TC Contender

Looking to get another single shot to go with my 444 Marlin Pistol. Im thinking a TC Contender in 30-30 with a 10in barrel. Anyone shooting one in the 10in barrel configuration? This will be a deer gun for 75 yards and in.

I have one with a sweet 14 30 30 on it. I love it.

I had one I wish I still had in 14?. 125 grain NBT on top of a good load of H4895 did a good job on deer. Not sure about that powder in a 10? barrel. I thought the herrett was what they chambered the 10? barrels for. Either way at the range you are talking about shooting it will do fine with factory ammo and should be a dream to shoot compared to the 444.

In a 10" barrel, you are better off with the Whisper/Blkout...with 125 - 150 gr bullets, it does everything that the 30/30 does with half the recoil...with 14 - 15 inch barrels the 30/30 is the top performer

I was thinking the 300 blackout too. I just know 30-30 is so easy to come by anywhere in the USA.

Even with a 10" barrel, the 30/30 makes a great pistol round...deer. hogs, and bear

Do you think the 10in will lose too much energy? I know the 300 blk was designed around the 10in barrel.

The 10 in will work fine for 100 and in . It has the added benefit of being a sweet handling sweet shooting rig, easy to carry,hangs very well in the hand.

I agree with Junebug, it (the 30/30) will serve you well...it will have a little more recoil and muzzle blast than the Blkout, but the abundance of 30/30 ammo will make that stuff a nonissue

My only experience is with a 14" 30-30AI, which is an outstanding hunting round, but I can only imagine that the regular 30-30 in 10" would do just fine for the type of hunting you mentioned. I've heard and seen videos of many hunters using the exact gun you describe with good results.
As hunters, we all pretty much know what will work. We, myself included, just want others to agree with our decision or give our opinions. I doubt you could find a 30-30 in any configuration that wouldn't work for the kind of hunting you describe. It's really more a matter of what you really want to shoot. The more you like your chosen gun, the more you will shoot it, thus the more confident you will be with it.
My opinion, if you really want a 10" 30-30, then it's the best choice you could make.

I had a short 30-30 barrel made for an encore frame. I did some bullet testing (posted here on HH) and my main take away was I was not able to drive the bullet fast enough and be comfortable shooting them. I had some less than perfect performance especially with Nosler BT 125 grain BUT I did not drive them to the velocity specified by Nosler so my bad not the bullets. Search for the topic (couple years ago) but the 110/120 grain TAC-TX black tipped bullets were awesome. YMMV - good luck

If you are limiting to 75 yards any of the straight wall cases will work great too in a 10 inch barrel.
357 Max
44 mag
41 mag

Artemis444, I have a 10" TC Bull Barrel w/iron sights that I am no longer using. RCBS Dies too. PM me if interested.

My 2 Cents.
I would go with a 14" barrel to get more velocity.
If you reload I would go 30-30AI, and gain a little more velocity over a standard 30-30. You can always shoot factory ammo in the AI chamber.
I am not a fan of short barrels in Contenders. I also want a quality 10 Inch forend such as made by Tony's Stocks or Bullberry.

I totally agree on liking your chosen gun.
I have went through several over the years arriving at the ones I am happy with.

Bob R

Ditto on what Bob said.

Not to muddy the water. Consider a 14 inch 309 JDJ. You already have the 444 brass, just a matter of sizing and fire-forming.
D..

I love the 30-30AI and a 309jdj should be great as well, but with more powder burnt and recoil. I also like 14?+ barrels.
BUT if wanting a small package 10? rig other cartridges may be better. 300 whisper(aka blackout) and 30 herrett would be a couple more nice choices. I think a 10? 30-30 might be fun to play with. 🤔

Lots if great suggestions here. It seems you are looking for a smaller carry alternative to your hammer of a 444. Considering that I see why you are going 10inch and perhaps a round with less recoil. I have hunted and competively shot with many Contenders from 8 inch to 15 inch with irons and various optics and While I love my 14 inch guns I would prefer a 10 inch if my hunting was in tight cover with shots always under 75 yards as you note. The 10 inch guns are much easier to shoot offhand and to carry in a holster. What optics are you considering?

You nailed it! I LOVE my 444 and it is a bullseye gun at 100+ yards ALL DAY. BUT... I have to carry a good tripod and everything else in with me. 14in barrel with scope yada yada, its a little heavy for offhand shooting. I am wanting something so I can pack a little lighter on my hunts and shoot offhand.

I do not currently have the time or money to reload (Young Family)

So What am I really wanting???

TC Contender
Iron Sights (Fiber Optic Preferred)
Shorter barrel than my 14in 444 (No longer than 10in)
Stable Offhand shooting
Good selection of FACTORY AMMO (Hopefully cheaper than my 444)
Good Reliable Deer Cartridge (Max of 50-75 Yards)

I was considering going back to a 44 Mag with an 8-10in barrel. Which is what my 444 was to begin with. I felt with the 14in barrel it would be fun to have a 444.

P.S. I Was Right HAHAHA

A friend of mine had one that I shot quite a bit. All I shot in it were factory loads. I remember the 150 grain bullet loads were not bad for recoil but the 180 grainers stepped it up a notch. Muzzle blast and noise were considerable with both loads. That was years ago though and now you have a lot more and lighter bullet choices. Let us know how it works out.

For a light weight, iron sighted, factory ammo available, easy on recoil, under 75 yards deer gun, I'd suggest looking at an 8" barreled 357 mag - all you'll need.

I vote for this to best meet your criteria. You can always go bigger later. No one stops at just 1 barrel for a Contender. LOL.

Although a 10 inch barrel will be fine if you are going out of the box. Perhaps better with iron sights.

I think I like this idea. I am a fan of 357. I carry one every day. What barrel length do yall think would balance best iron sights off hand? Is there a company making fiber optic sights for the pistol configuration?

Obviously the 10? will have a longer sight radius and be easier to find on the use market. An 8? would be much handier and still plenty enough sight radius for accuracy out to 75 yards, but you?ll probably have to go custom for the 8?.

Right now there?s 6 1/2? 357 Barrel on gunbroker.

A 10 inch barrel in 357 Remington Maximum would serve you better than a 10 inch 30-30 for shots out to 75 yards.

Excellent round for hogs, deer and bear. Starline makes brass and plenty hard cast bullets with copper gas check available or Hornady 180 to.

MGM will cut you the proper throat.

howdy!
If you must stick with the 30-30 use a 12 or 14 inch barrel. I used a 10" and 14" 30 Herrett and a 14" 357 Herrett. It is lots of work to make the brass initially but I like that sort of thing. But...with the 30-30 you can find ammo anywhere ammo is sold! Good hunting!