Contender 30-30

[randyrat]

OK i know nothing about these and I afraid that I could get a sickness or get another addition.
I found a sweet looking Contender with a 12-14" barrel and Thomson scope. It's an older one that you can switch from center to rim fire. No scratches on the frame good bore in a 30-30 for $420...Does that sound in order?

[Wayne S]

Contender frames sell for $200 to 225.00 then if you need to ship it add 4 10.00 then go through an FFL holder add @ 25.00
Contender BBL's come stock in 10 & 14", 10" sell for 125 to 150 depending on the chambering, 14" sell from 150 to 185 again depending on the chambering.
The scope is a "so so" scope but should be good for general plinking & hunting, not sure how it does on repeatability.
All Contender frames come with the center fire/ rim fire "switch"
Chech the bbl. if the front sight looks like a "beed" and not a blade then check the twist of the bbl. early 30 Cal. bbls came with a 1-14 twist, the newer ones and all this a screw on front sight with a "blade" have a 1-10 twist
the "feaver" will be the thought that all you have to buy is another bbl:violin: you can add a 22 rim fire bbl. and any and all center fire bbls you like.
PM/E mail me if you have any more questions, as I've been shooting Contenders in competition going on 35 years.

V/r

Wayne

[randyrat]

Any scope on these must have a hellish eye relief to shoot it like a pistol. So I would guess any scope is gonna cost a pretty penny.
This one has a bead on the front post so it must have a 1-14 twist. Thanks

[chaos]

How does the 30-30 perform on deer out of those "shorty" barrels?

[Wayne S]

RAT,
just use the cleaning rod method to check the twist, IF it does have a 1-14 twist, it should handle bullets up to the length of a Lyman 31141

The EER [extended Eye Relief] scopes eye relief depends on the make and power, and like rifle scopes you get what you pay for. Most any 4 X scope will work for hunting use.

Chaos,
Factory ammo out of a 10" bbl is about 400 fps slower that out of a 20" 30-30 rifle.
Depending on the size of the deer, there are a few J bullets designed to expand at hand gun veloicy's. BUT placement trumps everything else , and just because hand gun metallic silhouette shooters can hit small targets out to 200 meters [220yds] is no reason to try and extend ones range on live animals IE,know your own limitations

[bigted]

good advise wayne s

[dragonrider]

Randy, have you touched it yet??? If so you will buy it. I have a 30-30 for my Contender and I thougoughly enjoy shooting it, I just don't do it often enough.

[kbstenberg]

Wayne S. where would an un-informed person go to get more informed about contender models an barrels?
Kevin

[waksupi]

Wayne S. where would an un-informed person go to get more informed about contender models an barrels?
Kevin


You might try the chat room in the evenings. It seems there are a lot of TC nuts hang out in there.

[Nobade]

You might look up Ed's TCs in Oklahoma City. He's one of the main resellers of the things and his prices are very representative of what you'd expect. Personally I wouldn't pay that much for one, and those TC scopes aren't all that great. The Bushnell elite 3200 is much better and the Leupold pistol scope better still. Not many other choices in pistol scopes that are worth having. BTW, 30-30 does make a nice handgun round, especially if you load it with faster powders and cast bullets to keep the muzzle blast down. I like IMR 4227 myself.

[kirb]

Kevin,
Go to the specialty pistols fourms alot of great guys with alot of information

Kirb

[TCLouis]

Can you wiggle the barrel side to side the least amount?
When shot a whole lot the finally get a little loose.

Switch CF to RF with a switch on top of the hammer?

I would offer 325 and see where the price goes from there.
Unless it is an area where Tenders are popular sometimes the prices are fairly depressed.

Best I have done with a only a little experimenting with mine and cast is 1+ inch at 50 yards with the 312 150 C RNFP GB mold sized at 0.309" and shoved out of the barrel with 24.5 grains of milsurp powder.

Don't ask what powder because I lost the target which was my temporary note taking spot, I just remember the amount.

[wellfedirishman]

I have a 14 inch 30-30 bull barrel on my Contender pistol. I picked the barrel up off the GBO forum for about $100 or so. It shoots great, and loves cast boolits at low to moderate velocities. I have never tried jacketed bullets in it.

[home in oz]

If you buy one contender with barrel, you WILL buy more barrels....and brass,,,,and dies...

