What is your experience with Varmint calibers in Pistols?

Totch94

Totch94

New member
Just wondering what experience any of you have had with rounds like .17 Remington, .204, .223, .243 etc. in pistols such as the Encore or Contender or even the XP100. I am thinking about getting some barrels for my Contender or Encore, but wonder what to expect in the way of performance from these calibers. Will you lose a ton of velocity? Will it be accurate? Is there a better caliber in this range for pistols? I might even try to pick up an XP100 some day if I find just what I am looking for. I was thinking that it might be fun to put together some of these for taking along on a PD hunt in the future. Thanks for your input!
 
I think the smaller case calibers are more appropriate for pistol barrels. The 221 is one that comes to mind as perfect for a bolt action pistol barrel. With a 10" pistol it gives almost as much as from a rifle barrel.

Jack
 
Totch,

I recently aquired a 7mmTCU barrel for my contender. I plan to try it this fall on a couple predator and varmint hunts. The load is easily developed by necking up 223. rem cases. This is without question the most accurate barrel I have had on the contender frame. Loads with 100-140 grain bullets should provide quite a whack I would think too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif




7mm%20pic1.jpg




This is the round next to its parent;




7mm%20pic2.jpg




Dave
 
Heres one of my LR pistols. 223 rem.
Rem XP100 with kevlar stock, stock action and barrel, trigger has been tuned up. Its topped with a 3-12X Burris. It is quite accurate if I can consistently hold it shot to shot. You definately need to practice alot more with a handgun than you do with a rifle.






IMG_1258.jpg
 
If you reload there is different load data for these "rifle" cartridges when shot in a pistol. You can use faster powders to make up for the short barrel and get some of the velocity loss back.

Most mordern reloading books will list these as SSP or single shot pistol reloading data.
 
While not on your list of varmint calibers, I had a TC Contender in .22 Hornet. It could shoot 50 grain bullets to hit the target sideways at 50 yards. I was impressed, I had never seen a gun do that before. I was also impressed with how ineffective the .22 Hornet in the pistol was as a groundhog killer, about like a .22 Mag in a rifle, without the accuracy of a rifle. But, that was in the days before the 40 grain Nosler BT or Vmax bullets, so things may work better for the Hornet in a pistol now. I am just not going to spend my money to personally verify that speculation. lol

On the other hand, I have a friend with a 14" barreled Contender in .223 Rem., and he says it is very accurate and an effective groundhog getter. He's an excellent shot and knows how to work up a good load, so I will trust his opinion on that matter.
 
Expect about 25-40 fps loss/" of barrel length.

I use 17Mach IV XP
20 BR XP
243 WSSM Savage Striker
22 BR XP
6.5-284 XP
7 WSM XP
6.5 WSM XP
 
sscoyote,

Bet that 7WSM is a handful in a handgun?

Grunter,

The 7mm TCU is something I had already put a little thought into. Wonder how it would be on deer size game?
 
I have a 14" .223 barrel on my contender, and in the field, I don't see much a difference between that and the 21" carbine. Accuracy is very good, has killed a bunch of groundhogs and crows. I have also used the xp in 7mmbr, but prefer the contender.
Barry
 
I have shot the handguns for years and have found it better to stick with certain calibers for what you are looking to do. The .221 is a fine choice for general work and I find the XP one of the best formats to work with. I have Contender but they are old ones. New ones don't seem to match up to them in my experience. .223 in a 14" Contender is awesome as well.

Some of my choices would be:
.221 Fireball
.17 Fireball
.223
22 BR
22 PPC

I am sure that any one of these in a .20 cal would work too.
 
My experience w/ the 204 in short barreled rifles is the NOISE! In a pistol I would think a 204 is going to be deafening to you and those around ya.
 
Quote:
Actually recoil isnt that bad with a good brake here is a video of a 7mm-270WSM.

http://photos.imageevent.com/17encore/danb/dansstuff/100_0286.mov



Interesting u happen to bring that video up. That's Dan Bowers over at handgunhunt.com. His rig was built be Kirby Allen of APS in Ft. Shaw MT. He used the same reamer Kirby had built when i built mine. His is a little different though. Mine's a 7 twist Pac-Nor that shoots the monstrous 200 gr. Wildcat bullet with a BC that approaches .8. Killed a 320 yd. mulie buck 2 years ago with it.

Here's a pic of Ernie Bishop's 7mm Dakota that gets 2700+ fps. out of the 200 Wildcat (also built by Kirby). He killed his cow elk last season at an awesowe 666 yds. this last year, and it never got out of it's bed--DRT!!
408316.JPG


That photo is a 1st shot connection in a 10 mph x-wind at 1000 yds. that i bet him dinner he couldn't do. My mistake.


Edited: Please do not place text beside images. It spreads the screen for many of our viewers.
Jack
 
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If that's the target we used in CO a couple of years ago it's 3'.
If you can find a Savage Striker, it is also good for hunting. Here's mine in 22-250. This critter was taken at 248 yds according to my range finder. I'm using a Lupy 4.5x14 Tac with a dot (rifle scope) With or w/o the brake there's no problem with getting hit in the face.

122906258.jpg
 

14" contender in 17 rem is running close to 3600fps with 25grn bullets and groups in the 1 1/4" range at 100 yds.

14" contender in 223 is running right at 3300 with 40 vmax and A-2015 and groups under 2" for 3 shot groups at 200 yds.

Have 10" barrels in 22H, 221fb, 256Win mag, and 7 TCU. Best 5 shot groups with these tend to be in the 1.5 - 2.5" range at 100.

The 10" hornet groups 5 in 1.5" at 100 using 40vm seated out to the lands and a max load of A-1680 with an average 2518fps.Seems to work well out to about 150yds. on smaller than Coyote size predators.
 
I love my Contender 14" 233 topped with a Burris 3X12 w/turrets and a Harris bench swivel bipod. It loves Ultramax 52gr HP. At 100 yards we easily and consistently picked off a row of 45 ACP brass. We then stretched out the range to 400 yards. I had my laser range finder, wind meter, and ballistic charts and with a couple shots we were zeroed in on milk jugs filled with water. We hit several consecutively. At that distance the jugs didn't desintegrate, but it did split them open surprisingly well. This is my all time favorite firearm. This setup is not well suited for calling coyotes or anything like that. However, if they will give me time to get on them and settled in, I can reach out quite a ways (for a pistol.)
 
Had a contender years ago with a .223 barrel had 44 Mag and 22 LR barrels for it as well, shot good with the 44 and 22 could not hit jack with the .223 sold the entire set up got a S&W M29 nickle for some of it that was in the last century though before S&W sold us out, sold thet 29 along with all my other S&W's have not owned another one.
I am thinking about an encore rifle and pistol combo been trying to find a set of recievers with consecutive numbers just for S&G
 
Quote:
Yote, how big is that target?



Mike's (TCUSparky) right. The shot was 8" off center.

Mike's just lethal with that 22-250 Striker too. He wrote up a number of coyotes he killed this yr. with that rig of his.
 


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