Any TC Encore shooters out there?

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BloodyThumb

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In the next year or two I will be hunting white tail in one of those states where high power rifles are not allowed. :cuss: I can however use a pistol in .308. I already reload and shoot several .308 rifles so I want to stick with that caliber.

I am considering picking up one of the TC Encore Hunter packages in .308.

Anybody out there with any FIRST HAND experience with the Encore in any center fire rifle round... especially .308. How are the TC scopes and mounts that come with it. Accuracy? Anything you can tell me. Until now, my handgun hunting experience has been with 44mag revolvers. I have no experience with single shot pistols whatsoever.

Thanks in advance.
 
I love the Encore. It is as accurate as any hunter can possibly need. The system is versatile.

The one downside is that my Encore with the 308 barrel in pistol configuration has a substantial amount of recoil. More than I find pleasant to regularly shoot. I don't have any problems with the 44 mag barrel or my S&W 29 in 44 mag.

I have loaded my 308 ammo down for the pistol.

I really like the ability to make a short rifle, but still have a lot of barrel. I have a 300 Win Mag barrel that is 25 inches long and the rifle is shorter than a model 7.

Charles
 
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Good shooting gun...

I had an Encore in the 7mm.08 and recoil was noticeably less than the .308. I forget what mounts I had, but had a Leupold scope on top. I just didn't like the 15" barrel for the type hunting I do, so I sold gun and picked up a .460. However, you will love the T/C.
 
Thanks folks. I know the .308 will not be a real pleasure to shoot, but I don't want to pick up another caliber to load.

Let me show my extreme lack of knowledge on TC's here... What are the differences between the Contender and the Encore?

I noticed that the TC web site does not mention a Contender barrel in .308.
 
Encore and Contender

I've shot Thompson/Center handguns in .30/30, 7mm/08 and .357 Herrett. Only the .357 Herrett is scoped and the .30/30 had a muzzel brake. I consider the recoil substantial but not painful. I dislike the noise (muzzel blast) more than the recoil. With the loads I worked up, the .357 Herrett will do 3 MOA off a rest and I took a Black Wildebeest with it without a problem. Since the others aren't scoped and I haven't shot them for awhile my accuracy comments on them wouldn't be currently valid.

I'm a big fan of Contenders and Encores and have a bunch of different barrels for them. It's nice to be able to switch barrels, stocks and grips for differn't types of hunting.

The Encore is made for high pressure rifle cartridges. The Contender isn't made to take as much pressure but if you want to use one and don't mind reloading, you should be able to find a JDJ chambering that will do anything you reasonably want a handgun to do.
 
What state will you be hunting in? If it is like Illinois, read the fine print on the approved pistol calibers. You can use a single-shot pistol if it is .30 or larger, has a case length of 1.4 inches or less (bottle neck) or a straight wall case. This means .308 is illegal. Just FYI in case you are going to hunt in Illinois.
 
And another TC Fan

Congrats on your Encore. I found an Encore rifle on sale in .243 today, imagine a gunshop open on a holiday :cool: TC has scored yet another fan. Something about interchangeable barrels that got to me. Gotta pay the heating bill before I even think about getting a scope this month. If what Rem788 says also goes for your hunting area, what about the 30-30 or the 35REM, both straight walled cases for your application?
 
I have that well covered thanks. The .308 is legal. Min .243, min case length of 1.16 inches and no FMJ.
 
Contenders have 12" barrels...

Encores have 15" barrels. As for legality in Illinois, my 7mm.08 was ILLEGAL. That's one of the reasons I purchased the .460. Sure glad I did!
 
i love my encore in 223. im looking to get a 7-08 barrel for the same purpose you listed. i use the TC mounts with a bushnell trophy 2-6 pistol scope. not easy to use off hand, and i find i really only use it on 2-3 power anyway. if you found a fixed 2x cheaper i would go with that if i could do it over.
 
i have a 15" encore in .243. i love it, although i can't hit jack with it free hand. but that's my fault, i need more practice. off a bench i got under 1" groups @ 50yrds. off sticks i could group on a paper plate @ 100, once again i need more practice, i only have less than 100 rounds through it. but every time i shoot it the groups get smaller. so you may want to give yourself lots of time for practice.
 
I am from Ohio, straight wall pistol cases only! So I will use either my SRH in 454 casual, or encore in 460 s&w with brake, If I lived in a state a shouldered case was legal I would use my 358 win. barrel, I think in the handgun 35 cal. on up is superior to the smaller bore cartridges! I know of many who have used 308, 280, 336-06, to name a few who have made shots at 200-300yrds. and hit there deer but could not recover it, either lack of blood or it went for miles and had to give up, either case was a marginal shot! With the larger bores the do more tissue damage on marginal hit's, so I suggest to shoot as large a cal. as you can handle, I have a little more drop with the 460 but with the ballistic plex and rangfinder I am confident out to 250yrds, with the 356 I would be good for a little over 300, but can't use it in Ohio!!

