Have you ever hunted with a singleshot pistol?

[longwinters]

What did you hunt, what did you hunt with and are you still doing it?

I hunted with a contender 7 years ago. Caliber was 7-30 Waters using factory loads (pre-handloading era for me) Shot was at about 70 yds off of a poplar pole cross brace. The small 10pt, basket rack, went about 50-60 yards. Had my 11 year old son with me (course he is 18 now). One of the best times hunting I have ever had and probably him too.

Traded that pistol away towards my 1st Sako the following spring. And this year I replaced it with another of like caliber. This one is here to stay.

Long

 

[honkeetonkin]

I started hunting about 10 years ago with a stainless contender in 375 winchester, killing several hogs up to 250 lbs. Then I got my first encore in 308 win and more dead hogs and my first buck with a 150 gr bt. Then came 260 rem, 358 win, 2508 improved( a great coyote killer) , 220 swift, 376 steyr, and 270 win. One of the great things about the pistols is I can carry one in a holster while quail hunting behind my setter in deer or pig country . If you get tired of shootig ground squirrels with a rifle, try it with a pistol in 221, 223 , the swift or any caliber, thats fun.

 

[FOTIS]

I bought a 500 SW for this but it is still a virgin.

 

[longwinters]

Man Pops, don't you do anything with a small caliber. You certainly will be shooting a hand cannon. :lol:

Long

 

[JD338]

I have hunted with my T/C Contender but the deer don't seem to cooperate. One of these days....

JD338

 

[honkeetonkin]

Sometimes they do cooperate but you dont, JD. I was hunting whitetails in northern Idaho and had a buck at about 10 yds in some thick stuff and all I could see was his throat patch , face and the bases of his horns.I aimed at his throat snd sqeezed the trigger and it went click and the deer skeedaddled. Looking at the contender I saw that the selecter was turned on the rimfire and not centerfire. Oohhhhhwell. Something to think about if your trying to desiding between an encore or contender.

 

[nomosendero]

I have a Contender with a 223 & 30-30AI barrel & it shoots great. My best
Big Game shot so far was an Antelope at 187 yards. The 150BT does perfect at these velocities.

 

[JD338]

nomosendero

What kind of velocity are you getting with youe 30-30AI and the 150 gr BT, 2100-2200 fps? That would be one nice load for WT deer.

JD338

 

[nomosendero]

nomosendero

What kind of velocity are you getting with youe 30-30AI and the 150 gr BT, 2100-2200 fps? That would be one nice load for WT deer.

JD338

I know that you load the 280AI with great results. I load the 30-06AI in a Win Model 70 with modest gains of about 100fps. My 26-06AI gave me a better gain in my Sender, more like 150-175fps. No doubt some AI's gain more over the std. than others, I guess the 250 AI is the most extreme.

The 30-30AI is not far behind in gain.
For the standard 30-30, the Nosler #4 shows 2,100FPS & the Sierra #V shows2,100fps as well with a 150gr. & a 14" tube.
For anyone looking at this, please work up slowly. I get just under 2,400fps with 36.5gr. of 3031.
Cartridges of the World (9th Ed.) shows 37gr. in a Win. Carbine for 2,600fps.

This is a warm load, but safe in my Contender. In the summer, I back off to 36gr. even. At 2,400fps, it works perfect for me. I have a range limit
of 300 yards for hunting with a Contender. With a 200yd. zero, you are
about 3" high at 100 yds. & -12" at 300 yards. Vel. at 300 is about 1,800fps & energy is 1,068, not alot left, but enough. It is a fine set-up.

 

[Larry in SD]

I started hunting with Single Shot Speciality Pistols back in 1982. No one said it would ever be easy, but it sure has been rewarding. I have been fortunate to harvest quite a few Whitetails with Speciality Pistols over the years.

Cartridges I have used have included

.223 Remington
6mm-223
6mm T/CU
.243 Winchester
.250 Savage
7-30 Waters
7mm I.H.M.S.A.
.30-30 Winchester
.30-30 Ackley Improved
.44 Remington Magnum

Most of these were in T/C Contenders, but I have also used the T/C Encore, Remington XP-100's and a Savage Striker.

I currently have 2 new Stainless-Steel G2 Contender Frames with two Barrels. Barrel #1 is a 14" Cutsom On Target Technologies .22 LR Match Barrel. This Barrel is set up with a 3x12x32mm Burris LER Fine Plex - PA Handgun Scope that has been modified by Burris so as to eliminate Parallax at the reduced shooting distance of our Indoor Shooting Range.

Barrel #2 is a Factory T/C Stainless-Steel Super 14 .223 Remington that also wears a 3x12x32mm Burris LER Fine Plex - PA Handgun Scope.

IN the not to distant future I will be ordering a Fox Ridge Outfitters (T/C's Custom Shop) 14" Stainless-Steel .30-30 Ackley Improved Barrel. Yes I have worked quite a bit with the .30-30 AI. My favorite load pushed a 125gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip at 2601 FPS with H-4198 Powder. I also tried 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips with 36.0grs. of IMR-3031 (muzzle velocity was 2437 FPS) but the 1 in 14" Rifling Twist of the .30-30 AI Barrel I had at the time didn't shoot the 150's all that well.

Larry

 

[nmhunter]

All I hunt with is single shot LRP's( Long range Pistols)
All HS Precision
223
22-250
260 rem
7mm-08
284 win
308 win
270 wsm
7mm wsm
300 wsm
325 wsm
I have taken Oryx in NM, whtetail in KY, antelope in WY, pigs and goats in TX, coyote in AZ,KY,WY,NM and WI.
nmhunter

 

[longwinters]

You sure seem to spread yourself out. Nice that you can do that. . . and WELCOME.

Long