Your thoughts on 30 30 Contender

I currently have 4 older Contender actions, & 23 barrels ranging from a 10" - 17 K Hornet through 14" - 45-70 to a 21" - 6.8 SPC... & including a 10" - 30-30 barrel...

I agree the Encore is likely a better platform to get started on if you haven't bought anything yet...

I think my most versitile "deer" hunting barrel, is either my custom 10" 45 Colt barrel, 14" - 7-30 Waters, 14" - 357 Max, or my 14" ported 35 Remington barrel...but as far as boomers go, the 14" unported 375 Winchester, or ported 45-70 always seem to put a big smile on my face ( the 375 Winchester is a brute )

but I also really enjoy shooting my 10" - 5.7 X 28, 10" - 17 K Hornet, or 10" - 22 Hornet, so picking one favorite would be very tough...

there is alot to be said for factory cartridges, the 17 K Hornet is a pain to load, as are the 30 & 357 Herrets, & the 6 & 7mm TCU's, though these cartridges often exhibit extreme accuracy, making them worth while to play with... however the ease of just dropping a factory cartridge in, even though it may not be at maximum potential adds alot to the fun factor...

all said & done, I like the 30-30 barrel, & have hunted with it, but deer can be on the large side around here, & generally I like a bigger projectile... in 10", it's hard to beat the effectiveness of a +P 45 Colt

picking a barrel length can even be difficult at times, for years I hunted excusively with my 14" - 45-70 with a 2-7 power Burris posi lock on it, but the last couple years I started hunting on my wife's cousins place, & it has public hunting on 3 sides, & is in the bluffs, so often, the deer are moving too quickly, & are too close to swing the long black gun out without being seen, so I switched to the 10" - 30-30 which had a 2-7 Burris on it, but found I couldn't always get the trotting deer in the scope in time, so I switched to the 45 Colt that I put Williams fire sights on, & that set up seems to work best, where I'm currently hunting... just developing the +P loads was tough, while I handle the brisk recoil well, I often ended up with a bloody knuckle after 20 rounds or so...:D
 
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I think the Contender has alot better trigger than the Encore, and isn't as ugly to boot. The TCU's aren't that hard to form, just run them up in the dies. The Herretts are kinda a PITA, in fact I have a blister on my finger this morning from forming some 30 herrett cases last night. Still alot of fun tho'.:D
 
BTW... OKIE, I meant to mention, that your pictured gun is very interesting...

very nice, both metal & wood detailing...I have a machinist buddy that likes working on my stuff, but as of yet, haven't found a "wood butcher", or the spare time or money to get anything fancy in the wood department yet... he has built me my 10" - 5.7 X 28 barrel, & my 16" fast twist 223 barrel, along with several other custom metal working projects... you may be interested in our last compensator ( it went on a custom gun, with a Dan Wesson style barrel & shroud ) the holes are all in the muzzle end, & it's designed not to kick up dust, or burn holes in my sand bags :o

it looks like this from the inside, with a small expansion chamber, the outer holes are at the very edge of the expansion chamber, & angled slightly outwards... it is not quite as effective at reducing recoil as the holes on the sides, but it's designed to direct the muzzle blast away from the shooter, & as a side effect, we found out later, it's an effective flash hider as well... but in shooting this revolver, it does keep the muzzle from rising off my shooting blocks, with the comp, while the gun does rise off the blocks with out it... we plan on adding one to my Dan Wesson 44 mag snubbie, & if the results are as good with the bigger bore, a couple of Contenders may have to get fitted with them, that painfull 375 Winchester may be a good starting cantidate

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...do you spend a fair amount of time keeping the brass polished ??? even though my buddy hates working with stainless, he tolorates it for me, for small projects ;)

BTW #2... one of my most often shot barrels is my 16" Vent Rib 45 Colt / .410... I usually like to keep that one set up with a lamo camo thumbhole butt stock & fore end... the gun is legal with the 16" barrel, because it's rifled for the 45 Colt, but has a shot straightening choke that screws in for use with the shot shells... it's my pesky wabbit slayer ;)

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Now that is an interesting brake. Are you running a switch barrel on that Hornet?
I wish I could take some of the credit for that rig, but the only thing I did was write checks for the pieces. The brass brake is mostly for show since the jury is out on wiether or not the brass would gauld to the steel under the pressure of being fired thru and I do run that max just stupid hot at times.
 
OkieCruffler: I think the Contender has alot better trigger than the Encore,
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When comparing an older contender with a brand new encore you are absolutely correct. However, when comparing a new G2 to an Encore the triggers are essentially the same mechanism so there is no advantage to the G2.

Nice grips on your contender, very classy BTW

As great as the contender/ G2 is, if a person is starting with a brand new gun the encore is more versatile and has a wider range of calibers to choose from.
 
... yes, that Hornet is now set up just like a Dan Wesson switch barrel ( in fact uses a 6" Dan wesson 357 max barrel shroud... I had an extra for my Dan Wesson 357 max revolver )... more on that topic here...

