Biggest, baddest caliber...

[habanero]

I am looking for a Thompson contender or encore that will provide the greatest recoil possible in a pistol. I would use it for hunting purposes as well as target shooting. I would hunt deer, elk, and even bison. I was thinking about the 45/70 Govt. A 300 grain bullet would probably be pretty controllable, while a 500 grain bullet would be totally insane to fire (ha ha ha).
What difference does the barrel length provide? The contenders get down to like 12 inches, while the encore lengths are like 15 or 16 inches.

[swill269]

:o
45/70's forever.

the barnes 250 gr HP X bullets (solid copper) over 53-55 gr h4198 moves about 2600 fps +- 100 fps from a 32" barrel with 1:14 twist.

i used the 53 gr load with a 300 gr JHP in a 14' T/C and the third round broke the screw which holds the grip to the frame. standing shooting off hand the weapon would roll me right over on my back if i did not take up the recoil with my arms and wrists. 3" moa @ 50 yd off hand w/williams target sights. gotta love em.
:cool:

[Tailgunner]

Bulberry makes a 15" Encore barrel chambered for the 416Rigby cartridge.
That enough wrist torque for ya?

[jlevach]

You can get a 50/70 barrel for the contender from SSK. It don't get much bigger than that. There are at least 2 7"ers in this caliber that I know of they were written up in the TCA magazine "One Good Shot" a couple years back. Apprently JD sells the stubb barrels for cheap to members of HHI chambered in any caliber that he has a reamer for these are usually short and come drilled and tapped for scope mounts but he will drill and tap for the front sight for a bit extra.
Jim L

[gossman]

the 45/70 in a 16" barrel is brutal :o

[jlevach]

Thats NOTHING compared to a 50/70 in a SEVEN INCH BARREL!

[habanero]

Wow, what a great response to my initial post.
What I might do is purchase the grip/frame now (probably the G2 contender) and look at my options for the barrel.
I am going out to shoot my father-in-law's 7-30 waters T/C today. That is a nice weapon for hunting, but it could use a lot more kick. You can even shoot that one single handed, if you are ready for the recoil.

[swill269]

:o
i still prefer the .458 cal for bullet selection. if you want more horse power; ream a 45/70 to 45/90 or 45/120. brass is available but a little high $.

i use a 32" barreled rifle for more speed and distance w/1:20 twist (too old to hold a big pistol). a barnes 300 gr spire point X bullet (solid copper) through a 16" barrel w/1:14 twist should produce all the torque & recoil the human arm can stand (45/120 should make somewhere around 2700fps +- 100fps). this is a very accurate and historical round. there is a lot of load data available for it (45/70).
:cool: