Contender hunting opinions

[onlybrowning]

I have available to hunt deer with this year in the Contender format:

1. .25 TCU-shoots great, very little recoil. Shoots 85 grain Ballistic Tips to about 2400fps.

2. 6.8mm spc-shoots great, little recoil. Shoots 110grain Sierra Pro Hunters to about 2450 fps.

3. .30-30 AI-Have not developed a load yet, but plan to shoot 125 grain Ballistic tips to about 2400 fps.

4. .45-70 Gov't.-shoot about 1.5" groups at 50 yards, recoil is stout, shoots a 300 grain Hornady HP to 2000fps.

What would you use if you felt confident in your ability to shoot all of them equally well? I can mount any one of my Burris handgun scopes from 2-7X, 3-9X, or the 3-12X.

 

[Big Squeeze]

I have available to hunt deer with this year in the Contender format:

1. .25 TCU-shoots great, very little recoil. Shoots 85 grain Ballistic Tips to about 2400fps.

2. 6.8mm spc-shoots great, little recoil. Shoots 110grain Sierra Pro Hunters to about 2450 fps.

3. .30-30 AI-Have not developed a load yet, but plan to shoot 125 grain Ballistic tips to about 2400 fps.

4. .45-70 Gov't.-shoot about 1.5" groups at 50 yards, recoil is stout, shoots a 300 grain Hornady HP to 2000fps.

What would you use if you felt confident in your ability to shoot all of them equally well? I can mount any one of my Burris handgun scopes from 2-7X, 3-9X, or the 3-12X.

..........................If you were to ever add some big hogs and larger game into the mix, I`d go with the 45-70 with the 2x7. I do plan to buy a nice new S/A BFR 7.5" er in the 45-70. To begin with, the 45-70 is loaded at very low pressures with the potential to be safely hot loaded in the BFR to 35-40K PSI and higher in a Contender! You can load it down or load `er up depending on your game, range and mood for recoil. Great reloading power versatility with the 45-70.

If not the 45-70, then my pick among the remaining 3 as the best compromise, would be the 6.8 mm with either the 2x7 or the 3x9. The 6.8 is a flatter shooter than the 30-30, with more power down range than the .25 TCU using the lighter bullets.

IMO, between the other 3 choices the 6.8 is the better compromise.

 

[onlybrowning]

Thanks for the response. Just wanted to let you know that the .45-70 can only be loaded to about 28,000psi in the G2 or contender platform. At that pressure, I can get just over 2000fps with the 300 grain HP!

It is an amazingly powerful round when loaded to the max in Ruger #1's. :twisted:

 

[Big Squeeze]

Thanks for the response. Just wanted to let you know that the .45-70 can only be loaded to about 28,000psi in the G2 or contender platform. At that pressure, I can get just over 2000fps with the 300 grain HP!

It is an amazingly powerful round when loaded to the max in Ruger #1's. :twisted:

.............You bet its powerful!!....Absolutely!....... In the G2 with only 28000 PSI, getting 2000 fps. with a 300 grainer?? That is to say at the very least,,,,,excellent!!...........The BFR (5 shot cyl.), is the one of the strongest single actions available. So I`ll just work it up little by little, checking primer, case condition, look for any casing extraction difficulties and determime my personal max. tolerance for recoil. Steady as she goes! .....From a 7.5" er, my guess with a 300-325 grainer is about 1700 to 1800 fps. Maybe even more! What a hand cannon!

I`m gonna have some fun with this one! I hope you pick the 45-70!

 

[JD338]

onlybrowning

Nice collection of barrels. Not sure what your range would be, but the
25 TCU, 6.8mm and 30-30AI would all work for 200-250 yd shots. For up close, tough too beat the 45-70. The 300 gr Hornady would be a hammer.

JD338

 

[honkeetonkin]

I agree with JD, those cartriges will work fine . Use whatever you shoot best. I would find a way to make sure that they ALL would have blood on them

 

[onlybrowning]

I agree with JD, those cartriges will work fine . Use whatever you shoot best. I would find a way to make sure that they ALL would have blood on them

I hope this can happen. I would love to even just get one with a handgun this year!

 

[YoteSmoker]

One of my friends has a 30-30ai barrel for his contender, but he calls it a 300 Bower. I was ringing steel at 220 yards a couple months ago helping him fire form loads. Not bad for a 30-30, would make an excellent deer knocker downer. I think we were shooting 150 horady bullets in his fire form loads.

 

[Thebear_78]

I think the 3030 with 125gr BT would be the ticket, my dad used one for a few years, pretty effective. anther excellent deer/hog caliber in the contender is the 35 remington 200gr @ 2000fps works great.

 

[onlybrowning]

I think the 3030 with 125gr BT would be the ticket, my dad used one for a few years, pretty effective. anther excellent deer/hog caliber in the contender is the 35 remington 200gr @ 2000fps works great.

I traded off a .35Rem barrel a while back, because I wasn't able to handle the recoil in a Contender. Now I have a G2 and wish I didn't get rid of it. I am able to absorb recoil much better with the G2. If I bought another .35 barrel, I would want a .35 Rem rimmed. The small shoulder of the .35 Rem. can be tough to keep reliable in the Contender. I had a couple of misfires with it. It was very accurate (MOA at 100yds.) and very powerful. I shot a 200 grain Hornady SP over a max charge of Varget.

 

[Larry in SD]

I guess for me the choice would boil down the the terrain you hunt in and the ranges of potential shots on game.

For me personally I would opt for the .30-30 AI. I had an older 14" 1 in 14" Twist .30 Herrett Contender Barrel rechambered by SSK Industries o .30-30 Ackley Improved. WHAT A CARTRIDGE !

I tried several different powders with 125gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips, and in the end ended up loading H-4198. 100 yard accuracy from the Bench was quite good with most 5 shot groups going into 3/4" or less. I had the 125gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips up to 2689 FPS, but ended up backing the powder charge down and settled on a charge weight that produced 2601 FPS with better accuracy.

I also worked with 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips with IMR-3031. My 1 in 14" twist barrel didn't shoot the 150's as good as it shot the 125's but I was able to achieve 2436 FPS.

I shot a couple Whtetails with the 125gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips at 2601 FPS Muzzle Velocity. In fact the longest shot I made with this barrel / cartridge / load was a nice 4x4 Whitetail Buck at 286 yards. My youngest daughter made a dandy shot on a large Whitetail Doe at just over 200 yards her senior year in High School with the .30-30 AI / 125gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips.

My fireform loads used to transform .30-30 Winchester Brass into .30-30 AI brass also used 125gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. I loaded these so the bullet was seated into the rifling throat to try to help eliminate case stretch. I used both H-4198 & AA 2230 for my fireform loads. Both loads shot well producing 5 shot 1" 100 yards groups at 2400 FPS.

Any of the cartridges you listed will work on Whitetails. Up close and personal I am sure the .45/70 will be a real thumper. However if longer range is on the adgenda as you may have gathered I'd opt for the .30-30 AI.

Larry