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Post by onegoodshot on Jun 10, 2013 15:01:11 GMT -5
I seem to have been collecting T/C's the last 25 yrs or so. Talked my mother into getting my father a contender in 1984 and its been BAD ever since. I know you only need 1 frame, but I currently have ten: 1 blue first gen 1 blue easy open 1 JDJ Kustom Krome 1 Cat head Stainless 1 Steve Herrett commerative 3 Armour Alloy (1 is converted) 1 blue G2 1 stainless G2 As for barrels, it really is a sickness.......
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Post by magman on Jun 10, 2013 16:27:34 GMT -5
I once was well on my way to a quite a collection(more than 50), but the the single action bug bit hard and now I am down to 15 or so.
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Post by AxeHandle on Jun 11, 2013 12:08:13 GMT -5
Yikes! Saw the 416GNR Encore on the loading bench and the 257 Contender in the barrel stack!
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Post by seancass on Jun 11, 2013 14:03:21 GMT -5
I have zero Contenders and only 2 encores. I don't have the sickness, i just twitch a little now and then...
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Post by bradshaw on Jun 11, 2013 19:57:13 GMT -5
Jeff.... reckon your XP 7mmBR rechambered to 7mm IHMSA has the straightened wall ream----to eliminate the ring left from the first generation 7mm IHMSA reamer. A rather ferociously stable performer with the Hornady 175 Spire Point.
The original Contender tapered octagon barrels were a labor intensive bear to finish, according to Warren Center. And very light. David Bradshaw
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Post by AxeHandle on Jun 12, 2013 7:08:59 GMT -5
Those octagon barrels are light. My first TC, bought in '75 was an octagon 45 Colt. The weight coupled with the factory grip of that time made for a uncomfortable shooting experience. There was a point in the 80s when I traded for an octagon 22LR barrel to cut barrel weight and make room for all the scope I could get and still make the NRA Hunter's Pistol weight limit. The only octagon barrel that remains here is a 45 ACP. Picked it for those loads that end up a little light or heavy for my 1911s. I hate pulling bullets.
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Post by magnumwheelman on Jun 12, 2013 9:11:34 GMT -5
my 17 K Hornet & 22 Hornet are both light weight octs... I think I have a couple others... working to get the barrels mounted on the walls, & in order of calibers... you know, looking for a better system... I pretty much quit buying barrels at gun shows, when I bought my 1st duplicate... once I can actually see them daily, & have them in order by caliber, I'm sure I'll start buying again
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jsh
.327 Meteor
Posts: 884
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Post by jsh on Jun 18, 2013 17:56:41 GMT -5
David the xp 7 br rechamber is a beast. It has one of the thumb hole stocks from the gent out in California. Good looking piece of wood. Thumb hole is for some small handed fellow. I shot it with some milder loads. Got good sight settings and went to a match got to turkeys and thumb knuckle was skinned up. Brass that came with it was the old basic brass with the rams on it. Thought about cutting them down and making a few ball cap or lapel pins out of them. Hate to say it but ihmsa is dying a slow death. I sure wish I had an answer for them. The old lead a horse to water........ Most of today's crowd is of the pray and spray notion. Very few riflemen let alone marksmen. Would sure like to shake your hand some day. Jeff
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Post by bradshaw on Jun 18, 2013 20:44:35 GMT -5
Thanks Jeff.... sounds as though you have large hand. The 7mm IHMSA is to my mind the best cartridge of Elgin Gates. You may have the sweetest thumbhole stock ever put on a pistol----the Western Gunstock thumbhole by George Petersen. Petersen was stoutly built, though not a big man. If you have a huge hand, your thumb knuckled packs in the hole. Bad scene on recoil. There is a picture of the last Petersen thumbhole I shot in Hodgdon Manual #26. Photo taken at an Internationals in Oak Ridge. It is a left hand, as I had switched to left hand, left eye at that tournament to give my right side a rest. The XP-100 is chambered in Jim Stekl's 6mm BR Remington and it cleaned the course. One ram fell mighty slow. In fact, I think it fell forward. I would not have risked that cartridge in the earlier days, with target conditions much less predictable.
My second favorite stock for the XP is the original H-S Precision injection molded, with aluminum bedding block. I trusted that stock as much as a pillar bedded Petersen thumb hole to shoot dead nuts anywhere in the country come hell or high water. Famous high dollar rifle builders told me the aluminum bedding block was crap, but none of 'em showed up on the firing line to prove it. Nowadays the world knows the H-S Precision stock was a breakthrough handle.
