contender

[Rocky Raab]

Ted, you can't get a Contender barrel in 7-08 or 270. Neither the original Contender nor the new Contender G2 are rated for that kind of pressure.

The much stronger Encore pistol/rifle will handle them, but not the Contender.

You said you have a Contender in 223, so let's work with that frame. I's strongly recommend either a .30-30 or a 7-30 Waters barrel for your deer hunt. The choice would depend on whether you reload or not.

The 7-30 is perhaps the best Contender deer cartridge ever invented, but factory amo is very limited. Reloading it is easy and rewarding.

If you depend on factory ammo, the .30-30 is almost as good. The new ammo from Hornady with the pointy tip would be ideal.

Get a 14" bull barrel and use a good variable scope. My 7-30 wears a 2-7X Burris LER (Long Eye Relief) scope, but any LER scope in the 1-5X is just as good. Don't go higher than a 2-7X, because you'll lose too much field of view. Get the best mounts you can - pistols are sharp kickers in these calibers!