Contender barrel rimed or rimless cartridge

[cumminsnut76]

Let’s see some opinions I’m all ears!

Thinking about a new 16-18in barrel for a contender rifle. Looking at something in the 300blk or 30 Herrett size. My question is what cartridge do you like and why. Also is the rimmed cartridge really that big of a deal? I have read all about headspacing issues but everyone makes barrels that are rimless? Looking for a lightweight 30cal round in between my 22 hornet and my 308. Main purpose is plinking. I reload and to some extent am willing to form brass for a wildcat as long as it doesn’t get too wild.I have a 30-30ai pistol barrel for my encore but it seems like an awful lot more power than I need. There is a small part of me that wants the ability to suppress at some point but that is a small part at this point.

[M-Tecs]

I own calibers/barrels in both rimmed and rimless. Both work equally as well. Never owned a 30 Herrett, but I did own a 357 Herrett. It was a great caliber and did as claim but I got tired of the wildcat brass forming.

Personally, I would go with the 300blk solely for the low effort brass.

[NorthMoccasin]

32-20 is made to order for what you want. I have and love a 30 Herret, but case forming is extra work. 327 Federal will fill the bill also and you can use carbide dies, something the 30 H and 300 BO cannot do. I have a contender 24" bbl in 32 mag and it is my favorite plinker with Lymans 31108, 311316gc and 311419gc. Low noise, low recoil, big fun.

[racepres]

Rimmed...Rimless... I use both in my Contender..
Heck, the 45Win Mag barrel shoots 45ACP like a house afire... yup... the case headspaces off the Extractor!!!

[Kylongrifle32]

I had to spend a little time with my 6mm TCU MGM to get it to go bang every time. But it still only works on two of the four frames I have. I have a 300 Whisper SSK that works on 3 out of four frames. All the other barrels I have ( 15 ) are rimmed cases and will work on any frame I grab at the time. The 30 Herrett is a good choice in a Contender but it does take some work to prepare cases.
I also have a 30-20 MGM a 32-20 win with a .308 bore and a .321 GNR a .357 mag neck down to .308. Both of these cartridges would make a good subsonic shooter and brass is available.
I got my 300 Whisper used. If I was to order a custom barrel I would get a 300 Whisper/ blackout with the barrel cut for a rimmed case and use 357 maximum brass formed in the blackout dies. A rimmed 300 black out then with a different extractor for the rimless case you can shoot rimless cases.

[725]

I've never shot the .300 black out, so my observations will be of limited value for you. The .30 Herrett is a wonderfully accurate cartridge in my contender. If plinking is your desire, it will be hard to beat. I did take one deer with it and was disappointed in the terminal performance. Prefect heart shot and the deer ran 60 / 70 yards. If hunting with the barrel in question, I have had much better success with a .35 Herrett. I like rimmed cartridges and find when properly fire formed, they are superbly accurate.

[Jedman]

If your main purpose is just for plinking I would probably choose the 32 H&R magnum.
Easy to get brass , strait walled so easy to load with carbide dies, brass lasts forever, cast bullets can range from super light to whatever length you can get in your chamber and it don’t eat that much powder or lead.
Should be as accurate as any other with load development.
What’s not to like ? I don’t own any contenders so I am guessing you can get a barrel in 32 H&R. ?

Jedman

[JimB..]

You can load short-light pills in 308 to get where you want to be. I wouldn’t restrict myself to 30 though, a 357 mag barrel can be a great paper puncher and probably a nice suppressor host. I have one waiting to be threaded.

[Daekar]

I would go with a rimmed cartridge if you don't have strong leanings toward something else, there is no reason to make things more complicated than they have to be, especially for a fun gun.

I would also suggest that you look into a 327 Magnum or 357 Magnum instead of a bottlenecked cartridge. They can be loaded from mild to wild, they're more efficient than larger cases, the brass lasts forever, and you can use carbide dies. Reloading takes so little effort that it almost feels like cheating.

Would recommend you get the barrel threaded even if you don't have a suppressor right now. With the new eForms the processing time is going to be much lower, and that $200 tax stamp is less of a concern every year thanks to inflation. I can't speak for the 327 from experience, but the 357 suppresses very well and can take some impressive bullets. Even with a standard 1:16 twist, my little Encore shoots subsonic 245gr boolits like a tack driver.

