The Contender action is such a tiny little thing. Between that and the action design (break-open), there are limitations imposed on what one can do (should) with it. I personally find those limitations quite acceptable and comfortable, and they suit the way I hunt without the burden of a bunch of extra weight and bulk for the sake of improbable opportunities.
In other words, I focus on the 99% of what one could reasonably expect to encounter, and plan the arm/ammo for that. I see the Contender and cartridges appropriate for it covering 99% of anything I would need, even if I won the lottery. I'm not likely to run into a grizzly where I hunt, unless on escapes from the zoo. I'm not likely to run into a band of tweakers, cooking dope in a shack in the woods (thankfully), and I have always tended to sneak up as close as possible for any shot I take - not because I'm so good at sneaking, but more that I've never put as much faith in my field-shooting at extreme distance on an animal if I didn't have to.
My personal choices in chamberings are for the mundane - cartridges which are fairly common and aren't bragged upon for their amazing range, speed, flatness of trajectory or down-range thump. That's ME. I find that cartridges appropriate to the subject platform are "good enough" for what I do, and sometimes good enough is good enough. Anything anyone wants to put through a Contender that doesn't beat it up is fine with me, and the selection is wide. I don't get the point of trying to get more out of a Contender that rides the line on pressure. Get a bigger gun. Many who do that end up adding large, bulky scopes, massive, blocky laminated stock sets and long, heavy barrels.
I don't know much about the 7mm TCU and have never shot one. I think the most exotic thing I've shot out of a Contender was the 30 Herret and it wasn't mine. I think anyone who has hunted enough, and especially someone who has shot silhouette, would know his own limitations with anything that works in the Contender. I didn't pick the chamberings I did because I know better than others, or that they are better than other chamberings, I just prefer them. Of course, all of mine are very amenable to cast bullet hunting too, at least to a degree which my cast bullet skill and knowledge will support. The 223 excluded, as its sole purpose is to reach out there a bit further for predators who seem to know the limitations for my cast loads.
Two more things and I'll shut up for a while:
1) The trigger on the original Contender are pretty awesome, BUT for the shooting I do, and the quality thereof, I think it's wasted on me. I honestly believe that I personally could shoot as well with the G2 trigger after I've tuned it, as I can with the original. Some people CAN benefit from the original trigger, but probably not as many as who think they can.
2) Not to be a doomsayer, but these things are getting expensive. Three years ago(?), I got a very nice "easy-open" for $325 online. A guy I know who is into Contenders said I paid too much. A week after I got that one, I found a grimy, stainless 223 at a show with $550 on the tag. I watched it for two days and no one ever picked it up. As the guy was packing up, I approached him and offered him $500. "Yeah, beats packing it up again,..." Took it home and cleaned it up and it was like new under the dirt. I put a scope on it and zeroed it using the same load I've used in my last three 223s. The last three shots went into about 5/8" and I left it at that.
In April of 2020, I found what was advertised as a stainless easy-open for $325. I bought it from the guy, but it turned out to be chromed. He offered $25 back to avoid the expanse and hassles on both ends of a return and I accepted. Turns out it was pre-Armor-Alloy, done by JD Jones, at least according to the experts I talked to.
TODAY, they are suddenly up around $400 - for the action. There's a guy on Graybeard's offering a couple non-easy-open frames for $350. I've known him online for several years and have traded with him at a few local shows. Not an "old pal" I know well, but he's been decent with me and we've always haggled a bit. I'd stick my neck out and offer actual advice, in this case, to start shopping and shop diligently online and at shows. I'd also try to score two or three, since parts may become an issue - not that I know of any parts that break on them. Haus of Arms does offer limited, new-made replacement parts for these. Still no word on complete actions of the remake, but I'm staying on the list just in case.
I have several links to good information on these, which I could share if anyone is interested. I just went through them and deleted a bunch of dead links, but there are some left which still work.
