TC Contender caliber for western big game

[basedacid]

I've inherited a G1 contender from a family member, and would like to take it hunting for elk or black bear. I got .45 colt and .35 Remington barrels with the frame, and am curious which one folks would prefer for hunting these species in Western WA brush.

My instinct is the .35 Remington for a little extra reach. Other suggestions are also appreciated. The 7-30 waters seems like a cool Contender caliber, but I'm not sure if it would pack as much punch as I'd like for elk.

 

[naked wombats]

All of those are good! I do love a G1 contender, i have a few.

Is this in pistol format, or in rifle?

Are you handloading? If not, the 45 will probably be easier to get an appropriate load for. The factory 35 rem loads are limited, but there are solid options if you are rolling your own.

7-30 waters is also good, but last I checked there is one factory load from federal.

 

[basedacid]

The frame is a pistol, though I'll probably add a brace for hunting.

I do hand load, so that would make 35 Remington/7-30 more viable. I'm particularly interested in trying some 35 rem loads with higher BC bullets, since I won't be limited to round nose like with my lever gun.

What's the issue with factory loads in your opinion?

 

[naked wombats]

Biggest thing for me is limited selection of loads, and most of those available are round or flat points designed for rifle use.

In the 7-30 for example, a berger or nbt that expands better at 10-14" barrel speeds could be preferable to the factory federal 120 flat point.

In 35 rem most .358 cal bullets are really designed for rifle velocity, but you can also load some .357 projectiles with a much lower minimum expansion threshold.

 

[slvrslngr]

I’d roll with the 35 Rem. Particularly if you handload.

 

[FLS]

I loaded 120 grain Nosler ballistic tips and 120 grain Sierra Pro Hunters in my 7-30 Waters pistol and carbine. Both worked great for deer.
The Hornady 200 grain load is about as good as it gets in a 35 Remington. If you can find them, Hornady used to make a .35 cal Single Shot Pistol bullet. That worked great in my 357 Max barrel.

 

[basedacid]

Awesome, thanks for the tips on loading. The 35 rem is a super 14, so the velocity shouldn't completely be written off.

 

[Bluefish]

Awesome, thanks for the tips on loading. The 35 rem is a super 14, so the velocity shouldn't completely be written off.

The problem with 35 rem is getting enough powder to get decent speed. While I don’t have a 35 rem, I have played with several 35 cal cartridges, 357 max, 358 Yeti, 358 socom, 358 jdj, 360 bh, 35 whelen. If you go 200g, the best bc I have found is a Ttsx at .369, the 200g ftx is .3. Even in a full length rifle barrel the 200g load is maybe 2200, at best 2400. Not going to give you much range before dropping below minimum opening velocity. Go up to the 250g for a .4+ bc and you are probably just over 2k from a rifle barrel.

Personally I have gone to lighter copper, 160g or less. Gain some speed. I am trying to get Maker to make some .358 diameter versions of the tipped 125g they do for the 350L. I think that would work great. I used some of the 205g 350L subs in a 360 bh and they were deadly on whitetail. If you are sub 100 yards I would try these.