The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting Encore or Bolt Action?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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For a Free ranging Blackbuck and Axis hunt where the shots are between 70-200 yards, would you perfer a bolt action gun or a Encore single shot. Cant decide wether to puck up a barrell for my Encore, or pick up a new bolt action rifle. Thanks for your help. W.  | ||
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I would use which ever one you like the best. I have used single shots on several hunts, including wild pigs and black bear, and never felt handicapped. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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single shot rifles are not real hunting rifles in my opinion, they are toys to play around with. Find me one serious hunter who hunts with one. | |||
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I don't know if I would go so far as to say they were not 'real' hunting rifles. They are just a rifle that requires a little different mindset to use well. They do handicap a person just a tad that is a given, how much? well that depends on the person. If a hunter has a bit more patience, and is a little pickier in his shots, and makes that extra effort to have his first shot be all that is needed then they are just fine. Wait a minute,, that sounds like how it should always be done... But then you can do that with a bolt action as well and have a few more in your magazine for Mr Murphy in case he shows up. Take what you like, either will work well if you have the single shot mindset. It ain't likely that you will have to stop a charge.. (When I was a kid my father used to tell me that God hated a coward, I finally realized he has even less use for a fool.) | |||
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I had an Encore once...and then I found a buyer. I found that it inhibited a follow up shot (not always necessary, but when you need it, you have it). Changing barrels is an expensive proposition @ +$250 and in the end you still have 1 gun with a bunch of barrels. My choice is to buy another bolt gun. Worried about the price...grab a Stevens, Savage, Marlin, Mossberg or S&W bolt gun. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit"--Aristotle (384BC-322BC) | |||
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Woodsie, I own/have owned lever, bolt, encore,contender ruger#1, high wall and semi auto rifles from 17 ro 45 caliber. I've shot blackbucks and axis with lever and bolt guns. Blackbuck are usually around 100 lbs. A good axis buck will be 180 lbs plus. Since you are talking black buck and Axis it sound like you might be hunting in Texas. In my experience, if you don't make a good hit on your first shot, you are not going to have time to get off a second shot, even with a lever gun or semi auto. I would suggest to be very familiar and confident with the rifle you chose. I think its more a matter of shot placement and bullet of sufficient caliber. GWB | |||
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I would buy a bolt rifle and not look back. | |||
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I bought an Encore from my oldest son.. About 6 months later I gave it back to him. A bolt rifle wins! | |||
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At least from my limited viewing of The Outdoor Channel, most are using singleshot rifles. I'm not that familiar with them to tell the name brand at a glance. Perhaps T/C or whoever is providing them free to the hunters getting filmed. They sure are all over cable TV. | |||
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I've shot axis and plenty of pigs with an Encore muzzleloader. Sure it's a bit of a limitation only having one shot, but that's part of the fun. As was already pointed out, it's unlikely that you'll have to worry too much about a quick followup shot in most areas of Texas (assuming that's where your hunt is). You can shop around and find a nice used Encore barrel and scope for considerably less than a bolt gun. If you intend to use your new rifle/barrel only rarely, it might make better economic sense to go for the Encore barrel. I'm headed down to Texas to hunt axis and hogs next weekend and will take my bow (it's not a bolt action), muzzleloaer, Contender pistol, and a bolt gun of some nature. I expect most of hunting will be with the Contender, and I don't feel handicapped by that. _____________________ A successful man is one who earns more money than his wife can spend. | |||
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Just about everyone who hunt muzzle loader hunts with a single shot. There are some guys out there who take that very seriously. I have a buddy who hunts with a contender pistol, and I've seen him get 3 well aimed shots off at a black bear in less than 30 seconds. He broke the bears shoulder with the first shot and kept shooting until he stopped moving with a .358 JDJ at 200 yards. Seen him take a pronghorn at 250 yards with a .30-30AI. While he has bolt guns he likes the challenge of the pistol, I'd say he is a pretty serious hunter as well. | |||
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A guy Posted a Plains Gun Hunt in Africa ,where his Son took 8 or 9 heads with a 30-06 Handi-Rifle with as many shots.Too say a Single shot is not a real Hunting Rifle shows your ignorance.What do you think people used before there were repeaters?????  http://www.24hourcampfire.com/...0/page/1#Post2697070 Here you go!!! | |||
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yup t/c sure does a hell of a job of advertising, i loved a part this week during an elephant hunt. the hunter was using a bolt rifle, but his buddy had an encore, which he kept holding up in front of the camera  | |||
