The *lightest* contender barrel is........

[Spokerider]

I'm looking at putting together a contender hunting carbine. Here, we can have a carbine with a "factory" barrel shorter than 18" as long as the OAL of the carbine is at or longer than 26".This gun will be in my already too heavy pack that I will be humping up and down many mountains...........so every ounce counts.
So, I'm considering a caliber that I already reload for, .357 mag / maximum, 44 mag, 45/70, but I am open to suggestions if the is a *wonder caliber* for the contender that has a great weight to TKO ratio. I need a caliber that will dispatch an agitated black bear at close range if need be. For my purposes, the barrel needs to be between 12" to 15" in length. Another consideration is the weight of the ammo. I typically carry 8 or 10 rounds with me. Now, the .357 max 180gr rounds don't weigh all that much, but the 45/70 rounds sure add up in weight. So I am considering the weight of the total package, frame, stock, barrel weight [ open sights ], ammo weight and not just the weight of the gun alone.
 
So my question is; what is the lightest weight large bore barrel for the contender? 45/70?
Then the hard one.......does a 12" 44 mag weigh more than a 15" 45/70 barrel?
I currently load 330 gr 44 mag at 1450 fps for the encore, and the weight of the ammo is tolerable. 400gr plus loads for a 45/70 are going to be about as heavy as the ammo is going to get........
I was also considering a 375 JDJ, but I don't have any of the reloading stuff for it, and that is another $300 expense to get into reloading for that caliber, when it is all said and done.
Thoughts?
 
Oh yeah, I don't care how punishing the recoil is....this will be a hunting carbine and not a plinker.

[Ladobe]

I don't know where "here" is for you, but if it's in the US 16" is the shortest your carbine barrel can be legally (fed regs), I believe 18" in Canada.   And the carbine still has to comply with the 26" minimum OAL for either the US or Canada.    With factory barrels that leaves you with the 16.250" barrels TC offered as the shortest, with hollow composite furniture as the lighest carbine.   I once had a very wispy 18" 6X47 barrel stocked as a carbine with a Choate folding buttstock that was light weight.   Don't remember what its OAL was when used as a carbine other than legal.   Might be you could do the same with a 16.250" factory barrel "IF" the Choate is long enough when in buttstock position to make OAL.
 
Now days finding a 16" factory barrel is not a gimmee, let alone which cartridge of those offered you want.  They don't often come available.  Of them the 35 Rem or 45/70 are possibilities that would get it done for you, others maybe too like 7X30 Waters, 30-30 Win, 357Max, 44MAG, .410, etc.
 
If you live in another country where you can legally have shorter rifle barrels it may be another story.

[Iowa Fox]

For the rifle you describe I use a factory Super 16 in 44 mag with Rynite stock & Forend. It makes for a very short, light little rifle. Mine will shoot bragging size groups out to 100 yard. I actually have two of the super 16 44s and both have short normal size throats unlike the pistol barrels.

[curteric]

Bottom rifle is a Contender 357 Max, Bullberry 16 7/16ths long barrel, Vortex Razor 3 min dot, total length is 30 in, and it weighs 4 pounds 7.6 oz. with 2 rounds. Bigger bores would weigh less.

[Mike Scott]

Take a look at the 445 Super Mag and the JDJ cartridges.

[Spokerider]

Thanks for the replies.
 In Canada, we can have a carbine with a barrel shorter than 18 in IF it's a factory barrel and the 26" OAL is met, or if the entire carbine is unmodified as in the mares leg carbines. That is why a 12" contender / encore pistol barrel will be and is legal for a carbine here. Barrels cannot be MODIFIED shorter than 18" regardless of the OAL.
 
Anyway.......
For contender barrels, does the larger the bore equate to the lighter the barrel? Will a 45/70 be lighter than a 44 mag?

[curteric]

The outside diameter will stay the same, as the bore gets larger there is less material in the walls of the barrel. Therefore they get lighter. The 45-70 will be lighter but I don't think it would be much.

