I want a Contender in 357 Max but new to single shots I am confused with the difference of G1 vs G2 and so on and so I. I am leaning to buying a frame and ordering a barrel from MGM. Also a 10" or 8" barrel. New vs used. All advice would help me. Thanks

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE BUY A CONTENDER. They are a slippery slope and you don't want to go there.Remember I tried to warn you.
The Contender [there is no G1] and G2 are similar with the G2 you can re cock the hammer after firing with out breaking the action down,or squeezing the breakdown lever.With the original Contender you can't .There are also a few cosmetic differences. Either will serve you well.The Contender barrels I have all shoot very well so if you can find one in The MAX get it if not you can order from MGM or get a 357 barrel and have the chamber run out for the MAX.

I have a Contender barrel in 357 Maximum, as well as a CVA Scout in 357 Maximum.
The Contender barrel is a 13" MGM, while the Scout has a 14" factory Bulgara barrel.
I would not go shorter than a 12" myself.
I do not have the newer G2 Contenders so far. Starting new, I would probably get a G2. Do a little reading on doing a "Trigger Job" on a G2. The trigger pull on a G2 is the only complaint I hear about them.
Make sure to go with a .357 barrel, and not a .358 when ordering.
The biggest improvement I have done to my Contender so far is the addition of a Tony's Stocks forend. I got the 10" forend with bipod stud out front, and 2 mounting screw holes spaced for the Super 14 stock.

I have 30mm MatchDot sights on both of my 357 Maximums at the moment. Going with a scope I would probably go with a 2-7 Burris Plex.

Just my 2 cents.

Bob

MGM makes fine barrels, I like the G-2 frame better than the original contender, I also have a !" full Bull in the Max on a Encore, the length"s are 14"&15", There are some 10" factory barrels kicking around, personally, I would not go shorter than that, I put a Boyd"s forend on the G-2, Tony"s furniture on the Encore, good luck with your decision.

I have a 10" factory 357 Max. and it makes a very compact and handy gun. You'll get more velocity from a longer tube for sure, if that is what you want. I like having a short and handy Max barrel and a long 14" 35 Rem. Barrel. It covers all based pretty well. If I wasn't concerned about recoil, I'd have the 35 Rem barrel remembered to 358 JDJ to really cover all bases. My advice would be to search for a used brand and barrel. I love my original Contender, but haven't even held a G2. I'm a deal Hunter and factory barrels are often great and plentiful in the secondary market. I have heard people say the factory 357 Max barrels have an improper throat, but mine shoots well and downed a whitetail for me like she was hit with a 30-06. Whatever you choose, I think you're looking in the right direction.

Just as an example, on Texas Gun Trader, there is a guy up the road in Waco selling a G2 with a custom trigger set at 2.5 lbs, over sized bolt, with a 12" 357 Magnum barrel (doesn't say what brand) topped with a Bushnell 2x6 scope, and a custom made leather holster. He's selling it all for $580. A rechamber to the Max runs like $80. That makes for a smoking deal IMO.

Looks like a G2 and search for a barrel. Thanks for all the help. I have 100 acres in Indiana and mostly woods so max shot probably 50 yards on average.

JDK that is a deal wish I was in Texas.

Guns can be shipped to your FFL, if it is not already sold...

And the nice thing about the G-2 frame is , they take the same trigger springs as the Encore.

OK any one see if this is a G1 or G2 can get it for $400 and have barrel reamed to MAX MERRY XMAS



https://s3.amazonaws.com/mgm-content/sit...er_357__640.jpg

Well there is no such thing as a G1, only original Contender and G2. That said, that is a G2 and $400 is a fair price.

G2 The boss along the top of the frame gives it away Contenders are flat sided.

JDK, You mentioned rechambering a Contender 35 Rem to 358JDJ. Honestly, if you reload and hunt with it the 358JDJ is the way to go. You do not need to max load it to kill deer sized game. My sons Whitetail load is a 220 grain Speer flat point over 40 grains of H4895. Its only slightly better ballistics than the 35 Rem but it is pleasant to shoot without a Brake and it really hammers out to 150+ yards. Cases last forever and the rimmed case just falls out for reloading. No pesky rimless extractor.

