Magnum Wheel Man
New member
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...
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...
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