The 24 inch Contender carbine is just all that. Our first 17 Hornet and our first carbine barrel is an EABco I got for my daughter when she first started shooting chucks. In Washington state you need license and until she passed hunter education I was using it with a man size stock. With her 5-20 Nikon Monarch it is about the nicest little rifle to take a stroll with. It just carries nicely.
I was in central WA shooting with a couple buddies for a weekend when we first got it. My first shot was off hand at ~75 yards and dead centered a big chuck. We spent the rest of the weekend sharing that one rifle. All three of us bought CZ 527 Americans in 17 Hornet as soon as we got home and none of the three shot sub half inch groups like her Contender. Close, but she has us beat by about an eighth inch.
Here’s the deal though, that Contender balances and caries so nice. I’ve borrowed it a few times and left my CZ home. My two younger kids are very small in stature, I went with an MGM 21 inch tapered for their Contender 17 Hornets. It shoots as well as the heavy barrel, but has nowhere near the wonderful balance the heavier barrel has.
I’ve got an MP HP mold for my Single Seven. This thread sure gets me thinking about calling MGM and getting a 327 Federal 24 inch Contender barrel ordered up. 32 Mag or 327 Federal smoke deer with XTP bullets out of SSM and Single Seven revolvers, having a nice little 32 caliber Contender carbine would be a hoot.