[Glwenzl]

I have a lot of contender barrels and I prefer rimmed but mostly personal preference….

Brass is probably the main factor. Something on the 223 case will normally be easier to make… I have and really really like the 32-20, 25-20 and 218 Bees in both handgun length and rifle length (25-20 and 32-20 rifle barrels are TC custom shop).

The rimmed cases also seem to add a little more strength to high pressure 17 caliber cartridges which otherwise would expand a primer pocket. A place you really shouldn’t be anyhow.

I like rimmed cartridges so much that I have sent rimless barrels based on the 223 cartridge back to Bullberry and had him cut a rim groove in them and then make the brass from either 360 DW or 357 Max. I am not sure why but my 17 Mach IV barrel actually seemed to shoot s little better as a rimmed 17 Mach IV.

In any case, I normally head space even rimmed cases of the shoulder and even have used Bellm’s headspace tool/indicator.

I personally have an itch for a fast twist rimmed 300 blackout. But for pure joy and plinking shooting, the 25-20 and 32-20 can’t be beat!

And actually it was all three of those rounds that brought me here to this site to mean how to cast bullets which had been another fun adventure!

[Shawlerbrook]

Same here, rather have a rim in a Contender, but really not much difference.

[racepres]

As Said... even if rimmed...Bottlneck cartridges.. think 357 Herrett, for instance... must be sized, fireformed, headspaced off of the Shoulder... so???? The Rim is for??? Security?? Now anything positive said about the 357 mag!!! I Agree Wholeheartedly..

[stubshaft]

I too prefer rimmed cartridges in the Contender if for no other reason then the empties are easier to extract.

[cumminsnut76]

I have thought about a 357 max in a rifle. What options are there for suppression? Is it a good suppressor host? Also what are you guys running for a spritzer bullet in one? Will these 350 legend bullets work or is the difference in dia make a big difference

[Daekar]

I have thought about a 357 max in a rifle. What options are there for suppression? Is it a good suppressor host? Also what are you guys running for a spritzer bullet in one? Will these 350 legend bullets work or is the difference in dia make a big difference

357max in a rifle is a good plan.
Suppressor options would be most 9mm and 45 cans. You should specifically ask the manufacturer or vendor though, just to make sure.
Yes, the Contender is a great host.
Can't answer about Spitzer bullets since I only shoot lead now, but I would be surprised if you got peak accuracy with 350 Legend bullets in a bored intended for 357 and 358 bullets.

[Hays47]

Have shot the 357 Maximum since it first came out. All my Contender frames did a great job with this caliber. I always appreciated the versatility. In that it will shoot 4 different cartridges 38 special , 357 mag , 360 dan wesson and the 357 maximum.

Agree with above post about using 350 Legend bullets in the Max. Add to the fact true 35 caliber bullets have a vast array of choices. Which would cover from squirrel to deer. Plinking load choices are almost infinite in this caliber.

[Wayne Smith]

Mine is an Encore rather than a Contender but the principle is the same. When looking for a quarter bore I insisted on a rimmed cartridge for that reason, extraction. I ended up with a 25 Krag AI 40degree cartridge and barrel.

[gumbo333]

Not a 30 cal but 25/35. Mid way between the hornet and 308.

[ShooterAZ]

I too prefer rimmed cartridges in the Contender if for no other reason then the empties are easier to extract.

This has been my experience as well, and I own or have owned a number of barrels for rimless cartridges. The lowly 30-30 Win is always an excellent choice in the Contender IMO. You can load it with a 90 grain cast SWC at 900 fps for plinking or small game, or anything in between going all the way up to a 200+ grain 311041 for deer or even Elk. The 7x30 Waters is another sleeper caliber, easily formed from 30-30 brass.

[quilbilly]

I have several Contender carbine barrels between 16" and 21". I have not had any issues with either rimmed or un-rimmed cartridges. My most accurate is the 7mmTCU which has also done admirably putting venison in the freezer. Probably the arguably most versatile is the 357 Max but I rarely run full-house loads with the the heavier bolts not because of recoil but because the light weight rifle vibrates with those loads. All have loved cast lead boolits.