Thompson Contender for hunting

MOONED

OK, so I found a Thompson Contender at a local gun show yesterday and had to make the purchase. For awhile, I had been considering finding either a XP-100 or a TC to hunt with in Georgia. I typically use either a Savage in 30.06 or a Winchester model 100 in .284 caliber and have made shots up to the 300 yard mark. Obviously, I know that will not be achieved with the TC I purchased in the caliber barrel I have. The caliber is 44mag and the barrel is probably 8" in length.

Here's the question..Do I shoot this barrel and become comfortable with it to the point I can make a 100 - 150 yard shot, or do I just get a longer barrel in a different caliber to achieve longer distances? I think the 44mag will be quite capable of adequate knock-down and penetration at a distance of under 150 yards, but I just want some opinions from folks who have gone the single-shot pistol route for deer hunting. I really would also like to hear from folks who have used the 44mag for deer hunting and know what their results were for impact at 150 yards. I think the round is adequate, but do want to know what it's capabilities are. If this barrel won't work, I can get a 30/30 barrel and use Hornady ammo and get out to 200 yards (maybe a little more), or maybe a 7mm barrel and reach out a bit farther. I'm just not sure what the best option would be.

One thing I do know for sure, I am a confident hunter who will not make an irrational decision about taking a shot that will not kill. My intention would be to bring my rifle in case "the big one" comes out, and use the TC for a few closer shots this season. Any ideas/suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,

Aaron

mrbruce

The 44 will do fine if you keep sane distances with with it as you mentioned.. Put a 240 grain bullet in a deers chest and you'll be eating good all winter.....

beantownshootah

You're asking about things which are largely a question of personal preference.

First of all, hunting ANYTHING with a handgun past 150 yards is pretty tough (see below). Personally, I know I'm not a good enough shooter to responsibly hunt deer with a pistol at that range. I'd top things out at 100 yards personally, and even there a bit reluctantly.

In terms of specific calibers, 150 yards is pushing things with a .44 magnum, because of bullet drop.

If you zero your gun at 100 yards, you'll get a peak of about 2-3" high at 50 yards. At 150 yards, your bullet is going to have dropped 6" (or more), and then its going to drop off really quickly past that.

In practice what this means is that with a handgun round at distance, small errors in range estimation can result in LARGE differences in point of impact.

As another consideration, stubby/blunt .44 magnum bullets aren't particularly aerodynamic and lose velocity quickly. While your 240 grain .44 will start at the muzzle at maybe 1500 fps with a hot load, by the time it hits 150 yards, it will only be clocking around 800 fps, roughly the same ballistics as a .45ACP from the muzzle of a 1911 pistol.

The compounds the problem since with that little energy, shot placement is absolutely critical, and at that distance its harder to get it. While its certainly "possible" to hunt deer with a .45ACP, that doesn't make it a good idea.

In short, I'd say keep it under 100 yds with the .44 magnum, and you should be OK. Any of the rifle-type rounds, obviously, should be OK at that distance too.

If you really have to stretch things out to 150 yds (or further) with a handgun then I'd suggest at the very least a "real" rifle caliber round for better trajectory and energy retention, if not a reconsideration of what you are trying to do and why.

dfletcher

Will you be scoping the T/C or using iron sights? Of the many barrels I have my most commin scope is the Weaver 2.5 to 8X, it's very rugged and clear and not too expensive.

I think 150 yds is a bit of a stretch for the 44 Magnum in a short barreled handgun, although if your barrel is the older octagon type I think those were 10" barrels not 8". If you eload, I suppose the Hornady "Leverevolution" bullet is better designed for longer ranges. Perhaps this is a touch off point, but a 14" barrel in something like the 35 Remington would be a much better choice and serve better in the field.

rufe-snow

Years back I had one of the original TC's in 44 Mag, with a short barrel like yours. To say the least it wasn't any fun to shoot with full house mag loads. If your fixing to use it as a 100+ yard deer getter. Better do a heap of practicing with it, to get the flinchidous under control. IMHO you would be a lot better off with the 30-30 barrel, it would be flatter shooting, and less recoil to cause flinching.

