I haven't tried the pistol, but sure like the 209X50 rifle. Recoil is not bad with two pellets, but it will get your attention with three. The removable breach plug does make cleaning seem a lot easier than with a sidelock. Also very handy if you don't want to fire it to unload it or have failure to ingition. I had to pull a ball on a sidelock before, and it was no fun!
About the only thing that I don't like about it is that you have to carry and use that ball seater attachment that screws onto the end of the ramrod because it is too short to seat the projectile by itself.
I'm switching back to the 209X50 barrel this weekend because MO ML season opens the seventh, and I still have a tag to fill. It did the job last year, button-buck at a laser-measured 172 yards....
Regards, Bill
Posts: 1169 | Location: USA | Registered: 23 January 2002
quote:Originally posted by pistoljess: Has anyone used the Encore black powder pistol? I have been using a Gonic for several years and not completely satisfied. Appreciate replies.
Pistoljess,
Greetings! What sort of trouble is the Gonic giving you? Is this a Gonic Contender?
Posts: 830 | Location: Virginia, USA | Registered: 08 March 2002
Yes the barrel is a for a contender. It is a .45 magnum. I believe a GA90 if my memory serves me correct. I have it in a pistol and a carbine. The pistol barrel has always been hard to keep clean and will rust at the drop of a hat. It must have had rust in it from the plant. I have had it for three years and this is the first year it has not rusted very bad. I also have a Gonic carbine barrel that has been shot 10 times and you have to drive a .458 sized bullet in it with a hammer(no joke) and it kicks like a .458 winchester with poor accuracy. I called the plant the first year I got the pistol and heard every explanation in the world (none of them close to the truth) excuses ran from using pyrodex pellets, all guns in the south rust, bad bullets ( I was using theirs) You have to fill a gun barrel with oil and let it stand for a few days if it is not going to rust. I am very disapointed in not only the guns but the attitude of people at the plant.
Posts: 40 | Location: nashville | Registered: 13 November 2002
quote:Originally posted by pistoljess: The pistol barrel has always been hard to keep clean and will rust at the drop of a hat. It must have had rust in it from the plant. I have had it for three years and this is the first year it has not rusted very bad. I also have a Gonic carbine barrel that has been shot 10 times and you have to drive a .458 sized bullet in it with a hammer(no joke) and it kicks like a .458 winchester with poor accuracy. I called the plant the first year I got the pistol and heard every explanation in the world (none of them close to the truth) excuses ran from using pyrodex pellets, all guns in the south rust, bad bullets ( I was using theirs) You have to fill a gun barrel with oil and let it stand for a few days if it is not going to rust. I am very disapointed in not only the guns but the attitude of people at the plant.
Now that is truly bizaar! I am very glad I passed on a Gonic 35 Rem barrel I saw on Gunbroker a few months back if that is their attitude!
I live in the south and have a "few" blued Contender barrels, blued S&W's, etc and none of them suffer from this mysterious metal eating rust virus!
Posts: 830 | Location: Virginia, USA | Registered: 08 March 2002
Rusts because you are in the south?!?!?!?!?!?! Never heard that one before!
What does that mean?? Up here in the north the humidity is terrible, in the summer you touch a gun and forget to wipe it off and you will know it next time you open the cabinet!!
Posts: 1574 | Location: Western Pennsylvania | Registered: 12 September 2002
I made an error in my previous post, and need to correct it so I don't "sour you" on the Encore:
quote:Originally posted by Bill M: About the only thing that I don't like about it is that you have to carry and use that ball seater attachment that screws onto the end of the ramrod because it is too short to seat the projectile by itself.
WRONG! It should have said "it is too short to fully seat the bullet if you forget to put a proper charge in it!"
The ramrod is indeed long enough, by itself, to seat the projectile on a proper charge. The longer jag is only necessary for cleaning.
(Edited to add) By the way, the Encore rifle owner's manual contains the Encore pistol information. Max load in the book for the pistol is 110 gr black powder, or two (not three) 50 grain Pyrodex pellets. If you have any specific questions, I can check the owner's manual for you.
Regards, Bill
[ 12-03-2002, 20:20: Message edited by: Bill M ]
Posts: 1169 | Location: USA | Registered: 23 January 2002
Bill, That's an interesting point you mention about the lower max powder charge for the Encore ML PISTOL barrel compared to the RIFLE barrel. Didn't make sense to me so I e-mailed the question to the T/C folks. Their reply indicated the pistol Encore had a lesser max charge not because of safety reasons (obviously, the pistol and rifle frames must be of equal strength), but because recoil was so much greater w/ the pistol than rifle. So if a person can handle the recoil of loads w/ BL powder charges greater than 50 gr, he can safely proceed. Gary T.
Posts: 491 | Location: Springhill, LA | Registered: 27 March 2002
The reply from T/C is just what I expected, same barrel/breach plug, just shorter barrel, should handle the same charge. Judging by the recoil of the rifle with three pellets, though, I think I would want a good muzzle brake on a pistol using that same charge!
Regards, Bill
Posts: 1169 | Location: USA | Registered: 23 January 2002