Need advice on buying a Thompson contender

C

Chaz88

New member
I am looking into buying a contender for deer hunting. Because most of my state dose not allow rifle hunting.

The legal calibers for hand gun hunting for this state are.... .357, .375 W, .38 super, .40 S&W, .401 powermag, 10 mm, .41 rem mag, .41 AE, .44 spec, .44 rem mag, .44 automag, .444 marlin, .445 super mag, .45 acp, .45 colt, .45 super mag, .45 win mag, .45 silhouette, .451 detonics, .454 casull, .45-70 govt, .460 rowland, .460 S&W, .475 widley, .475 linebaugh, .480 ruger, .50 AE, .50 linebaugh, .50 beowulf and .500 S&W

I am not familiar with a lot of the rounds and have never had a Thompson. Any opinions and why would be great.
 
Of those particular calibers, I would choose .44 magnum. The .44 mag will serve you well for your intended purpose and has many factory loadings to choose from. It's also available in practically every gun and outfitter store, whereas many of those you listed won't be. My Contender is in .30-30 and .45-70.
 
Thanks. If 30-30 was on the list I probably would have jumped on that. l already have a Winchester 30-30.

45-70 also caught my eye. I have never shot one. How do you think it compares to the 44 mag?
 
Yes, the .45-70 is not fun in a contender...The .44 mag is probably the best choice and the contender G2 is a great hunting handgun. I have owned a contender and and encore and they are well made, accurate hunting handguns.

BTW, you can get a Thompson Encore in .44 mag and have a wider choice of other calibers for other uses when you decide to convert it to a rifle or shotgun....which can be an addicting and expensive habit...LOL

Check out their website and compare the contender G2 and the Encore.

www.tcarms.com
 
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what state are you in?

my uncle pistol hunts his contender in ohio. uses a .44 super-mag for deer, with a 10" barrel he regularly takes them at 100-150 yards.

ohio wont allow "tapered, or necked pistol cartridges", so stuff like .400 corbon and .45/70 is out.
 
I will look into both. My only experience with them was shooting one about 25 years ago. It was a 44-440. My only lasting impression was that it did not have a lot of mussel jump but drove you back a step. Also one of the other people that tried it joined the half moon club. Because he refused to listen when told to back off the scope.
 
I am in Iowa. only been hear just over a year and just now finding time to look into some hunting. The regulations and methods used are completely different from what I grew up doing in Colorado on the plains and in the mountains. Used rifles for big game and shotguns where just for birds and clay.
 
Assuming you're not going to try to stretch the range I agree with those recommending the .44Mag.

It's probably the best compromise of power/availability/controllability on your list.
 
Good choice. Some flexibility issues.

I don't own a Contender, but they are fine guns and have very good triggers (of those I have handled) Good choice in a hunting handgun (for non-dangerous game).

44 Mag is a good cartridge. 41 Mag delivers the same amount of energy, but will shoot flatter (if distance is a concern) The 41 gives up nothing to the 44 until you get into the top weight bullets. Then the 44 has the advantage.

But if top weight bullets are an issue, the 45 Colt in the T-C can best the 44 Mag. Here is where flexibility comes into play. The 454 Casull barrel will also chamber and fire the 45 Colt and the 460 S&W will do the same for both the 454 Casull and 45 Colt. In even larger bullets, the .475 Linebaugh will chamber and fire the 480 Ruger. I am not familiar with most of the other cartridges, but I am pretty sure the 40 S&W or 45 ACP are not good choices for any game animal worth eating. .357 is ok for small deer, but I would go larger, but that's just me acknowledging my shortcomings.

If you load your own, you can even take the thunderous 500 S&W and drop it into 44 Magnum power levels very easily and throw a much heavier bullet big enough to take down an Elk or Moose if you want, or Bear.

Of course those larger calibers are overkill. But I would rather have too much gun than too little, and since I handload, power levels are whatever I want them to me.

(Getting into handloading is not that difficult or expensive.)

Good luck, good hunting,

Lost Sheep
 
I have fired my friends .35 Remington Contender, and I have one myself in .375 Winchester and .44 Mag. The previous posts are correct; go with the .44Mag. Big rifle calibers in the Contender are BRUTAL, and can cause even the toughest of tough guys to start flinching. Even the .223 Barrel I used to have was terrible, not in recoil, but in noise and flames. The noise just deafened me, despite my hearing protectors. Get a big bore PISTOL caliber, either .44 or .41, and enjoy your experience with the gun. Contenders are rugged, well built weapons.
 
Looks like Iowa handgun regs are much like Illinois where I hunt. In Illinois our law mandates cartridge case length of 1.4" or less or straight wall cases and at least 500ft lbs of energy. For my deer handgun (not a contender but long bbl single shot handgun) I chose the 357 max. I shoot a 180 gr bullet at 1800fps (plenty for deer) 1moa accuracy. I could handload it for more. For lighter loads I can shoot .357 magmum, 38 special, even light wadcutters. Recoil is less than factory 44 mag.Fun and cheap on targets and plinking. Contenders are a great choice for deer hunting. 44 mag is a great choice too, I just thought I'd give another opinion.
Dave
 
357 or 41 Mag

I've never found the 44 Mag in a Contender to be particularly accurate in either a 10" or super 14" barrel.
 
With the .460 you also can use .454 casull and 45 colt. But there aren't any flies on the .44 mag either.

Evan
 
Thanks to you all. I am looking into the .44, .41 and .460 Depends on what I can get the best deal on. I like the idea of having more than one caliber option in the same barrel. I have not done any hand loading in a long time, but still have all my equipment. After pricing 7mm mag and .257 Weatherby at $53 a box:( , today, my equipment will be out again soon. I can remember when I thought $15 to $20 a box was robbery.
 
I too hunt IL where I use a 44 with a 10" BBL only because I could not find a 41 when in the market. In other states that do not have a case length requirement I love to use my 7-30 waters in a 14" BBL. And yes, it can be a handfull to hang on too. Recently changed grips because of it.:)
 
I hunted only with a T/C for about 7 yrs. I've taken 16 deer and numerous hogs, among other small game and varmints, with a 12" barrel in 7/30 waters. In a nut shell its a 7mm bullet in a necked down 30-30 case. You mentioned having a 30-30, so it ought to be easy enough. For just deer, it would probably be my choice. Oh yea, Federal makes factory ammo, but I reloaded. If you go this route, I had best luck with Ballistic Tips and RL-12.

Hunting with a Contender will make you a better hunter.

HTH.
 
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