Contender Barrels

[TxPhred]

Not selling any. Consider .375 JDJ. Killed a charging brown bear with mine at 30 yards, lots of deer & groundhogs. Always accurate. Does very well out to 200 yards.

+1 on the 375JDJ, my first TC was an Encore in 223. My local GS suggested the JDJ when I wanted to get into pistol hunting. What I found in my research is that both these calibers had near identical trajectories to 200 yds and that is all I needed for So TX hunting. And the plentiful 223/ 556 reticles out there would do well for the JDJ.
If you are set on the 35 caliber, then the Whelen and 357 Maximum are awesome and Mike Bellm can really help here. He occasionally has specials on these barrels and has scope mounts and brakes all in house. He also has some brass as well.

Good Luck!

 

[LDHunter]

Most of you Contender fans probably know this but SSK was founded by JD Jones and the JDJ cartridges are his inventions. One of my favorites of his is the 300 Whisper. There were many Whisper cartridges but the 300 Whisper is now known as the 300 Blackout. They're really interchangeable I've heard and my experience seems to bear that out.

 

[wyodeer]

Well I actually found an SSK 357 Maximum barrel and have been messing with it.
Very accurate and easy to load for. I drew a late season bull elk tag and a cow tag so I will try to use it on at least one of those. Also headed to AK this upcoming spring and taking it for black bear

 

[bengineer]

I have killed with both 375JDJ and 358JDJ. The 35 seems better in every way: bullet selection, versatility, speed, trajectory, terminal ballistics/effect, enough shoulder to prevent headspace issues in the single shot.
I mostly use cast in the 358. Favorite is an NOE 230 Ranch Dog design. Flat nose really hits hard. The 200 Sierra RN is also a winner. I can use 125 xtps or 310 cast fn and anything in between.
A shortened Lee collet crimper from 35 Whelen solves all the chambering issues from belling case mouths.
The 375, even in a 26" encore, cant get most jacketed .375 bullets to perform. The blunt 375Win bullets do work, though.
The only warning I can give is the 14" 358 in a contender (sbr'd) rifle is almost unbearably loud. A suppressor or ear muffs are mandatory, even when hunting.
Well, also the bug bites and all of a sudden you have a dozen barrels.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I got a 5.56 barrel. That was when I also come up with the problem of the springs. I have had the T.C. from the 80's and it was older than that.

 

[mnshortdraw]

I have bought out a few estates worth of contender and encore frames & barrels. They are a fun platform. I still have a handful of them.

 

[nksmfamjp]

I really like my 30 Herrett. Can't wait to try my 7-30 Waters. 375 JDJ works great, but too big for much shooting.

The 30 Herrett loaded for deer with 125 SST's seems like a happy medium. Shoots on average 0.8" 5 shot groups at 50 yds of rest. Maybe better. 125gr at 2280fps is nothing to sneeze at!

17 HMR is great for plinking!!!!

 

[del2les]

I have killed with both 375JDJ and 358JDJ. The 35 seems better in every way: bullet selection, versatility, speed, trajectory, terminal ballistics/effect, enough shoulder to prevent headspace issues in the single shot.
I mostly use cast in the 358. Favorite is an NOE 230 Ranch Dog design. Flat nose really hits hard. The 200 Sierra RN is also a winner. I can use 125 xtps or 310 cast fn and anything in between.
A shortened Lee collet crimper from 35 Whelen solves all the chambering issues from belling case mouths.
The 375, even in a 26" encore, cant get most jacketed .375 bullets to perform. The blunt 375Win bullets do work, though.
The only warning I can give is the 14" 358 in a contender (sbr'd) rifle is almost unbearably loud. A suppressor or ear muffs are mandatory, even when hunting.
Well, also the bug bites and all of a sudden you have a dozen barrels.

Agreed on the 200gr Sierra RN. I've run these in my 357MAX's and 357Herretts with good success.

Contender barrels are like the old Lays potato chip commercials, "you can't eat (own) just one."

 

[Rabbitslayer78]

I'm looking for a 18" or 20" barrel chambered in : 7-30 Waters, or 7mm JDJ or 309 JDJ. Also thought about keeping it real simple by going with a 300 Savage. Opinions welcome.
A Project in the making.

 

[mjshell]

I'm looking for a 18" or 20" barrel chambered in : 7-30 Waters, or 7mm JDJ or 309 JDJ. Also thought about keeping it real simple by going with a 300 Savage. Opinions welcome.
A Project in the making.

I'm looking for a 18" or 20" barrel chambered in : 7-30 Waters, or 7mm JDJ or 309 JDJ. Also thought about keeping it real simple by going with a 300 Savage. Opinions welcome.
A Project in the making.

300 savage is an encore only chambering. However I've heard of some contender barrels that were chambered in the 300 savage, but not recommended

 

[Panhandle Pete]

No on selling. Thanks. Once I acquire a firearm, I never sell it. I might give it to somebody. My sons, or Grandsons. I won't even loan them out anymore. The only ones I lost were one the I let somebody use.
Still a nice bear!

I loaned a " friend" a stainless frame Contender with an 12" SSK 45-70 barrel topped with a 2xERL Leupold - neet gun and would flip rabbits- that is all I ever got to shoot with it as the guy said one of his wife's friends must have stolen it during a party. I got the shoulder holster back but that was it. I don't loan guns anymore. I need a stainless Contender frame for the remaining SSK barrels I have.

 

[greywolf68]

Here is a pic. of my .30 cal. Herrett with 14 in. barrel. The four barrels below it are 357 Mag. 44Rem. Mag. 45 Colt/410 and .221 Rem. Fireball, also have a 10in. octagon .22Hornet barrel. The .357mag. 44mag. 45/410 all have vented ribs and choke tubes and are unfired. one more barrel, 83/4 in. .22 Hornet. The dies for the Herrett are from the T/C Factory and form dies are RCBS. Have hand written letter from Steve Herrett and BoB Milek(?) about reloading data and forming cases. T/C and barrels made in New Hampshire

 

[mnoland30]

Graybeard Outdoors has a Contender Classified where you can probably find anything you want.

 

[ChrisRhodes]

Cutting edge bullets expand at much lower velocities than the other mono metal bullets. They work well.

If you go with a 358 bore…..pistol bullets do well.