Hey guys. My grandfather gave me an original, never been shot Thompson Contender (not a G2) with 3 barrels. .44mag, .22wmr, and .45/.410.

I want to put a scope on it and hunt deer with it. I already have a Ruger Bisley in .44mag I take hunting occasionally, so I want to put a rifle caliber barrel on the Contender to get longer range out of it.

What are your recommendations for a caliber to use? I was thinking 6.8 or 7mm .08 if they made it. Any insight???

Thanks!!!!

Welcome to the site, and you a lucky man to have a grandfather like that! I don't have single shot (yet) but you will get some good answers from this one! Good luck to ya!

Since you have a Contender, you won't be able to use high pressure rounds like the 7-08 (I think the 6.8SPC is okay, but someone else can confirm that.) You can go with factory rounds like the 7x30 waters or 30-30Win (7x30 would be my choice for deer in a factory round.) If you're set up to reload, it's hard to beat the 6.5JDJ, 7 GNR, or .309JDJ with the .309 nearly doing what a .308 will do in the larger frame Encore.

Jarod

30-30 AI would be my first pick then the 7-30 Waters

35 Rem and 357 Max are choices too.

Stoke the 44Mag up and shoot it --- 44 can be a thumper out at 100yds and a bit longer

I am set up to reload, if that changes any opinions...

The 7-30 Waters in a 14" barrel is a great whitie wacker out to 200 yards with a 120 grain Nosler BT. The ole dirty-tirdy Winchester will even giterdun out to 150 or so, the AI version will stretch that by another 50 yards. If you envision bigger game in your future the .375 Winchester is hard to beat out to around 150+. The .357 Maximum shoots a bit flatter than the .44 Mag with similar energy and less felt recoil. Even that .44 Mag you already have, with a 4x scope, will do a fine job out to 100+.

Oh, and, welcome to the sickness ;-)

.357 maximum is my top choice. Cheap to load,shoots flat, mild recoil and hits hard. I just think it is one great round
JDMAX

I really like the 7-30 waters and 30-30AI but depending on how much you want to spend you can go with a custom barrel especially in a JDJ or Reeder cartridge that will really bump up the performance in the contender. JDJ bases most of his wildcats on the 444 marlin and Reeder uses the 30-30 and 405 win cases as a platform.

Welcome to the site! If your getting good accuracy with the .44 mag, I would use it. Like the others said, if you want to extend your range I would lean toward either the 7-30 Waters or a .30-30AI.

i like the 30-30 Ackley Improved and 35 remington. i've used the 35rem rimmed version for the past few yrs with 180gr hornady ssp handloads and it worked great out to a couple hundred yrds. thats about as far out as i care for, or need to be concerned with around here.

i like the 357max of the straightwalls.

Your states laws on what you can use will be a place to start, to stay in those laws if you choose.

Here is 2 links to a Contender list of available calibers that is safe in the Contender.

http://www.bullberry.com/TCbarrels.html

http://www.sskindustries.com/cartridges.htm

These may help but there is other sites that produce barrels too.This with the wisdom in the posts above may help, or lead to a addiction. Enjoy.Welcome to the site.

I would go with the 7x30 Waters or a 6.5-7x30 Waters.
The 30-30Ai is a great round as well. I use 375 Winchester brass and neck down.

Good stuff so far... Thank you...

So If I get into one of these calibers (some I've never heard of before) like the 7x30 waters or the 30-30AI, Is the brass available to buy for reloading? Or is that something I would have to make on my own with a resizing die?

I have been reloading my own 30.06 shells for several years and recently started loading my .40 pistol stuff too, but other than that I haven't done too much else. However, I would love to get into it a lot more. I just need to know what I'm getting myself into here.

Right now the 7x30 waters and the 30-30AI peak my interest, but I am far from a decision.

Both of those are based off the 30-30 Winchester case so brass is readily available. For the 7-30 Waters all that is needed is to run a 30-30 case into the 7-30 full length die, add powder and bullet, and fireform in your barrel. The 30-30 AI is even easier, just load a 30-30 case in your barrel and shoot, you can use factory 30-30 ammo in an Ackley Improved (AI) chambered barrel so if you lose, or forget, your ammo on a trip you can buy a box of 30-30 anywhere in the USA and beyond, and save your hunt.

Federal has factory loaded 7x30 Waters which means you can reload the cases just like you do you '06. You can occassionally run across new Waters brass, but I don't think they make runs of it very often (usually Federal.) As the others noted it's easy to run 30-30 brass into a Waters die and fireform, usually with pretty good accuracy as well. I would start with this or the 30-30AI and as you get more comfortable with fireforming and reloading the thin-walled 30-30 brass, move into something like the .309JDJ or 7 GNR which have more power, but require more case prep./fireforming up front to produce usable rounds.

For long range on DEER sized game the 30-30AI is hard to beat. It pushes a 150 grain almost as fast as the 309JDJ cartridge.

I loaded up 30-30 with 150's to fireform. These printed less than 1". I have only loaded a few full power loads. They were also very accurate.

Can't get much easier for such a potent contender round.

x2 on the .30-30AI.

Hunlee is proud owner of 375 windchester,,,,,,,,,,45-70 the favorite of all the 7-30 water long ranger!!!!!!!!!!!Butt they is alot of good caliber for Contender huntin for deer,,,,,,,,hunlee will memtion a few for youins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!357max,,,414sm,,,445sm,,,444,,,45-70 44mag,,,,,45long colt and they is a few more aswell!!!!!!!!Allso good one are 6mmjdj,,,,,,,6.5jdj,,,,,,,,,,7-30 water,,,,,,,30-30,,,,,30-30ai......35 rem,,,,,,,,32special,,,,,,excertia!!!!!!!!if hunlee thinks of few more then a nother post will be in order!!!!!!!!!!

hunlee

Since you reload the 7-30 would be my choice. I love my 7-30!
Using 120grn Vmax bullets...its a killer.
I shoot it alot during the off season for prairie dogs and such. I'm pretty confident with it.
Its dead on @ 200yds and I took an antelope doe @ 350yds with it last year.
I have other calibers that I'm playing with now, I've been ignoring my 6.5x284 Encore pistol, but I still have alot of love for the Waters!!!
Next year I promised myself to play with some others!!!

Remember straight walled cartridges only in zone 3

.30-30, .30-30AI, 35Rem, or 7-30 Waters would all fill the bill - some better than others depending on the distances involved.

Mike