Been considering ordering one and trying it. I'm thinking of replacing my contender with one and thought I would ask opinions of some of you that have shot them. How accurate are they? I've read that the barrels are changed easily. Do the different barrels have to be on the same case or could one easily switch from 223 to 260? If so how does the ejector work?

I'm sending you a PM. I have 4 of them and love'em.

I had one in .308 Winny and it was a great handling piece, and accurate, but I just couldn't get cozy with the cannon action and sold it to Dan B. It is surely worth a try if you get a good deal on one, I just prefer the more "traditional" platforms I guess.

A 16" barrled Competitor is nearly the same "forward of the trigger" length as a 10" Contender. I have the above mentioned .308W and added a 16" .357 Magnum (rechamberd to Maximum by Dixie). I love the Competitor!!

Thought I had a Contender/Competitor comparison photo but can't find it. But here is a Competitor line up trigger to trigger with a Striker sporting a 17" barrel....the comp has a 16" tube.

I like the compact look of the competitor. The overall length of the contender doesn't bother me. The fact that when I have to shoot off hand even at close distances It handles poorly. So poorly I now carry my g20 for anything that may pop up close enough I don't have time to get setup with the contender. I decided I wanted to try something with a mid grip and like the competitors ability to change barrels similar to the contender hopefully without the headaches that come with the contender.

Eric, the Competitor is just a better design for shooting off hand or from a rest. I just like them better overall. The action is stronger and handles big bore rifle rounds better in my opinion.

EricS,

I don't own one, but I've shot one of Franchise's (376 Styre I believe); it handled very well and has an awesome trigger.

The only gripe I've got about my Comp. is its inconsistent trigger pull.

I've had no problems with inconsistent pull.

Thanks for the replies. I called and talked to the guys over at competitor pistols today. I think I'm going to order one after christmas. I am still debating between 260 or 7mm-08 but leaning more toward the 7mm.

As far as inconsistent trigger pull goes it reminded me of something I read in a book on contenders. It said to allways open the action all the way because trigger pull will change depending on how far you open the action. Makes me wonder if not turning the breech all the way could change trigger pull.

I never had an issue with trigger pull with mine, it was sweet, <2lb, and consistant every time I touched it off.

I think it's tough to beat the 7mm-08.....I have several and love them. Also have a .260 Rem Striker but haven't shot anything with it yet.

I hope you order one Eric, you will not regret it. It will be nice to have someone else hunting with one on this site. I just received some custom 400 gr. 475 bullets for my 475/350 Rem Mag barrel & can't wait to see what they'll do.

Ordered the 7mm-08 14 inch barrel with external brake. I've got a pile of 4895 and Varget I've been loading for my 30/30 looks like it should be a good powder for the 7mm-08 also. Probably going to put either a 120 or 140 Nosler BT on top of it. I know on the contender there are several things to do to squeeze good accuracy out of it. Anything in particular I need to do on the competitor or just load and shoot.

Just load & shoot. You don't need to "trick" it out to make it shoot. When you get it, it will be ready to go. Just mount a scope on it and it's ready.

Make sure you have the breech closed the entire way or it will misfire. That's the ONLY thing I had a small issue with. But twist it shut good and you will be fine.

That's what I wanted to hear. Who knows if the timeline given to me is correct I may be able to try it out on game before the season is out. Franchise is that 475/350 going to shoot pistol bullets or spitzers?

I had a custom run of 400 Gr. RN bullets made for this round. I can shoot pistol bullets too, and I can also shoot 500 gr. Woodleighs out of it.

Ok just wondering. I know the 470 nitro shot .474 bullets. Barnes did make a 475 solid copper bullet the say is a spitzer for knight's 52 caliber muzzleloaders. They weren't very heavy but should be good for deer.

That's cool. Yea man I can shoot bullets for the 475 Linebaugh, 475 JDJ, 470 Turnbull, 475 GNR, and 470 Nitro Express. The 475/350 Mag. can hold roughly 30 percent more powder than the 475 JDJ. It's similar to the 470 Turnbull. Just different parent cases.

Ah heck. Stop talking about these things. Sheesh, now your getting my interest peeked. I need anbother gun like a hole in my head. Ok one more hole in my head just makes for cooler thinking!

I hope for your sake it'll be braked?

I bled the first time I shot my 475 JDJ. Stupid hammer spur. Make sure you've got Band Aids handy! Should be fun!