American Handgunner July/August 1979

at an elevation of roughly 4000 feet. Elevationaffects the effective ballisticcoefficient of the bullet if you're calculatingtrajectories over longer ranges. Theve,locity reading would, of course, be influencedby ambient temperatures. Thedifferences that may have been notedthrough a cross-check of chronograph instrumentswill necessarily remain a mysterysince the original is no longeravailable.If you have a Contender-or any singleshot-chamberedfor the standard RemingtonJet, think of it as a revolver roundthat didn't pan out. The Model 53 has becomea collectible, having been discontinued.Factory-loaded Jet ammo andreloadable brass have remained on themarket because a few factory single-shotrifles worth shooting are still made and, ofcourse, because of the Contender chambering.However, if you happen to be anindividual who enjoys improved performance,you'lldiscover a heap of satisfactionin plunking down the modest sum neededto convert to Super Jet. Case capacity increasesaverages 18.5 percent in a beautifullyshapped and manageable cartridgethat provides a remarkable increase inperformance.The last round-up revealed that a numberof gunsmiths around the country weremaking Super Jet conversions on Contenderbarrels, as well as single-shot riflebarrels and an occasional custom gun. Reloadingdies are regularly provided byR.C.B.S. through Fred Huntington'sSportsman's Store at 601 Oro Dam Boulevard,Oroville, California 95965.The versatility displayed through theability to use regular rifle loads in the Contender'sshorter barrel is also apparent inthe Super Jet's willingness to accept a widevariety of powder types. I experimentedand settled on 9.5 grains of Blue Dot and a40-grain bullet a 200 I feet per second as afine light plinker. Hodgdon and Winchestersphericals are easily digested, too. Ihave had good results and clean burningwith 12.0 grains of H-l JO behind a 40­grain bullet that averages 2029; a moderate,but effective and accurate loading. Onthe slightly stiffer side, 16.5 grains of W-W680 has yielded 2314 with a 50-grain bullet.Other Winchester, Hodgdon, Alcan,Norma, Hercules, and DuPont powdershold good promise. It's just a matter oftaking any jet load and working up to bettershooting by increasing the powdercharge in half-grain increments until themaximum load is evident, then backingdown by about ten percent.The combinations, when you're workingwith a well-designed cartridge that issafely within the limits of bore capacity forany given caliber, are virtually unlimited.The Super Jet is one of the most ideallybalanced cartridges in use today. Twentytwohandgun shooting and handloadingreaches the apex when this stubby stingeris chambered in a Contender ~barrel. ~AMERICAN HANDGUNNER . JULY / AUGUST 1979BUY RIGHT WITHFRANZITEHOY/', d~ u, .'I'thl "CON EIROL