Bob Barnett, who spotted for me at the first International Revolver Championship, had in an earlier life slugged it out with Chesty Puller's Marines at Chosin Reservoir. Barnett loved the rough and ready silhouette game. After a day's shooting, the equipment check, after meetings, ole Bob would grab me for a pull of Jack Daniels by the motel pool. Finally his wife Frances would retire, "You boys are going to have to work things out on your own." As I remind Bob we have to be on the firing line in the morning, he winks and with the tips of his fingers eases the bottle of Jack across the table. Couple of years later, another championship, Barnett says, "I don't recognize IHMSA any more. Where's the guts?" David Bradshaw
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jsh
.327 Meteor
Posts: 884
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Post by jsh on Jun 18, 2013 23:17:37 GMT -5
Yessir George Peterson. I called him some years back and left a message. A fair bit later on the phone rang and it was George. Had actually forgotten I had called him. He had been out on a fishing trip. We talked fishing for quite a while as I recall. Got side tracked and never did get a stock from him till I got this old rig. I started shooting in the mid 80's. Didn't join ihmsa till later. Barely had enough money for a match and ammo at that time. The rams were rang on a regular basis when windy,wet or muddy. It was some what tough to scratch a 40x40 then. Shoot offs were a big show, but there wasn't half the field in them. Now today if ya don't shoot 40x40+10 your out. And that's not all in scope catagories either. 1/2 size was the best thing to happen to ihmsa IMHO. I was a AA class unlimited shooter and jumped on that wagon even before it was recognized as a sanctioned class. It will sure let you tune sight settings. Some said it was to hard. Folks just don't like a good challenge. Heck we use .22 chickens for shoot offs at 200m now. I sure wish I had played with iron sights a lot more back then. Technology has come a long way. Lol we sure play hell trying to replace youth Jeff
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Post by magnumwheelman on Jul 24, 2013 6:30:37 GMT -5
got a question for you knowledgeable Contender guys... I recently got all my Contender barrels displayed on the wall of my walk in gun safe room... when you can see them, you realize what needs work... & I noticed I need a lot of scopes, mounts & etc. for several of the barrels... on most I'm happy with the Weaver bases to fit the barrels... on my boomers, I have a tendency to use Luepold bases... I was putting a weaver base on my 10" round 357 Herret barrel, & noticed the info stamping on the barrel was partially covered by the weaver base... this is the only barrel ( out of many ) that the caliber designation is obscured by the Weaver base ( I'll pull it, & put a Luepold base on this barrel, so that's not a problem ) but it got me thinking / wondering, if maybe this was an earlier made barrel, & that TC realized that they needed to move the info stamping a little on the barrel to allow the use of the Weaver bases...
anyone run into this ?? could my assumption be correct, that this is an earlier barrel?? I always assumed my light weight octagon's were likely the older barrels, but now has me wondering what was the order of their barrel configurations by age...
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Post by curmudgeon on Jul 24, 2013 12:46:16 GMT -5
Dave B. Not meant to interfere but: The original contender was designed for the 22 RF, I suggested to Warren the 38, 357. I was building custom contender bbls before any of the mentioned names, Bellm, JD Jones Ingram was before me.I believe I made the first 45-70 bbl. JD says he did but, I loaned him my reamer to make his first. My first 45-70 went to Hal Swiggett. My Howdah series was way before JD started building his or before Reeder got into T/C's. Built Reeder his first custom T/C bbl. Just for the record. 6.5 Jurras, 7mm Jurras. The Howda series included 375, 416,(actual .411) 460, 475, and 500. Built 7 different 17 Calibers. built from 17 Hornet 219 Wasp, 30-40n Krag, nearly all the rimmed cases and special extractors for rimless. Just for the record.
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Post by curmudgeon on Jul 24, 2013 13:00:09 GMT -5
I spent almost as much time at the T/C factory over 3-4 years as I did at home. Worked with Ken F. and Warren on the load development on their shot shell for 44 Mag. After ATF did the original outlaw of the 45/410 bbl. And they had to go to the choked bbl. Loaded their first 100-200,000 rds at the SV factory, then loaned them the machine to load them themselves, collectors might notice the original 44 Mag shotshells had the SV headstamp. While wondering around the factory one day at an open house. I found a small room whith factory bbls set aside. I told Ken French here was a couple I didn't have. Smiling he said hell Lee I can't sell you those, the collectors would kill me. Told him where I found them, he said put them back and don't mention them. That was at the FIRST T/C collectors convention at the factory. I think I drew as many at my motel room as the factory dinner did. FWIW dept.
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Post by magnumwheelman on Jul 24, 2013 13:51:01 GMT -5
I have a light weight octagon 17 K Hornet barrel, that I think is pretty old, but then my collection was built more as shooters than looking for odd stuff... originally started by my FIL, I continued to pick up barrels that I didn't have, after we inherited the collection... I added the 17 K Hornet barrel, bought at the Mason City IA gun show, at least 15-17 years ago... the 30 Herret & 357 Herret barrels were part of what was collected by my FIL... I know we have some 357 Herret cases formed, & I thought I had some 30 Herret as well, but my local builder buddy just built a single shot bolt action in 30 Herret, & was looking for some ammo or cases to compare to his chamber, & I never could find any ( they are probably stuck in with some 30-30 cases somewhere... I'm pretty sure I have dies for both cartridges
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Post by AxeHandle on Jul 24, 2013 16:09:49 GMT -5
Climbing down into the guts of the beast with Lee Jurras himself I see! Gave up on having all of them and just went with 10 inch bull barrels. A few 14 and odd lengths crept in through the years. That first TC, an Octagon 45 Colt, taught me a lesson though. The ONLY octagon barrel that remains is the 45 ACP barrel to shoot up those light and heavy mistakes. Then I bought my first Reeder Wildcat. All the finely laid plans went out the window.
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