I love hunting with rifles, but I enjoy shooting handguns as well. I have always wanted to try a scoped T/C Encore in 7mm-08 with a 14" barrel for use on mule deer here in the mountains of Utah. I would start with a scoped barrel in .223 so that I could practice alot and learn to become proficient with the scoped handgun. My question regards the recoil of the 7mm-08 round in this gun. I have shot handguns up to and including the .44 Magnum for years and am comfortable with this level of recoil. I am not sure I would like a whole lot more recoil than a .44 Magnum however. How will the recoil of the 7mm-08 with 140 grain loads (in the T/C) compare with that of the .44 Mag in a full size revolver (such as a Ruger Redhawk)?

having shot 7-08 in an xp and 308 in xp and encore, I havent found any of them to be objectionable. you will have more muzzle flip I believe than you will in a revolver but it wont be punishing. step up to full house 175g loads and it will be a slightly different tune but once again, not bad to shoot.

the only one that I have shot that was not pleasant was a .454 in an encore, it was a handful

I have a 15" in 7mm-08 and with my reloads (120 gr over 40.0 grains of Varget) it is mild and accurate with a 2-8x Weaver. Try it...you'l like it!!

Of all the deer loads I have used in my 7-08 Encore recoil is not the problem .

Muzzel blast can be nasty with some powders , depending on how hot you load it.

The big problem is the noise , Wear your plugs even when hunting or you can do some ear damage on the first shot.

Johnch

The recoil of a 7-08 with a 140 grain bullet is a little brisk if you are not accustomed to it, but it's not unpleasant, either -- and something virtually anyone can master. Also, you don't need to crank loads up to max levels to achieve deer-dropping performance. You can load the 120 grain Ballistic Tip to 24-2500 fps, which basically is 7BR performance, and still get excellent results out to 250 yards. ANd instead of driving the 140 grain BT to nearly 2600 fps, as you can do in a 15" barrel, you can keep the velocity around the 2350-2400 fps level and still have a deadly combo.

I've taken fifty whitetail deer with my .309 JDJ. Most of these have been with a 150 Nosler Ballistic Tip. I have found that holding velocities to the 2300-2400 fps range actually enhances terminal performance on deer sized game.

MS Hitman-You are correct about slightly lower velocities and enhanced terminal performance. That's why I am such a fan of the medium-capacity rounds, particularly the 6.5mms. Combine a bullet with a high sectional density with a case that generates modest velocities, and you'll get a caliber that is far more effective than on-paper ballistics would ever indicate.

Eben Brown has even based a series of cartridges on this very premise.

When it comes to dead-in-their-tracks performance, some of my favorite cartridges -- 6.5 JDJ, 6.5x55, 7mm Bullberry and .308 WCF -- have racked up enviable strings of instant kills, and that includes shots on not only deer but tenacious Texas hogs as well.

Thank you everyone for your replies. It sounds like the recoil will be fine. Thanks again.