Fred the owner of Bullberry hunted Africa with a Contender. His shop is only minutes away and thou he is swamped with orders will take a few minutes and visit while he works. Virgin Valley was next door and did some nice work before they closed. My Encores and Contenders have all been purchaced at one or the other and the trigers were set about 2 1/2 pounds. The Contenders are a lot handier while the Encores will handle the bigger calibers. Still up in the air on the G2 and if you check Graybeard forum he is on the warpath with T/C. Right now there are Contenders for sale with people switching over to the G2 and some good deals can be found.

You're welcome, and welcome to the forum by the way.

looken for accurcy,hunting deer ,hog, coyote,or anything else that gets in my way. not as concerned about 5-6 shoots . i probly won't be shooting off hand. or will i even be able to tell the differance at 100yds/

In my mind, a good trigger and action is better all the way than any other consideration.

I've never shot an Encore, but I didn't like the trigger or the safety mechanism on my old contender.

Just a personal preference, but I'd say pick up a good revolver in .44 or possibly .480, and you're all set.

But, if you can stand the triggers on 'em, or take it in for a good action job, the encore stands to be more versatile in spades for hunting, just on barrel interchangeability alone.

Also, are you reloading your own cartridges? If so, you can tailor your powders for the shorter barrels and you'll get more performance from the encore. Lots of variables here.

A good revolver is plenty accurate, but depending on everything else, for versatility, reloading, weight, etc. The encore comes out ahead. If you're not loading your own ammo though, you may be better off sticking with traditional pistol rounds.

BEN, i'm not reloading cenerfire yet , plan to for handgun and rifle. been loading shotgun for years.
thanks for the info.

I assume you are talking about scoping either to shoot out to 100yds. The 44mag really maxs out about 100-125yds. The Casull gets you to 150 but it can be done easier w/ a TC in one of the rifle carts, JMO. I like revolvers for hunting but use open sights to 50-60yds. Beyond that I like my TC in .375win.

SInce you don't reload, an Encore in .30-30 would be a good choice. Any of the quality 44mags w/ at least a 6"bbl. would be the alternative. Ruger Bisley hunter gives you an option to easily scope if you want.

I used a Encore in 308 win this year for the first deer with a pistol. It has a 16 1/4 barrel and I was shooting well over 250 yards. triger jobs are easy but it is not uncommon to have a great triger from the factory. triger is completely different than the contender. I also carry a S&W 629 mountain gun but only if it was within 25 yards.

Southern;
You are entirely correct; the Encore/G2 actions from T/C are definitely not like the old Contender! I just bought a new G2 and the trigger is abominable. So is the Encore I borrowed to see if the G2 was just out of spec. These are true "lawyer" triggers.
The old Contender trigger was easily adjustable for creep and over travel with a simple allen wrech. It was adjustable for pull weight without much more trouble. The trigger had a dry fire mechanism that didn't require cocking the hammer. Mine all have pulls around 3 - 3 1/2 lb with no perceptible creep or backlash. The old action was also a more graceful design (that awful etching thing not withstanding).
The only thing the new action has going for it, is that it is easier to open.
If you don't want to handload, or just aren't doing that yet, there still some great cartridges, eg. the 7mm Waters. Most of the real rifle cartridges are loaded with powder too slow to be efficient in the 10 or 14 inch bbls, but they do work.
Once you have started to hand load, there are lots of really great calibers to use. They are superbly accurate. Mine do about 2 min of angle, or a bit less with certain rounds. (Yeah, I know. I too have shot some of those 1/2 inch groups, but they are a not regular thing.)
Of course there is nothing wrong with a good revolver either, I've taken game including whitetails with a S&W mod. 29. (And they are definitely prettier than the T/C.)

I have and do hunt with both a revolver and a contender. What and how you hunt determines what you use. To me, 75yds and less means the revolvers. Either a 44mag or a hot loaded 45 colt. If I think the shooting will be 50yds or lots more, then a contender is my gun. I have shot the encore, but still like the contender better. This is my personal choice, and others will have theirs. With the right chamberings, a contender will hunt the world. And if you shoot it a bit, you will amaze your friends with what you can do.