Author Topic: Age of contender owners (Read 13336 times)

bluedog6 · « **on:** September 15, 2011, 01:27:18 PM »

I have noticed that most contender owners are older people. I never see anyone younger(30 or under) shooting contenders. I am 47 and most are older than me. Why is this?

shot1 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 15, 2011, 01:33:59 PM »

Because it is very hard to gangster blast with a single shot. That seems to be what all the younger people want to do. Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang until they hear click. Then reload and bang bang etc.

I am 53 and got my first contender when I was about 27.

Lon371 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 15, 2011, 01:35:18 PM »

I am right there with ya 48. My boy is 18, when we go out and shoot he thinks it is his.

I think the younger folks would be more into if it were cheaper. My youngens thought is he can get 2 guns for that price

. Also the "need more than one shot" That is what I always thought, thats why I didn't have one until I turned 45.

Lonny

martineta · « **Reply #3 on:** September 15, 2011, 02:08:19 PM »

I have been playing with guns for 48 years. I am 57 now. Bought an encore at 50 and my first contender at 56. Now I have 7 contender barrels, two frames, 7 encore barrels and 5 frames. I am definitely bitten by the bug. Waiting on my paperwork to pick up the two suppressors I bought for 22 lR and the 300 whisper. I feel a new addition developing.

butchen · « **Reply #4 on:** September 15, 2011, 03:18:12 PM »

While your at it, look at the age of wheel-gun owners. Some of the under 30 crowd (or at least that is what it looks like) has to have an auto. Have you even seen people wanting to hunt with an auto, that's not a bad thing. It looks like they think the more lead down range the better.

To me if you know you have a 2nd shot, or more, you won't depend on your 1st shot as much. It's like every one is trying to be able to get the 2nd shot off. "Hey if I don't get him with the 1st one ,the 2nd one will". I think if you have just one shot you are more dependent on that "one shot one kill" rule. Sometimes, to me, it looks like people are going to war, with there 30 round mags and all. Now I love to hunt with my Ruger 45lc. But even then I am more intent on that 1st shot.

I am not saying every one under 30 is this way, but you do see a lot more of it now days. But I have to admit I do hunt squirrels with an auto, an old Ruger standard 22 6".

jhalcott · « **Reply #5 on:** September 15, 2011, 03:48:22 PM »

I was born in 1945, you do the math! I have and have had over a dozen Contender barrels over the years, some 2 or 3 times(The SAME barrels!) I belong to several ranges in the area. Most people will shoot the TC's and remark about the accuracy and ease of switching barrels with praise. The next time I see them they are shooting prone at the 25 yard line with an auto!? I got over 200 once fired .223 ammo for my 7TC/U from onee guy that doesn't have time for reloading! I LIKE him

marked trail · « **Reply #6 on:** September 15, 2011, 04:25:33 PM »

I'm 60 years old and bought my first contender in 1984.

Ladobe · « **Reply #7 on:** September 15, 2011, 04:37:53 PM »

Got my first's about...

BB gun 58 years ago
22 rifle 57 years ago
Handgun and shotgun 55 years ago (still have shotgun)
Long bow 54 years ago
Big game rifle 50 years ago (a hand down from Grandpa I still have)
Contender over 43 years ago - a 38SPL
Encore as soon as they came out 14-15 years ago

Being born and raised on a ranch guns were tools though, not toys, and ammo was hard to come by. So anything short of a swift kill often got you a kick in the butt with pointy boots for wasting ammo. Probably in part why I have never cared much for auto's or semi auto's all my life (although Santa did bring me a shiny new semi auto 22 rifle for Christmas 52 years ago, and a semi auto pistol the next year... and I still have both of them). So the Contenders were my cup of tea as soon as they came out, and remained one of my favorite firearms.

Yep, feels old.

Did about the same with my son who got his first BB gun just before he turned 5, 22 rifle at 6, 22 pistol at 7 and the hand-down .410 shotgun also at 7 that had been my first and my Dad's first from the early 30's when Santa (Grandpa) gave it to him (still have that one too). He's not into handguns, but also is not into auto's or semi auto's.

Shooting and hunting has been a long trail, but was a very enjoyable one for me.

contenderfan · « **Reply #8 on:** September 15, 2011, 04:57:35 PM »

Im 42...got my first Contender about 20 years ago. A stainless .35 Remington. Been hooked on them ever since.

Curtis · « **Reply #9 on:** September 15, 2011, 05:00:32 PM »

I'm 51. I saw my first Contender when a co-worker threw it down on the break table in our shop at work and said "I'll take $200". I didn't even know what it was but I knew I wanted it. That started my love affair. My son has been shooting my Contenders for about ten years or so and he's 26.

