This is the final write-up on Magnum Mikes 10” 357 Magnum ventilated rib barrel that he sent to OTT to have it chopped to 6” and re-chambered to 357 Maximum.

Finishing the 357 Shorty Max review took me a lot longer than I had planned. I had hoped to make several different trips to the range for load development. Because of persistent back problems, all I was able to do was the initial write up and a follow up range session. I apologize to Mike for the long delay (I'm sure his son has been pestering him none stop about getting HIS Shorty barrel back).

While I was not able to get to the range as soon, or as often as I had planned to, I did have time to set the Shorty Max up like I would use it. First step was to get a better forend made for the short barrel. I picked up a piece of Zebra wood at the local woodworking supply store and gave my stock making skills a try. After some trial and error I had a usable forend. Then I turned my attention to making a grip also. This I found to be a more challenging project. When finished, neither was perfect but both turned out nicely and complimented the short barrel. I then mounted a Simmons 2X scope on it to complete the package. I would have liked to replace the weaver rings with a set of- Leupold Rifleman Rings, but did not have the extra cash on hand so I made do with what I had. With the new grips, forend and scope installed it made for a very nice handling rig.

With the proper setup complete, it was time to move onto reloading. I decided to use the bullets and powder I had on hand. They were 158 gr. LSWC, Speer 170 gr. Gold Dots., and Hornadys180 gr. SSPB. Unique was used with the 158 LSWC bullets and H-110 was used with the 170 and 180 gr. bullets

First, I loaded up some Speer 170 gr. Gold Dots. First problem, I found was that the 170 gr. bullets, when crimped into the crimping grove would not chamber. I had to seat the bullets deeper in the case to get the proper clearance.
I had the same problem with the light 158 gr. LSWC target loads; I also had to seat them deeper to get them to chamber.

One of the frequent complaints of most factory TC barrels is the long throat. With OTTs set up, he can eliminate this problem. When you send a barrel to OTT to be re-chambered, Mike asks for 2 dummy rounds, using the longest bullet you will ever use in the barrel. This way he can cut the throat to minimize the bullet jump to the rifling and thus get better accuracy. The down size is if you ever want to use a longer bullet you will have to seat it deeper in the case or have the throat reworked to accept the longer bullet.

I next, tried to load up some rounds using Hornady 180 gr, SSPB. While seating the first bullet, using my 357 Magnum dies, I managed to make a very nice flat point out of the Hornady Spire point. The normal bullets used in a 357 Magnum are flat points or Hollow points, thus the dies were setup with that type of seating stem. I quickly solved the problem by cannibalized an old set of rifle dies for the proper bullet seating stem for pointed bullets. Soon, I was back in business.

With ammo all loaded. I was off to the range. After a One and a half hour drive, I arrived at our hunting lease. After unloading all my gear, I realized that I had forgotten all my targets and even my target dots. Luckily, after rummaging through my car, I found some graph paper and a red marker. Well, at least I remembered the guns and ammo. With the makeshift targets in place, I was ready to make some noise. After a few site in shots, I was all set.

I will admit that I have never been the best target shooter. Lack of range time and an ever increasing urge for more powerful handguns has limited my bench rest abilities. Too many years of whitetail deer hunting have trained me to shoot when the shooting is good, not when it is perfect. I never seem to have the patience to wait for everything to be perfect before I drop the hammer. Plus my interest in hand gunning mostly revolves around deer hunting, not target shooting. In North Carolina where I live, most of my hunting is done on property covered in pines and mature oaks, a long shot would be well under 100 yards. With this all being said, Minute of deer is what I require for most of my handguns.

The following pictures are from the second range trip. Loads picked from random from the loading manual. No playing with different powders, bullets or seating depth. Defiantly, not the best shooting, but not to bad for a first attempt. I feel with some more load development, this barrel will turn out to be a good shooter.

As you can see the Hornady 180 gr. SSPB shot the best. The, Speer, Gold Dots, Were a close second. With the 158 gr. LSWC, the groups really opened up. I would have been really surprised if the LSWC had out shot the spire points.

When Mike had the 10” 357 Magnum barrel chopped to 6”, he created a very nice handling handgun. By re-chambering it to the 357 Maximum, in my opinion, he not only retained, but improved the performance over the original 357 Magnum.

When I first bought my Contender, any thing but a 14" barrel was unthinkable. A bad back and twenty some years later, my tastes have changed. For me, a lighter, more compact handgun is a better handgun. Yes, I still use the 14" barrels. I would never consider using a 6" barreled Contender for a Wyoming Antelope hunt, but for the short range deer hunting that I do the most, Short is the ticket. If you are bored with your current hunting gun, try a short barreled Contender. You may be very surprised with the results.

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