Thinking about a Pro Hunter
 

What do you all think?
I was going to wait and maybe go with a Knight Mountaineer, but I don't know that it's different enough from my Disc that I want to spend $700 on one. Cabelas has a Pro Hunter rifle frame on sale for $350, then I can get either a Pro Hunter, Pro Hunter XT or Pro Hunter Katahdin barrel. I think for the type of hunting I do the Pro Hunter would be a better choice than the Mountaineer, but I can't say for sure.
Can you guys let me know what you think? I'm really not fure which way to go. This has to be my last gun for at least a few years, so I don't want to screw it up.

$350 for a Pro Hunter frame is a great deal. What Cabela's store is doing that?? I have a friend who wants a new Encore and that is great deal. Heck I paid $275 plus shipping plus transfer fees for a couple of use standard Encore frames.

IMO the best way to buy an Encore is to first buy the frame. Send it off or do a trigger job yourself. Then add your barrels and stock. That is the way I did mine. And I am happy I did it.

I very much like the Encore rifle system. However I have not had much luck with the MZ's. I just had problems getting mine to shoot, and had a few friends who also had problems. But to be fair I had other friends whose Encore MZ's shot just great. I guess it is like anything else. You get some good, some bad.

Buy that action. Or let me know where it is at. I will have one transferred to Wheeling, and buy it for my friend.

Then take your time and find the exact stock you want. Below are a couple of pictures of a couple of Encore stocks that I have. Tom.

If you get an Encore and later want a ML barrel, get a SMI or other smokeless grade barrel even if you are not shooting smokeless. They are very accurate and you can choose the length, twist, breach plug style and contour you prefer. SMI pricing is very reasonable too compared to some of the SML conversions such as Pacnor. You can even just convert 45/70 barrels much cheaper.

GM this is the first time I have ever heard of an SMI barrel. I liked what you wrote so I did a search. I found their home page. They make barrels for H&R, but they did not list any barrels for an Encore.

Fill us in with some more information on those barrels. The price loked intriguing to me. If they make an Encore?? Or was I at the wrong web site?? Tom.

I love mine, but have had it less than a year and haven't gotten a deer with it. Technically it is my wife's and she did miss a deer with it. She is new to deer hunting so I blame her and not the gun. ;)

love mine, got 50cal ml barrel,7mm o8 barrel for gun season and 22lr for small game, its my goto gun now

HEAD0001

Give them a call or go over to Dougs board and you can read about them. Lately lots of guys have been getting them for T/Cs. They dont have much listed on the website but the guys that have shot them swear by them.

The 45/70 conversions can be a bit more finicky but knurling the bullets seems to solve those issues. Even mild smokeless 45x40 200gr sabot loads are well into the 2400-2500fps range and that is a VERY low pressure load. Not much more psi than BH209 actually and some are about the same as a max BH209 load.

I mainly like the pricing and the extra strength of a true smokeless grade barrel and the faster twist options.

Here's the link. It's just on sale. I called the closest Cabelas store and they said they would honor online prices in the store. Here's the link

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Thomp...h-All+Products

That's a really long link. I know there's a way to shrink it but I can't remember how.
I'm thinking I'm either going go with the xt barrel for the quick release breech plug or the Katahding barrel. A 20" barrel would real nice in small tree stand or walking in thick woods. Not sure which would be better though.

Maybe it is just the one that I got, but I think you can do better for the amount of cash it takes to get a pro hunter. Mine for sure needs a trigger job and the barrel has been a pain in the neck. The JB bore paste should fix it though.

I will say the fit and finish is great. I don't think you can buy a higher quality gun but the Knights that I have seen are equal to the TC.

