It is a good bit more than that. The hammer spring is too weak and the addition of a hammer extension very oftenresults inmisfires.I ownnumerous other break action rifles, some cheap and some very expensive: Have never had headspace problems with any of them. IMO: The problems associated with the Encore and centerfire barrels can be attributedto sloppy manufacture.

I have seen the misfires with several different Encores, and even some Handi's. As soon as the brass is properly sized with the cases that headspace on the shoulder, the problem was solved. I have never seen a misfire with a cartridge that headspaces on the rim. That is a main reason EABCO likes his proprietary Encore cartridges--because they headspace on the rim(according to EABCO). So I have to disagree about sloppy manufacture. I believe it is attributable to the nature of a break action firearm, and the barrel gap. I am not saying that you are wrong about a weak hammer spring. I am only saying that the problem is more attributed to the actual type of case, and sizing, rather than a weaker hammer spring. Or at least that has been my experience.

Have you had misfires with properly sized cases?? Or cases that headspace on the rim??

If you read Bellm's web site he specificaly talks about proper cartridge resizing. Tom.

i do believe that many of the Encore problems can be traced toshoddy work by TC. Went to the Bellms site very early in my Encore experiment. Decided that it was easier to write it all off than mess withEncore receivers and barrels.

Yes, it is nice for us reloaders to be able to re-load and size cases to a particular Encore barrel. However, this does nothing forthe majority of hunters whouse factory ammo. Been there, done that: One generally ends up with a re-loaded cartridge that fits the Encoregreat and works well in that Encore.But it usually will not fit any of the other rifles of the same caliber that the shooter owns. One good thingcame out of my early obsession with the Encore:When i liqudated the Encore barrels, my bolt action rifles got some good scopes.

IMO: The Encore is a pretty good muzzleloader. But it is no better than many othermakes that can be bought at a much cheaper price. The gun isawkward and heavy to carry in the woods and mine usually sits in the safe while i hunt with my cheap CVA guns.

We were using Winchester factory ammo, there is absolutely NO excuse for a gun in this price range to be misfiring, break-open action or not. I have other shotguns that have interchangeable barrels, why didn't I ever have a misfire with them? T/C's does enough bragging about the ease of interchangeability between barrels so why shouldn't they work as advertised? No aftemarket tweaking should be necessary in my opinion. If they can't deliver a product that works, I surely won't give them high praise.

I very much agree that there are much cheaper guns out there that will work just as good if not better. So what if they don't look as good? And the T/C sure IS a heavier gun! With muzzleloading technology advancing as quickly as it is, I don't want to be spending $500 on a gun that will be old technology in a couple of years. If I buy something cheap, I will have NO worries about getting rid of it and getting something newer in a few years.

The Encore certainly isn't heavier than a Savage or a Genesis.

[quote]ORIGINAL: Steve863
Exactly