Why don't you just buy a 700 in .243..then you have a groundhog and a deer rifle????

I'm not real fond of the Encore...By the time you buy 2 barrels and a scope to go with it you can buy one nice bolt and a one good scope...If you are scared that the .243 isn't enough for deer, go with a 25-06....
btw...how many groundhogs do you kill in a year??? If less than 25 or so, you could even go with a 7mm-08 and not get knocked around too much to shoot a box of ammo in an afternoon....