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That's a pretty myopic statement. What makes them not real hunting rifles? Do they not kill as quickly and cleanly as a bolt action? That mindset is going to set the muzzle loading crowd back a couple of hundred years. I see nothing wrong with a single shot rifle. It usually makes the person behind it make sure the one shot is going to count. Like another poster said most times even if you have a semi auto, you rarely get a second shot, especially when you hit the animal in a non lethal area. They usually take off like a scalded cat. Maybe with a clean miss the animal might be confused as to where the shot came from, and afford you a second shot. But if you took careful aim you wouldn't be in that situation in the first place. Maybe if all young hunters were taught with one we would have a lot less 5 shot slobs throwing lead out there. Since they're "toys" and "not real" guns, why don't you set your favorite pet or car out there about 200 yards and let's see if someone can't hit it with one of our toys? | |||
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Funny,single shot stalking rifles and their respective owners are viewed as the epitome of the sport in Europe, why the disdain here when used in a none dangerous game context? Hunted quite a bit of game with a single shot Sharps-Borchardt custom in 30-40 Ackley Improved, rarely needed a second shot. Also held a spare cartridge in my right hand if needed and could load from the shoulder. Take whatever rifle you shoot well, unless you simply want new one. DuggaBoye-O NRA-Life Whittington-Life TSRA-Life DRSS DSC HSC SCI | |||
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I see nothing wrong with either, as long as you have practiced with it. I try my best not to have what my hunting buddies call "Americanitis" which is shooting a shot and looking to admire that shot. We try to shoot until the animal is down. I practice with my Highwall and can get three accurate shots off in less than 15 seconds. Longer than my bolt rifles, but acceptable for me. If you aim the first one, you usually don't NEED the others but you can always take them. Larry "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson | |||
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Buy another barrel for your encore...you bought it for the multi barrel feature in the beginning Regarding the single shot and are they handicaps...hmmm...let me think of the last time I said... "Oh I will take this shot because I might miss and if I do do miss no big deal becuase I know I'll have a 2nd shot that is just as good despite the fact that the game will be running away...yeah that's the plan take a marginal 1st shot and count on the 2nd or 3rd shot to make the kill..." Ok I thought about it...never was the last time Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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reddy 375 wrote:
Hmmm...my "toys" seem to work fairly well.                      Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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Bobby: How'd you do that without a "real rifle"?  xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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You have to make sure you always get a bull barrel, get really close, use the gun as a club and then whack 'em between the eyes...  Barrels with a sporter taper often require a few follow-ups...  Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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or use silver bullits I can't begin to compare to Bobby (the whackmaster)Tomek in regards to using toys to slay wild beasts, but I have had some rudimentary successes with my single shot toys. GWB PS: Bobby, I really like that encore pro hunter in 308. PPS: The last guy that accused me of being serious sure ain't laughin about my response!           | |||
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I love to hunt with a bow, muzzleloader, and centerfire rifles. I say get whatever feels better for you, there's certainly nothing wrong with hunting with a single shot rifle. If you think you'll be needing a quick second shot, you can learn how to hold that second round between your fingers for that "quick" second shot. I looked at Encores, but what I objected to was the price of the barrels! Good Lord, I can save a few more scheckels and get an entire new rifle to tick off my wife! | |||
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GWB- Those are some very nice "toys" you are hunting with -- not to mention some nice critters that you brought to bag! Glad you are liking that .308. I had a hankering it would grow on you... Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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Another Toy for a non serious Hunter.  | |||
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bolt gun, I hate encores. | |||
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And some of those "toys" even shoot decently on occasion...    And sometimes, it's KIDS who actually play with such toys:  Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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Single shot or bolt? For antelope and mostly mule deer over the years I've shot a Ruger No. 1 in 270, I now have a M77ultra-light tang in 270, my wife loves her No. 1 in 270. I never noticed any disadvantage in the open field with either a single shot or bolt. A butt stock shell holder works well with practice. The whole T/C family of switch barrels? Well, I just didn't like them, mostly because I found them difficult to reload from a prone position(muzzle in the dirt or I'd have to roll the rifle sideways, just akward for me). Most of my eastern Montana hunting involves a lot of sneeking and crawling and I'd say 90%+ of my shots were taken prone. Maybe this isn't an issue if you are shooting sitting or from a blind. I was taught shoot, reload NOW, then admire your shot. With elk, especially in heavy timber, I've learned to keep shooting as long as the elk is still upright and in view, which is why I prefer a bolt gun for that sort of work. | |||
