Contender-Series Model 59
by Tom Gaylord
New Contender Model 59 is an attractive breakbarrel spring-piston air rifle. The light stock contrasts well with the dark satin bluing.
If you want something with moderate power and stunning accuracy at a reasonable price, consider Compasseco's new Contender-Series Model 59. This .177 breakbarrel spring-piston rifle is sized for an adult at 42.3" long with a man-sized pull of just more than 14.5"! A thick rubber ventilated buttpad provides the extra pull length, as well as anchoring the butt firmly on your shoulder. It is set off from the medium brown hardwood stock by a thick white spacer.
Although the rifle is sized for adults, it's actually a light 7 lbs. and feels nice in the hands. You'll be able to carry it in the field all day without tiring. The cocking effort is only 28 lbs., which means this is an all-day shooter that will not wear you out in any way. It's the kind of air rifle that is a delight to shoot offhand and can also reward a bench-rested position, as I will explain shortly.
Bluing on the 59 runs to a dark hunter semigloss black that contrasts nicely with the lighter stock. The wood is finished evenly and the raised Monte Carlo cheekpiece on the left side is sharply sculpted. The trigger is curved back, so the pull is back and a little up.
Through the chronograph!
The first thing I did was shoot a number of strings of 10 pellets to see what the power level was and also to begin the break-in process. A spring rifle likes to have at least 500 shots run through it before it settles down to do its best work; the sooner you get that started, the better. The rifle will be accurate and powerful during this break-in, but the moving parts will seat better and performance will improve toward the end.
The first pellet I tried was the RWS Hobby wadcutter. This is a light pellet, weighing just 7 grains. In the past, I've found that it delivers great accuracy for a reasonable price, plus it helps the velocity on lower-powered airguns. In the 59, it averaged 645 f.p.s., with a spread from the fastest to the slowest of only 11 f.p.s. That's excellent performance!
The second pellet I tested was Compasseco's own new Tech Force wadcutter target pellet. It weighs an average of 8.2 grains, plus it's a little tight in the breech of this rifle, which should help accuracy. The average velocity was 564 f.p.s., with an extreme spread of just 9 f.p.s.! Those are numbers to expect from a tuned air rifle, not a brand new gun that hasn't been broken in. There was no indication of dieseling during all my shooting.
Compasseco is now offering a new Tech Force target wadcutter (center pellet). It out-shoots both tried-and-true European pellets shown.
The third and final pellet I tested was the Gamo Match wadcutter, which weighs 7.4 grains. In some guns, these are surprisingly accurate, so I always include them in any testing I do. The 59 spits them out at an average 620 f.p.s. and a spread of 17 f.p.s. For most spring guns, that would be a vert tight spread; but it was the largest of the three pellets I tested.
Nice trigger!
While doing the chronographing, I noticed that the 59's trigger is a nice two-stage unit. Although it looks a lot like a Gamo trigger, the one on this rifle is much smoother than normal. Gamo triggers sometimes have a long, creepy second stage, but this one doesn't. The length of the second stage is adjustable, and that affects the length of the first stage, as well. The one I tested broke at a very consistent 3.5 lbs. I found this trigger nice enough as it came from the box to do my accuracy testing, so I left it alone.
One last comment regarding the trigger. Although the model 59 doesn't have an automatic safety that comes on when the rifle is cocked, it does have a very good anti-beartrap mechanism. So, it's impossible to uncock this rifle. If you cock it, you have to load it and shoot it. Don't leave the rifle cocked any longer than necessary, because the mainspring is under tension all the time it's cocked. The safety is manual and can be applied or taken off any time the rifle is cocked.
The trigger looks similar to other Compasseco rifles, but it works smoother and is much lighter. Bar in front of the trigger is a manual safety.
Choice of sights
I scoped the rifle with the Tech Force 3-12x44mm variable scope, sitting in solid one-inch B-Square rings. The Contender Model 59 has a scope stop built in. All I had to do was clamp the rings to the dovetail grooves on top of the receiver and slide them back until the rear ring butted against the scope stop. This is a nice outfit if you want a really good scope on your rifle, but you actually don't need a scope at all.
When scoped with a Tech Force 4x32AR, the Contender 59 becomes a handy, lightweight air rifle...suitable for almost any purpose.
The rear sight is so sharp and crisp that I had to use it. Combined with an equally sharp front blade, it forms a perfect sight picture. The detents are precise and loud enough to let you know you have changed the setting.
So, after scoping the gun, I decided to remove it and shoot with the open sights that came on it. The front sight is a square post inside a target globe that accepts replacement inserts. The rear sight is a standard square notch open sight, but it has nice, extra-crisp click detents when adjusted so there's never any question about whether or not the sight has moved. Normally, shooting with open sights does not give the absolute best accuracy, but please hold your opinions until you see the results.
Time to test accuracy
The precision-rifled 17.75" .177 barrel delivers target accuracy when the correct shooting technique is used. But before beginning, I decided to clean the barrel in the same way a target shooter might.
I cleaned it when new, not because it was dirty, but because experience has taught me that's the best thing to do. The manufacturing process leaves sharp burrs on the rifling, and bluing the barrel can cause a light rust to form. This is true for thousand-dollar firearms and no less true for air rifles. I run a brass bore brush through the barrel about 20 times in each direction. The brush is loaded with J-B Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound, which is the stuff used by long-range target shooters. It removes all traces of rust and burrs and polishes the bore lightly.
J-B Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound is used by long-range riflemen to condition their bores. When used in a new airgun barrel, it removes any rust and burrs left from the manufacturing process.
Following the cleaning, I went to the range to see how the rifle would perform. I shot from a solid bench with my off hand rested on a sandbag, and the rifle laying on my open palm. To get the most accuracy from a spring-piston rifle, you have to allow it to recoil as much as it wants every time it fires. If you hold the rifle firmly, it will shoot all over the place. If you just float it on the open palm of your hand, it will reward you with the best groups it can produce.
The Contender 59 doesn't kick very much, so it's relatively easy to control with a light hold. It's also remarkably free of that annoying buzzing some spring rifles have. It fires with a solid "thump" and a light forward jump. The first pellet I tried was a Gamo Match wadcutter. I like using wadcutters on targets because they make a clean round hole. At 25 yards, I got five-shot groups that ranged between three-quarters and one inch. Then, I tried Hobby pellets. They shot better than the H&N Match and left a clean hole as well. Let's say they averaged about three-quarters of an inch for five shots.
Five Gamo Match pellets went well under one inch at 25 yards.
I mentioned that Compasseco sent me some new Tech Force pellets to try. I hadn't seen them before, but they did look very uniform under a jeweler's loupe. This is a target wadcutter with a dark gray lubricant on the outside. When I shot the first group through the 59, I knew I'd found the right pellet for this rifle! It measured an incredible 0.231" for five shots. That LESS than one-quarter inch at 25 yards. Certainly, I couldn't ask for more accuracy than that from any air rifle. And, remember, this is with open sights! The 59 really shoots!
Compasseco's new Tech Force target wadcutter pellets were the best in the Contender 59, as this astonishing group under one-quarter inch demonstrates.
Summary
After testing, I have to say that I'm very impressed with the Contender Model 59. Compasseco's entire Contender-Series seems filled with new and improved airguns, and this one really is a standout. From the results of my test, I'd say this rifle is going to make a lot of airgunners very happy!