Like R-R, I guess you already know my answer.lol I'm certainly not taking anything away from the #1, its a great rifle, but the versatility of the Encore is what steered me that direction. I'd rather spend $250 on a barrrel than spend 3 times that on a new rifle. But to each his own. As for barrels, I have both rifle and pistol barrels in 22-250 and 308, the 12ga Turkey barrel and the 209X45 ML barrel and also have the 450 Marlin(with muzzle-tamer) in a pistol barrel for my Encore frame. I've shot just about all of the calibers offered for it and they've all shot well. If I didn't have the 308's, I'd probably go with the 7mm-08. My dad has one for his Encore rifle and it'll shoot .75 with the right loads. In the end, it'll be you making the decision, so do your homework and go from there.