MOONED

Thanks all for the opinions. Please keep in mind what I stated in my original post, that I intend on becoming proficient with the gun first, that I would not make irrational decisions when making shots and that I do intend on bringing my standard rifle with me, basically if I do not feel confident with the shot.

I think becoming proficient with the specific firearm IS the first step. After that, my intention is to only make a shot that I know I can manage. Since I only have one .44 caliber handgun, I wanted to get opinions on the specific caliber in relation to hunting. I do agree that 150 yards with an 8" barrel is stretching it for accuracy, but really wanted to what others had experienced with the caliber in general.

Thanks again.

Aaron

wtroper

I hunt exclusively with handguns. I have used both single shots and revolvers extensively. I would not recommend using the 44 mag at distances more than 150 yds, even if you are using a single shot with a scope. I limit myself to about 125 yds max with a revolver (41 mag, 44 mag, or 454). Single shot handguns in rifle calibers have a much longer effective range. With many of them 200-300 yds from an experienced shooter is well within the capabilities of the cartridge.

tsr1965

quote:Originally posted by MOONED
Thanks all for the opinions. Please keep in mind what I stated in my original post, that I intend on becoming proficient with the gun first, that I would not make irrational decisions when making shots and that I do intend on bringing my standard rifle with me, basically if I do not feel confident with the shot.

I think becoming proficient with the specific firearm IS the first step. After that, my intention is to only make a shot that I know I can manage. Since I only have one .44 caliber handgun, I wanted to get opinions on the specific caliber in relation to hunting. I do agree that 150 yards with an 8" barrel is stretching it for accuracy, but really wanted to what others had experienced with the caliber in general.

Thanks again.

Aaron


Contrary to what other's have posted, and provided you make good on your profieiency agenda, that 44 magnum can be capable up to 200 yards. I have seen them topple 200 meter rams all day long. I do also know there is a difference between a steel target, and a live one. I would at first not push the limit past half that distance though. At the utmost advice, determine what maximum distance you can keep the groups in the kill zone, and stay within that limit.

One last word, if you have never hunted with a scoped handgun, don't believe it is as simple as throwing a scope on the handgun, and being able to hit everything you shoot at. It takes time, patience, and a lot of practice and money.

Best

MOONED

Thanks all to the replies. I will as suggested by the previous poster, "make good" on the proficiency of this pistol before hunting this fall. I have quite awhile to become familiar with the cartridge before this fall. Also, there is an indoor gun range locally that has several stations at 100 yards. I will spend plenty of time doing as I stated previously to become proficient.

buddyb

I hunted with a Contender for many years.A scoped,14 inch barreled 44 mag Contender will hold a good group at 200 yards.I found that a 14 inch barreled pistol is not handy and I might as well use a rifle.When I went back to a 10 inch barrel and wanted a little more range,I tried a 30-30 but it was not accurate as I thought it should be.My theory is that a full lenth rifle cartridge is too much of a good thing for a 10 inch barrel.The best compromise for accuracy and power I found was a 30 Herret.I would think that by now with all the new cartridge development in the past few years there are probably at least equal and likely a better choice.

sandwarrior

Mooned,

I'll just say what I have. The 7mm TCU. It's about as much recoil as I like to handle in a handgun. I've fired 30-30 and 7-30 Waters in a handgun and it's a little more than I like. The 7-30 will outperform a 7mm TCU but not if you are at the point you don't like having to control the recoil. The same applies to a .44 Mag in a T/C. If you don't like the recoil, either get used to it or don't shoot that far. But, like said above, the .44 will take game @ 200 no problem. I personally keep my 7mm TCU zeroed @ 300 with 140 gr. bullets pushed to 2100 fps. There is plenty of 'kill' at 300 yds with a 7mm bullet pushed that hard. FWIW, if you are okay with the recoil, the 7-30 and 30-30 are a step up from that. It all boils down to basics and within 300 yds., most all of the T/C chambered calibers work well.