Thompson Contender 308 recoil

A buddy of mine just purchased a Contender in 308 caliber and I was wondering if anyone has one and how bad is the recoil? I think it needs a muzzle brake to keep from breaking your wrist. What is ya"lls advice?

308 TC Pistol -- NOPE I have one and it's easily handled BUT Contender?????? must be a Encore the Contender was not chambered for a 308 by TC-- might be a custom rig but I would I would be careful shooting a 308 in a Contender frame the pressure would be too HIGH IMO--- 308 Encore SWEET gun----- blue gun in my avatar SS is 243

he says it is a pistol, I have shot handcannons before but they had muzzlebrakes. I can't stand the recoil from a 308 rifle thats why I know the pistol will have intolerable recoil without a muzzlebrake.

Bigbuck,

Eddy is correct. The .308 Winchester is too much for a Contender. If it is a Contender, then it is probably a .309JDJ or a 30-30.

If it is a .308 Winchester then the gun is an Encore.

Pistol recoil is different than rifle recoil. With a rifle, you are hunched up on a bench and are relatively rigid. Therefore, your body soaks up all the recoil. With a pistol, you will have some wrist snap and your arms will recoil upward, disappating some of the "shock".
I will say one thing about muzzlebreaks and rifle rounds in a pistol length barrel. They are VERY VERY loud and the muzzle blast is annoying to say the least. You really can't compare the .44 Mag or even the .454 with a muzzlebrake to the .308 with a muzzlebrake.
My suggestion is that if you don't like recoil, then stick to one of smaller caliber rifle rounds like a .243, or get a Contender and experiement with some of the wildcat chamberings.

The gun is an Encore , with a fluted stainless barrel, looks like 14 inch. Saw it today. Heavy also. He is going to shoot Fed Supreme 150 hydra- shocks. Just hope the recoil is not too much for him, i was thinking in the line of a 7x30 waters or under.

Bigbuck,

If it is fluted then it is an Encore Prohunter barrel and is 15". The Encores are a bit heavier than Contenders, which helps with the recoil. But, there still is going to be a bit of recoil. Plus, there is going to be significant muzzle blast. If he reloads I would suggest getting some 125 grain bullets and loading them up. They will increase the velocity over the 150s and you can use faster powders which will help more of it burn in the barrel and therefore lessen the blast. Lastly, at 15" barrel velocities the 125 performs very well on deer.

He will be shooting factory ammo and I suggested he look at some 130 grain ballistic tip , if they make em. I think this will also lessen recoil and still be a good deer killer. Plus the hydra shocks cost too much IMO.

Handgunner,
What caliber would you recommend for a Encore pistol under the 308, would a 7mm-08 have considerable less recoil with 120 grain hollow points? I have owned a 223 and loved it, and am thinking of getting me a Encore pistol next year to hunt with .

My recommendation for an Encore pistol would be a .243. If you want something bigger the 7mm-08 with 120s would be good. It won't have considerably less recoil than a .308 but it will be less. You can always go with a 6.8SPC as well. They are very recoil friendly.

My best recommendation for a break action hunting pistol is a G2 Contender with a 7-30 Waters barrel. If you reload then I would say the 6.5JDJ or 6.5x30-30AI (6.5 Bullberry) is a better choice. You can get a custom Contender barrel for about the same price as an Encore Prohunter barrel and the quality will be better.

.30-30 experience

based on my experience with my T/C Contender in .30-30 caliber with a 10" barrel, I do not think the .308 would have "too much" recoil for a single-shot hunting gun.
It will have a huge muzzle blast, though. Expect it to send grass and dirt and weeds flying if you shoot it from prone or a low sitting position.

A .30-30 with a 150 grain bullet has a published muzzle velcity (from a rifle barrel) of 2400 f.p.s.
The .308 with the same diameter and weight bullet will start at 2800 f.p.s.
That 400 foot-per-second boost in velocity is significant, but it should not take the recoil up to a whole new and unmanageable level.

Forgive the old thread revival.

I've got a Encore pistol in 7mm-08. I find it a lot easier to shoot than the .454 Casull barrel that the pistol came with.

Bigbuck said:

The gun is an Encore , with a fluted stainless barrel, looks like 14 inch. Saw it today. Heavy also. He is going to shoot Fed Supreme 150 hydra- shocks. Just hope the recoil is not too much for him, i was thinking in the line of a 7x30 waters or under.

Click to expand...

Do not fret. When I bought my first Encore, I didn't know the difference between the Encore and Contender. I didn't know there were two types. Typically the Encore rifle caliber pistol barrels come in 15", however, if it is custom, it could be any length. The Contender rifle calibers typically came in 14" but sometimes came in 12", but only 14" now. The contender frame is lighter than the Encore and the barrel at the breech is smaller also. The contender rifle cartridges are lower pressure cartridges like the .30-30, .35 rem, 7-30 waters etc. As for the Encore, you can get just about any rifle caliber there is in it.

Light bullets with fast burning powder for cartridge will reduce recoil and muzzle blast.

Rosewood