I am going to buy a muzzleloader for hunting deer in iowa ,we cant use rifles to hunt deer, and my dad and i are talking about going on an elk hunt in a couple of years. He has a 300 weatherby mag which shoots nice. I am thinking about maybe getting the encore for the muzzleloader then buying a rifle barrel for the elk hunt. It would be cheaper then buying a nice rifle and after the elk hunt i dont know if i would use it for another hunt. What does everyone think about this idea? My dad has an old 8mm mauser that he sporterized but i would rather spend the money for a encore since i would be spending alot of money for the elk hunt and would hate for something to go wrong with the 8mm. What does everyone think about this idea?

I would go with a T/C Encore. Good luck.

I think you’re on the right track. The T/C should work well for your hunting needs. No sense in spending extra money on a rifle if not required once you have the T/C. Good luck...

Also are they good shooters? Meaning are the fairly accurate

I would buy a separate muzzle loader and rifle for the money you will spend on the TC..Just my opinion but based on retail prices and added sales tax i don't see where it is a bargain. Lets not even talk about the new PRO they are selling in the 700 dollar range.

Well, I have been down this road with encore. I am not sure I would do it again. I had a ML for a while and sold the barrel to my brother. Ok, I found a sale on 204 barrels, so I got one. I also got a walnut stock and forarm. Didn't shoot well at all. So got the forarm fitted, still not great, so had the forearm pillar bedded so no contact with barrel, little better but not great. Ok, so had the hinge pin hole milled to match the barrel pefectly and oversized pin in. Now it shoots .7MOA regularly 5 shots. But it cost me more than I planned.

Now every barrel I get I have to take to the gunsmith to have him mill out the hole to match my oversized hinge.

The hinge is the weak part of the guns design. And it needs to be real tight.

I use my 25-06 for woodchuck's as well as deer,longest chuck shot was 503 yards...

[quote][I use my 25-06 for woodchuck's as well as deer,longest chuck shot was 503 yards/quote]


NOw that is some shooting

On average, they are pretty darn good shooters. As a muzzle loader, you can buy a good muzzle loader for a lot less money but when you figure everything in, it makes sense to me to go the Encore route. This said, there is nothing wrong with the 8MM and I see no reason that anything would go wrong with it.

Check out CVA. They have centerfire/muzzleloader combo guns too. I have an Optima Pro .50 cal that shoots very tight groups at 100 yds. I have lots of friends that shoot CVA's and we all love them. I shot a doe at 165 yds with mine two seasons ago. Easy to clean,good looking, and a nice price tag. CVA puts out a great product. They are offeredin variouscolors including your favorite camo patterns.Would an IA boy steer you wrong? http://www.cva.com/products/rifle_optelite_center.htm