I don't know the answer to your question of why, but my observation is the same.
Curtis

butchen · « **Reply #10 on:** September 15, 2011, 05:11:03 PM »

Quote from: Curtis on September 15, 2011, 05:00:32 PM

I'm 51. I saw my first Contender when a co-worker threw it down on the break table in our shop at work and said "I'll take $200". I didn't even know what it was but I knew I wanted it. That started my love affair. My son has been shooting my Contenders for about ten years or so and he's 26.

I don't know the answer to your question of why, but my observation is the same.
Curtis

just to know............what was your first Contender?

bluedog6 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 15, 2011, 05:21:15 PM »

My first contender was a 16" 22 hornet, about 15 years ago. I now have 8-9 frames and 14-15 barrells. May thin the herd some and go to 16" barrels only.

giddens1972 · « **Reply #12 on:** September 15, 2011, 05:36:05 PM »

I am 39...I first shot a contender when I was 11 maybe? Got my first one for Christmas when I wasn't even old enough to legally own a handgun. I think that the shift has gone away from the contender in the past decade or so because of the emphasis put on the big S@W calibers and the fact that everyone wants something tactical. IMO the contender is definitely for the connisieur not for the spray and pray. And let's face it, I know lots of guys that can't make a good shot on a deer with a rifle...they definitely don't need to be wounding them with a handgun!

Da-Law-Dawg · « **Reply #13 on:** September 15, 2011, 05:39:14 PM »

Got my first Contender when I was 24. It was a very low 4 digit s/n with a vent rib .357 barrel.

I am almost 40 now & just acquired a 1976 model. It's my third Contender since I bought that first one 15 years ago. It's the only one i have at the moment & have a scoped 14" SSK 6.5 JDJ and a scoped T/C 14" 7 TCU as well. Just got word from Dave Dolin that my custom grip & fore-end shipped today.

Always loved hunting with the Contenders & only fell second to bowhunting.

Slufoot · « **Reply #14 on:** September 15, 2011, 05:40:37 PM »

I bought my Contender 22 years ago, I was 21 at the time. It was a 14", 7-30 Waters and I took alot of game with that barrel. I always blamed Bob Millek for getting me into handgun hunting. I still have the frame I bought but have sold the 7-30 Waters barrel along with several other barrels through the years. I currently have a 14" 223 Rem barrel, a 12" 38-40 Bullberry barrel, a 14" 338 JDJ#2 barrel and a 14" 444 Marlin barrel.
I've been shooting the 38-40 alot here lately and may take it deer hunting this fall.
Oh yeah, I'll turn 44 this year and so will the Contender!

GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot

22popnsplat · « **Reply #15 on:** September 15, 2011, 05:43:48 PM »

at age 54 now i bought my first contender about 15 years ago in .223 , Have owned about 35 barrels over the years and thinned it down in the last year from 18 to 10 . My 18 year old grandson can match my best with the 22 match barrel but not with the heavy hitters .
I hang out on several forums and one has many young people and it seems as though a revolver is more of something to round out the collection .

luckydawg13 · « **Reply #16 on:** September 15, 2011, 06:44:41 PM »

i was 25 when i got into contenders im 45 now
first one was a max

Curtis · « **Reply #17 on:** September 16, 2011, 01:30:22 AM »

Quote from: butchen on September 15, 2011, 05:11:03 PM

just to know............what was your first Contender?

It was a 10" octagon 256 Winchester Magnum. Frame was 1979 vintage. When the supply of factory ammo ran out a few years later, that got me into reloading and opened up the possibility of wildcat and other obsolete calibers.

Curtis

homebuilt · « **Reply #18 on:** September 16, 2011, 02:06:01 AM »

29 here, got the tender a year ago. out of the 6 handguns i have only one is a semi-auto, a colt 1911 given to me by my father. only have 1 semi-auto long gun, also out of the 19 that i have. they are fun to burn some powder through but can get very expensive

Hopalong7 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 16, 2011, 02:22:36 AM »

I came to be in 1945....first Contender came along in 1973( I think). It was the same as Curtis's, a 10" octagon 256Win Mag. I was shootin a Super Blachawk 44 and had killed a couple of deer with it much to the anazement of my rifle totin' shootin' buddies. I wanted(or thought I did)a Remmy 100XP but hadn't found one I could afford. One of my buddies called me one morning and told me a guy was trying to sell this wierd looking single shot pistol in some strange caliber. Thinking it was an XP, I went running and it turned out to be the .256 Contender. He told me to try it out, so we set up a beer can at a paced 100 yards. I took a good rest and busted that can wide open. I was hooked.............

