First of all the custom barrels for an Encore are not that much extra. That is the true beauty of the Encore.

A custom barrel allows you to tailor the barrel to your exact hunting style. So you need to define your hunting sytle, then recommendations on what type of barrel you want or need can be determined, For instance do you hunt 100 yards and in, and only in thick cover. In this circumstance a short fast handling barrel is called for, and preferably a larger caliber at a lower velocity. So you need to define your type of hunting.

Contour has a lot to do with how much shooting you are going to do. The heavier the barrel the better for recoil reduction, and heat dissipation if you shoot a lot. I hunt from fixed positions, so I always go with heavy barrels. I have a friend who never sits still, so a short light barrel is better for him. I am sure you see where I am going with this.

For long distance shooting I have a 6.5X284 custom MGM barrel that is 28 inches long, and full bull. It is very heavy, but deer are in troulbe at long distance. Tom.