Blackheel,
The reason I posted : the encore and omega have the same breech plug.
The flash hole enlarges, so you need to measure the flash hole (powder side) with a pin gauge or at least compare it to a new one.
When mine is ready for replacement, I can tell by naked eye (much larger).
The fire channel becomes uniformly caked with a fine sandy (carbon?),
but is still clear to the eye and may affect accuracy and the only way to remove it is a 1/8 in. drill bit twisting by hand.
Hope this helps.
Tim