T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I'm considering one for my next rifle because of the interchangable barrels. I don't know anyone that actually owns one so I'm looking for some opinions. Are they worth the $$? Accuracy? Barrel pricing? Any help is appreciated!

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I own one and have three barrels so far.
I can buy barrles for less than $200 but retail is about $230.
Advantage, no paper work for buying a barrel.
You have one action to get to know the trigger.
You can have pistol, rifle, muzzle loader and shotgun.
Being a single shot has always seemed to make me a better hunter even though with practice you can re-load very quickly.

The biggest dis-advantage IMO, is that if you want to sell it at any time the market is pretty small.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

BTW the accuracy is very good on mine. It's not bench rest quality but it's as good as I'll ever need for hunting or punching paper.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I have a new Encore in 45-70. All my TC shooting expirence however has been with the Contender and Contender Carbine. All the Contenders and optional barrels were first rate quality and what klittle need I had for Customer service from TC was very very good. I woul;d echo the above feeling that thier resale may be thier weak point as single shots are not real popular. You might want to go to Gretbeard outdoors.com as there is a section there just for Encore Rifles and Handguns. Good Luck. I will be shopping for a 260 rifle and pistol barrel for my new Encore.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

Honest opinion, I have one and looking back at all the bad luck I’ve had with it , I would not have gotten it. I had bad luck from the first day I bought it but it really doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the rifle. It’s just that anything that has to do with this rifle has not been good.

As I’ve stated before, I have found it to be a problem with the space between the hammer and the scope eye piece. I had to get a hammer spur to extend the hammer to the side and it’s not perfect. When hunting up here in November the weather can get pretty cold and you can’t just go out with a thin pair of glove or you won’t last the day. So the space is is not sufficient in my opinion even with a 50 mm obj. lens.

When shooting at the range, after taking one shot, the rifle has to be reset in position after reloading. When shooting other types of actions the rifle can stay in the same position for the second or third shot.

I don’t find that you can reload that fast for the second shot because the ejector seems to get in the way. Maybe with more practice it would get better but at this time I find to be a problem.

I have a custom barrel for this rifle. Although I’m impressed with the barrel I will not order another barrel because of the cost. With the exchange and the shipping this barrel very costly.

As aunsaber mentioned, if it would come time to sell this rifle, the market is very small , not that I’m looking at selling my rifle but I would never get back what I spent on this rifle. I find the price of this rifle to be a little high...You asked for an honest opinion and this was it.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

One fault is its expensive and the second concerns quality of the synthetic stock. I know other similiarly designed muzzleloaders are selling for half the price but they aren't chambered for hipower cartridges either. For the price of an encore muzzleloader and a corresponding hipower barrel set I can easily get a quality muzzleloader and rifle. I guess it depends on what you want out of a gun.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I love my encore. I have an encore with 2 barrels, the 209x45 muzzle loader and a .243.
I use it as a muzzle loader and my 10 yo daughter uses it as a .243.

Both the .243 and the muzzle loader have been very accurate.

With practice you can reload almost as fast as working a bolt.

Overall I have owned both Contenders and Encores and have been very satisfied with both.

Thanks

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I am also lookin at TC. What are the diferinces betwen the contender and the encore?

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

802, here’s there web site. You can check it out for yourself if you want.. www.tcarms.com/product.php;)

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I love my Encore...:D

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I am not a fan of the encore, but others are. Just another example of the difference in people. Shoot what you like!

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

allcamo,
with a single shot, how can you lay down a volley???? just askin???:D:D:D:D

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I like the quality and service from T/C. I have 2 of their muzzleloaders and a Contender with a couple of barrels. I bought an Encore when they first came out in 7mm-08. I just couldn't get it to shoot to my accuracy standard. I was also having trouble with it digesting my handloads. For some reason it would not fire them. I sent it back to T/C twice. These loads worked fine in my Browning Micro Hunter. I finally figured out that the chamber must have been oversized and once I started shooting loads that were neck sized only (after being fired in it), they worked fine.
Everyone has their own opinion on acceptable accuracy. Mine is - if it can't shoot 1 1/2" five shot groups at 100 yds, its gone. And that Encore couldn't do better than 2" no matter how many loads I tried in it.
It looked good and handled nicely, but I dumped it at the local gun shop.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

Bronko, I had the same problem with my T/C Encore 7mm Rem. mag. I figured I’d give the rifle a second chance and ordered a custom barrel. I will be shooting my new barrel this month and hopefully the accuracy will be to my satisfaction or it will also be gone.[:@]

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

Mine has been the most accurate, fun to shoot gun/hunting system I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. Period.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

the only thing that really don't care for is the lever to break open the the breech, i spend alot of time hoofing it with the encore strapped across my back and that lever is murder on your back, other than that i love it.......


