Ok this may sound like a stupid question and it probably is but....

What's the best place to get a barrel for an Encore? Price and service being important. Can you order from T/C (they list prices) or do other places carry them cheaper? Just curious. Thank you. Im not looking for anything in particular right now, but have an open mind.

Trust me that my friend is not a stupid question. There are several places you can get factory barrels all of which, if unaltered carry a lifetime guarantee. First I would check the classifieds in a couple different TC/specialty handgun forums. If thats not your thing then this guy is pretty good - http://www.edstc.com

or Midway often will have a pretty good selection.

http://www.eabco.com/barels01.html
http://www.matchgrademachine.com/

I have experience with eabco on a custom .280 ackley and they were pretty good. Took a little longer than what they quoted me but the quality is great. My friend has used match grade on several barrels and has had nothing but good to say about them

Thanks guys. Im not looking for anything in particular or anything fancy. Just price and service on a factory barrel. I love my Encore as a muzzle loader and can only imagine how good it would be as a center fire. Thank you again!

Justin

Where do you get the Ackley Improved Cartridges?

For the little extra money the Match Grade Machine barrels are unbeatable. And you can get exactly what you want. Barrel length, barrel contour, cartridge selection, cartridge chamber, finish, porting, and anything else you might want. Tom.

If I am just the average joe type of hunter, is the custom barrel still worth it? I mean I know nothing about why I should have X" barrel with such and such contour and the like. I would still be shooting a...more than likey....middle of road priced factory load (may experiment with 2 or three types, but cant really justify trying 5 or 6 or more different loads). I do like the idea of having a custom barrel, but not really sure what type of custom job I would want.

First of all the custom barrels for an Encore are not that much extra. That is the true beauty of the Encore.

A custom barrel allows you to tailor the barrel to your exact hunting style. So you need to define your hunting sytle, then recommendations on what type of barrel you want or need can be determined, For instance do you hunt 100 yards and in, and only in thick cover. In this circumstance a short fast handling barrel is called for, and preferably a larger caliber at a lower velocity. So you need to define your type of hunting.

Contour has a lot to do with how much shooting you are going to do. The heavier the barrel the better for recoil reduction, and heat dissipation if you shoot a lot. I hunt from fixed positions, so I always go with heavy barrels. I have a friend who never sits still, so a short light barrel is better for him. I am sure you see where I am going with this.

For long distance shooting I have a 6.5X284 custom MGM barrel that is 28 inches long, and full bull. It is very heavy, but deer are in troulbe at long distance. Tom.

Nice looking Encore. Well my hunting varies. Sometimes it's upclose and personal, and at times shots can be out to 200+yds. It's one of those things of "Which would I rather use it for" type situations. I think I would rather have the Encore be my longer distance gun. Im really considering the .280. Choices choices. I never do well when I have to pick just one of something lol