Title says it all. I been kicking around the idea of adding one of these to the collection. I am starting with a fresh slate. No need to have barrel compatability with exisitng stock. Which is the better hunting tool? I did do a search and it seems like this hasnt been discussed for about 2 years.

I've been doing the same thinking as you. I believe the Encore is able to accept larger caliber rounds.Other than that I dont know what else seperates them. I'm probably going to get the Encore in a 50 cal muzzleloader and then maybe add a 300 win mag barrel later on. I still need to do some homework. Hope others reply.

Also read "Thompson Arms" in this same forum. Just read it and forgot that I previously forgot that I asked the same question. Guess thats where I got my Knowledge of the Encore.

The answer is G2 AND Encore

Actually, it depends on what calibers you are looking to shoot. Heavies like .500 S&W or high powered rifle round like .308 and 7mm Mag. are best served up in an Encore frame. The G2 is a much lighter frame and is well suited to lighter rounds like .30-30, .223, and most pistol cartridges. I also has the ability to use rimfire without costly adapters. Figure out what you want to shoot and that will tell you which frame to get.

I'm with C.A., buy one of each. If that's not an option then the Contender (and I presume the G2) makes a better "pistol" and a better rimfire. Either can be an interesting "handgun" but the Encore gives you off the shelf rifle cartridge power folks once had to wildcat to approach with the Contender. If you ever decide to go long the Encore makes for a better rifle, shotgun, or inline. Good hunting!

Brings up an interesting question. Can you add a rifle barrel and the other parts to convert an Encore to a rifle? I am guessing you could not add a pistol barrel to an Encore rifle due to ATF laws but the reverse would be true of starting with the handgun frame. I know very little about these handguns other than I am shopping for one. I have decided on an Encore in stainless after doing some more reading here. Thank you.

Snowwolfe,

Your question is one that T/C owners, dealers, and, the ATF have been kicking around on several forums for at least the last 15 years that I know about.

Dennis

Ok, If you buy an Encore pistol frame will the rifle barrels fit on it?
Second, Can anyone recommend a good source for purchasing the barrels and accessories?

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
Ok, If you buy an Encore pistol frame will the rifle barrels fit on it?
Second, Can anyone recommend a good source for purchasing the barrels and accessories?

1. Yes
2. I've purchased my last 3 barrels off of E-bay with no fuss and no muss.

There is no difference in rifle and pstol frames. Pistol and rifle length barrels are interchangable. BATF has records on frames sold as pistols, and it is aginst the law to convert a rifle to a pistol.

As a practical matter, you can buy barrels and stocks and grips with out having to go through a FFL agent. If you did something wrong and they looked the records up to see if you had converted a rifle to a pistol and you had, you would be in big time trouble with the Feds. You would also need to check your state regulations and see how they apply. It is not a problem with the Feds to convert a pistol to a rifle configuration as long as it has a stock and a barrel longer than 16 inches to meet an overall length requirement.

If you aren't confused by all this by now, you are doing better than most of us. The safest thing to do is buy a handgun, which will keep you out of trouble if you change it over to a carbine or a rifle. There is no federal maximum length on barrels for hanguns...Rusty.

Rusty, exactly what I was thinking. But the "handgun" frame and then you can add any barrel to it and be legal. Thanks everyone for your input.
Are the Encore rifles accurate?

Snowwolf: I have no experience with Encore rifles but have some experience with Encore and Contender handguns and barrels. My experience is that they are more accurate than the average out of the box rifle if you do your part. Most of my barrels have been custom, more expensive but better quality than TC's barrels, so that may alter things a bit. Perhaps someone with Encore rifle experience will speak up, but I would think that the accuracy potential of both should be equal.

I shoot wildcats, meaning that I have to load my own amunition. Loading your own allows you to tailor your loads to your gun, producing the best accuracy it is capable of. I have two handguns, Contender and Encore, that will shoot well under an inch at 100 yards when I do my part. I would call that more than accurate enough for hunting purposes...Rusty.

I am happy with any rifle that shoot 1.5 MOA. I don't think I ever took a shot over 225 yards in my life. Looking for something lightweight for deer hunting and they seem interesting. Have you ever weighed yours?

No I haven't. Generally speaking Encores run about a pound heavier than Contenders. My encore pistol is set up with the rifle forearm and a harris bipod. About 2 inches were cut off the barrel to instal a JP Howitzer Brake. I have the TC Rubber Grip on the rear. The rifle forearm gives a long wheel base and gets away fron the teter toter effect of using a bipod on a pistol forearm.

In shooting offhand, you slide your left hand all the way up to the base of the bipod and lock your elbow. Then you pull back slightly with your trigger hand. The tension steadies the gun down considerably right away. A full sight picture through the pistol scope, which is much harder to use than rifle scopes are, is assured every time. And it is the same every time. People who have handled my gun have remarked on its positive handeling and ballance qualities. Most have said that it felt lighter than their Contenders, which it isn't by more than a pound.

