Contender Rifles Cartridges

[Drugstore Cowboy]

Had a 30/40 k barrel made for a Contender frame last year.  Wondered if the Contender frame would be able to accept a 6.5x55, 444 Marlin or 9.3z57?

[Grumulkin]

A Contender can handle the 270 Winchester, 30/06 or any other cartridge of similar diameter as long as you use VERY light loads.  That said, I think it's not a smart thing to chamber a Contender for such cartridges since if someone seeing 30/06, etc. stamped on the barrel ignorantly tried to shoot factory loads in a Contender, damage to the gun or worse would probably result.

Of the 3 cartridges you mention, the 6.5x55 & the 9.3x57 would both be too high pressure for the Contender.  The 444 Marlin cartridge is OK in a Contender as long as factory load pressures aren't exceeded.

[pastorp]

Cowboy,
I doubt you will find anyone willing to chamber a contender barrel in the cartridges you mentioned. I to had a 30/40 kraig barrel once upon a time. It was a 30-30 barrel rechambered to the kraig by SSK. The kraig is about the max you can get & then you should not hot rod it in a contender frame. 

Regards,

[martineta]

Encore's weigh about a pound more than a contender and can take the big stuff up to 375 H&H, 416 Rigby.  You canalso buy factory 22 LR and caliber in between for encores.  I would suggest getting an encore frame and having both contender and Encore.  That's what I did.  Good excuse to try a different product from a great company.

[Drugstore Cowboy]

Thank you all

[Sourdough]

If T/C does not make the barrel for the gun, I won't.  I figure there must be a good reason they don't, so I can live with that.

[Ladobe]

If T/C does not make the barrel for the gun, I won't.  I figure there must be a good reason they don't, so I can live with that.

Your personal choice, so a good way to go for you probably.   I'm sure there is a reason why TC only offers what they do (logistics, sales, marketing)... but not because the other 150+ cartridges done on Contender frames are unsafe to shoot on them.   

By only having what they list for Contenders you give up a lot of very fine cartridges for the Contender that fill niches TC doesn't fill, and exceeds those that they do in every caliber with historic and wildcat cartridges.   I'd rather have the "long" list to pick from than only what TC offers, my personal choice.   

[DEACONLLB]

I came by a super 14 barrel in a gun trade that had been rechambered to 444 marlin but was still marked 44 Rem. mag on the barrel. I was not too sure that I wanted to use it so I did some research on the net and found that this had been done a lot and others were shooting them. I ask on here and got some info but then I called Hodgdons and ask to talk to a reloading teck, told him what I had and he told me to use Trailboss powder and a 240 grn xp bullet told me how to figure the right load and said I could not put enough of this powder in the load to be of any danger. He also told me that I would love the way it shot so I loaded up some and gave them a go and this is one of the best shooting low recoil and not a loud muzzle blast barrel that I have. I also took the barrel to my sons machine shop and had him machine the barrel with the words 444 Marlin Reduced loads only for safty sake.All that being said if you get your facts and shoot reduced loads you may or may not be safe in a contender,I would rather stick to what the factory says is safe or go with an Encore that is safe, no use taking a chance.
 
Deaconllb