Best Caliber for Contender/Encore Pistols

[Frank]

If this combo was the only gun available, what calibers work best with it?

[GabbyM]

Work best for what? Where?

[Frank]

Anything. Everywhere.

[cabezaverde]

Okay, I'll play.

I would say 35 Remington. Good power for hunting, trajectory is good for as far as I should be shooting a handgun.

Recoil is OK also.

[redneckdan]

One caliber for everything I'd say .44 magnum. Has enough horsepower for dang near anything in this 48 states. Can buy ammo pretty much anywhere.

Multi-caliber I'd say a light chambering, a medium one and then a thumper. Say...

.223 for light work, can get ammo just about anywhere.

.30 herrett in a 10" for the middle weight, downside is its reloading only. Other wise a .30-30 in a 14" This would cross over between heavy varmint and light deer.

.45-70 or .445 supermag for the heavy weight...depending on what caliber you are tooled up for already.

[primersp]

7 tcu light and easy i don't like 44 kick ,same load in a 44 are very more pleasant to shoot
on the contender i put a scope with steel mount more heavy than the ruger but kick more

[wallenba]

A 45/.410, and a .22LR would be very flexable. Check these out... http://www.matchgrademachine.com/gunshop/home.php

[lathesmith]

Okay, I'll play...to cover darn near everything, Contender carbine or pistol, a .22LR, 7mm ___(your choice), and a 375 JDJ or 45/70 will do just about anything you can reasonably do with a contender. For centerfire plinking and general shooting throw in a 357 mag/max, and you just about got everything covered.
lathesmith

[jameslovesjammie]

Umm...if you had the Contender/Encore platform, why would you WANT to limit yourself to just one barrel? Doesn't that kinda defeat the point?

[JRW]

Umm...if you had the Contender/Encore platform, why would you WANT to limit yourself to just one barrel? Doesn't that kinda defeat the point?

AGREED! you may be limited to one frame, but the atf does not track barrels. Take them all! If you have to limit yourself to only one rifle, then go buy your basic (whatever your fav cal is), scope it, and shoot it.

[part_timer]

Either the 45colt/410 or the 357max. Just my .02

[bearcove]

22k-hornet, 35 rem, 444 marlin for contender

454 casull for encore mine has a brake, it helps.

I've had 357 herrett to much work but great in 10 inch

7 TCU fun plinker easy wildcat ok for small deer.

7-30 waters good in 10 inch and up, some of the best factory bbls

375 Win shows promise in my 11 inch MGM

Any straight wall case with appropriate pressure for contender or encore

[Nazgul]

I have a 375 JDJ and a 450 Marlin for my Encore, both are 15" pistols. Both have muzzlebrakes which I highly recommend.

Don

[Wayne Smith]

Since I cast boolits from 120gr to 520gr for my 45-70 that would be my most flexible caliber. Only thing wanting is long range. I live on the East Coast, don't need that.

[dale2242]

Frank, I noticed you did say which calibers, meaning of course, more than one barrel. The ability to change barrels is the main reason for owning a Contender or Encore. Here is my list of must have barrels. There are many choices that will serve the same purpose as the ones I mention but these are my favorites.
22 long rifle Everyone needs to own a 22 rf barrel.
22 Hornet The most accurate barrel I own. OR
223 Brass and ammo available every where. Very accurate
30-30 Same as above. Good for cast boolits
45-.410 Good dual purpose. Shot capability. Unless you live in California

I wouldn`t recommend a 45-70 unless you can stand HEAVY recoil. My heavy weight is a 444 barrel. Very heavy recoil with heavy loads. I think the 45-70 would be brutal.
.......dale

[dragonrider]

I could narrow it down to two, a 14" 30-30, because of the range of boolits available, and a 14" 45/70.

[BIG GUN]

I have 4 Contenders. One dedicated to 45-70 w/ Bullberry barrel, another to a 10" octagonal 22 RF, on the others I tend to use 14" 30-30 & 223 the most even though I have 30+ barrels in my collection. We are creatures of habit!
I have sheared the screws off the forend of my Pachmeyer stocks on the 444 & 45-70 more than once. Not for the faint of heart w/ full house loads & heavy cast boolits! I have gone as high as 50G. of AA2495 behind a 405G cast on the 45-70.
The muzzle flash is impressive.

[leadman]

Since you did not limit the projectile to cast the 308 Win. would be a good choice for the 1 barrel shooter.

If I wanted to cover a wider range of barrels this is what I would choose:
22lr, 308 win., 444 Marlin or 450 Marlin.

[softpoint]

7mm Br is an excellent cartridge for the Encore, for a medium power load, a .22 rimfire, of course for the lightweight stuff, and the sky is the limit for the heavyweight. A friend of mine has a 15 inch with a brake in .375 H&H magnum Ackley improved. With the Improved chamber we didn't gain a lot, but do get almost the same velocity out of the Encore as a standard length rifle does without the improved chamber.