I have a stock Pro Hunter right off the shelf and right now only have the 209 50 mag ML barrel. I was planning on buying a 35 Whelen and a 300 Win mag for it but the ML shoots so good I may have to think about those barrels. Mine will shoot moa @ 100 with 250gr Barnes TMZ's with a Harvester Yellow Crushed Ribbed Sabot sitting on 105 gr's of Blackhorn 209 and Win 209 primers. My buddy's shoots just as good. Everyone has their favorites but I can't imagine buying anything else. The trigger is a little firm (about 6#)but not so bad I can't shoot moa with it. I have bought a Bellm #3 sear spring kit for it and am going to do a bit of a trigger job on it after the deer season is over.

Man that is a real deal. Thanks, Tom.

It is a good deal and I think if I'm going to get a Pro Hunter it's one that I really should take advantage of. I was looking at TC's website and it looks like for 2011 they're converting everything over to weather shield instead of stainless, which I'm not a real big fan of.
I wanted to wait until May to see if I could shoulder a Knight before I bought anything but I don't know. They've had that sale going on since before Christmas and I doubt it will last much longer.

ADVWannabee, nice looking rifle. I have a question. At Cabela's the other day, 2 out 3 TC's that have those rubber inserts at the rear of the stock by the recoil pad, were missing. Upon inspection it appears as if those come out easily. Was I seeing the exception and not the norm?
I almost purchased one, but got wet feet.

Ive seen that on several T/C MLs with that stock at Cabelas. It appears to be the norm since most of them were knocked into the stock.

Thanks again for that link on the Pro Hunter frame. Heck I checked it out and that even comes with the Pro Hunter stock and forearm. That is a REAL DEAL. I got ahold of my friend about a half hour ago. He is on the phone right now to the Wheeling store to see if he can get one up there for that price. So thanks again.

I also meant to call that barrel company that GM recommended in this thread, but I forgot to do it this afternoon. I hope I can remember it tomorrow. The snow is coming down pretty hard this afternoon, so I was mesmerized!! Tom.

Hmm, I have not tried to remove them and I don't know why they would be removable. They are supposed to help reduce recoil. I will have to check it out though. They haven't come out on their own so I don't think I would worry about it.

HEAD0001

You really should contact SMI just to see your options. Even if you have no interest in smokeless. Its a very nice quality barrel that will handle nearly any sub load and its about the only way to get a fast twist 45cal or 50cal if that is interesting to you.

Costs are not that far out of line compared to the other barrels either. If the price is close to the H&R barrels its a pretty good deal for a higher quality (Douglas?)barrel that is "SML approved".

I have noticed that in the stores also. I always figured that someone pushes on one just to see what it is and it pops through, then if one pushes through they have to see if they can get all of them to. It looks like they just push in and out. From what I can tell I don't think they're even glued in.
I almost ordered the frame last night, but I just can't quite get myself to. I keep looking at the Knight and second guess myself. I worry about the recent issues with TC customer service and possible quality problems. It looks like the Knight Mountaineer is basically the same gun as my Disc Extreme except they claim to have fixed the major complaints about I had about it - the ramrod, the blowback issues with the breech plug and less tools to disassemble the whole thing. So... I just can't decide right now.

SuperKirby

If you want an affordable Knight, call Guns Unlimited in Omaha Neb and ask for Wally. I helped him sell a few NIB Knight Elites and some Originals for only $279 shipped.

1-402-339-0771

I got a NIB Original 45cal in fluted SS/Composite for about the same price many people want for a used gun. He might be out of the SS models so i would hurry if you want one. I think he still has a early 50cal with the shorter 24" blued barrel for only $199 but it is an Original Orange DISC model. Original Knight bluing and trigger are really nice quality IMO.

I hope you got your Encore frame. The Cabela's store that had the frames was not our local Cabela's. However my friend bought the frame, and they are sending it to Wheeling for him. However they told him he bought the last one they had. So I hope you got yours. Tom.

I did not get that frame yet. I haven't had a chance to make it to Cabelas. It still shows it as being on sale on their website so maybe it will work out still. Otherwise I was at Scheels last night and they had a new Pro Hunter with stainless barrel and thumbhole stock for $700. Worst case I can go that route.