I love my muzzleloaders. I love my Encores, I own three. I also own a T/C Blackdiamond. I also own a nice assortment of barrels for my Encores, from .223 to .405. I can add another barrel in any caliber with mounts and a top quality scope for $550. In my opinion, it's a no brainer, invest in an Encore and you have versatility for the future. My personal opinion is to buy a regular stainless Encore and not a Pro-Hunter. I don't think you gain anything by spending the extra money. A 26" barrel is sufficient and I don't thing you gain anything ballisticly by adding the extra two inches to the barrel length. Most ballistic test data is generated using a 24" barrel.