A few years ago I bought a TC pistol 30-30 in a 10in. And because of one issue or another, have yet to get some range time with her until last year. Finally took her out and tried working with her to get her sited in. Blew and entire box at 25 lousy yards before I started getting something resembling a group. Was not comfortable enough with her to take her shooting.

Took her out this last weekend, and was trying to get her worked out, but even at 50 yards, it was all I could do to keep the shots on paper.

Pulled out my savage 1899 with iron sites and was able to shoot a group that could covered with a 50 cent piece. So I know I can shoot.

I guess the question I have here is, what is my next step? This is my first time shooting "long" range pistols. Is it that hard? Should I look at getting someone with experience with a contender to shoot it to make sure it isn't me?

Is the scope base, and rings tight?

Have you tried different ammo in the pistol?

Have a gun smith check head space...after you have checked rings, base and scope

Like the others said check all screws, contenders usually

Shooting a hunting handgun is nothing like shooting a rifle.

How are you benching the handgun? I put mine in a Caldwell "rock" front rest with a sandbag under the grip. Keep in mind with iron sights it doesn't take much of a misalignment in sights to cause a big difference in point of impact. It is easier to control with a rifle as the rear of the gun is anchored and the rear sight is closer to the eye.

How are you holding the handgun? If you are "death-gripping" it, then that could be adding to your issues. It is very hard to get a consistent hold and recoil if you are gripping it like it is going to fly out of your hand. With most of my Contenders and Encores, I can fire them one-handed from the bench without any issues. You should have a firm, but not tight, grip on the gun. Also, when you fire, you need to let it recoil. Trust me when I say that it won't fly out of your hand.

Finally, is it a G1 or G2 Contender? If it is a G1, then doing a quick trigger job on it is pretty easy. If it is a G2, it is a bit more difficult. Just like a rifle, a good trigger will go a long way. One of the most common errors I see with people shooting "rifle" caliber pistols is anticipation of recoil causing a jerk of the trigger. A good crisp, light trigger will help as it will surprise you a bit more than a heavy trigger.

Hope this helps. If you are anywhere near Houston (where I live) or Madisonville (where I shoot), I would be more than willing to help you out in person and also let you shoot some of mine.

Will go over all the screws. Ive had this trouble shooting both factory and handloads.

Thanks for the help. Will have to look at my grip and focus on trigger control.