Encore Forend

[pcpharm]

Encore Forearm
Hello everyone, I have been reading a lot of comments concerning how accuracy in the Encore system may be affected by attaching the forend directly to the barrel. I believe I understand how a floating barrel could be affected if the forend of the stock that is connected to the butt may limit the harmonics of the barrel as the bullet travels down the barrel. However, the forearm on an Encore is not connected to the butt stock. If you bed the forend, or attach a hanger bar to the barrel and then attach the forend to the hanger bar, you are still attaching the forend to the barrel. The barrel and the forend should float together. I am not sure how the above would differ compared to if you tighten the forend to the barrel each time with a torch wrench, to say 25 lb. I also understand that if the forend was made of wood that forend may be effected by the temperature and humidity. The wood may swell or shrink affecting the barrel harmonics. However, the composite forends used commonly on Encores these days, I would assume are minimally effected by either temperature or humidity. Finally, I understand that the forend for the barrel must not be in contact with the receiver. I will now set down and continue my education.

 

[adelbridge]

I shoot t/cs and have had problems with the forends as you described. The forend can bind with the receiver/frame especially when hot, putting tension on the barrel. The barrel will stretch when hot pushing the forend back into the frame. It will still open no problem as the rear most part of the forend glides on the frame. Even though the barrel/forend is theoretically a joined unit any contact between the two will affect harmonics. I had a problem with my gun shooting great until warm and then it woulld walk shots 6" high at 50 yards. I took a file to the barrel channel and problem was solved. Put a very light coat of grease on your barrel so it is darkened but not slathered and reinstall your forend, wait a day or two and you will see where the grease is absorbed on the high spots in the forend. you can hone out the forend or put O rings on the forend screws to act as spacers.

 

[BCRider]

Another TC Encore shooter here. But admittedly a novice compared to many. But here's what I found.

When shooting from bag or machine rests it's imperative that the bag or other support be well back and very near to the hinge pin point. Basically pretty much right in front of the trigger guard. If it isn't then varying hold down pressure will flex the barrel enough to make the shots wander. And obviously supporting the barrel at different points during a series of shots will also affect the barrel harmonics.

Despite doing this I did find that shooting a string of shots was resulting in the shots stringing upwards despite waiting a good two to three minutes between shots. In thinking about this I figured that perhaps I was building up heat on the portion of the barrel insulated by the wood foreend. I removed the fore grip and repeated the multi shot string and found that the groups no longer suffered from rising up. So it would appear that the barrel was diffentially heated due to the insulative action of the close fitting fore end and that was heat warping the barrel upwards at the muzzle.

So a while back I pillar bedded the fore grip using leather pads to space the barrel in the bed of the fore grip as well as milling some cooling air ventilation slots up through the wood. The barrel is now able to get a more or less free flow of air around it. My groups are now centered and stay consistent once the first couple of "warming up" shots are taken if I consistently wait for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes between shots. I'm not that good at this bench rest stuff and my scope is far from high end. But even so I can easily get five shot 1.5'ish inch groups at 100 yards now. Before with the wood fore end in place it was more like 5 inch by 1.5 as they strung upwards vertically with each shot taken.

 

[pcpharm]

Thanks for the information, I think I will try the o-rings first then sand out the barrel channel.