Author Topic: How Do I Get The Most Out of a 21" Contender barrel regarding the forearm??  (Read 1065 times)

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Offline Three44s

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This is my first rifle barrel for my Contender frame.  I have only had a Contender frame  for 9 mos. thus I am very green around the gills on 'tenders.


I read about different types of forearms.  I also read about "hanger bars".  I tried a number of searches and came up dry.


All I want to know is how to get a reasonable degree of accuracy and utility out of a 21" tapered carbine barrel in .223?


My preference is for a synthetic forearm as I am a rancher and it is going to wear a Choate folding stock.  If I buy a regular TC synthetic forearm can I still switch that unit over to a hanger bar?  Is a hanger bar the way to go for me?

Any help would be appreciated!!



Three 44s

Offline Ladobe

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The way to get the most out of your barrel is to find the handload it prefers, or at least the commercial ammo it likes the best for starters.   But all the 21" carbine barrels I've owned over the years shot quite well with no foul because of the contour.   They will shoot better than most trigger jockey's can off hand.  Makes for a light and tight package as a truck gun or the swing in thick brush.
 
Hanger bars tend to take forend pressure off the barrel by removing/reducing contact of the barrel and forend in the forends barrel channel.   Although not in the true sense of the word maybe, they sort of "float" the forend while still providing a very secure/stable forward rest for the carbine.   I personally used them on all of my barrels, handgun and carbine, whether they were TC factory or custom, and with all of my furniture whether factory or custom.   So I had many dozens of them, and kept a supply on hand for new purchases.  Custom hanger bars are available from at least Bullberry, MGM and Stratton Custom, all in SW Utah for something like $12-$24 with screws.   They also are included with commercial forends from Pachy, but don't reduce the contact with their bars as much, so I used custom hanger bars with all of my Pachy's.  I don't remember if bars are supplied by Choate for their TC forends.    Some folks effect similar results by just using spacers (and maybe longer screws) between the barrel standoffs and the forend channel, but I prefer the hanger bars as they are more stable IMO.
 
HTH
 
Found a picture of a folding Choate buttstock and a Pachy forend (with a Bullberry hanger bar) mounted on one of my Contenders.   Barrel is a pencil thin 18" 6X47 from Brown Precision.
 
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Offline Grumulkin

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I would probably go without the hanger bar and just use the standard forearm.  I've used a hanger bar on a couple of Encore barrels and haven't noticed any accuracy difference.


If you want to use a hanger bar with the standard forearm, the forearm will have to be modified.

Offline Antietamgw

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I've used Contender carbines since the mid '80's I guess. The earliest ones were 21" tapered barrels with a single screw attachment. A .22 Hornet I had would group .5 at 100 yds if your bench technique was perfect. A little extra cheek or grip pressure, a little extra forearm pressure and it would throw a shot out by 1 1/2" or more - it was a real princess. A .30-30 barrel didn't care - it just shot well in spite of bench technique. I bought a Bullberry barrel and his hangar for cast bullet matches and modified a factory rynite forearm to use the hangar. It shot very well that way. I got a few hangers, cut an extra dovetail in the single screw forearms and used them. I can't say it really made much difference. The Hornet was still touchy and the .30-30 still didn't care. I didn't realize how nice the Contender carbine in Rynite stocks could handle until I bought a barrel with a G2 forearm. That forearm makes the carbine feel like a different gun. It made all the difference in the world as far as riding the bags or shooting from field positions. Add a hanger to a G2 and the difference might show - I couldn't tell with the old style forearm, couldn't shoot it well enough. I figure on changing all mine over to G2's with hangars - as I already have the hangers. You may need to do a little fitting around the front of the frame. I did with one, another fit just fine on my old style frame.  The pic below shows an early carbine forearm modified for a hanger and an unaltered G2 forearm below it. A tapered 223 barrel with G2 forearm I bought last year shoots very well from the bench and from sitting and even with mild sling pressure without noticeable changes in POI.  That's pretty important to me on my truck and tractor gun. Don't know about a bipod, I don't use them.  If I were starting over, I'd buy the G2 style forearm, fit it so it doesn't rub the frame at the rear and shoot it. If you think accuracy could be improved, bed it.  If you think a hanger is needed, go ahead and add it, it sure won't hurt.

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Offline woods

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     I have the standard 20" bullbarel in 223 notheing fancy just the plain wooden forend acuracy is excellent with 55 gr nosler ballistic tips. Been useing the new IMR 8208 XBR powder 3/4" groups at 100yrds. Crows just aren't safe around my house anymore.
 
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Offline Ladobe

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I would probably go without the hanger bar and just use the standard forearm.  I've used a hanger bar on a couple of Encore barrels and haven't noticed any accuracy difference.

Experiences vary... hanger bars were well worth the price of admission on all of my Contenders no matter what barrel length, and on the Encore handguns, especially those of both used for long range.
 

Quote
If you want to use a hanger bar with the standard forearm, the forearm will have to be modified.

Depends on the forend and the hanger bar.   The standard one screw mount TC forends will work on 2 screw barrels with Bullberry hanger bars by simply flipping the bars end for end and rotating them 180 degrees.  Same with the Pachy forends.
 
 
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Offline Three44s

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I've been busy READING all the good advice!!  Thanks so much!!!  I appreciated all the thoughful, insightful advice thus far!!!!

Prior to starting this thread, I ran searches to no avail .......... just my "bumb" searching skills I suppose but kept coming up mostly empty handed.

From what little I had gleaned otherwise and now your responses I have a basic knowledge about what hangers are and what they aren't capable of doing for a Contender/Encore.

My number one hobby for many years has been guns and handloading so I have a pretty fair basic knowledge about them in general but I have only been "going to school" on Contenders for the past 9 months (when I bought my early model frame).

Over on another forum, a member there has taken me under his wing about Contenders as well.  We've been "conversing" about pivots and pins and their fitament.  It's been fascinating as he laps his own pins and sometimes his frames as well.

After those conversations, I have looked at my Contender barrels and found those pesky flyers are sometimes likely due to oversize holes compared to the hinge pin.

Partial quote from Antietamgw
:
"The Hornet was still touchy and the .30-30 still didn't care."

One of my troublesome pistol barrels that is "touchy" lets the hinge pin do the St. Vidus Day Dance inside it's pivot hole.  Just a thought.

Best regards to all!!

Three 44s