In comparing an Encore rifle with a bolt action rifle, it would be considerably lighter. That would be great for humping up a mountain but with hard kickers it might be a little uncomfortable. Still, you could have a 26 inch barreled gun of comparable length to a bolt gun with a 22 inch barrel and still be a lot lighter. The only drawback that I can see is that you do not have a magazine full of rounds to fire.

At one time I could have bought an XP 100 and didn't because it was a single shot. After I had my Contender for a while and hunted with it, I didn't find the single shot capability to be much of a handicap. If you don't hit what you are shooting at the first time, and you will most of the time, you don't get that many second chances where I hunt. Single shot is something of a missnomer. With a little practice you can get of several well aimed shots in a surprisingly short period of time. So while the gun only has one round in the barrel, it really isnt just a single shot arm. I don't know if this answers any of your questions, but it will sure give you some new things to think about and consider...Rusty.

I would not get either one and that's coming from a diehard T/C fan for over twenty-five years! Don't get me wrong I still like them just not for hunting...Not long ago I bought my first XP-100 a .223Rem then came a 7mmBR then a 35Rem and now, I put in an order for an SSK 350 Rem Mag. After shooting a bolt gun I just can't bring myself to hunt with the T/C's anymore. I also picked up a Savage Striker in 7mm-08 and it will keep up with my XP's in the accuracy department. Do yourself a favor spend your money the right way the first time.

Having never owned or fired an XP 100, so I can't fairly say how it would compare as a hunting arm. I know that it has strength and accuracy advantages over TCs. I came from a single shot and double barreled shot gun shooting background, so the break action was just a natural for me. I understand that bolt guns are harder to shoot offhand, and the longer action is more combersom in hunting. But there are also plenty of people who hunt with bolt action pistols. For some differing points of view, you might want to look at the following. forums.kifaru.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002542

Rusty

Strikers are nice and so is the XP 100. But being left handed and they are left handed they do not make a good hunting pistol.

I'm also of the both the camp, it really comes down to what you want to do with it.

The plus of the G2, or original contender frame, is that there is a huge selection of used barrels out there. If you know what a reasonable price is for a used barrel, you an pick one up, shoot it as much as you want, and sell it for what you put into it, or sometimes slightely more. The downside of those frames is peak performance generally requires the use of wildcats. The advantage is a light frame, especially noticable in the handguns.

The encore can take anything up to a belted mag case, so you can get great performance without going to wildcats. The downside is there aren't as many used barrels for reasonable prices in circulation, and the resulting handgun is a bit bulkier.

I've found accuracy is more an issue of being able to hold the gun still than anything else. 3 shot 1" groups at 100 yds are not a problem, and a good tube and load will shoot 1/2" groups. When I had my 218 mashburn barrel for my contender, and Rabbit Creek had the 150 yd turkey silouette on the pistol range, I could effortlessy hit the head of the turkey.

If you're looking for light and compact, a 10" contender is it. You kinda limit yourself with chamberings, but a 357 maximum is capable of 180 gr @ 2000 fps from a 10" tube.

I know a guy out in Eagle River that pretty much only hunts with a contender, and another in Anchorage that does the same. I can get you their e-mails if you want to contact them and get some feedback.

I would recomend sticking with rimmed rounds, as they are much easier to manipulate while wearing gloves. Deer season is definately the time of year to be wearing gloves.

Paul, thanks for the good advice. Still undecided as I have to many on going projects. Damn shame we have to work,lol

Snowwolf: Actually the Striker was designed with considerable input from silouette shooters. The seemingly backward left handed bolt is actually the best set up for a right handed shooter. You just leave your trigger hand in place and opperate the bolt left handed. It takes a little getting use to in the beginning but once you get used to it, you'll find it much more convient than a right handed bolt would be on a handgun. A pistol isn't like a rifle where you have the stock to keep the gun in place while your right hand opperates the bolt right handed...Rusty.

Useing the same logic, if you are left handed, the XP would be the better action because it is a right handed action. TCs are ambidexterious, or equally inconvient with either hand...Rusty

Another question for you folks...

What are the largest straightwalled and bottlenecked cartridges you typically find barrels for in the Contender?

quote:

Originally posted by Fumbler:
Another question for you folks...

What are the largest straightwalled and bottlenecked cartridges you typically find barrels for in the Contender?

That is a bit of a sticky wicket so to speak, as the diameter of the case one can use in a contender is also related to the pressure you can run it at.

In straightwall cases, the largest chambered in the contender is the 50-70 gov, but it runs at low pressures. In bottleneck rounds, there are wildcats that use the 444 marlin brass, for rimmed copies of the various .308 type rounds, but the contender cannot take the pressure of the .308, so the wildcats run at less pressure.

Here's a ballpark of the contenders capabilities, on a nominal .223 dia case, or the rimmed 5.56X50R, you can opperate at the same pressures as a bolt action, when you go up the 30-30 size case, you have to drop pressure, when you go up the 444 size, you drop it more, and so on. You can chamber to the 45 colt and run the same loads as listed safe in 6 shot rugers, but you can't use a 454 casull round.

Hope this helps.

Thank you.
That helps a lot.

Now all I have to do is come up with the money for an Encore