Author Topic: What do you mean...a sigle shot! (Read 755 times)

1stshot · « **on:** March 22, 2004, 07:48:22 PM »

am new to this site, but from what i've read i'm enjoying the reading and imformation. what caught my eye today was "why a single shot!!".....well i own 3 myself all 3 are contender carbines :
1. texas contender carbine with total custom hand rubbed walnut stocks
30-40 krag AI 26" blue bull bbl. 3x9 BDC bushnell scope,conetrol mounts
and rings. looks beautiful and shoots MOA groups.
2. t/c carbine in 30-30 with factory stocks 1.75x7 burris scope. fun 'lil gun.
3. texas contender carbine, tapered 18" bbl in 22 hornet rynite stocks, 3x9 simmons scope,conetrol mounts and rings and it'll shoot the ears off any varmit i aim at within reasonable distance of the caliber.
well after 20 odd yrs of hunting with singles i've learned how to hunt and how to really enjoy the hunt.... i mean really how much more happy can one be when you only shoot one time and bring back to camp a big 8-pointer. and all the rest of the guys may bring in the venison but how many times did they have to shoot.
i also have a ruger 44 carbine which holds 4 in the mag, but when i've used it i still only had to shoot once. i 'spect its more of a pride thing for me. only other hunter with pride can understand. and to be real they don't have to be single shot enthusiests to understand the pride of the one shot concept!! do i hear any "HECK YEAHS!!"
thanks for letting me speak.....so to speak...good day to you all today
....1stshot

skb2706 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2004, 04:29:38 AM »

Yep TC contender carbines are my personal favorite too......But what is a "Texas" Contender carbine?

1stshot · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2004, 04:55:33 AM »

well back in the day when t/c did not make carbine bbls for the contender certain bbl makers and gunsmiths got on the bandwagon before t/c ever did.....ssk industries,dennis bellm,virgin valley,bullberry,and texas contenders. these are pioneers with ideas and foresight. texas contender is gone now but the idea lives on. incidently my 30-40kragAI is rechambered by bullberry it used to be 30-30. shot good then ,,but shoots better now....1stshot

skb2706 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2004, 05:08:39 AM »

Thanks for the info. I was familiar with the other custom houses but I had not heard of the Texas one. Back when I started shooting contenders (1980) I didn't really have the "bug" for TCs and had a few factory pistol barrels. I only really got cranked up on them out of need for a extra varmint rifle to take out shooting prairie dogs. Bought a .221 FB from Bullberry and was amazed how well it shot........that was the beginning of a whole new respect for the gun and the possiblities. Now I have several custom barrels and almost always have one on the way.

1stshot · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2004, 10:24:23 AM »

well i've been a contender fan for almost 39 yrs and i feel like you can buy 1 contender and it wil never be a completly finished :-) see ya later neighbor i'm from kansas.

skb2706 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2004, 10:32:53 AM »

Where you from in KS......I will be in Tribune tomorrow night and thru the weekend.

RonF · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2004, 11:23:27 AM »

Just a little to add to the discussion on Texas Contenders; I believe Frank Kendrick was a fairly large T/C distributor and gunsmith in Houston, TX, and that he was really the first to do any significant amount of building of Contender carbines back in the 1970s. It was his success with the carbines that caused T/C to start manufacturing and selling carbine conversions and, later, complete carbines, I believe. Mr. Kendrick is retired now, but I've been fortunate to acquire a couple of his Texas Contenders and they are great! I had occasion to talk with him about 18-24 months ago - he's a real nice man and was very helpful.

RonF

1stshot · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2004, 05:15:34 PM »

skb2706, i'm in south central ks. i actually had to look where tribune was on the atlas... and to you RONF,thanks for the imformation, iknew texas contender was from a gunsmith of sort, just didn't know who.
as i wish i could talk to him just as i wish i could have talked to P.O. Ackley too. i'm so sure we could all learn alot from these pioneers

1stshot