I have to admit, after a summer of playing hard with them, I've kind of lost interest in my Contenders. By the time moose season was a third of the way thru I had gone back to packing my mod. 29 just because I enjoy carying & (especially)shooting it much more. No doubt the .444 in my Contender is a superior Cartridge for moose & especially for big bear, but the revolver just feels better in the hand. More natural. Maybe well.... more like a hand gun ;-) .
I'm just not enjoying the Contenders & when I get a chance to go out & shot, it's the revolvers that go. And for me, "fun" is what shooting is about.
As I rembered back to my "old days" around 12-15 yrs ago, I went through a Contender phase then too that lasted for a year or so.
All that to say I'm thinking about swapping my Contenders off on some revolvers.
Anyone else gone the same direction?

yes i did about two years a go,ended up trading or selling 11 bbls and 4 frames for other guns.REGRETED IT FOR A LONG TIME AFTER .from what you are saying it sounds like you need to thing about getting some cals that you can have fun with.i sold the handguns and got into the encore for hunting with some of the bigger cals ,but i have one contender with fun cals to just go out and shoot (22lr,10mm,44,357) something to think about....

i dont have a contender but i have a encore,i like my revolvers alot but....i dont think i could do away with either.im in the process of setting my 10"7-08 up for "feild"hunting this year,but if im in the mountains the 454 will be my companion.either way my 45 bh. will be at my side(belt gun)i guess its ones own preferance but i like to have options.i know this didnt help one bit vance but good luck with your decision...jim257

Well Vance, I have not made it to the Contender-Encore fase yet. Not exactly sure why, or if I ever will. I really enjoy my revolvers and have all the bases covered from 22 to 480. Most of my hunting is done under 100 yards and the revolvers do the job.

I have an XP in center grip and like it quite well. Might have to get one in a larger caliber. As for the Contenders, maybe someday. The switch barrel ideas is kind of appealing.

nope!.........gotta have all of em! contenders....encores etc.
my 7 1/2" redhawk 44mag covers any revolver use i'll ever need. when heading out these days, i grab a single shot. have no intention of sending the redhawk away.....it'll be there if i take a notion pick it up and head to the range or woods.
i won't get a lot of chances to restock the gun pile in this lifetime. seize the moment....and hold on!

sorry....but my interest is never ending!

I don't believe that I'll sell off my Contender, but I sure do like the way my Anaconda balances in the hand much better. I beleive the 7X30 Waters in the Contender will be a more effective deer stopper than the .44 mag and that's important here in PA. If your deer runs more than 50 yards after being shot, chances are another hunter is going to "finish him off". Like Vance I also find myself taking the revolvers to the range more often for plinking and so on, while I usually take the Contender specifically to work on practicing for hunting season.

I know that I'm much more interested in buying a few more revolvers to fill the safe rather than additional barrels for the Contender. Perhaps, after I take my first deer with the Contender I'll feel differently and go back strictly to the revolvers.

I have 2 contender frames with 10 barrels, 7 revolvers (not one auto pistol though ) but I wont part with any of them . They all come out of the safe often .

Yeah, I had a Contender for about a year. A couple of reasons I switched back to revolvers about 15 years ago is because I like to travel light and the areas I hunt are quite thick. Hope I don't see a trophy past 75 yds! I suppose another reason is that I like hunting with open sights and I learned how to shoot with an N frame Smith 25 years ago as a teenager. In all fairness, I think my revolver (S&W 629) with a scope is probably not far off from the same wieght and size as my 10" barreled Contender was and you wouldn't be able to switch calibers. With that being said I firmly believe that no other handgun has done as much for handgun hunting as the famous T/C Contender.

Well I can certainly understand what you mean and I hunt with both. Sometimes, depending on where & what I'm hunting, I'll carry both and hunt with one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Odd man out goes in the backpack. A couple years ago I was still hunting through an area and bumped into a small buck who was totally oblivious to my presence and I decided I wanted to shoot him with the revolver, which was packed. I got my pack off, unzipped it, got the 44 out all while this buck meandered right towards me. I finally took the shot from about 30 yards - he stopped & looked right at me when he heard the final click as the hammer came to full cock. Too late. I don't think I'll ever give up my contenders but I have re-developed a strong interest in revolvers in the past 5 years or so.