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=360182

& I pretty much agree, the older Contenders have "target grade / match" triggers, while IMO, the G-2's & Encores have "target / hunting" grade triggers

... still for most shooters, the G-2 & Encore will more than get the job done... & while I like the "mountain Lion scene" on the older Contenders, it can be very difficult to keep rust from forming in the engraving with the blued actions, if used in wet hunting conditions ( I had a pair of them out last deer season, & it sleeted for the whole week ) the "uglier" smooth sided Encore is probably more practical as a hunting weapon... ( I'd still like to get one of the stainless engraved pre G-2 Contenders, but just haven't found the extra money yet... )
 
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Contender

Just got a used TC with two 10 " barrels 44 mag and 22 match. I am looking for a 30-30 barrel, I seen them on Gun Broker 12" 14" will those fit on my frame? Any help out there
Eric
 
If it's a contender frame, and with those barrels I'm sure it is, then any Contender or G2 barrel will fit except the BP barrel (kinda sorta).
 
14'' 30-30 is a blast to shoot recoil aint that bad, love to shoot deer with it.
put it on a sandbag and you can drive the guys with lever guns crazy i've out shot a few all in fun. it doesnt recoil as bad as a 454.;)
 
Your thoughts on 30 30 Contender
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I don't get the lure of firing rifle rounds from a handgun. They're not designed for short barrels (blast, flame, reduced velocity) or for lightweight guns (kick).

But I guess some people like something different - whatever floats your boat...
 
30-30

Had one and converted it to a 300 Bellm Stuart...it's the 30-30 fire formed to square the shoulder increasing powder capacity and still maintaining safe pressure levels for a Contender.
I must say that if you are looking for a great deer cartridge and an accurate cartridge consider a 7-30 Waters.

There is no comparison in recoil between 30-30 and 44 mag. Not even close! The 30-30 will roar and the 44 mag merely purrs :D
 
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30-30 Contender gets bad rap for Recoil, Accuracy

I know this is an old thread but just had to remark on this . I saw all the Comments about recoil on the 30-30 barrel. I did have a barrel years ago and it indeed was a palm bruiser.
However, I was shooting factory 150gr loads. If you are a reloader, things change ....considerably....

I sold my Contender ,but here 35 years later I bought another and have 6 barrels .One of which is the super 14" bull barrel... I load this barrel with a handload of a 125 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip over enough AA2015 powder to send it 1800-1900+FPS. The Nosler expands nicely at that velocity range. (note:Awesome deer stopper) At the range I have my bipod on and the recoil is similar to my .223 14" barrel. I can actually one-hand this setup "easy"....even without the bipod. And I'm a wussy when it comes to recoil.

I have also read reviews on the 30-30 Contenders not being accurate. Saying they only get 2-3" groups at 100 yards with the 23" rifle barrel.. Again, this is where handloading prevails...

The problem with the 30-30 factory ammo is that it's designed around the Levergun with blunt nosed bullets with a bad B.C and S.D . With the Contender being a singleshot . you no longer have to worry about the point of the bullet setting off the next round in a tubular magazine and can now run the sharpest pointed bullet you prefer.

Again I am quite aware of this being an old Thread but felt the recoil issue defiantly needed addressing.
 
I had a 16 inch 30/30, liked it a lot when in rifle configuration. Could load all kinds of pointy bullets since I did not own any other 30/30's. Was pretty accurate as well. Sold off the barrel like a fool..
 
Another vote for the 7-30 Waters. If you are already a handloader brass is very easy to make.
But a warning if you are considering a 'Tender.
What ever you get won't be your last barrel!!!

Mine,
22LR 14" match
22 Hornet 12"
223 Remington Super14
7-30 Waters Super 14
30 Harrett 12"
357 Harrett 12"
35 Remington Super 14
45-70 12"
 
Lots of good info here.

I am just selling my 30-30 carbine barrel and as a carbine, it’s absolutely fantastic in the Contender. My absolute favorite loads were the 100 grain half jacket plinkers using Bullseye to push them subsonic. Very accurate, easy and quiet. The Nosler ballistic tip in 130 grains opened up like a Lilly and the deer took but a few steps and fell over. Internal damage was spooky. It’s my favorite contender carbine cartridge and the last one to leave my hands.

In a pistol barrel, I dunno. After pushing smaller calibers as hard as I could, I drifted to .45 Colt. For me, it was a revelation. You can work really hard and beat yourself up with small and as fast as you can go with huge blast and wicked hand punishment- or just start out with a big bore and some 2400. In the end, my Contender became a nice lightweight single shot carbine and I became a Ruger single action convert. And the xtp still expands even more.

In the light carbine, I was not shooting a stout load. They were wimpy. The Nosler ballistic tip did most of the dirty work.
 
I am not a fan of that caliber. Lots of others. I too would go with the Encore frame. Maybe look at a 6.8 SPC, 221 Fireball, 243, etc. barrel over a 30-30.
 
My previous post in the thread was in 2009. Where did the time go?
About .30-30 accuracy in the Contender. As noted by others...handloads make a difference. I have never fired factory loadings in either my 10” pistol barrel or my 16” carbine. I did watch my son shoot a five shot one inch 100 yard group with the Carbine. 120 grain cast bullets. That is accurate enough for me. I have never grouped my ten inch barrel. I can hit what i shoot at at 50 yards. Good enough.
Recently, i picked up a 14” .30 Herrett. Still working that out.
 
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