[Fixxah]

Frames can fetch that much up here. Far and above, the Contender is my favorite gun. Shot some 45-70 yesterday. The 30-30 barrel now has open sights, the scope.mount needs replacement. Still have to try out the 44.mag and 223 barrels. My gun was born in 1980.

[hicard]

I had the 16" SS barrel and it was sweet, easy to carry around but traded it for the 21" which is a little easier on the ears.

[HeavyMetal]

Once you shoot the 30-30 in a Contender you'll never look back!

About 3 years ago I found a nice original Contender in 22 Hornet at a local shop that specilized in consignment guns.

I had been looking for a Contender for years but most were large caliber guns, like the 30-30, and I had heard guys could get real hot loads in them and stretch frames.

I figured no way a guy could get enogh powder in a Hornet case to stretch a Contender frame so I bought it $400 and "fees".

I now have eight barrels for it ranging from 22 rim fire to 45-70. some Octagon and some super 14's.

The super 14 barrel in 30-30 wears a redfield mount and 4X scope. How much fun is this set up?

I've actually had guy's at the range offer to pay for the ammo if they could shoot it!

I have done some cast with it, I have a Lee 7.62x39 mold that it seems to like, but the truth is every time I take it out to shoot everyone wants a piece of it and I never get to do any load testing, heck I'm not sure how close the scope is set to point of aim!

Figure I need to go shoot it alone if I want to really dial it in!

[canyon-ghost]

You could come to chat, Dale, Ken and myself will be there. Otherwise, sounds like you found a good frame. The switchable hammer with rimfire selector is usually on the Easy-Open frame. The way you differentiate an Easy-Open Type 2 is that it will have the trigger mechanism pin directly over the trigger. If it has a small hinge pin over the trigger then, that's the Cadillac of Contender frames. I own 4 of them. They are the sweetest frame TC has ever made.

Dale tells me that the 30-30 is really good, he's hitting a sawblade (24") at 325 yards, if I remember that right. A contender is capable of incredible accuracy at some wild distances. All that is required is to seat bullets close to the rifling.


The TC in my avatar is a 7mmTCU, shoots to 200 yards :shock::shock: You have to be holding the handgun to believe what it just did (not what it might do, what it just did). Get ready for some American Forged Steel and the big time.

Ron

PS: I never shoot jacketed, all lead, all the time.

[Moonie]

You guys really know how to make a guy miss his contender. My first handgun was a contender in 7-30 Waters super 14"

Gotta get another Thompson...

[home in oz]

Maybe I need some more barrels....

[firefly1957]

I have a early 10 inch contender in 30-30 I have loaded 110 gr bullets to 2275 fps. Now muzzle flash is intense with some loads and I ended up moving my Chrony out 30-50 feet for less error readings. Winchester 170 gr silver tips ran 1570 fps and recoil was sharp but accuracy was good. I had a early Thompson scope on it 1 1/4 power I put a 4 power Tasco pistol scope on it with three rings to a weaver mount. It has stayed on for twenty shots ok.
I also have 357-44 brain & Davis barrel , .256 Winchester mag. and a Second gun with 14" 44 mag. for accuracy and fun to shoot the wins hands down. Only problem is I have to start making my own 60 gr. pointed bullets to feed it. My 357-44 barrel has a Leopold 2X scope originally it had their swing off mount I shot quite a few rounds though it when the scope bent and would turn a quarter turn when shot! I got a one piece mount and tightened the scope into it and believe it or not it did straighten and shoots fine now. (that is a quality scope)

[leadman]

I just got back from a Wyoming antelope hunt. Used my Contender in 6.5TCU, 14" barrel including a muzzle brake, Burris 2X7 scope. Took an antelope at 255 yards with a 120gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip. One shot thru the shoulders.

Also had my 14" with brake 30-30AI along. At the range in Casper shot 125gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips, 35.5grs. H4895, 2,495fps. Hit the steel plate at 330 yards with 4X Leupold scope.

Yes, Contenders are fun, have 3 Contender frames, one Encore frame. Many barrels and another on the way!

[pls1911]

Well, one in a caliber sometimes jes' ain't enough.
I have scoped and open sight barrels in .357 and 30-30, with additional barrels in 45-70, 7mm TCU, and three or four frames....
All shoot HARD cast bullets very nicely.