What do y'all think about the Contender 14" .35 Hunter?

[smong2000]

If you have/had one was it accurate, reliable, deadly, fun to shoot?  What about the muzzlebrake, worthwhile or not?  Pet loads?  The Barnes sounds interesting but I'm too cheap to pay that for deer, anything else that is recommended?  I have one coming my way and am trying to glean as much info as I can about it.
Thanks Guys. 

[Curtis]

I don't like muzzle brakes so that may disqualify me from the discussion.  I have a 10" 357 Herrett that is tolerable from the bench for 50 or more rounds.  I can't imagine a 14" .35 would be up there with it recoil-wise, but I have never shot a .35 so can't say from experience.  The .35 will have plenty of killing power out to as far as I'd shoot something with a handgun, but it won't be as flat shooting as some calibers especially with bullets that are suited for the 35.  For lighter bullets (under 180gr) I'd personally go with a smaller caliber.  Well, that's all I've got.  Someone else will chime in with something more useful to you, undoubtedly.

Curtis

[twohats]

I am in the same boat.I bought after hunting season a 14" in .35 and a 7-30 Waters and a .44 mag(got the bug)I haven't even shot the .35.I picked up some factory Leverolutions by Hornady and I hope to start out with that.I let my 10" 30/30 go and now will probably replace that with a super 14 as well.I am curious how the .35 will do on deer this year.Maybe will get some input on what the best loads will be.Good luck..

[Slowpoke Slim]

I have a 12" with factory brake. It has been it's most accurate with Hornady 200 gr round nose bullets. I haven't tried the leverevolution bullets in mine. I haven't hunted with mine, but the accuracy leads me to not hesitate to use it for deer or javelina out to 150 yds. Mostly a limiting factor would be holding the handgun steady enough for the shot. I don't find the recoil to be an issue. I find mine is fun to shoot, and with a 200 gr bullet at just shy of 2000 fps, it would be very deadly I'm sure.

[spinafish]

I have a 14" .35 without a brake..mine does really well with the Leverevolution ammo..and my handloads with the same bullet.

[goodtime7]

I have a 35 Remington 14", and the recoil is very tolerable.  If you are considering a Hunter with the brake, if possible, I would really encourage you to compare the difference in muzzle blast compared to a barrel without the brake.  One of my first barrels was a Hunter 7-30 Waters, it is very accurate, but VERY loud.  I had never shot it without ear protection, until one afternoon I quickly grabbed it to "even the score" with a rabbit in my wife's garden.  What the heck...one shot...      I guess the rabbit got the short end of the deal, but my ears rang for hours.   Not too smart on my part.  I actually bought a second barrel in the same caliber because of the muzzle blast (at least it seemed to be the best excuse at the time!!) 

[alan in ga]

I enjoyed my Super 14 with NO muzzle break and would not consider a brake equipped barrel because of the increased muzzle blast.
Recoil was not an issue with the .35 Remington but you might hear that it does kick badly----from somebody that has never even shot one.
The 44 mag is more of a kicker than the .35 Rem.
You'll like the .35 but get it in a Super 14 with NO BRAKE.

[ctrout]

This is my first and only Contender.  It is the super 14 with no brake in 35 Rem.  To me, it feels about like my 5.5" Ruger Bisley 45 Colt with 330gr bullets at 1200fps.  My load for the 35 is a 180gr Hornady SSP at 1800 fps.  This bear was taken at about 30 yards DRT, and I MEAN DRT!  Dropped like a sack of crap and never moved.

[mbopp]

I've got a 357 Herrett 14" w/o a brake and I wouldn't consider the recoil as particularly bad. My hunting load pushes a 180gr bullet at 1950FPS. I use a Lyman "M" die to bell the case mouths and load cast 158gr bullets w/ Unique for practice rounds. When my eyes were better it would do 1-1/4", 5-shots at 100 yds with the hunting load, it shoots about the same group size at 50 yds using the cast loads.
Eons ago TAR modified some barrels for pressure testing and I use that data. It may be mild compared to some loads but the frame still locks up tight. When I was working up cast loads I started with the lowest data for 35 Rem in the Lyman Cast Bullet book.
BTW - that's a 14" 218 Bee in my avatar, the Herrett wears a Holosight.

[Anduril]

My 35Rem Contender has the Pachmayr grip & forend and a Leupold 2x EER scope.
I don't find it bad to shoot without a muzzle brake.
My handloads use 200 gr Hornady bullets and IMR4198 powder for a tad over 2000 ft/sec.
I have used it to shoot 1 cow elk and 2 or 3 deer. One shot each.
..

[EdK]

I enjoyed my Super 14 with NO muzzle break and would not consider a brake equipped barrel because of the increased muzzle blast.
Recoil was not an issue with the .35 Remington but you might hear that it does kick badly----from somebody that has never even shot one.
The 44 mag is more of a kicker than the .35 Rem.
You'll like the .35 but get it in a Super 14 with NO BRAKE.

I'll second Alan's post. To me the 44 mag is more of a kicker however I've only had a 10-incher.
35 Rem, Super 14, no brake, recoil not an issue (maybe a little in load development off a bench but not for a hunting shot)

[randy_68]

I too have a .35 Super 14. I think it has less recoil than my friends 10" .44. It loves the Leverevolution ammo and I picked up some of the 200 gr FTX to handload for it. I tried several loads with the 180 SSP's but the factory LE shot better. I will be carrying it this fall for deer along with my .357 maxi handi rifle.

[Thebear_78]

The 14" 35 Remington barrel is one of the best all around big game hunting calibers in the contender.  I was very impressed with the 200gr Remington green box load.

[smong2000]

Well I went and done it... , I now have a G1 Contender 14" Hunter .35 rem with a brake, T/C lighted scope and case.  OMG it is accurate with Hornady Leverlution 200 gr, I shot a 0.53" 3 shot group at 100 yds 1st time out.  No real recoil, it's about like my .38 special 686 and I would say muzzle blast is similar to .357 mag out of a 4" barrel.  Can't say enough how great it shoots but I never shot one with a shorter barrel to compare.  The trigger dialed in to an amazingly crisp break with 10 mins of adjustment.  I loaded some Speer 158 JHP with a medium light load of IMR 4064 and it prints 1" groups at 50 yds exactly 6" high from my Leverlution zero with almost no recoil. 
 Can anyone tell I'm excited about this pistol. 

[alan in ga]

it's not the arm ripper some have said!
My .35 Rem Contender has been long gone, but I recently purchased a used .357 Herrett because, well, I'm not sure! ha!