# Zone 3 T/C contender 44mag Rifle... a story



## Niles Coyote (Jul 22, 2009)

This is a story that splices several of my posts together from all over the net... following my experience with a T/C Contender. For anyone considering a straight wall pistol cartridge in a rifle, I hope you find it informative. 

With the very real possible change to Michigans allowed firearms/cartridges for the shotgun zone this year I splurged and picked up a 20 MGM 44 magnum barrel, rifle stock and forearm for my deer gun of choice, a 10" barreled 44 magnum contender at the time. This was about a month before it was approved for use this fall. I have had my eye on this barrel for the last year at my LGS.

As set up for load testing










I used N110 and was running 2925fps for 25 grains and IIRC 2940fps for 25.5 with 200 grain XTP's

Every load was under 5 inches at 100 yards with most of them right around the 2-2.5 inch range. Smacked some steel with hard cast at 2 and 3 hundred... needed about 4.5-5 mils at 300... That's 15.4-17 MOA for you that don't speak mrad 

Switched to 22.5 grains N110 under a 225 Hornady FTX 










Each shot had about 15-20 minutes between each other while I shot other loads from my AR... I was trying to replicate shooting from my deer blind with a cold barrel. Shot one and two marked, shot three I dropped 4 low by rushing and not making sure I was in a comfortable/consistent position. Shot 4 went between 1 and 2 and last shot went wide... All in all I think this is going to be a fine deer rifle for southern Michigans new Limited Firearm Deer Zone (formerly shotgun zone) but like my muzzleloader the bullet is in the bore for a long time and its absolutely critical to manage recoil and shooter consistency for best accuracy. 









I checked the speed on this load a while back and IIRC it was doing around 1800-1850fps

Almost there.










Ill be using 225FTX and Winchester 296 this deer season... 

Groups at the top are with 296, 19.5g shot well as did 20.5 with 20g shooting well but kind of a strange pattern. I also tried universal for a quiet load with 300xtps, held 1 mil high from my 75 yard zero (zeroed with the FTXs) and finished up with some loads I have loaded for my handgun barrel.

Dots are all 1 inch and target is 75 yards... why a 75 yard zero you say? Cause where I have been hunting for the last 24 years my longest shot on a deer was 70 yards with most being between 20 and 40.

After finding a good supply of 296 and two trips to the back yard range I have settled on 19.7 grains of 296 with the 225 FTX which are moving along at 1411fps. 

4 shot groups at 75 yards... 

One inch group measured on the outside edge on day one.









Cold bore with the other three going into the same hole on second day.









Three weeks till Nov 15th and how it looks today









on the day of the above picture I took it out to my long distance range and ran it to 300 yards. 75, 100, 150, 200 were no issue but 300, LOL, it was like shooting 1000 with a slow 308 load. I would be 3 mils left, reload and hold for it and see an impact in the dirt 1 mil right... just a small shift in wind velocity or direction play havoc with connecting at 300. I did connect a couple times but I'd say its good for 200 in a pinch but 150 for sure. 

Few more









Success!

Monday November 17th, 17 degrees, 20 mph winds in a snow storm with 4 layers of dad's cold weather clothes... 

My daughter spotted him first. Waited for it to move from cover... Passed up several not so great angle shots. Finally, what seemed like for ever, it offered a near broadside shot at 55 yards with 20 minutes of light to spare and with a clear bullet path... The Michigan deer smacker dropped its hammer on its first blood. Mr 7 point bucked and ran 40-50 yards with a hard double lung hit.

My Daughters very first deer was down.









T/C Contender pistol frame turned rifle with a 44 magnum 20" MGM barrel with a 225 grain Hornady FTX at 1411fps, powered by 19.7 grains of Winchester 296 in a R-P case and Winchester primer.

Happy Dad here 


So that's it for now. While this barrel is able to launch bullets much faster... I didn't want a lot of muzzle blast or recoil the hotter loads generate in hopes my daughter would find it enjoyable to shoot and be able to shoot well with it... 

And I was successful.


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## rwbaker (Dec 14, 2007)

Did you free float the barrel ? What rifle twist did you have made for the rifle ? I want mgm to make me a barrel in 44 or 454 btw nice buck .


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## Niles Coyote (Jul 22, 2009)

rwbaker said:


> Did you free float the barrel ? What rifle twist did you have made for the rifle ? I want mgm to make me a barrel in 44 or 454 btw nice buck .


No, I didn't float the barrel but I may bed the entire forearm just to see what happens. On twist, I am almost certain it is a 1:20... I purchased it at a local gunshop so I didn't get the opportunity to spec the twist rate.


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## rwbaker (Dec 14, 2007)

Some guy's use thin rubber washers over the fore arm screws to free float barrel nice rifle .


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## Niles Coyote (Jul 22, 2009)

I need to correct the above near the top...
"I used N110 and was running 2925fps for 25 grains and IIRC 2940fps for 25.5 with 200 grain XTP's"

LOL, that is incorrect but I cant edit it. It should have been 1925fps for 25 grains and 1940 for 25.5


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## Jim..47 (May 5, 2009)

Niles Coyote said:


> I need to correct the above near the top...
> "I used N110 and was running 2925fps for 25 grains and IIRC 2940fps for 25.5 with 200 grain XTP's"
> 
> LOL, that is incorrect but I cant edit it. It should have been 1925fps for 25 grains and 1940 for 25.5


Ahh that sounds better. I was thinking what is this guy talking about. Launching a pistol bullet at that speed would be like shooting it with rock salt. :lol:


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