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swamp
08-03-2022, 05:36 PM
Will a Contender frame handle the 7x57R cartridge? Going to get a barrel for the round and need to know if I am going to have to go with an Encore frame.

Also, can the 7x57 loading dies be used to load the rimmed round?

swamp
uscra112
08-03-2022, 06:38 PM
No, and yes.
swamp
08-03-2022, 06:51 PM
No, and yes.

Thank you for the info. Now to get an Encore frame, butt stock and fore end.
Shawlerbrook
08-04-2022, 07:10 AM
The 7x57 is one of the great all time calibers.
uscra112
08-04-2022, 09:22 AM
Yup, but it'll stretch a Contender frame like there's no tomorrow. The Contender was originally designed with the .22 Hornet and mild pistol calibers in mind.
sukivel
08-07-2022, 07:50 AM
Yup, but it'll stretch a Contender frame like there's no tomorrow. The Contender was originally designed with the .22 Hornet and mild pistol calibers in mind.

So is 7-30 waters or 44 mag pushing it?

I’ve been looking at Contenders and Encores for awhile now. It’s time for me to jump in but not sure where I want to start.


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uscra112
08-07-2022, 09:26 AM
Just judging by the SAAMI numbers, the 7-30 Waters would be equally bad, both are 50kpsi cartridges. 44 Magnum less so - SAAMI max is only 36kpsi and the head diameter is fractionally smaller.
sukivel
08-07-2022, 10:11 AM
Just judging by the SAAMI numbers, the 7-30 Waters would be equally bad, both are 50kpsi cartridges. 44 Magnum less so - SAAMI max is only 36kpsi and the head diameter is fractionally smaller.

Yeah that was the thought process!

In the real world though, are those a problem with the Contender?


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uscra112
08-07-2022, 10:40 AM
Stretched Contender frames are a real thing.

I know - I bought one before I knew it was a problem. Only realized what I had when it came to setting headspace on the barrels I had scrounged up separately. The more I read up on various forums the better I understood why I had a problem.

That fact alone is why the Encore exists. People insisted on barrelling Contenders for cartridges larger and higher pressure than it was originally intended for, so to satisfy that demand a stronger frame had to be designed.

BTW mine is an early one with the original set trigger that got Warren Center sued. I love that trigger, but you have to understand its' defect, and handle it properly.
'
I also admit that I did not become a Contender addict. That sliding bolt lockup is weak and fussy. American shotgun makers all abandoned it before WW1, with good reason IMHO. If I ever shoot mine again, which is unlikely to age-related handicaps, it will only be with the ,22 K-Hornet barrel.