TC Encore 300 RUM

Do not do case diameters as large as the 300RUM they are not safe in the T/C Encore/Prohunter platform there is not enough metal around the chamber to take that level of pressure.
 
I have owned a TC pro hunter in the past and paired it with a 300 wm barrel and was greatly dissatisfied with the firearm. After several ammo choices and contacting Thompson Center they told me that they considered the 2 inch as acceptable for a hunting rifle.
That statement alone caused me to hang that rifle up and sold it the next week.
To each his own and I felt the same way about having a shorter more compact hunting rifle for thick brush.... but I'm not interested is supporting a company that will produce a rifle barrel thinking a 2inch group is acceptable.
Just my opinion which isn't worth much.
 
I personally hunt exclusively with an encore pistol. I lost my left arm and vision in my right eye by an IED explosion while serving in Iraq. since I couldn't shoot a rifle anymore I picked up an Encore and haven't looked back.

That's unfortunate that you were so seriously injured. It's inspiring though to know that you're not letting it take away what you love to do. Rock on, and thank you.
 
I personally hunt exclusively with an encore pistol. I lost my left arm and vision in my right eye by an IED explosion while serving in Iraq. since I couldn't shoot a rifle anymore I picked up an Encore and haven't looked back. I have a 15" barrel in .325 WSM that I have Taken Elk with and even a very large American Bison with. The recoil is literally for me a handful, but not overwhelming. there is a lot of movement when it recoils, but you get used to that fairly quickly. I have become very accurate with this combo out to 400 yards. I also have an 18" barrel in 6.5-284 norma that I'm looking forward to shooting.

If you are ever up my way, I have a lot of specialty pistols you could play with at short or long-range
 
I've had some issues with the barrel unlocking during firing. After some research I found that the Encore frame can stretch during firing that can cause the barrel lock to disengage. Not all barrels headspace the same with a given receiver and if the gap is too much it can unlock. That said, higher pressures could cause even more frame stretch and a potentially unsafe condition. There are some fixes but require re-positioning of the pivot pin hole in the barrel lug. There may be some other fixes that I'm not aware of, be sure and do lots of research. As to recoil, it would be easy to thread the muzzle and install a break.
 
I was told by several people in the encore world that the frame could not handle the pressures produced by chamberings larger that the 300WM class. I had Bullberry build myself a 338WM with their integrated muzzle break in a full bull contour. It kicks like my bolt action .308. Just a side note, if you intend to handloadbfor an encore you will have to follow a few different practices than bolt action shooters. Bellm's TC has lots of good information.
 
Match grade machine won't do the big case calibers, it takes too much material away from that area and they can't trust customers to not load a hot round. They did build a 338 RUM years ago for a guy but I believe he had the only one. I had them build a 340 Weatherby barrel for me @12 years ago but they don't build them anymore from what I've seen. I looked at their caliber list a couple years ago and didn't see any of the X-284's listed so I had a 243 pro hunter barrel turned into a 6mm-284. It's not ideal for heavy bullets but it shoots good with Barnes triple shocks, I wanted it for deer and antelope anyway, not long range targets.
 
I have built three 300 RUMs. The first one was a Winchester Model 70 that was fairly light (thin barrel) without a muzzle break. I bought the rifle through Gun Broker and it came with a 20 round box of ammo. There were 15 left when I got the rifle.

I went to the range and shot the Model 70 rifle as soon as I got it. I shot only 3 rounds before I had to stop (too much recoil. It hurt like hell!). My son who thought he was a "tough guy" said "I am recoil insensitive, let me give it a shot.". He shot once and was done. I then shot it a few more times at a later date using my son's lacrosse shoulder pads. I was thinking of selling the rifle because I wasn't man enough for the recoil. I then had a muzzle break installed and all was good.

I've now built 3 300 RUMs. All have muzzle breaks and now I only shoot those rifles suppressed (protects my hearing). The 300 RUM round with a 230 Gr Berger Target bullet outperforms my 338 LMs with the most efficient bullets. The last rifle I built has a Proof Research barrel and Manners carbon graphite stock but still weights around 10 or 11 lbs because I have a suppressor and 3x27 X 56 Schmidt and Bender PM II scope.

Whatever you do, I wouldn't build that rifle without a muzzle break. I think that you won't have a problem with a light 300 RUM if you have a muzzle break (that was my first rifle). However, I would ask "why do you need a 300 RUM? My rifles are heavy compared to what I think you want to build. I don't have a problem with a little extra weight because I like to shoot out to 1,000 meters reliably (My longest kill shot was 875 yard cow elk). The rifle is heavy but, because of the way it is built, I know it will always shoot straight. I am going to a shoot next weekend in Price Utah where we will shoot 1 gallon milk jugs at 1 mile. I bet my 300 RUM will out perform the 2 338 LMs we are bringing. A question you may want to ask is; "Will you be able to reliably take game at greater than 600 yards with your TC Encore?" If not, a 308 might be just fine.
 
I have both 7 Wby & 300 Wby barrels for my Encore. The barrels were made by SSK Industries. The 300 Wby easily pushes 180's to 3200 fps. It is 26" with an integrated muzzle brake. The brake reduces the recoil to a 243/308. Both barrels are one hole accurate.
 
I owe and love the encore. Got few barrels for it, and three years ago I added 45-70 to collection for hunting in dense folliage. As soon as I was developing the load for it and shot about 20 rounds on the range doing so, I found why you should not go with any "strong" cartridge - it kicks like a mule. I can shot slugs from a shotgun the whole day and my shoulder can be sore (even though my friends mostly cannot shoot my rifles), however this was the first time when my shoulder was "colourfull" and sore for over a week.
Normally I put on 7mm RM while hunting open spaces, but also 300WM are OK. The 45-70 is really for thick bush up to 200 yards, and one shot.
 
I have shot an encore rifle for years. I love them. Have a dozen different caliber barrels from 204 Ruger to 35 Whelen as well as a 450 Bushmaster. They all shoot very well. I have a TC PH 6.5 Creedmoor and it will shoot ragged hole 5 shot groups at 100 yards and at 300 inside 1 inch. My favorite barrel is the 6.5-284 Norma made by MGM. It will shoot 5 shot ragged hole at 300 yards off the bench. There are a few tricks to get them to work like that. Mike Belm has all the info needed as well as some accuracy improving parts at reasonable prices. I have used each of the barrels on various game and all are excellent shooters. But once you get one you will be collecting barrels to experiment with different calibers.
Encore 6.jpg


This is the 6.5-284 setup. 27" heavy profile barrel.
 
Call Mike Bellem at Bellem TC
He is a great guy very smart TC has called him when they ran into off the wall problems. At one point he built his on frame to make it stronger and hold monster rounds and he stopped, his story I'll let him tell it
The biggest you can go is 300 WM and he will tell you why" he is a talker" got me to sell the 300 Roy barrel I had made.
On a different note a 300 win mag with a 212 eldX or 215 Berger will kill anything on God's green earth.
 
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