Yep, I go back and forth too. But that's the fun and versatility of the Contender realm. I might get tired of a caliber so I switch. Factory to wildcat, optics to iron sights, heavy hitter to plinker. But, I too have a think for N frames. Often threatened to add a Super Redhawk .44 Mag to.

I have sold a few guns in my past but that ended a few years back. If I would see selling the gun in the future I don't buy it in the present. I own many of each flavor now and am keeping and enjoying them all.
Screwdrivers,sockets,pliers,hammers and wrenches,I want them ALL in my toolbox.

I too have never made it to the encore/contender phase but I love carrying and hunting w/ my single actions. While you guys are on this subject you can answer the main question/reason as to why I have never made the jump to them.
When hunting is it a problem to have a single shot? I always have seen the single shot as inadequate firepower not having the ability for a quick follow up shot. Then again isn't the purpose one shot one kill? I guess I have answered my own question then but your imput is still greatly appreciated.

used to kinnda think like that builder45........but never crosses my mind anymore. i try my best to make "one good shot".
besides.......you can always pull out a trick or two. i use an elastic arm band ammo holder. got a few of them. a couple i just cut a rifle stock nylon ammo holder in half, and slip it on my wrist of my left hand. ammo always right at your finger tips, when the gun is broken down n ready to load.

Like kyode I don't worry about a slow second shot, & like him I carry my backup ammo in the wristband. Wow, maybe Kyode really is my hero!!
Actually, as much as I hate to admit it on this site, my greatest passion in hunting is traditional bows, specifically the longbow, so I believe in making the 1st shot count! Handgun hunting is a close second though, & while I'm not looking for a quick follow up shot, I just like the feel of the revolvers.
Again as a bowhunter, I sure don't feel like the reduced range of the revolver compared to the Contender is a hinderance either.
Hate to say it, but I think the Contenders may be leaving.....
I decided I won't go to the gun shop before Tuesday. I'll think about it hard till then. Almost went today, but forced myself to wait.

honestly vance....IMO....the smart thing to do would be to keep the contenders, and go the extra mile to save up for the revolver.
may take some extra time.....but may be worth it in the long run. sure takes a lot of work to get where ya want to be.

even if ya decide not to hunt with the contender, and go packin a revolver........they sure are fun to shoot!

HERO!..... you all are MY heroes's!

Vance, carry both. I do, and it is no problem. For me, the Contender is the gun I go to for most hunting shots. But I have the .45 Colt Blackhawk on my belt for close range work and bear defense.

Thanks Rob.
It's really not a matter of it being a "problem", it's just a matter of what I'm enjoying, & I'm not really enjoying the Contenders.
How'd your hunting go so far?

the day i'm not enjoying contenders......will be the day they put me in the ground.

i'll take em with me...if i can!

Kyode's pallbearers are all gonna be grunting & sweating & stumbeling & saying to each other "Man, I never woulda thunk the boy was this heavy!!"

Boy Vance, I really can't imagine my shooting life without my contenders and encores. Maybe you just don't got the right ones. I know where you live but sometimes just to have a plinker barrel is alot of fun. I'd rather give up my wife than my barrels. Think long and hard, buddy. Think long and hard.

i agree magman. just can't imagine not enjoying them. maybe you're on to something. a 22lr match barrel is tons of cheap shootin fun. the 22hornet/.223 class, plus the 6tcu's(any 6mm's), are light on recoil and big on performance.

ever think of tryin the low recoil rounds vance?

I'd hate to see Vance give up those old style Contender frames only to not find them when he gets contenderitis again. Sometimes, we need a change in caliber and that's what makes the T/C so great. Just think about it Vance. Save your pennies for that revolver. Mow lawns er, shovel snow to get the money for a revolver. Sell Girl Scout cookies, something anything.