Have you had misfires with properly sized cases?? Or cases that headspace on the rim??
We were using Winchester factory ammo, there is absolutely NO excuse for a gun in this price range to be misfiring, break-open action or not. I have other shotguns that have interchangeable barrels, why didn't I ever have a misfire with them? T/C's does enough bragging about the ease of interchangeability between barrels so why shouldn't they work as advertised? No aftemarket tweaking should be necessary in my opinion. If they can't deliver a product that works, I surely won't give them high praise.
IMO: The Encore is a pretty good muzzleloader. But it is no better than many other makes that can be bought at a much cheaper price. The gun is awkward and heavy to carry in the woods and mine usually sits in the safe while i hunt with my cheap CVA guns.
I very much agree that there are much cheaper guns out there that will work just as good if not better. So what if they don't look as good? And the T/C sure IS a heavier gun! With muzzleloading technology advancing as quickly as it is, I don't want to be spending $500 on a gun that will be old technology in a couple of years. If I buy something cheap, I will have NO worries about getting rid of it and getting something newer in a few years.