My T/C carbine in 7-30 Waters.

[parallaxbill]

Back in the 80's I wanted to build a super lightweight deer rifle and one in a unique but suitable cartridge. I purchased an an 18" lightweight barrel from the T/C custom shop and an unfinished fiberglass thumb hole stock from Brown Precision. The latter was finished, glass bedded to my frame and barrel by a good friend, machinist and custom rifle builder in Pageland South Carolina. He used aluminum pillar bedding for the forend screws. It's total weight with a scope but no sling is 5.2 lbs.
I have killed a lot of deer with this accurate carbine over the years with it and it carries like a BB gun. I doubt I'd ever part with it.

[treborsnave]

Very nice! I run a carbine in 30-30.

[potatojudge]

Agree. Nice setup. Mine is a 16 inch Bullberry in 7-30 with a threaded barrel and factory synthetic stock with the modified Bullberry forend and hanger. Leupold VariXiic 3-9 looks good in gloss black, but an upgrade might be in order given the overall utility of the rig. A favorite rifle to carry and shoot.

Varget and a 120 grain ballistic tip are a great combo for these single shots.

[Encore64]

Very handy rig and a great caliber. I still miss Ken Waters' Articles...

Big fan of the TC Carbines too...

[magnumwheelman]

I like it… I used to have a super 14 barrel, and the 7-30 waters hand loaded in a single shot offers much more than is capable with a flat nose for the lever guns

[contender]

I have used a T/C Contender in 7x30 Waters for many years to take a lot of whitetails. Love that caliber enough to where one day,, I saw a 12" factory muzzle braked barrel for $150,, I snatched it up. About 2 years later,, I decided to see how it shot next to my other one,, using the same loads. Both were right with each other in the accuracy dept.

Love it!

[zeus]

Gabriel has a 6.5 and 375 JDJ carbine barrels. They shoot really well!

[medicdave]

Tagged out with a 7/30 Waters this year. Mine is a factory blue 23" full bull I cut back to 20", stainless frame with rynite stocks, Stratton custom base, Leupold prw rings, and a 2-7x33 VX2. Weight is just shy of six pounds and it balances a hair in front of the pivot pin. Hangs on target offhand like a larger rifle and shoots tiny little groups with 120gr ballistic tips pushed by varget. Traded a few ounces and inches over the super 16 I started with but the shootability increased exponentially.

[foxtrapper]

Foolishly sold my 7x30 14” hunter pkg. It shot 2” groups all day at 200yrds. I still have the soft case that came with it, it reminds me every time I look at that I made a mistake selling it! Now I abide to contenders creed. I will never sell another handgun!

[jeffh]

These are sweet little carbines. I've always appreciated short, light carbines, and the Contenders pretty much top my list.

The one in my small battery, which is akin to this one is the old-fashioned 30/30, with a 24" MGM, untapered barrel. Right at 6# with Rynite handles and "vintage" Redfield 2-7x38. Marvelous little gun. Not AS little as my 357 carbine, but incredibly handy, even with a longer barrel.

I'm not crazy about thumbhole stocks, but that one has my attention. REAL fiberglass, not "Tupperware." No complaints on the Rynite, but still like the idea of the rigidity of the old fiberglass stocks. Wonder if they even make those any more? I'll have to look.

Lovely little hunter you have there, parallaxbill!

[squigz]

Dec 20, 2021 19:47:35 GMT -5 magnumwheelman said:

I like it… I used to have a super 14 barrel, and the 7-30 waters hand loaded in a single shot offers much more than is capable with a flat nose for the lever guns

That's mine now, I missed a running deer with it this year! I guess I could just blame you.. 


Wonderful cartridge in a small package. Superbly accurate as well! I take mine to the range every time with me because it's just a joy to shoot, and some reason it always turns heads in my neck of the woods when someone hears it go off.. 

[magnumwheelman]

I love my camo laminated thumb hole... on these light carbines... on my .410... I have shot rabbits on the run, holding it like a handgun, but when shooting red pine squirrels on the run, in the trees, I'll shoulder it... 1st picture is my 25 ACP carbine barrel mounted... 2nd picture is my vent rib .410...






SQUIGZ... that is one I could have easily kept... was just trying to cut down on reloaded cartridges, & that was my only chambering for the 7-30... if you want to blame me... that's OK...

the last time I shot that barrel, was at Prairie Dogs, at 300-400 yards...

[parallaxbill]

I should add that the butt pad is a Pachmayr Decelerator and the scope is a Simmon's 44 Mag 3-10X.
I've had great luck with it and the same on my 24" Encore 6.5x55 rifle.

[x101airborne]

Dec 21, 2021 13:16:04 GMT -5 parallaxbill said:

I should add that the butt pad is a Pachmayr Decelerator and the scope is a Simmon's 44 Mag 3-10X.
I've had great luck with it and the same on my 24" Encore 6.5x55 rifle.

Oh man, a 6.5x55? Color me green with envy!!! 
If you ever decide to sell it, let me know please!

[parallaxbill]

I got that during one of T/Cs limited production runs that they used to do. Not sure they do it anymore. I wanted a 26" HB in 6.5x55mm but that was a lot to ask for. Accuracy at long range was my goal. The 24" medium profile is nice since it has a longer barrel than most non-magnum sporting rifles but is far more compact and handy overall.

I need to convert my 15" 308 Encore handgun back to the rifle configuration and post some pics of it in a different thread.