Stryker vs Contender

[chet]

Been thinking of a Stryker or a Contender pistol to haul around on my on_off road bike when varmint hunting. what are the pros & cons of each gun, I did not do any pricing yet, but which would be the more practical & cost less to set up. was thinking of a 22-250 or a 243 for hogs


Chet

[Blue Avenger]

STRIKER is a repeater.
scope mounts to the receiver, not each barrel.
takes a little longer to change a barrel.
barrels can be had cheaper by shortening rifle barrels.

I can shoot about as good with either one.

contender has more grip options. Pachmyer is great on them.
You have to go to the encore to get a .22-250 or .243
45-70, or .30-30, 7x30 Waters, 44 mag would be the big generic chamberings for a contender or G2
you have to brake it open to reset the trigger if you do not fire it, or go the the newer G2 or encore with a lesser quality trigger.
you have to use easy to R&R rings if you have multiple barrels, or buy more scopes.

[Eric in NC]

I would add that the Contender handles rimmed cartridges (22 Hornet, 375 Win, 219 Wasp, 357 Max, 44 Mag etc.) as a plus and has a better trigger "out of the box".

A Contender in 223 would be my choice for your application (cheapest, easiest, accurate, etc.).

[chet]

Are the Savage Strykers still available. I don't see them on their website

Chet

[Eric in NC]

Nope - another advantage of the contender. You have to find a used one or buy an "undesignated" action as a handgun and get a pistol stock and barrel.

[Blue Avenger]

strIker ;D

[hairtrigger]

About a year ago you could call Savage and order a new Striker even though they were not offered in the catalog.
I much prefer a center grip like the Striker over the TC

[yorketransport]

I started off with Contenders (a 14" 30-30 was my first handgun :D) but have moved away from them lately. They can be extremely accurate, but also very unpredictable. I would get 1" groups at 100yds one day, and 5" groups the next. I tried everything but I just couldn't get the consistency that I wanted. I also felt limited by the calibers that could safely be put into a Contender. There are some good ones available, but nothing spectacular. I sold off 18 barrels and only kept 2, a 10" 7mm TCU and a 14" 35 Rem. The 7mm has a 2x scope on it and gets used carried while I'm out on my mountain bike. I shot my first deer with the 35 Rem so it's hanging around just because of that.

I also tried the Encore which is what you would need to shoot the bigger calibers. The Encore is heavier and doesn't fit everyone. I just couldn't get a good a grip that felt good to me, so I got out of the Encore game.

I got a Striker about 6 months ago and I wish I had done it a lot earlier. It's not as light or packable as the Contender, but you get the strength and consistency of a bolt gun. It's stronger than an Encore and can take any caliber that you would put on a Savage rifle. Changing barrels takes a little longer than on a Contender or Encore, but not much.

I think that a Contender would be best for what you're looking for. It's really the most packable and versatile of the specialty pistols. The other option would be a good 6" revolver. It would carry better than any of the other single shot or bolt action pistols.

Andrew