i'm new to muzzleloading but have shot them before. i am 99% sure i am getting an encore for christmas and i am wondering if i need to do anything to the gun before i put the base rings and scope on and go shoot it. with the inlines, do you have to fire caps still??? should i put bore butter down the barrel and oil the outside of the gun before i head out to the range? any info would be appreciated. thanks guys.

kevin

Snapping a cap is done in all muzzleloaders to get left over oil residue out of the barrel. I would run some clean patches down the barrel first, this will get the bulk of whatever the manufacturer used to prevent any rust from building, then snap a cap or two. I personally wouldn't use any bore butter, a wipe down of a little oil wouldn't hurt any gun surface. Allthough I'm sure if you are taking it out of the box it came in, I'm sure there is someting on the gun already. In that case a little oil when your done cleaning it would be smart.

U have to get a certain type of butter. U take the thing out where the 209 primer goes and u gotta lube it or after its shoot a few times the will not come out. Ask ur local gun store on what to use. When i bought my gun a little package of it was in the bx. It is puple stuff. And yes u wanna bore butter it for sure.

I love the T/C Encore! The first thing I would do is get a trigger job done to it. Every Encore I ever saw,needed it done unless you like a heavy trigger. Most come from the factory 4.5lb pull and if you want to get the best accuracy,get the trigger lowered. I had www.virginvalleyguns.com do my trigger and it's set at 2.5lb and help shrink my groups...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Hunt Safe!

Jack

The only thing you HAVE to do before heading to the range, aside from the usual safety precautions and having the proper components to shoot, is thoroughly clean the rifle. You do NOT need to put bore butter in the barrel. You do NOT need any special purple butter???

Just make sure to take out the breech plug, thoroughly clean it and the bore and then make sure both are clear and dry.

The trigger work may or may not be needed. Encore triggers are not consistent in performance between rifles from the factory. A good download and a good reference site are at http://www.bellmtcs.com/Prod_and_Serv/autorun.exe and http://www.bellmtcs.com/. The download will give you complete instructions with pics to show you how to accomplish a trigger job if needed as well as providing you with some very good info in general. Mr. Bellm sells sear springs, hammer extensions (need if scoped), and oversized hinge pins. You can also get a lot of info on Encores at http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/php...forum.php?f=33.

I've found the extractor to be totally unnecessary on the Encore I own. I'm sure it would be required on a centerfire barrel but the 209 primers come out very easily without tools. I recommend you remove the extractor and its retaining screw and store them safely. This will enable easy access to the breechplug and you'll appreciate that later. Make sure the breechplug has a bit of quality anti-seize grease on the forward threads before inserting it in the barrel. Or use a wrap of teflon tape as I do with just a touch of grease on the forward threads. Tighten the plug to snug and then back it off just a tiny bit. Stuck breechplugs are not fun at all!

If you scope the rifle, in addition to the hammer extension you might wish to consider removing the rear sight and using the scope mount filler screws to fill the site screw holes. Scope selection can be a bit of a problem but I find Leupold QR bases and rings to work well when coupled with a scope of the right physical dimensions, such as the Bushnells in 1.5x4 or 1.75x4.5 . I'm sure many other scopes would work well but pay attention to the spacing limitations of those rings and remember eye-relief.

Another item you might want to do is remove the recoil pad with a phillips and stuff the inside of the butt-stock with foam. I prefer just using packing foam to the spray expanding insulation that some use as the packing foam just goes where I WANT it to go.

I don't think you said which caliber but in either case buy some proper sized sabots and go toward the heavy end of bullet selection. 300 grain bullets should work well. I have found the White Powerstar saboted bullets from SplitFireGuns.com to work remarkably well in my 209x45. Try some Triple7 FFg powder at about 80 grains to start. Pay no mind to these &quot;magnum&quot; types that think more powder is always better. It isn't and is often far worse in many ways.

Become totally familiar with your rifle, find a good load, swab the bore with a spit patch or Windex patch after each shot, thoroughly clean it after each shooting session, and enjoy!

hey thanks guys, that was a lot of info you gave me. i should be getting the 50 caliber. i'm going to have a scope on it with quick disconnect leupold base and rings. the scope is bushnell banner 1.5-4.5x32. i heard you need the hammer extension if you have a scope from a number of people so i guess i'll just see how much room i have after the scope is put on. i don't see it in the thompson center catalog, the only place i've seen them for sale is on ebay. also is it hard to take the extractor off? and is a trigger job really necessary? i don't have the gun yet so i don't know how hard it is to pull back. why fill the recoil pad with foam? just wondering. with running a patch down the barrel before you shoot, does that improve accuracy?

i was just reading in the encore forum and a bunch of people say they are having problems sighting the encores in. you need to shim up the rings or something. i really hope that i won't have this problem but it sounds like a lot of people do.

kj, you don't stuff the recoil pad , stuff the buttstock since it's hollow. It only adds a bit of weight and quiets the stock down.

For hammer extension: http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?category_id=11 The medium rings will work fine with that extension, mounts and scope but you may need to file just a bit off the top back edge of the extension to keep it from contacting the scope. Depends upon how you position the scope for eye-relief.

A trigger job likely will not be &quot;necessary&quot; but might help a great deal in your performance with the rifle. Certainly nothing that can't wait until you evaluate the trigger for yourself. Bellm provides a free download with good instructions and you should get that download regardless. He also sells springs and hinge pins. Check that site out, lots of good info.

Swabbing the bore after each shot will definitely reduce fouling buildup, ease loading, and likely improve accuracy. Suggest an alcohol or Windex patch (lightly dampened) if using sabots but spit does a fair job. Use first the damper side, then the other and go in short up/down strokes as you work down the bore.

The extractor has only one small screw for retention but you need to take the forearm off to get to that screw. Just take it off and leave it off, Win209 primers come out very easily without it - at least on mine and several others.

I don't think that scope mount issue is quite as severe or widespread as you might think. None of the local Encore owners (only a small number) have encountered that problem.

I bought a hammer extension from Mike Bellm. It is great. Make sure you order one for the side of the hammer you want to extend, mine goes left because I'm a lefty. Jim

thanks again underclocked, only 6 more days till i get my gun<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> i can't wait and after i get it i'll be able to see the things i might have trouble with...but hopefully nothing will be a problem. oh, does the gun come sighted in with the fiber optic sights???

kevin