i was in the same boat....wanted an encore for years, finally got serious about it last year and ran across a sweetheart deal on a used prohunter. I agree, hold out for the stainless. i dont think you really notice the extra couple inches of barrel....remember its a single shot so the action is much shorter, i think it balances itsself out nicely. After i bought mine i got a 7mm-08 barrel for gunseason and a 22lr barrel for plinking and small game. One nice thing about this setup is youre always shooting the same gun, same trigger.....once you get it how you like it, its hard to beat.