I Picked up a couple of used barrels(30 and 357 Herrett, both 10") for my Contender last week. I plan on focusing with the 30 Herrett for this deer season. I bought Hornaday dies, wilson holder for my trimmer and found a couple of loads to try (125gr Sierra spitzer). I leaning to a Burris 2X7 scope from what I have read in this fourm. My question is for those seasoned handgunners, am I going in the right direction? I am open for suggestions and advice. The fact that I put this off to the last minute is kicking me in the tail. Thanks

welcome, you don't say whether you are new to contenders, or new to handgun hunting. If you've been reading advice in this column, the most frequent advice given, is to practice.
if you are new to handgunning you might find it the least intimidating to use open sights, that gets you away from the paralax problem(not seeing anything thru the scope because your eye is not in line with the optics) this can be frustratin, And the open sights on contender barrels are usually pretty easy to acquire even in low light conditions. you don't say where you are from, here in New York, we have two weeks til season, that's not much time to load up and practice... good luck.

The .30 Herrett is a great round. I got a 10" barrel this spring and I have been working on a load with the 125grn Nosler Ballistic Tip. It is shooting about 1" at 100yds now. I put a 4x Swift on it and have never been sorry for it. These scopes have great glass, good field of view and are at a price that if you want to upgrade later you can do so with out a great loss. They are lifetime guaranteed, over the counter warranty, no questions asked.
Saying that, the Burris is my favorite scope and I have four of them on my long range calibers and heavy hitters.
Two are the 2x7 Burris B-Plex, one is the old 3x9 with the adjustable objective and the other on my 260 is the 3x12 BPlex. They are the clearest scopes I have ever looked through. I guess I just depends on how much you want to tie up in a scope and barrel before you are sure you will shot it a lot. Good luck.
Here is a link to Swift scopes- Swift Scopes

Mike

I'm new to Contenders. I shoot pistols quite freqently. I'm from PA, I'm going to hunt WV in a couple weeks and the PA season. And yes I'm down to the wire.

the 2x7 burris is my favorite scope for deer hunting. excellent glass, large field of view.......love it

but.......when i'm poorer than usual, i'm not afraid to try something cheaper. i put a 2x6 bushnell trophy on my 300 win mag. it's ok, but when i look thru it.....i can SEE $100 worth of LESSSER quality. just depends on how much you want to spend, and how much you're willing to compromise at the time.

Hey Scott...I have a 4X Tasco on my 10" .30 Herrett...and also have several fixed 4X from Simmons, Bushnell, and Tasco that work excellent for what they are intended (deer hunting). Though the Bushnell 2-6 is also a good scope. But if you are looking for Top-O-The-Line...Burris is THE only way to go.

My .30 Herrett loves any 130gr pill and a healthy dose of RL-7. This year I'll be hunting with the 130gr Hornady.

Where in PA are you from?? I live in the little village of Clyde...right along Rt 22 (55 miles east of Pittsburgh, 45 miles west of Altoona).

I live in the North East by Scranton. I stopped by a local gun shop today and found a used 3X12 Burris. I hope its still there Friday (payday).

the 3x12 is awesome ....although it does have a tad less field of view than the 2x7. still...on 3x, it has as much as any other variable on the market.

Scott,
My advice is to get back to that store as soon as possible and put that scope on layaway. Nothing worse than finding a good deal only to miss out on it due to a lack of immediate cash. It has been my experience that most shops offer layaway. I'll also recommend the Burris line of handgun scopes. I currently have a 3 X 12 on my 7 X 30 Waters. While you won't need the higher powers for hunting, I find them extremely useful for load development and shooting from a bench.
By the way I'm about an hour south of you here in the Lehigh Valley.

My opinion, there are three choice of scopes for pistols.
1. Burris
2. Burris
3. Burris
I have a
1x
2x
4x
1.5x4
2-2x7's
2-3x9's
I'll admit that you'll find a 2.5x8 Weaver(sold all of my Luepold EER's) and a 2x6 Bushnell also on some of my barrels only from lack of funds to upgrade at the moment. A little advice, buy a .22 barrel of same lenght as your hunting barrels and put a scope on it(mine has a 1x Burris) and get a swinging metal target and practice,practice and practice!! At 25yds it'll really sharpen your eyes and make shooting thru a scope 2nd nature.

well ill tell you this i just got my first leapold pistol scope, its a 4 power an i hate it... if the gun isent perfectly level you lose every thing an you see straight darkness were i hate to say it but my bushell trophy puts it too shame

Scott...just some friendly advice...get out...get out now...while you still can!! My 25th Contender barrel will be on its way today...when something neat shows up for sale...I get all excited...even a little giddy...start gnashing my hands together and quickly reply with a SOLD message.

I bought the Burris 3X12, mounted it, and fire formed brass today. I'm using H4227 and Sierra 125gr spitzers. Now to find a load.