If you decide to go with a small bore-- good luck over 150yrds, you'll need it! If you want the best pistol scope made for durability ruggedness repeatability, with ballistic plex (5 sighting points for different yardage) BURRIS is the only scope I would buy for a handgun!! Besides it is about the only choice you have if you care about

MADE IN AMERICA!!!
 
Oh! and by the way-Hawken50, I use a rest, if in the field use a pack, keep some cotton clothing in it, chamios cammo shirt or pants in mine. You can use the entire thing for a rest, or the item I mentioned rolled up for a tree crotch, limb, whatever. I always use a rest unless really close!! good luck
 
In answer to the original question way up at the top of this thread. I have 3 encore frames and 3 contender frames and about 25 barrel between them. Of course you can not enterchange between encore and contender, but it is still a fantastic system Any thing from 22 lr up to just about as large a cal as you wish and you can even throw in some black powder if you want too.

Hogslayer
 
I just got my encore yesterday. Since I live in the Peoples Republic of California, I dont get to bring it home for 10 days.

It came with a .223 barrel which will be great for squeak pigs and other varmint. I also ordered a 22lr and a .460 barrel.
 
All I use.

Hey there :
The Encore is all I hunt deer with... 209 X 50.
Mine is extremely accurate. I am an accuracy nut, 1/2" at 100 yards.
I use the Barnes MZ all copper bullets {250s and 300s } with Remingtom ML
209 primers and 80 grains of loose Pyrodex "P" .....
Black sabots only .. the yellow ones won't group....

These bullets have proven themselves to me. 100 % expansion and loose ZERO weight..
You may look up soem of my old post and see the deer and the bullets that I used to drop them with..
3 Bucks last year . #1 at 160 yards . #2 at 184 yards went 20 yards and fell. #3 at 70 yards dropped dead. I love this gun and will never give it up.
My son has killed deer at 200 with his........

Good luck this year.... :)
 
The Encore pistol shooting the 6.8 SPC is just slick. I was expecting it to be much worse than it really was. There was almost no rearward recoil. When the gun fired, it recoiled vertically. That makes follow up shots very difficult, but then again, so does the reloading aspect. :) This Encore wore a Harris bipod and a Weaver pistol scope. After getting the scope dialed in, it easily put 5 rounds inside of 2" at 100 yards. And it would do that all day long with only factory Remington loads and a halfway decent shooter. If I had the need for one, I would stay at 308 or under for centerfire rifle cartridges. That's just my opinion. YMMV
 
parker019.jpg

Here is my Encore pro-hunter 15" in .308 win. The scope is a 2-6x32 Bushnell Elite 3200. From a bench using 168 a-max handloads I can hold .896 average at 100 yards. My hunting load is 150 interbond on hornady brass. I have been able to hit a watermelon consistantly from 250 yards with it. The gun is heavy enough that it is a very comfortable shooter. I called Hornady to check load data and the recommended the same loadings as for a rifle length barrel. (only reason is the back of the hornady manual gives loads for T/C but skips the .308). Anyway very happy with my purchase. I also have 5 rifle barrels for this gun including the front stuffer 209x50
 
moosehunt--go over to specialty pistols website or handgunhunt.com--u'll sell it there for sure.
 
I'll remember that if I ever get around to being serious about selling it. It was one of those deals where I came onto it because a guy owed me money (a lot more than that barrel is worth) and that was all I could get. It was unfired when I got it--I loaded 3 shells and shot it with a borrowed frame. I don't own a Contender. Although it is obviously a wildcat, I figured out how to load for it with common dies. I'm sure it would be a big grin for someone, I'm just not into Contenders.
Cheers!!!
 
I'm bringing back a dead thread. Sorry. Just wondering if anyone has any information on aftermarket stocks for the Encore. The synthetic is good for woods and hunting purposes, but I'd like to give it a walnut or laminated stock. Is there any companies out there that make stocks for the Encore? I've seen a Boyd's thumbhole version, but I like the traditional look.
 
I just recently purchased the Encore in .308. Put 40 rounds through it without ANY issues. All I can say is I LOVE this setup. I don't have any scope on it. But even with the adjustable sights on it, it's just down right incredible. I'm very happy I purchased this, it's about to become my new hunting "buddy". lol. I went through a box of over the counter winchester 150 grain and 180 grain, both were spot on for me. I already have a TC scope kicking around, it might make it's way to the new pistol eventually. As for now though, I think I'll keep it as it is. No reason to mess up a good thing if it's working properly.
 
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