Reducing T/C Contender Recoil?

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John C

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I've had a T/C Contender for years, but only had a 14 inch .223 barrel, and a 10 inch .22LR match barrel. Both are awesome.

I wanted to step it up, so I bought a 10 inch .44 mag barrel. I shot it a couple of times, and BAM! does that thing hurt, especially when my middle finger hits the trigger guard. I shoot .44 mag out of revolvers, so I was surprised at the recoil. I thought it would be less in such a large handgun.

I always thought of the Contender as the quintessential Silhouette pistol, so I mistakenly thought it would handle heavy recoiling cartridges well. I mean, Silhouette shooters put a lot of rounds through these. How do they do it?

What can I do to make these more shootable? I've ordered a Pachmayr Decelerator grip. Should I order a muzzle brake? Or get the barrel ported?

Thanks,

-John
 
Gloves help. Mechanix MPact or similar gloves with padded palms and rubber impact bumpers over the knuckles really help.

MPact "Fingerless" open finger tips - http://www.mechanix.com/m-pact-fingerless.

Standard MPact "Covert" aka solid black that I prefer since they and the rest of "Tactical" line have subdued logos & graphics instead of the contrasting logos on the other lines - http://www.mechanix.com/tactical/m-pact-covert.
 
I would guess that while those shooters put a lot of rounds through a TC 44 mag darn few will admit that it was really fun and more like hard work.
 
A 14" barrel helps. I have a 14" 30-30 barrel and it recoils about the same as a 5" S&W 629. Not exactly pleasant, but not terrible.
 
My 16" thumps harder than my coworkers hotshot. I handload between 44spl max load and 44 mag min load with 231. Much much much more pleasant to shoot. Can't compare accuracy from one to another because I know I was flinching REALLY bad with the full house mag loads but now I have a consistent 5-6" group at 80yds and this fall the gun connected with a 170 pound buck and made a pass through with my load and was a DRT hit in the vitals at 60yds.
 
The hardest kicking .44 mag I ever shot was a TC Contender back in '74. Guy at the range had one and a super blackhawk. Wasn't long after "Dirty Harry" and the .44 mag was all the rage. I was a broke student, but never bought a .44.

I did get a TC, though, first barrel was a .45 Colt/.410. Loaded up like a .44, that thing disconnected the reticule in a Tasco Pro Point 30mm 2x tapered dot scope. I took the scope off, put the irons back on it. Rounds weren't accurate enough to suit me, anyway, what with all that free bore.

Then, I got a TC 12" hunter barrel in .30-30 for serious handgun hunting and put the Pro Point on it. The hunter barrel had a factory machined compensator on the front. Let me tell ya, that compensator WORKS, at least in .30-30. I liken the recoil to a K frame shooting Wadcutters, that mild. The muzzle blast is the pay back, so I carry muffs with me to the box blind. I made the mistake of not having ear protection first deer I shot with it. I couldn't hear the conversation around the camp fire that night for all the bells going off. BUT, recoil on that barrel is so light, putting up with the muffs isn't a problem for me. I've yet to buy a pair of Walker's game ears, something that would help. I just pull the muffs down off my head and over my ears before I make the shot.

I've had that Pro Point on that handgun for over 20 years now and never had a problem with it since.

I've thought of buying a .45 70 barrel for the gun, after reading an article on it entitled "The 150 Yard Sledgehammer", but I don't know if a Leupold would hold up to THAT. Besides, ain't nuthin' I hunt can't be taken with the .30-30 even out to 200 yards loaded with a 150 Nosler BT. :D
 
Have a ten inch 44 magnum barrel and a friend made and installed a muzzle brake. It is much more manageable to shoot now. Try one I think you will enjoy shooting much more.
 
Hand cannons ain't for everybody.If you don't like shooting it, trade that barrel for something more manageable. Shooting should be fun, not painful. That's why I sold my .45-70 Contender barrel.
 
I owned a T/C Contender in .223 (14"), 7mm TCU (10"), .22LR (10"), and .44 Mag (.14"). The .44 Magnum was the most uncomfortable of any of them. It was actually unpleasant, even from sandbag rests. I tried different grips, and even had the barrel Magnaported, but nothing worked.

The problem with the .44 Mag (and all powerful cartridges), is that all the ignition goes out the front, and nothing escapes out of a barrel/cylinder gap. And I really believe the grip angle and high bore axis also adds to the felt recoil. The gun was designed as a hunting handgun, and not a bench rest pistol.
 
One of the worse things I ever shot was a .357 Contender with the thin octagonal barrel, sights not scoped. It was simply miserable.

Now, put a scope on it and do the "taco hold" (weak hand on top of scope) and it's fine with most barrels in my mind.

Shooting form also matters a lot. Standing with most of them are fine so long as you let it rise and don't try to hold it down which seems to push it back into your wrist more.

Not a fan of porting or other stuff on the barrel. I will shoot a lighter round or caliber before I go that path.
 
Wish I had a solution. I have the 10 inch 44 mag barrel for the Contender. Even with the Pachmyer grips it is the most painful recoil I ever experienced and I can tolerate a lot of recoil. After 5 rounds I said the heck with it. I leave 44 mags for the Model 29. Fortunately, the 44 mag Contender is great with my 44 Special hand loads: accurate and very comfortable.

