Tell me the good and the bad about Contenders......

Contender I have no experience with but Encores I do. I have owned two receivers one shot good with my two barrels(.223 and 17 Mach IV Bullberry barrels) the second shot terrible with the same barrels. I got tired of them and felt lucky to get rid of them.
I have loaded and shot a 7mm/08 and a 22-250 more recently and while it is OK you have to be very careful when sizing brass or you will get light primer strikes. Accuracy is OK for a Big game rifle 1.5 inch at 100.
Pros- short overall able to swap barrels..they are good truck guns

Con’s - Accuracy can be good but don’t count on it and you may have to do some mod’s to achieve. When there is 5-10 hogs out there in a pasture you will realize the other con.
 
Originally Posted By: venaticWhen there is 5-10 hogs out there in a pasture you will realize the other con.



Or any other multiple critters. The thought of charging muskrats and only a Contender in hand scares the bejeezus outta me.
 
Originally Posted By: doggin coyotesOriginally Posted By: venaticWhen there is 5-10 hogs out there in a pasture you will realize the other con.



Or any other multiple critters. The thought of charging muskrats and only a Contender in hand scares the bejeezus outta me.

I agree,we don’t have muskrats but we do have Nutria rats and they have big teeth and nasty attitudes. You never know when you will have to stop a charging cat and you want firepower.....



Or you could just flash a camera in its eyes and say “boo”

 
I have 2 Contender frames along with several various caliber barrels and a Encore with a few barrels as well.


Pros...
1) You want a new caliber firearm you can just order a barrel from infinite sources whether it's local, online, or over the phone with no hassles

2) You get used to your trigger group and it's the same on all your "rifles" because you're only changing barrels

3) At least in the case of my older Contender frames the triggers are excellent...I won't say the Encore's trigger is great but both my cross bolt safety Contender and my "new old style" Contender (prior to the G2...still had the nice engraving and more of a fancy look) have excellent adjustable triggers.


Cons

1) The barrels are almost as much as a whole gun
2) You only get 1 shot.
 
Originally Posted By: bigmacmondaycan you turn a contender or encore pistol into a rifle legally?


This is a subject of great debate, I believe I've read the consensus to be if you followed the law as precisely as possible it would be legal to convert the pistol into a rifle but then you would not be able to return it to a pistol after. I can tell you I wouldn't have any concerns changing them back and forth myself.
 
You can legally turn a pistol into a rifle and then turn it back into a rifle. If you have a rifle you can not turn it into a pistol, unless it was originally a pistol.

Jack
 
Anyone who buys a Contender whether new or used should have it registered as a handgun. I have 3 frames: one a dedicated pistol and the other 2 are swapped between seasons from varmint/predator cartridges to deer cartridges. I don't like Encores, even though they are stronger. They are too heavy. It is good that the Contender will handle the class of cartridges I want to shoot.
 
Wow guys lots of good info. Thanks for the replies. I was able to shoot a 7-30 and was very impressed. Ill be completly honest here, I did not think they were as accurate as I now know they are. Only problem Now is to find one of my own.
 
The 7-30 Waters in a Contender is something special. A Nosler 120 BT and you are good to go for deer. My bud has a barrel that I have been trying to buy for three years, but he will not turn loose. I may buy a barrel from T/C with my hunter education instructor discount.
 
Barrels are available on eBay and the usual gun auction sites. There are several specialty web sites with loads of info on them. 7-30 Waters is great in 14" or longer, but my favorite is the 357 Maximum.

 
Been shooting Contenders for about 30 years now. As I get older I enjoy shooting more than changing barrels. I believe I need two more frames and will have a dedicated frame for all 8 barrels. 30-30 based wildcats are getting my nod for deer sized game. Own a 25 BullBerry, 7-30 Waters Improved and a 6.5x30-30AI. All extremely accurate and recoil is not bad at all. Gave my first barrel a 375JDJ to My Son. Decided to let the young blood fight the recoil. My favorite feature of a Contender is you can shoot the sub calibers and develop smooth flinch free shooting habits. I shoot a 17AH, 17 Mach IV, 20 Vartarg, and a 20 Tac, all capable of dum-dum accuracy at 100 yards. The joy of shooting the small caliber is you get the exact feel without the recoil. Would not be without a Contender.

My favorite all around barrel is an OTT 223 AI. UNREAL
Safe shooting
Doug
 
Originally Posted By: DesertRamOriginally Posted By: Dr LouYou forgot about ugly.... :)

Ugly is in the eye of the beerholder!
grin.gif


You're very correct!
grin.gif
 
Contender is "King"
I will never part with it.
Gothic is it's line ...the key IS the trigger.
G2 just ain't the same.
Let the barrel bug bite.
 
They can be very addicting, I had a TCR a few years ago and had like 6-7 barrels for it, I have had Contenders and Encores as well and you just cant stop at one, my TCR was extremely accurate and swapping barrels a breeze so it quickly became a favorite, TC is also easy to deal with.
 
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