209x50 s/s
rem 260 stainless

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I bought an Encore muzzleloader partly because it is the cheapest take down rifle system that you can buy, if you fly with firearms you'll appreciate it. A lot of guys around here use Encore ML's and have great luck with them, I hope I can try mine out in Kansas in a few days.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

Honest Opinion? Helluva deal and isn't expensive, in walnut/blue, compared to any other gun, about $475. I never understood why some people say this gun is expensive when it's not unless you want only the stainless with synthetic camo. These are the same guys who can't lay out over $100 for a scope so I don't give them much salt for an opinion when they're really shooting low end guns and optics all the time. I'm always thinking that I want to enjoy a gun for a couple of decades so I'll save to get what I really want within reason. I have 7 modern brand name bolt guns and autos (including Brownings) and several scatterguns and none of my guns cost more than $600 except for a Benelli SBE. All were bought new.

Back to the Encore. Get the walnut stock. It's superior to and totally different than the synthetic and feels rock solid. Try them both out and you'll easily see why walnut is better. Now get a good trigger job. I sent my action to Mike Bellm and it's the best trigger of all my rifles and cost only $50.

Now the guy who said it's a pain on the bench to reset each time after loading is totally missing the point of a single shot mentality. After initially sighting in on the bench get off the chair and shoot this gun like you mean it in real hunting stances and positions and practice fast reloading with a wrist band double cartridge keeper. It's a one shot deal and you won't have a handy bench regardless so reloading isn't a problem because it's going to come off your shoulder anyway in real hunting. I don't know of a single hunter who cycles his bolt from the shoulder when hunting unless maybe if they're prone. Even then what's the big deal?

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I have to go with sooner shooter on this ,Except for the "walnut stock".I have had and also know of people that had the walnut stock that busted .They can not hold up to the 150 grains of powder and split in the pistol grip.T/C sent replacement composite (camo) at no charge .Pretty darn good service.Gun was 4 years old.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I have had 3 encores. They have all been decent shooters with some being exceptional. My only complaint has been that the wood stocks will break. They crack at the back of the action. I have had 3 stocks crack, all while using the 209x50 barrel. I imagine that its not the act of firing that cracks the stock but the stresses exerted on the stock while loading. I now stick with just the synthetic stock until I can get either a kevlar or nice wooden stock from virgin valley. THey have the aluminum bedding block in the butstock to help with that problem.

I have a 24" 22-250 barrel and a 209x50 barrel for my encore. The 209x50 will shoot 250gr Barnes MZ sabots with clear shot pellets into 3" at 150 yards. The 22-250 barrel will shoot under MOA out to 300 yards with several loads, including the Remington UMC 45gr HP load. Its always nice to have a load you can buy over the counter for under $12 a box that will shoot 2" groups at 300 yards.

I have found a few tricks that will help your encore shoot better. Number one is that using small neopreme or pvc washers between the forend and barrel to get a good free float and using the same amount of torque each time to the forend screws. It is also good to rest the rifle closer to the reciever than the end of the forend for better groups off the bench.

The single best thing about the encore is that it is a fairly lightweight, compact, and handy. With its lack of an action the overall length is fairly short even with longer barrels. The 24" sporter barrel with light synthetic stock and compact scope make just about the best walkaround or high country rifle that I can think of. I had a 24" 25-06 barrel with 3-9 burris that was an absolute joy to carry all day and deadly on whitetails at all practical ranges.

If I could have only one rifle it would be an encore.

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

hey soonershooter, i had forgot about the trigger job on mine also, the pull was unreal like 9#[:@], had it reset to 3.5. 3.5 mainly because during our m/l season i hunt with gloves alot. after having that taken care of gun is a tack driver, the m/l barrel shoots great for a front loader and the 260 is a darling to shoot at 150 yds and less on deer.....

RE: T/C ENCORE:HONEST OPINIONS
 

I love my Encore. It comes to the shoulder just right and shoots great in the field. I know someone said that it isn't a benchrest gun but how many benchrest shooters take their rifles in the woods hunting. It will shoot with the best field guns. My .300 win mag will shoot .75" groups at 100yds w/ factory ammo. My .22-250 shoots one hole groups at 100 yds w/ factory ammo and my .308 will put em in .50" all day. The MZ Barrel shoots 1.5 - 2" groups at 100 yds. I know it can do better because it has, but that'll drop any deer I'm hunting. Look around for barrels, some places have them way too high. The factory barrels will shoot as good as the custom. All you need for good accuracy is a good trigger, a tight hinge pin, and good ammo.