I own 2 T/C MLs and would not say ANY brand is "hands down". We should all be willing to admit that there are several brands making quality guns and a lot of it will come down to personal preference.

I have never owned a Knight yet would recommend either T/C or Knight for a beginner. I am biased a little against the break-actions due to accurization concerns but that again is a personal preference factor. The comment I will make on the Encore is people buy them because you can switch barrels, yet I know few people who actually do that.

I'd look at the Omega or a Knight if I could recommend one. I would be interested on the opinions of anyone who owns a T/C with the new "speed breech", it is an interesting concept yet I won't be buying a new ML anytime soon so I'm interested to hear how they work and last under use.