[Slowpoke Slim]

   I once had a very wispy 18" 6X47 barrel stocked as a carbine with a Choate folding buttstock that was light weight.   Don't remember what its OAL was when used as a carbine other than legal.   Might be you could do the same with a 16.250" factory barrel "IF" the Choate is long enough when in buttstock position to make OAL.
 

Hey Larry, I still have that barrel. Stocked up in ryanite factory stock set with a cut down length of pull for my daughter, and a 3-9x variable scope, that rifle weighs 4.5 lbs. It feels like carrying around a Daisy Red Rider BB gun.

 

[Ladobe]

Hey Larry, I still have that barrel. Stocked up in ryanite factory stock set with a cut down length of pull for my daughter, and a 3-9x variable scope, that rifle weighs 4.5 lbs. It feels like carrying around a Daisy Red Rider BB gun.

 

Yo Chris.   Bet you have it set up lighter than I did... the Choate buttstock is solid composite and pretty heavy with all the metal folding crap, I used a Pachy forend with bar and had a 4-12 scope on it that both was probably a little heavier too.  Hollow/semi-hollow composite furniture like Ryanite and other "names" would be lighter.   Didn't like the sounds they make when hunting though, especially not for predators that this barrel was made for.   If I remember you got her another rifle for deer... did she ever score anything with the 6X47?   

[Camp Cook]

If I was planning on a hunt like yours I would take my stainless gen 1 frame with my 21" 375JDJ tapered barrel I would remove my black/gray laminate stocks and install my black Rynite stocks.
 
I shoot 260gr Accubonds @ 2300fps and would not hesitate to shoot deer/black bears out to 300 yards I would limit myself to 250 yards on moose and 200 yards on grizzly.
 
I set my scope up with a MGM scope base with Leupold QRW rings if I do not want the weight of the scope on I pop it off and use the factory iron sights.
 
Here is a pic the way it sits today.
 

 
If I wanted more power I would take my shortened to 22" barreled T/C Prohunter in 375H&H with camo synthetic stocks, Leupold VX 3 2.5-8X36mm scope, Leupold QD base and rings the entire combo including sling weighs in at 7.5lbs I have it loaded with 250gr TTSX @ 2600fps.

If as you are saying you want a super light set up here is mine a 14" MGM 45 Colt barrel I have a Leupold 2-7X Compact mounted on th erifle in this pic but it is also set up when I remove the scope I install a XS Sights low Weaver backup ghost ring sight it is a light wieht thumper that has gone on my pack in trips/hikes.
 
My favorite load for it are 345gr Beartooth WLNGC's.
 

 
I also have a 22" 45-70 barrel I load it for hunting with 325gr Hornady FTX at 1850fps and 430gr Beartooth WLNGC's @ 1600fps I would like to get this barrel shortened to 18.5" = a short thunmper that I would take before the 45 Colt in a heart beat.
 
 

[Spokerider]

Thanks for the reply CC.
If you're wanting to "thin" the contender barrel herd, let me know 
My encore with the 44 mag 12" barrel is still pretty light, but I think I can save close to a pound of weight by going to a contender. A pound of weight doesn't sound like much, but at the end of an arduous trail, it's huge.
I shoot 330gr at 1450fps from this carbine.
What do you think your 45/70 would lose by going to a 15" barrel with the same 325gr load?

[Slowpoke Slim]

Larry,

No, she never did score with that barrel. I have since used it to bag a couple 'yotes, with a different stock set. I too put a pachy fore end on it, as that's about all I could come up with to fit that sharp taper barrel profile. I think I was using an 80 gr Hornady SSP, have to look that up. She has a lefty Savage now that I rebarreled to 257 Roberts.

[Camp Cook]

My experiece with shortening larger diameter/caliber barrels is appr 20 - 25fps per inch.
 
Sorry but you will be waiting a long time for me to sell a Contender barrel it has been to hard to come up with Contender barrels up here to sell any of them.
 
I do know of a guy with a blued 14" 7mm Internationsl barrel/dies for sale I was thinking of buying it but decided to pass didn't see an advantage to what I already have.