T c encore pro hunter for a long range rifle???

[smithjasona1978]

My LGS has a nice looking t/c encore pro hunter on the shelf. I noticed that it has a 28" inch barrel and that got me thinking. It is also chambered in 300 win mag.
Does anyone have any experience with these? I have never laid a hand on one. It appears solid and well built. And is stainless steel. My concern is about the quality of the barrel. And I have heard bad things about the triggers on single shot rifles in general.
Anybody try wringing any accuracy out of these? I may buy it and tell my wife its a present for my dad. Then tell her he didn't want it.

 

[toddc]

My LGS has a nice looking t/c encore pro hunter on the shelf. I noticed that it has a 28" inch barrel and that got me thinking. It is also chambered in 300 win mag.
Does anyone have any experience with these? I have never laid a hand on one. It appears solid and well built. And is stainless steel. My concern is about the quality of the barrel. And I have heard bad things about the triggers on single shot rifles in general.
Anybody try wringing any accuracy out of these? I may buy it and tell my wife its a present for my dad. Then tell her he didn't want it.

I wouldn't UNLESS you LOVE puzzles and tinkering with stuff.
Encores are not Rem 700s or Savages.
Getting one to shoot is often a long painful process and depends on a lot of factors not present with bolt builds.
I would REALLY recommend a LOT of research into the Encore system before taking this route.

 

[smithjasona1978]

I assume that the problem has to do with the break action?? Seems like it should be a simple set up to shoot accurate. But I suppose headspace could also be a problem. Can you be a little more specific about the issues they have? This gun looks brand new and he wants 450$. It has a 28 inch heavy barrel.

 

[toddc]

I assume that the problem has to do with the break action?? Seems like it should be a simple set up to shoot accurate. But I suppose headspace could also be a problem. Can you be a little more specific about the issues they have? This gun looks brand new and he wants 450$. It has a 28 inch heavy barrel.

Getting one to headspace seems to be the biggest but not only issue. There are articles all over the web about the issues. Not saying it's impossible or that I really know a **** thing about them, just that everything I have read about them scares me. Also finding a smith to work one is going to be an issue as well compared to a bolt gun.
If you are interested in switch barrel capability, look into the Savage or Remage systems.
Not trying to scare you, just need to really research the unique issues that this platform can experience and see if it's for you.


Barrel Length v. Accuracy Test

 

[smithjasona1978]

I have both SAVAGE and rem 700 rifles in the safe now. Just thought it might be a nice winter time project.

 

[toddc]

I have both SAVAGE and rem 700 rifles in the safe now. Just thought it might be a nice winter time project.

Not looking to scare you off from what could be a heck of a learning experience, just know that there are issues you should know about before you buy.

 

[dah605]

One major factor is that when you are shooting from a bipod, or any rest for that matter, you have to be 100% consistent. The forend is attached to the barrel so any differences translate into harmonics differences. I just traded mine since I couldn't be that consistent...

-David

 

[Waynzee]

I have both SAVAGE and rem 700 rifles in the safe now. Just thought it might be a nice winter time project.

You'll have a winter time project with that rifle, for sure. I had one in 30/06 and tried 4 different bullet weights, 3 different powders, primers and brass. Best group at 50 yards, yep, 50 yards because sometimes I couldn't even hit the target at 100 yards was 4.5 to 5 inches. My X Bow shot better than that **** thing.

 

[scott0303]

This should give you some info on TC. Home of TC Performance

 

[Trentcamp]

I know the post is a little old but seems to be some misleading info here. I don't know what was wrong with the encores you guys had as I have had and fooled with several of them. Some definitely shoot better than others but I've never had one like was spoke of earlier (3.5-4"@50). Most will hold minute of angle and I've had several barrels do much better. Just put one together for my son in 25'06 that I haven't done serious work up on yet but it looks like it'll shoot under an inch by a considerable margin. I've got a 22-250 barrel that will stay under 1/2" and had a 45/70 that would do the same if you could hold on to it. I read on here somewhere a post from Ian Mcmurphy where he had high regards of them also. Smiths aren't that hard to come by either. EABCO,Mike Bellm, SSK industries, and Virgin Valley just to name a few that specialize in TC stuff. Just my .02.

 

[catamountsierra]

They seem to do better than most of the H&R or NEF Handi-rifles. I started out with those because they were in my budget. The only one I have had that liked shooting off of a bipod or rest was the .243 Win, and I seem to have gotten a particularly good one. The others I have had all shot best using a sling and no rest, and run about 1 MOA. Right now, I only have the two old ones (a .45-70 Shakari and a 22 Hornet/20ga Topper combo). I think the biggest advantage of the T/C systems is how quickly they barrels change. I know with my dad's Contender there isn't any noticable change in POI after swapping a barrel back on, and the only accuracy issues I have heard of are likely due to twist issues (14twist 223 for instance).

 

[KMG]

I've had several encore barrels over time & all without exception have been shooters. My Pro Hunter in 300win out shoots several of my friends Senderos & semi-customs in like calibers & yes we all hand load. Heck even my 209x50 muzzleloader shoots under 1moa. Yes it took a little modification & tinkering, but that's part of the fun. I had my 300win threaded & installed a Ross Schuler 4 port brake, laminate stock with a pillar bedded forend, 1X hinge pin, bought heavier springs for the hammer & the barrel locking mechanism, & had a trigger job done. I shoot relatively mild loads 76gr H1000 & 208 Amax @ 2870' & it's a .5moa & better shooter. I'd say go for it & have some fun they are easy to work on. Making sure that the forend is only touching on the two screws is huge. Just adding delrin washers between the stock & the barrel can cut group sizes in half or better. Trust me it's a lot of fun to keep pace & even beat guys with much pricier setups & you can always go to another caliber. If you go for it contact Mike Bellum he's the most knowledgeable individual out there on accurizing an Encore. Good luck.

 

[joelpat]

I bought my Encore PH as a muzzleloader, but I've subsequently bought two centerfire barrels for it as well in .223 (TC) and .300WM (Bergarra). It's fun to shoot, it's great for beginners, and it is light. When I was just starting out elk hunting it made a low cost of entry, before I was hooked. I generally get about 1MOA, with a bipod or sandbag.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. It has served me well as a ML, and it killed my first elk.
Would I buy it as a LR rifle? No.
Has it taken a lot of mods and tinkering? Yes.

My biggest complaints are:
-Break action means you have to come all the way out of your scope to reload.
-A bit of rust that keeps appearing
-Fiddlyness of the hinge pin. You have to get it tight to remove slop, but you have to pound the hell out of it to remove the pin and change the barrel.

Bottom line: It's a fun rifle to have, and for $300 you can try out new calibers, but I'm not sure I'd call it a LR rifle.

 

[engineer40]

Making sure that the forend is only touching on the two screws is huge. Just adding delrin washers between the stock & the barrel can cut group sizes in half or better.

I've always been curious with mine that even if you add shims of some kind between the forearm and the barrel, the forearm "ears" still touch the receiver. They pretty much have to to keep the pin in. Wouldn't that negate the harmonics improvement that shimming the forearm has if part of the forearm is touching the receiver?

I like mine so far. But I don't use multiple barrels with it yet. Not sure that I will. But I like that it is super compact and lightweight. It weighs just a tad over 4lbs with the Burris FF3 red dot, has an 18 inch barrel but handles more like a SBR because it's so compact, and has almost 4000lbs of energy at the muzzle (460 S&W Magnum).

But not sure I'd try to turn one into a long range rifle. TC's are polarizing. People either praise their accuracy or despise them. I'm still undecided since the only thing I've done so far is hand load for it.