Old school never looked so good. While both the Thompson/Center Contender break-action pistol and Magnum Research Lone Eagle rotating-breech handgun offer one-shooter designs that are out of current production, they’re no less relevant or sought after. So which is better when it comes to practical hunting? Is one action superior to the other? Guns.com gets hands-on with these two stout single-shot hunting handguns to answer those and other questions. 

Contender: The Contender is a single-shot, single-action handgun with an exposed hammer. That hammer shows off a unique mechanism, containing not one but two firing pins for use with both rimfire and centerfire barrels. Shooters can easily switch between the two. The action is actuated by pressing forward on the curved trigger guard. A beefy hinge pin mates the barrel to the frame with the only other attachment being the forend bolt, allowing for simple barrel – and caliber – swaps. 

Lone Eagle: The Lone Eagle is often referred to as a cannon action due to the rotary-breech action, also known as a cannon breech. The result is a much shorter handgun sans traditional bolt or other space-taking mechanism. The Lone Eagle’s action is both a strong and simple one, opened and closed by twisting the rear knob. Interestingly, loading and closing the action does not actually cock the firing mechanism. Shooters must utilize the cocking lever at the left front of the stock. Upon rotating the action back open to the full lock position, the ejector kicks out spent casings.  Duel Winner: This one is as true to apples and oranges as they come in terms of single shots. While the Contender’s switch-barrel design offers greater modularity, the unique cannon action of the Lone Eagle carries a legit cool factor and accuracy to match. 

RELATED: Timeless Single-Shot Hunter – Thompson/Center Contender

Contender: Thompson/Center’s Contender traces its roots back to Warren Center’s original design. When gun builder and designer Center joined forces with machinist Kenneth Thompson, history was in motion. The versatile platform initially allowed users a choice of calibers and barrels, from .22 Rimfire to .357 Magnum. The rest is history. While the Contender handgun has been dominant in its own right, it led the way for major introductions and improvements, including both the Encore and the Contender G2.   

Lone Eagle: The Lone Eagle from Magnum Research was originally known as the Ordnance Research SSP-91 with roots dating back to 1986. Coming first from Ordnance Tech as the SSP-86, design changes and improvements led the SSP-91. Fast forward to 1993, and Magnum Research – now of Desert Eagle and BFR fame – acquired both the design and rights to the platform. 

Duel Winner: Two American-made handgun platforms with stout builds and capable hunting and target shooting histories? We all win. 

RELATED: Cannon-Action Single Shot – Magnum Research Lone Eagle

Contender: We tested a Super-14 Contender, aka 14-inch barrel version, with a .223 Remington chambering. Simply remove the forend bolt, unseat that barrel, and reattach any other – including rimfires – to expand one Contender frame into any number of chamberings. The same is true for the later Encore platform. Name a caliber, any caliber, and odds are strong that either T/C or one of the many aftermarket companies has produced a barrel for that round.

Lone Eagle: Lone Eagles were available in a wide array of factory chamberings, from .22 Hornet and .30-06 Springfield to .223 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem, 7mm BR, 7.62x39, .280 Rem, .30-30 Win, .308 Win, .358 Winchester, .444 Marlin. The guns could originally be purchased piecemeal – grip frame and barreled actions separately – with some original buyers opting to “change calibers” by grabbing different barreled actions. 

Duel Winner: While there’s plenty of love for the calibers found on the Lone Eagle, there’s hardly a gun in existence that can hold a candle to the laundry list of options for the T/C Contender and Encore families of single-shot firearms.   

Contender: Thompson/Center’s switch-barrel handgun platform makes it the most difficult to nail down actual barrel length. Hunters can choose from dozens of barrel lengths and types. Common options include 6, 10, 12, 14, and 16-inchers, with a few being even longer.   

Lone Eagle: The standard barrel length for the Lone Eagle is 14 inches. Models that have the optional muzzle brake stretch to 16 inches. It’s the overall length where the Lone Eagle really wows. For instance, with our test gun’s 14-inch barrel, the Lone Eagle measures only 15 inches overall, a testament to the incredibly compact size of this action’s design.