Jeff
 
Gentlemen;

Thanks for the input. I think I'm seeing that the Contender is a pure hunting pistol, not a shooting pistol. You're supposed to shoot 4 or 5 rounds a year out of it: 3 to confirm your sights haven't moved since last year, and 1 or 2 bagging your deer/hog/etc for the year.

I really want a pistol to reach out to 100+ yards, and the contender seems perfect, except for the recoil. Has anyone experimented with barrel weights or other weighting system?

-John
 
Ohen Cepel;

Uh oh; I just won one of those octagonal .357 barrels off Gunbroker. At least it has a scope on it, I'll try the "taco hold".

-John
 
the best thing that you can do to reduce the recoil in a 10" contender barrel
is to sell it and get yourself a 14" barrel thats what i did :evil:
 
I've got close to 50 T/C barrels and the only one I hate shooting is the .44 magnum. OK, the 35 Remington with hot loads isn't on my favorite list either.
 
The Contender is a "pure hunting pistol,not a shooting pistol"?-I beg to differ! I shoot hundreds of rounds through mine every couple months and only a few a year hunting.Using any handgun for hunting means shooting it a lot to build and retain the needed skill to make a shot on an animal when the chance presents itself. If the 44 magnum is uncomfortable to shoot you can handload lighter loads,wear gloves,port or install a brake,or use a longer barrel.Pachmeyer grips help also.as do T/C's air cell grips.Or,you could try a lighter caliber.If you think the 44 mag kicks,try the same barrel length in 444 Marlin! I can personally attest to a sizeable lack of fun trying to sight that one in.
 
As for not being a "shooting pistol", though I bought mine to hunt with, it all depends on the barrel. My compensated .30-30 barrel is wonderful (providing ear protection is always there), my 7mmTCU is wonderful WITHOUT a compensator and a tack driver way out there. My .22LR barrel is the most accurate .22 I own, rifle or pistol. Okay, at longer ranges my old Remington bolt rifle has less drop and groups about as well, 1.5 MOA at 100 yards. my .45 Colt is just fine provided lighter loads and it's great fun to play with .410 in it with the choke screwed on. Hey, it'a a GREAT shooter's gun!

No, I don't like the heavier recoil calibers and never got a .45 70 for that reason. I figured if the .44 mag was THAT bad in the gun, the .45 70 couldn't be better. :rolleyes: The .30-30 hunter barrel fills all my "big game" needs, though, and it has no recoil owing to the compensator, primarily. Helluva bark, but no recoil.
 
I also have a 14" barrel in 444 Marlin that my dad and I used to shoot silhouette years ago. Mine has Pachmayr stocks and, with a glove, wasn't that bad. I'm not sure I could handle it nowadays though.
 
Never thought the .44 mag. was bad in the Contender; even with hot loads

OTOH, a hot loaded 200 gr. .35 Rem Contender IS a handful. Took a few deer with my Super 14, but the practice needed to be competent was NOT fun. It did whack the deer, though.

Can't imagine what a .45-70 or .444 Marlin Contender would be like and don't want to know.
 
My Super Sixteen .223 is a sweet 300 yard varmint gun with the 2.5X7 TC Scope and my 10" 44 Mag Hotshot is a pooch with the shot shells.
I haven't shot it with the choke out and standard 44 Mags yet because I still remember the 12" ported barrel I had years ago.
It snapped the original scope base screws off on the first shot. (gash in forehead). Then I had it drilled and tapped for larger screws and it didn't come off any more but the guts in the scope gave up. I can't even remember what I traded it for.
 
Contender

Thanks for the input. I think I'm seeing that the Contender is a pure hunting pistol, not a shooting pistol. You're supposed to shoot 4 or 5 rounds a year out of it: 3 to confirm your sights haven't moved since last year, and 1 or 2 bagging your deer/hog/etc for the year.

I really want a pistol to reach out to 100+ yards, and the contender seems perfect, except for the recoil. Has anyone experimented with barrel weights or other weighting system?
Click to expand...
Nuh-uh.....not just a hunting pistol.
I shoot mine far more at the range than hunting (as others have said also).
The .44 Mag 10" is a heavy kicker, no doubt....but shoot it enough and you get used to it.
A lot depends on the barrel....I used my ten inch .22LR barrel in Free Pistol matches until I could afford a proper FP.. I just finished a series of matches in my pistol league where I was able to use my .357 barrel
My favorite barrel is a ten inch .30-30.....nice with 125-135 grain bullets at 2100 fps. Noisy but nice.
Pete
 
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The 10" .44 Mag Contender I had was the hardest recoiling handgun I've ever shot.....and this was shooting Winchester white box 240 grain soft points. Perceived recoil was more than my FA .454 Casull loaded with full house 300 grainers.
I sold the barrel, fore end and pistol grip not long after that one range session and put the rifle stock and carbine barrel back on it.
 
I have a 44 Magnum Contender barrel as well as some Encore barrels you might not believe like a 375 H&H Magnum. The nice thing about them is that once you learn to shoot them well, nothing else will seem bad.

For shooting them you need:

1. A glove. I use a weight lifter's glove.

2. Tape in strategic locations (i.e., those locations that tend to lose skin when you shoot). Any type of tape will do; masking tape, electrical tape, Duck tape, etc.

3. Good hearing protection. I use ear muffs over foam ear plugs.
 
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