This story started when I was much younger. The ages will be kept secret to protect all those involved.
My family has always hunted. Mounted heads of trophy game animals adorn the walls of my father and brothers homes. The trophies range from Whitetail deer to Caribou, from Black Bear to Pronghorn Antelope. All of these trophies have been harvested using high powered rifles.
My father's favorite hunting rifle is an old Savage model 99 lever action in 308 Winchester. He has carried it so much; most of the bluing is gone. The finish on the Walnut stock no longer shines. He has nicer and more powerful rifles, but when legal, he almost always grabs the old lever action when deer season rolls around.
At a young age I found I was different. I could not wait until I would be old enough to hunt, but when I looked at the yearly gun digest, I found myself looking at the pistols more than the rifles. I always liked the looks of the XP-100. I thought one day I would own one.
As soon as I was twenty-one, I applied for my NY state pistol permit and put a handgun on layaway at the local gun shop.
The handgun I bought was not the long sought after XP-100 but a T/C Contender. After much thought, I had finely decided on the Contender because of its switch barrel/caliber design. I ordered the Contender with a 14" barrel that was chambered in 35 Remington. I had them install a Leupold 2x pistol scope and a Pachmayr grip and forearm. Two boxes of factory ammo and I was set. Well almost, the gun refused to fire factory ammo. If five rounds out of twenty went bang, I was lucky. After a session of bullet pulling, sizing and reloading, I was back in business. With reloads it would only occasionally misfire.
After sighting in the gun, I spent many hours practicing at the range. Soon, I was ready to harass the local woodchuck population. They need not have worried. I found out that there is a lot of difference between shooting at a target off a bench and real life field situations. I walked a lot of miles that summer. I dusted a few chucks but I only rarely connected. I found out that I had a lot to learn about my new past time. All too soon, deer season was here.
Opening morning of deer season, found me hunting a new property that I had never set foot on before. I had the double challenge, of not only using a handgun, but also learning a new location.
It was a typical New York state opening morning. It seemed that before it was light enough to see, shots began to be heard off in the distance. As daylight slowly came filtering through the trees, I found myself quietly working my way down a tree covered hill side onto a wooded bench. I picked a good looking spot and settled in. Soon, I could feel the cold slowly seeping into my body. The first hour or so went by quietly. Only the occasional squirrel or distant gun shot broke the silence. At about eight o'clock, I heard several shots fired farther down the hill from my location. As I looked in that direction, I saw a small buck come running up over the side hill onto the bench. He stopped to look around, all I could see was his head and neck. I took careful aim, the crosshairs settled onto the buck's neck. As I contemplated whether or not to take the shot, the buck decided he had stayed put long enough. He turned and worked his way behind a few trees. I followed him with the scope, and as he came back into view, the crosshairs again settled on the buck's neck.
I don't remember ever having decided to shoot. It was as if I went on automatic pilot, one minute I was looking at the deer through the scope, the next, I had squeezed the trigger. As the Contender roared, the buck dropped in his tracks. As I quickly made my way to the downed deer, I thanked God for allowing me to make the successful shot. There on the ground, I found my first handgun trophy. It was only a small four point buck, but I could not have been happier. I was hooked.
Over the years there have been other handguns. Ruger Redhawk in 44Magnum, Magnum Research Lone Eagle in 7mm08 and a Savage Striker in 243 Winchester. When I bought the Lone Eagle, I did not have an extra scope laying around, so I pulled the one off the Contender, and put it on the Lone Eagle. For the next couple of years it became my new favorite. Over all, I was very successful with the Lone Eagle, taking my best deer to date, a 120 class B&C buck and many smaller deer of both sexes. All this time, the Contender stayed scope less and neglected in its gun case.
One fall day during deer season, while shopping at a sporting goods store, I stumbled onto, two Simmons 2X handguns scopes for $50 each. I bought both. I mounted one on the Contender and sighted it in. The next Saturday, I took it deer hunting. Even though, I was not lucky enough to harvest a deer that day. I thoroughly enjoyed hunting with the Contender. It felt just like two old friends, rejoined after years of separation. The Lone Eagle in 7mm08 sure was more powerful, but I found I really liked the feel and balance of the old Contender better.
The 35 Remington barrel was still plagued with occasional misfires. So during the off-season, it was sent off to SSK Industries and rechambered to 358 JDJ. Three weeks later, I had it back in my hands. After I dropped the hammer on my first 358JDJ cartridge, all I could say was WOW! Awesome power and no more misfires. With a new round to try out, I was more excited about the up coming deer season than I had been in a long time. It is funny how a new gun or barrel will make this happen. Luckily, I was able to connect on a 3 point buck.
The only problem I found with the 358 JDJ is it burns fifty plus grains of powder each and every time I pulled the trigger. I had dies and brass for a 44 Magnum just lying around being unused. So after much thought, I convinced myself it would make good economical sense to buy a 44 Magnum barrel. I could get two shots for the cost of one. Also, after almost twenty years I would finally be able to use the switch barrel/caliber capability of the Contender. One hundred and thirty-five dollars latter, I had a used 10' bull barrel in my hands.
I mounted a scope on the barrel and put it on my Contender frame. Right away I realized that I liked the feel and balance of the of the 10"barrel so much better than the 14" barrel. One day in the deer woods convinced me. It has now become my favorite woods walker rig.
Now back to the story....
………..As the buck cleared a tree I took quick aim and squeezed the trigger. The 10" 44 Magnum Contender roared. At the shot I saw that I had connected and after a long tracking job, I finally found my trophy. It was a decent eight point buck. It was not my biggest buck with a handgun but it may be my most memorable.
Just as my father has his favorite deer gun, I also have mine. The Contender that was once new and shinny, now shows the wear and tear of almost twenty years of continued use at the target range and in the deer woods. It has a few small dings and battle scares. The bluing is worn thin in spots. Yes, it has changed some over the years, but just like with life long friends, it is the dings and bangs that mark the memories that will last a life time.
