Ok Joe, here's my OPINIONS,
I absolutely love the Encore for the reasons you mentioned. I have a couple of barrels and want several more.
I find the grip ergonomic and that the rifle holds, points and shoots extremely well. All T/C barrels come with guarenteed accuracy built in. The trigger is adjustable for overtravel and can be "honed" by a competent gunsmith at an affordable price. Ed Arthur Brown is a good source for Encore "extras".
Now ther are a lot of bolt action fans on this board that will extoll the attributes of Tikkas and other well made rifles. That said, I like having one trigger to deal with instead of many, it's the same no matter which caliber/guage I am shooting. It's a comfot level thing with me. I am also comfortable with the one shot and make it count thing. I think this promotes taking higher % shots, knowing you could be "one and done".
These rifles are great for some shooters and not for others. But their accuracy and versitility should not really be called into question. They are both.