T/C Contender .45 x 209

[DavePA]

Anyone out there shooting this little setup?

 

[DavePA]

I was having some disappointing accuracy issues but I had useless QLA cutoff and muzzle recrowned.

 

[dwm]

I haven’t shot mine in a while, but back when I was I was shooting 195 grain power belt with 100 grains of pyrodex very accurate. I don’t use power belts or pyrodex anymore or that gun for whatever reason, maybe I will with other powder and bullets and play around, I killed a few with it without problems, good luck and post what you find works in your gun

 

[gemihur]

I love the contender in 209x45.
Have two GA-90 barrels. 16" & 20"
Prefer the 20" for woods use.
Gonics have gotten pretty hard to find since Fred died.
He was a great designer for TC back in the old days.

 

[DavePA]

So the Gonic design was the driver for the T/C .45 x 209? Mine is a factory T/C barrel.

I purchased two of them for our youth mzldr shooting program. They were great inline training guns, even shot PRBs to minute of paper plate at 50-60 yards. But accuracy was lousy for reasonable deer hunting ranges until I removed QLA and purchased some Epps after market 25ACP breech plugs.

Our youth program morphed into sidelock only so I parted ways with one barrel. I kept one for hunting - wife loves it

 

[gemihur]

He was the designer for the Seneca and the Cherokee and rumor has it that he was instrumental in the Encore's inception. He wanted Thompson to step into black powder for the contender and they didn't want to so he left and him and his son Dale, started Gonic Arms in New Hampshire. When his patent ran out after his death TC jumped on it and started producing what Fred Rodney had recommended to them all those years before as their employee. Sometimes the guys upstairs can't see beyond their own wallet...probably because it's so full!

Honestly, I've never examined a 209x45 bbl that was made by TC. One thing I don't appreciate with Fred's design is that the breech plug is not full bore but taps into about a 3/8" rear of barrel.
His 50's were tight bore, .50 bullet needed. I don't know about 50's in the GA series for contenders but I managed to wrangle a SS GA-93 from a forum member at Graybeard.
It is a work of art and shoots like thunder once you locate a suitable projectile to load for it.
I've been relegated to sabot use with that one. Would love to locate the sizing tool (takes a standard 50 cal bullet to .50" for use) that Fred included with the original sale.

 

[DavePA]

I recall seeing Gonic rifles but never knew about the Contender option. That's cool.
I had three T/C factory contender mzldr barrels - 2 in .45 and 1 in .50 cal. The .50 cal was true dog, I believe because the breech plug was sooooooo long.

 

[SuperKirby]

I have a 209x.45 barrel on a G1 Cougar frame. Never shot it for accuracy. Ran a few rounds through it initially and decided the recoil pad on the G1 rynite stock was not up to par. It got put on the backburner until I procured a better stock and somewhere in there I got hung up on Encores. I keep thinking I should pull it back out but I guess I keep thinking that I'd rather wait until I have a G2 frame and a better stock. Someday I'll take it out and see what it can do.

 

[Cattledog]

I have a G2 Contender in .45 X 209. I have yet to spend time with the rifle to see what it like to be fed. My plan is to have it either Nitride treated or cerakoted prior to hunting with the rifle. My planned bullet is a .40 cal SST with the red ballistic tip removed. Per the twist calculators it should shoot well at about 1700 fps. Time will tell.

 

[GM54-120]

Why would you need to remove the tip? The 200gr SST shoots fine in a 1-30 and that barrel is either a 1-28 or 1-20 right?

 

[WPrather]

I really really like my TC Contender g2. I don’t have a muzzeloader barrel for it. But a g2 Contender with a 23in 35rem barrel is one of the handiest little woods guns I ever carried. I also use the Contender for pistol barrels since we have a Alternative deer season instead of a Muzzeloader seasonn.

MGM now makes 45cal pistol and rifle barrels for the g2 Contender and Encore. Haus of Arms keeps them in stock on there website. For the price, quality and they way they shoot you can’t hardly beat MGM.

As far as TC’s QLA as a sabot shooter only. I think it’s great I would have it any other way.

 

[Cattledog]

My G2 .45 x 209 barrel is 1 in 28. The .40 sst with the tip removed is .75 inch long, with the tip it's .9 inch. The calculator suggests the .75 should be easier stabilize than the .9 inch at 1700 fps. I have no idea if the red tip really would cause an issue, but it is easy to try. More than likely I should order a range of .45 to .40 sabots over removing the red tip.

 

[gemihur]

WPrather,
My barrel used to be 35 Rem but it hits harder now!
... a bit LOUD, tho.

 

[WPrather]

I’m sure it is loud, I personally hate brakes because of that. I would rather take it in the shoulder than the ears.

 

[gemihur]

I bought it like that.
If I'd had it built I would go for an extension.
Even David White, it's manufacturer, doesn't recommend a brake on 14" barrels anymore.
The release of muzzle blast is far too close to the shooter.
I wear plugs when carrying it and muffs on the range.
But it puts hunting into a visual only sport realm.
I still use my 35 Rem barrel but in a pistol configuration since it's only a super 14.

 

[GM54-120]

Which calculator? JBMs? because tip length is far different than OAL used by other calculators. Several guys shoot the 200gr SST out of the CVA pistols. Its a 50cal but a 1-28. Speed is likely close or less.

JBM says its fine
Caliber: 0.400 in
Bullet Weight: 200.0 gr
Bullet Length: 0.750in
Plastic Tip Length: 0.150 in
Muzzle Velocity: 1700.0 ft/s
Barrel Twist: 28.0 in
Output Data Stability: 2.659

Using .9 length plus tip length is fine too
Stability: 1.595

 

[Cattledog]

I was using bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator. Thank for the help with tip length vs OAL using the JBM calculator. Hopefully I will get out shooting later this month, if so I will post results.

 

[SuperKirby]

I can't imagine the top would make a noticeable difference on accuracy unless it was getting deformed during loading. On the other hand I've been wrong before and is sure like to know about it if I am. I'm about to start shooting a mess of the SST's in harvested sabot to get my son ready for hunting season this fall.

 

[Rayford Burwell]

Back when, I used 2 50g Pyrodex pellets and a 275 great Powerbelt in G2 .45. Good accuracy and great knockdown for deer. I felt like it replicated my prior set up, Cherokee, 80 grains loose Pyrodex and the now extinct Hornady Great Plains 285, for accuracy and impact. Both setups good at 100yds. Now resurrecting the G2 with 70 grains 777, 180 XTP. My experience is that lighter powder charges work great in .45s.