.44 Mag Contender issues

[ShooterAZ]

I cast and loaded up some boolits for my 44 Contender. While my loads are quite accurate, they shoot about 4-5" high at 25 yds. with the rear sight bottomed out. I looked through my parts box and all the other T/C front sights I have are shorter in height than the one on it. I don't have this issue with j-bullets for some reason. Not sure what to do...need suggestions.

Shooter

[HeavyMetal]

I think I will need more info before I could make a suggestion.

I will state that velocity makes a huge difference and your loads may be out side the parameters set up by the factory for the iron sights.

Please post the details of the load your using and barrel length if you please.

[ShooterAZ]

My loads were all using a Lee 240 SWC TL, Alloy is 1 part Lino to 3 pure lead, sized to .430. Straight LLA. Barrel length is 12".

I used 6.5 Trail Boss (light load), 8.5 unique (medium), and 18.5 of 2400. The 2400 load was a little lower than the other two, but still shooting higher than I'd like. My 296 J-loads were right on the money. My Ruger BH shoots all four loads to the same point of aim.

[MtGun44]

Low velocity loads will print higher, the boolit is in the barrel longer while it is recoiling. Run
some hotter loads and they will come down. Try 20 gr 2400 or 10 gr Unique.

Bill

[Forrest r]

Contenders are good for that, I’ve always sanded down the rear sights with some fine (600grit) sand paper & a piece of glass. It doesn’t take much sanding to get the sights cast bullet friendly & still be able to use jacketed bullets with the same sights. A minute or 2 of sanding & some cold blue you’ll be in up & running.

I use my 44 contender for practicing 50yd/meter events with a free pistol. The extra weight of the contender & recoil really work the grip/trigger control. Here's a pic of my contender with a 357 bbl on it that I also use for 50yd practice. And yeas those sights are sanded down also.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/357contender.jpg

[HeavyMetal]

with a 12 inch barrel you'll get a lot more "hang time" than with a 6 or 7 inch barrel which is why you have the issue.

Bill has it right bump the load a touch. With the contender, in both 357 and 44 mag, I never use anything else but 296 and run full house loads.

For my 29 smith I'll do 10 grains Unique and it shoots to POA all day.

[ShooterAZ]

Thanks guys. I was hoping to be able to cast & shoot light & medium loads in my T/C. Perhaps I'll just use a little "Kentucky Windage" for now . I may call T/C this next week and see if they have a taller front sight as well.

[Larry Gibson]

ShooterAZ

I've had the same issues with a couple Contenders of heavier recoil cartridges. All mine have been with 10" and shoter barrels. I used the higher front sight and then, with the rear sight 5 clicks up from bottom, I filed the front down to zero at the desired range, usually at 25 or 50 yards. Then I had enough elevation in the rear to bring the faster loads up to zero without the rear sight being too high up.

Larry Gibson

[Budmen]

Contenders are good for that, I’ve always sanded down the rear sights with some fine (600grit) sand paper & a piece of glass. It doesn’t take much sanding to get the sights cast bullet friendly & still be able to use jacketed bullets with the same sights. A minute or 2 of sanding & some cold blue you’ll be in up & running.

I use my 44 contender for practicing 50yd/meter events with a free pistol. The extra weight of the contender & recoil really work the grip/trigger control. Here's a pic of my contender with a 357 bbl on it that I also use for 50yd practice. And yeas those sights are sanded down also.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/357contender.jpg

Now what kinda grip is that and where may I ask to find one????

[Forrest r]

It’s just a custom thumbhole grip that I picked up on the net used. They come up for sale every now & then. For some reason I thought someone in Ks made them.

I wouldn’t worry about taking a little off of a contender sight. The sight in the pic that I posted was sanded down & as you can see there’s plenty left. I sand all my contender rear sights down so that .200” high rear sight blade is showing for a 10” bbl. Most S&W 8 3/8” bbl’d revolvers use a .146” rear sight or a .160” rear sight. A .160” rear sight only has .130” showing that is usable on a S&W sight.

I change most of my S&W rear sights to the .160” blade height for target shooting (6 o-clock hold on black) for 25yd & 50yd targets. And like I already said, I sand my contender rear sights down on my 10” bbl’s to .200” for the same target work. Here’s a pic of a contender rear sight that has been sanded down to .200” next to a S&W .160” rear sight blade in a rear sight.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/contendersmithsight.jpg

Something I’ve always done/used when it came to sight heights & how to figure out how much of a change was needed. I used a formula of .001” of sight height = 1 MOA for every 4”’s of sight distance.
Examples of how much sight height is needed for 1 MOA of change when sights are raised or lowered:
4” between sights= .001” is 1 MOA
6” between sights= .0015” is 1 MOA
8” between sights=.002” is 1 MOA
10” between sights= .0025” is 1MOA
20” between sights= .005” is 1 MOA
32” between sights= .008” is 1 MOA
These #’s aren’t exact but they are close enough to help figure out how much to lower the rear sight or raise the front sight of most firearms.

[ShooterAZ]

T/C is sending me a taller front sight. With the rear sight bottomed out right now I think it should be fine.