Most efficient deer cartridge in a contender carbine?

[Ranger413]

I'll cast a (possibly premature) vote for the 6.8.  After doing a fair amount of research I settled on the 6.8 for my son's deer rifle.  I think the G2 suits his right handed but left eye dominant shooting style best.  And, with all of the positive press about the 6.8 being an ideal caliber for younger shooters that's what I chose.  From what I've heard and read it sounds like .243 or better performance with light recoil.  As we take it to the range and the field time will tell if all the info I found was good.

[wallacem]

Well, it seems that you have figured out that there are about a dozen good sound deer cartridges for the Contender carbine.  alan in Ga said it pretty good, and I would add the 7-30 Waters, which you said you already have.  I think that you can ream the chamber to "improved"  if you want a little more.  Same true for the 30-30.  The most important thing i could add is for you to just pick your favorites, and use them.  You can't go wrong if you are shooting something you like, and nothing will work if you are shooting something you DON'T like.  Wallacem in Ga

[Drugstore Cowboy]

Have you looked at the numbers for a 30/40 Krag?

[alan in ga]

Somebody just sold and somebody just purchased a GREAT round and barrel, a T/C Custom shop 18" barrel in .357 Maximum for only $185. Now THAT was a good deal on a hard to find barrel!

[Dezynco]

Somebody just sold and somebody just purchased a GREAT round and barrel, a T/C Custom shop 18" barrel in .357 Maximum for only $185. Now THAT was a good deal on a hard to find barrel!

   You're dang tootin' it was!  I missed this one by minutes!  When I saw the "I'll take it" before me, I almost spilled my beer!  The 357 Max is another WAY UNDERRATED round like the 375 Winchester that outperforms its expectations when loaded for a Contender (or Encore).   Thought about getting up from the computer and stompin' around the room for a while!

[alan in ga]

Well, instead of stomping around {I tried it, it doesn't work as far as bringing another neat barrel to the for sale column lol}, think about a MGM special order barrel. It would probably shoot more accurately than the T/C that came and went so quickly! [and cost 2X as much : (

[dave29]

Somebody just sold and somebody just purchased a GREAT round and barrel, a T/C Custom shop 18" barrel in .357 Maximum for only $185. Now THAT was a good deal on a hard to find barrel!

It was listed in the Encore classifieds first. I committed to buy it. Turned out that it was a Contender barrel.

I already have an MGM in Maxi, so I wasn't too sad. But, it was a good buy.

[7-30 Waters]

35 Remington gets my vote.  With the invention of Hornady Lever Evolution ammo the 35 Remington is now a 250 yard deer rifle.  Otherwise, I would have to say the 7-30 Waters is a close second.

[Spencer, Carey]

Thank you 7-30 Waters! So many good ones out there, but this is a very overlooked/underthought of cartridge. Within its effective range, and now as you have said extended thanx to Hornady, it is head and shoulders(IMHO)a better killer than the 30-30(As fine a cartridge it Certainly Is.) all else being equal. It really knocks the everlovin snot out of Whitetail Deer, and pigs. Not as easy to find, but not scarce by any stretch either. That all being said, because I can laugh at myself, I am guilty of forgetting the ammo and blew my only opportunity as of yet to kill a deer with the .300 Weatherby. Didnt know untill the deer was standing there. Horrible. Moral of the story is to prepare and not be i n a situation where you have to go looking for ammo after you either get to, or are on the way to the hunt, and assuming that there will be what you beed somewhere along the way. For what its worth.....