Walt

bluedog6 · « **Reply #20 on:** September 16, 2011, 02:57:30 AM »

Homebuilt, What have you noticed? Do you see many contender shooters around your age?

rescue_171 · « **Reply #21 on:** September 16, 2011, 03:52:40 AM »

29 here...

Blackhawker · « **Reply #22 on:** September 16, 2011, 04:36:53 AM »

I think Contender shooters/owners has more to do with the type of shooter. Shooters who hunt once a year and never shoot a gun other than that are probably not Contender owners. Shooters who do not reload are probably not Contender owners. Yes, age probably has correlation but I think it's more correlated to the type of shooter more than anything.

I bought my first contender when I was 26. I started out shooting with single action pistols and shortly thereafter got my first contender. Did I want an AK-47 or some "bang, bang, bang" Hollywood type gun back then??? Yeah, but I had better sense. I was reloading then and I knew I could never reload worth a darn for an "ammo wasting" type gun. Instead, I went for accuracy and quality rather than quantity and whatever you want to call it.

I think being a Contender owner has also something to do with who or what type of person introduces shooting to you. If it's introduced to you buy Hollywood and TV, then you'll be an automatic, ammo wasting, non-reloading, non-accuracy type of gun owner. If it's introduced to you by an avid hunter, target shooter and/or re-loader, you'll probably find your way to either buying or becoming interested in Contenders or single shots.
Just my view on it.

35ISIT · « **Reply #23 on:** September 16, 2011, 05:06:44 AM »

I'm 53. Bought my first one in about 1984. I have three frames and only five barrels. Each barrel has their purpose, IHMSA silhouette shooting. So I don't buy and sell. There are a few I want to get.

Younger shooters tend to be spray and pray types and we tend to be more aim and claim types.

7-30 Waters · « **Reply #24 on:** September 16, 2011, 12:08:09 PM »

Bought my first contender in 1995. I'm 47 now.

butchen · « **Reply #25 on:** September 16, 2011, 01:44:23 PM »

Quote from: Curtis on September 16, 2011, 01:30:22 AM

Quote from: butchen on September 15, 2011, 05:11:03 PM
just to know............what was your first Contender?

It was a 10" octagon 256 Winchester Magnum. Frame was 1979 vintage. When the supply of factory ammo ran out a few years later, that got me into reloading and opened up the possibility of wildcat and other obsolete calibers.

Curtis

Very cool way to start! always loved that round..........thanks

JDMiller · « **Reply #26 on:** September 16, 2011, 07:18:19 PM »

I'll be 44 on Monday... bought my Contender approximately 18 years ago. A SS frame with two 10" SS barrels...30-30 & 45/410.

Hunted hard & often with it for several years then life in general caught up with me... found myself toting a bow, muzzleoader or rifle most of the time.

Got a renewed intrest back in the Spring...drug it out...blowed the dust off of it and fired it up. Past few months have been like a kid with a new toy. Recently added a 22 Hornet barrel (10"SS) and just put a scope on it today. Got two boxes of Hornady 35gr V-Max on the counter and hopefully get it dialed in tomorrow.

EmmtBot · « **Reply #27 on:** September 16, 2011, 07:48:21 PM »

First post...

I am 31 and just joined the Contender crowd recently. I've wanted one for some time, finally funded a new blue G2 a few months back by trading in some unused rifle goodies. I had them order it with a 357 Mag barrel, which I sent off to be reamed out to 357 Max. That barrel is on it's way home to play and I already have #2 on the way, a 6.5 JD #2. I have to stop spending money, but I should have brass & bullets to keep me busy for a while.

homebuilt · « **Reply #28 on:** September 17, 2011, 06:42:50 AM »

Quote from: bluedog6 on September 16, 2011, 02:57:30 AM

Homebuilt, What have you noticed? Do you see many contender shooters around your age?

there's not alot of contender shooters around me that i know of, but i am the youngest that i have seen. most would be 45+. on a side note i started out with a early frame with a .222 rem barrel, then got a .35 rem, and then stepped up to a .358 JDJ. i just sold the .35 rem as i never did shoot it, the .358 is just to much fun and covers everything i would use the .35 rem for.

Austin from NC · « **Reply #29 on:** September 17, 2011, 07:16:51 AM »

I'm 26 and have wanted one since I first saw the picture in the handgun section of an old lyman reloading manual. As soon as I got a job in 2003 I bought the first tc handgun I spotted it was a Encore 308. Wish i would have waited for a contender. I'm 26 now and wan't one so bad I'm thinking about offering my encore rifle for one. I have 2 auto handguns a 22 sig/hammerli trailside for trapping and squirrels and such and a glock 21 45acp for protection. I hate autoloading rifles but i was raised on bolt actions and single shot shotguns.

Austin