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Truth is Hunting with a Repeater is kind of Ho,Hum.I shoot my Contender Pistol for a challenge.If I have to pass by on a shot thats fine with me.I have never lost any game with one or had to shoot more than once.Yes there are times I did not fill out.That is not that important to me as I have killed my share and then some. Not only that but what ever I shoot now is a Trophy to me!!! | |||
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It's a lot easier to state in your head and on the net that you're willing to wait for perfect shots and pass up etc etc. I did just that when I got my Blaser K95. The reality of finding yourself with a less than utterly optimal (yes bad grammar but it needs some emphasising) rifle/scope combination when that buck of a lifetime presents itself is in truth VERY different. Thoughts of waiting for perfection go out the window and thoughts of making the shot come in with a VENGEANCE! I was faced with just such a situation in 2004. A wonderful summer morning and my 7lb single shot 'for fun'. When a roe buck that was CIC gold to the naked eye barked at me and ran stopping for 3 seconds at a time until finally pausing at a hole in the hedge I found myself cursing the rifle. I did make the shot, one of the most testing of my career and I still use sub optimal rigs for 'fun' but I know that every time I do so I take a risk. | |||
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 Ifyou don't have the confidence/ability to connect on the first shot, definitely don't go with a crappy Encore. | |||
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Most people that hunt with a singleshot are serious.Thats one of the things that a single shot does is put a level of challenge back into hunting.If I made a blanket statement like yours going in the opposite direction it would sound like this.Since everybodys rifle shoots 1/2 MOA these days why do you need 4 or 5 rounds? Any body that doesnt hunt with a single shot is a slob hunter and shouldnt be in the woods with thier repeating toys.Doesnt make much sense does it? | |||
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From 1364 to 1835 there were ONLY single shots and they were used to feed ones family... If you weren't serious, you didn't eat, and your family starved... I'd conclude this was 471 years of VERY serious hunters. My $0.02 | |||
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This is very true, but first of all, from 1364 to 1835, what choice did these serious hunters have other than single shots? And I'd be willing to bet that the majority of these serious hunters, if they could be polled, would have loved to have a repeater. I love to hunt with my muzzleloaders and I love the one shot challenge. Does that make me more serious than when I take out my custom built, scoped .300 Win Mag bolt action? I don't think whether it's a single shot, a bolt, a pump action or even "God Forbid" a semi-auto that defines how serious a hunter is, or how dead the animal becomes. The seriousness of a hunter is defined in his knowledge, attitude, demeanor and ethics. Everything else is personal choice. | |||
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It's kind of like asking which is better? Ford or Chevy. Both single shot's and bolt actions will shoot accurately. I happen to like the looks of a bolt action. All my hunting rifles are bolt action. I also strive to make my first shot count, like a single shot. It's your hunt. Shoot the rifle you like best. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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I have single shots (encores/contenders), bolt actions (CZ 550, Rugers), and lever actions (Sav99, Win1985) . . . have taken game with all of them. I've also had the opportunity to take follow up shots with all of them. In thick stuff, it rarely matters what you're using - you don't get a follow up shot. In open country (in my experience), for an aimed follow up, again, it rarely matters - if you practice with the single shot, you can reload it pretty darn fast . . . Troy | |||
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One of the dumbest posts in the history of AR..... _______________________________________________________ Hunt Report - South Africa 2022 Wade Abadie - Wild Shot Photography Website | Facebook | Instagram | |||
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Geedubya, I love that knife.....who makes it? or is it a custom knife? _______________________________________________________ Hunt Report - South Africa 2022 Wade Abadie - Wild Shot Photography Website | Facebook | Instagram | |||
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Eland Slayer. Its a Puma White Hunter, which is a production knife. Not a super old one, but still has stag handle and 104Rc hardness. None of my knives are safe queens so it has a few character marks. GWB   | |||
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Some single shot rifles are veritable works of art and make great hunting rifles for everything except dangerous game hunting in my view. I once saw TC "Shill" Larry Weischun (sp?) hunt Cape Buffalo with a TC in 416 Rigby at less than ten yards. Fortunately for him the buff ran the other way as it took him almost 9 seconds for him to effect a reload. I find the TC is the "Hunchback Of Notre Dame" of firearms. Simply hideous, but I guess some folks like them. jorge USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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When I first saw a Contender, I thought it was hideous. Then I got one and it was so fun to shoot that I got an Encore. I guess I'm used to them and don't think they're hideous any longer. Besides, you have so many stock options now that they can really be dressed up. I would agree, however, a single shot isn't the best choice for dangerous game. In fact, I would say taking dangerous game with a muzzle loader, single shot or a bow is a stunt unless your PH and others following up said wounded beast are also carrying your weapon of choice. If you REALLY use your muzzle loader, single shot or bow to hunt dangerous game with no multishot firearm for backup, then I say you're either very brave or very stupid. | |||
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