TC was having quality control problems with the Encore long before they were acquired by Smith and Wesson. i lucked out with the muzzleloder barrel but i've seen several bad ones. Bellms specializes in fixing Encores.

Of the five centerfire barrels i bought, three were trash.

The hammer spring was too weak. The ramrod thimbles were loose because the screws were bottomed out. There was side play in the barrel and action. That was fixed when a machinist in the shop my son supervised welded up the action and machined it to fit the barrels.

http://bellmtcs.com/store/