your shoulder. High comb and lots of drop at the butt, to allow you to keep your head erect. Fairly short LOP to keep everything close in to your body. Comfortable for the off hand, with as deep a belly as the rules allow to keep the off arm low. Grip that allows a natural placement of the trigger hand's wrist so you have the most possible control of your trigger finger. Others can probably elaborate better than I can, but that is what comes to mind at the moment.

Personally, I like the Fajen silhouette stock. Fred Wenig makes one as does Boyd's. You see lots of 10-22s with these stocks, and they seem to work for many people. When I put one of the Boyd ones on my Rem 700, my scores jumped right away. I completely reshaped the forend, but the butt is about the same. They are (for me at least) very easy to hold and control. Gunstocks Inc is making something like that for the Contender, called the Stinger.

Hope this is helpful, this fit business is such a personal thing that what works for one doesn't always work for another. But if you have a Contender already, there's no reason not to shoot silhouettes with it and have a good time!
 
"Give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand, and I'll break the lever."

Offline Win 1917

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Re: T/C Contender?
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2009, 05:44:13 AM »
Thanks. That's very helpful actually. Knowing the idea behind how the gun should be set up helps me to understand what I'm looking at with different guns.

Quote
there's no reason not to shoot silhouettes with it and have a good time!

That's the most important part..."run what ya brung". More than anything my interest in silhouette and high power shooting is to learn the fundamentals of shooting. At the same time though, once you get bitten by the new gun bug it's hard to stay rational ;D.