The 357 MAX is a good round, I had one in a Ruger Blackhawk and it shot well. I have had the Contender frames and currently shoot an Encore. The Contender and G2 frames are lighter and if you have smaller hands, a little nicer to handle. The triggers are outstanding on the Contenders whereas the latter of the three need some fine tuning. There is a man by the name of Jim Hendershot who does fine work and is a stand-up guy. The whole T/C family has great additions you can add to fit any type of shooting/hunting you could imagine, just find what suites you and go have fun, but be careful. . .barrels and new calibers are addicting!!! And should you still be in the market for a Contender frame, I have one I'm wanting to sell. Take care and good luck.

Now there's a name I haven't seen in a while. Is he still in the biz? He used to frequent a few of these boards but it's been a while. Great guy.

Another couple differences I don't believe have been mentioned is the G2 is easier to open than the very first Contenders (athough they actually came out with an updated model of the "first generation" Contenders by changing the hinge pin location of the lever and made them easier to open although there was no model or name change; if you buy an original Contender frame look for a serial number of 200,000 or greater)

ALSO

the Generation 2 (G2) Contender frames are heavier (beefier) and therefore stronger although no where near Encore strength, of course. If you read enough or talk to enough people about them you will hear of original Contender frames getting "stretched" by accidentally shooting over-pressure loads and therefore ruining the frame. I stretched one of mine just shooting my regular reloads and T/C replaced it; I guess they replaced enough stretched frames to convince them to discontinue the original and come out with the G2.

That brings up a point here that I think is obvious but since I mentioned strength, I will mention it anyway. The Encore frame was developed to handle full rifle cartridge pressures up to and including .300 Winchester Magnum.

One of my antelope hunters showed up one year (yes antelope NOT elk) with a .300 but he broke 2 scopes with it so had to borrow another gun to finally tag his buck.

I too love my original Contender frames and prefer them; I only own one G2.

Yup. Mr. Jim is still in the biz. . .spoke with him a couple weeks ago and will be sending a new Encore frame to him for his handy work. Good fella.

Before you go out and get a 357 Max barrel, I would suggest giving 357 Herrett some consideration. I debated the two cartridges for a while before settling on the Herrett, and my reasons why were:
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1) Longevity. 357 Herrett is pretty straightforward to convert from?ubiquitous 30-30 brass, and it is shorter (you remove brass to convert). Once made, and minimal case sizing is done after reloading, they last a long time. 357 Max brass is rare, and there is no way to grow brass out of a ubiquitous 357 Mag case. Winding up without brass in the future is a real possibility with the Max, while it is not with the Herrett. I can walk into any Wal-Mart and get a box of?30-30, shoot it out of my lever gun, and make a Herrett case. Can't do this with the Max.
2) Power. And 357 Herrett outclasses the 357 Max considerably using the same bullets, and can handle heavier bullets (180s, 200s)?better, but can be downloaded.
3) The rim on 357 Herrett is stout and offers nice, positive engagement and plenty of surface area to headspace and extract in the Contender/G2. It also has much more engagement with the shellholder, so you don't tear off on resizing quite so easily.
4) The slight case taper of the 357 Herrett helps it extract easily compared to the straight-walled Max.
5) The slight bottleneck of the 357 Herrett helps it load easily and go right down into that chamber. Straight walled cases need to be lined up and inserted into the chamber with more consideration, especially with gloves on.
6) If you do silhouette shooting, the 357 Max is considered BIG BORE (like the Herrett)?and is not a field pistol class cartridge, while the 357 Mag is. 357 Max is outclassed?by all the other big bore class cartridges that I am aware of.
7) 357 Herrett barrels are pretty abundant and not in demand. I picked mine up for $150 from Ed's T/C, while 357 Max, 357 Mag barrels are going for more than that.
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The only advantage of the Max is if you live in Ohio. 357 Max is legal for deer in Ohio, while 357 Herrett is not (Ohio imposes a straight-walled requirement). 357 Herrett is Indiana legal for public and private land.