Duel Winner: Every hunter will prefer a different barrel length not only for their chosen caliber and style of hunt but for the way the gun feels in the hand. Barrel length affects balance. Shooters who plan to hunt in a stand or blind with a solid rest may prefer a longer barrel, and those on the move and firing offhand or with a makeshift prop may prefer something a bit shorter. While we cannot choose a winner from the two we tested, the much wider availability of barrel lengths and types makes the T/C Contender and related Encore platforms both more available and appealing to a wider market. Yet, the Lone Eagle is no less capable.   

Contender:  Putting a Contender on the scale is not so simple. Configuration, as well as both barrel length and type, must be taken into consideration. In general, rimfire versions come in from 3 to 3.5 pounds. Handgun chambering setups will likely fall in the 3.5 to 4.75-pound range, while larger rifle round rigs will fit in the range of 4.5 to 5.75 pounds. Exceptions exist in every category when longer and heavier barrels are added. Of course, optics and other accessories add ounces, too. 

Lone Eagle: Depending on the caliber and barrel selection, a bare Lone Eagle tips the scales from 4.2 to just under 5 pounds. As with the T/C, adding optics and accessories increases those numbers. 

Duel Winner: Choosing a champion here can be tricky business. Most often, hunters want something lighter because it’s easier to carry afield. In that case, the Contender comes out ahead. When we start talking about larger calibers, the corresponding recoil in a handgun can be stout. In those cases, added weight is a boon. In the .22-caliber family, that’s a moot point. Move up to the .30s, however, and many shooters must at least think about weight as a bonus. Thus, the choice on heft against recoil becomes a personal one.   

Accessorizing is a matter of personal taste, though it’s pretty much impossible not to give the nod to T/C for the ease of acquiring aftermarket barrels, stocks, and other add-ons. There are no wild MOE grooves or tactical attachment points on these guns. They’re built for hardcore hunting and adding a scope to either is a snap. 

While it’s more common to find parts and gunsmiths willing to do trigger jobs on the Contender and Encore platforms, both of these pieces are built for serious duty and can be customized. There are simply greater options out there for the more common and longer-production run of the T/C single-shot family. That said, most Lone Eagle owners are more than happy with what they can do with dressing up their cannon actions. The most-savvy buyers have already acquired multiple barrels. 

In addition to barrels and optics, a good number of bandolier-style and other hefty holsters have been produced to hold both scoped and unscoped T/C pistols. Some will even have room for the beefy action of the Lone Eagle. In fact, the Lone Eagle we borrowed from the Guns.com Vault came with a matching chest rig that would make an ideal hunting companion.   

Contender: Costs vary wildly depending on caliber, barrel type, optics, accessories, and additional barrels included. For instance, recent average costs on a standard blued Contender in clean, used condition runs from $650 to $1,000. Add a quality scope, additional barrels, or make that a stainless model, and the price expands quickly. More unusual and desirable setups and variants always command a premium. 

Lone Eagle: Pricing the Lone Eagle is more difficult to determine than the Contender, based primarily on rarity. When Lone Eagles do come available, they typically sell quickly. Depending on model variant, used pricing varies from $800 to $1,200. Finding a set with multiple barrels can run closer to the $2K mark. Then again, more than one savvy buyer has found a steal on a Lone Eagle when other buyers don’t know what they’re looking at. 

Duel Winner:  Given that these are both now out-of-production guns, pricing is not as simple as listing the MSRP, so there’s no clear-cut winner. In this case, half the fun of acquiring a neat used single-shot hunting handgun is the search itself. Some real gems pop up from time to time for those who are always looking.   

While it may seem logical to select a clear winner in any head-to-head comparison, the true joy lies in finding the handgun that works best for each individual. In this case, we’d gladly own and hunt with either or both of these one-shooters for differing reasons and occasions. Magnum Research’s cannon action is too appealing and unique not to want as a collector and occasional shooter. Yet, the modularity of T/C’s break action, with its seemingly countless number of interchangeable barrels and calibers, makes it appropriate for just about any hunt. Can we have them both? 

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