Encore accuracy

[Big20]

I have a TC Encore Pro Hunter in 270 Win. with a Burris 3x9 on it. I've had considerable experience getting "bad" rifles to shoot but this puppy is gonna drive me to drink (excessively). I must have tinkered with 25 different loads just to find one that would go and inch-and-a-half let alone smaller. Most were in the 2 to 4 inch range. Finally settled on a Sierra 130 gr Pro Hunter over 53 gr H4350 with a Win. standard primer at 3.310 oal. This will do 1 inch or less consistently. The problem is a cold barrel first shot is usually 2 or more inches off the zero of the next two shots. Also, the random flyer creeps in for no apparent reason. I usually clean the barrel after a range session down to bare metal. I learned that I cannot get good groups with a clean barrel! It must be around 40 shots-dirty to group! I've installed nylon screw spacers on the forearm screws (anybody know where I can get longer screws?) and a locking hinge pin. The antelope hunt is a month away and I'm about ready to wrap this thing around a tree.

 

[hardluk1]

2 friends back in N FL. have T/C encores with rifle,bp and shotgun barrels. All are accurate. One is a 270 ,the other 308 and both shot tight slowly fired 5 shot groups. Maybe not 1" but group well ,no fliers. Both shoot factory ammo. 308 is 150gr sst the 270 is a 120gr barne's tsx i think. Might want to contact T/C and see if they can help with the issues. If your rifle still shoots to the same p.o.a. with a cold barrel you may still be ok for the hunt and work it out over time. Try some factory ammo first from a couple different companies to see what happens. besure it ain;t something with your load. Have you tried to move the bearing for your front rifle rest as far back toward the reciever as practical too.

 

[BP Hunter]

About 10 years ago I used to hunt primarily with the TC Encore in 270 winchester. I forget the ammo, but it shot quite well at 1" at 100 yards with factory ammo.

 

[scythefwd]

check out mike bellm's sight. he has a lot about making the encore shoot well

 

[GooseGestapo]

Sounds like you've got an "average" .270wcf.
You read all these internet postings of 1/2" groups. but I don't believe 95% of them.

I've owned two .270's and they shot about like yours. I've seen three that would do a little bit better than yours but not significantly.

In my long memory, the .270 for many years wasn't highly regarded as a "match" grade chambering. Layne Simpson (I think, it could have been Rick Jamison) did an article by building a ~50lb ! "Rail Gun"with a ultra quality SAAMI spec. barrel in .270 to test various components, exploring the basis for this "reputation". His conclusion at the time (mid 1980's) was that it was that most of the components available at the time were not up to "match" standards(barrels, bullets, cases-). Most bullets were only capable of ~2" as most were "hunting" grade bullets, such as Winchester Power Points and Remington Corlokts.

FWIW; the Sierra's as now known as "ProHunters" were amoung the more accurate bullets. In my experience with the .270wcf, if you want to find out how accurate the gun is, load the 130gr ProHunters over 54.0gr of IMR4350 or 58.0gr of H4831 or both, and if you don't get MOA, you AIN'T gonna see MOA. (as I believe you've already found out). Second bullet for accuracy for me has been Hornady 130gr "Interlok" before it was an interlok. Third was the Nosler 130gr Ballistic Tip. Often the Nosler 130gr Partition was a 2moa bullet no matter what you shot it through. Superb hunting bullet, though.

Just because your rifle isn't an MOA rifle dosen't mean it's not an acceptable hunting gun. My two best/favorite b/a hunting rifles are neither MOA rifles. My Rem. Mod7 in 7mm08 is a 2moa rifle, but a "killing machine" of the first order. Likewise my .338/06 is a death ray but often is 2-3moa.(a little better now that I had it re-crowned). But then again, an elk is a 18" x 18" target.............
My current "darling" is a Marlin built Mod. 338 Marlin Express. It approaches MOA with lighter than factory equivalent loads, but is 1.5-2.0moa with "full factory equivalent" loads with the Hornady 200gr FTX @ 2,500fps. But, it has been DRT with everything I've shot with it.... (dead!; right there!!).

 

[HOLY DIVER]

i had an Encore in 30-06. best i could get was a 2inch group @ 100yds.i tried every ammo under the sun.i traded the encore for a 1911 and went back 2 hunting with my trusty old 700 remmy in 7mm-08 (it shoots 3/4 moa @100yds)

 

[Big20]

The Ballistic Tip was the accuracy runner-up but with more flyers. The Hornady plain flunked out. I might try swapping scopes just in case that is a problem. Guess I'll sell off the TC barrel and get a Bergera (my 223 is awesome). Time to break out the Rem. Mdl. 7 in 260 Rem.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I went through an encore phase and over the couple dozen bbls in calibers all across the map. The only one that I could remotely rely on to shoot under 2moa was a Spanish Begara bbl in 30/06.

The break action single shot is THE ONLY action type I will not allow back inside my safe. IME the best way to get one to shoot is to replace it with a bolt action.


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- Tapatalk post via IPhone.

 

[alsaqr]

I

went through an encore phase and over the couple dozen bbls in calibers all across the map. The only one that I could remotely rely on to shoot under 2moa was a Spanish Begara bbl in 30/06.

i went through an Encore phase too. Had two different receivers and about seven barrels. Those barrels were scoped with nice Leupold and Zeiss glass. Then i found out that the Encore has a number of issues:

1. There is a lot of side play in the action. An oversized hinge pin helped but did not eliminate the problem.

2. Every centerfire barrel misfired when i put hammer extensions on the receivers. The Bellms hammer spring cured that problem.

3. Several of the barrels were not chambered correctly.

4. Only two barrels gave good accuracy: i kept them along with the best receiver. Re-chambered the .35 Whelen barrel for the .35 Whelen Improved and also kept the .22 Hornet barrel which was re-chambered to .22 K-Hornet. Also kept the .50 muzzleloader barrel.

With all it's CNC machinery, TC has difficulty making a barrel that properly fits their receiver. i own a Winchester single barrel model 37 shotgun that was made in 1950. That gun has no side play in the barrel. It locks up tighter than my Encore. Quality control makes a difference and TC is lacking in that area.

Several of my bolt action guns got good glass after the Encore barrels were sold at a considerable loss.