44 mag thompson contender

J

javacontender

Inactive
I have just purchased a 14" 44 mag contender. Really like the gun, i have shot two different rounds thru it. 240 gr winchester and 180 gr remington. I have noticed the remington loads to be a bit erratic. Was just wondering if this is normal and is there another load you guys are having good results with? Any help would be great.
 
The 14" barrel will give you more burn time on the powder charge, then a four, or six inch barrel.
With the longer burn time, the heavier bullet will be more stable. Plus since this a hunting, not a self defense gun, the rifling, and I'm not sure what the rate of twist in the T/C is, but the heavier bullets will be more stable.

At least that is what I found when I hand loaded for my T/C years ago.

If you don't hand load, stick with the heavier bullets, and try different factory loads that are the most accurate in your gun.
 
The 180-grain bullet is decidedly light for the caliber. If you happen to like the bullet, you'll probably have to develop a powder charge for that specific barrel.

I predict if you try some rounds with 300-grain bullets, you'll be happy with the accuracy for the reasons markallen mentioned above.
 
I have a 10", and it really recoils! Because its lighter than a 6" revolver! Your 14" should tame that a bit.:D

Can't say about factory loads, I haven't shot any in years in .44 magnum. Sorry. However, I don't buy the light bullets are no good idea. I think its more likely that its is your individual gun's preference. Every gun is different, and some loads just don't work as well in some guns as they do in others.
 
.44

+1 about the recoil of the ten inch barrel. While I very much like the portability of the shorter barrel, it does come back. I went through three "recoil proof" red dots before I found one that could take the Gs.
The 14" should tame that a bit.
Pete
 
I've seriously considered getting a 14" .44 mag barrel for my Contender as a stand-in for my favorite round in the Contender, .357 max that my brother has.

I'd be happy if I could even get close to the accuracy of his combo.

Did you scope yours or just iron sights?
 
I have a TCC with the choked .44 barrel, like this:

tc44choked.jpg


I guess the barrel is only about 8" with the choke removed. Recoil is fierce (to me) with full-house magnum loads using a 240 gr RNFP cast lead bullet. So I have been loading that same bullet over a much milder 6-7 grains of Green Dot in order to make a more pleasant shooting experience. Sort of a .44 special +P+ :-)

Good luck with your gun; I love mine too.

-cls
 
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