I lead a sheltered life in a very remote area and although I own three Contenders, I've never handled an Encore. Until a couple of days ago. Visiting another member of the shooting fraternity and participant in these boards I was able to check out a couple of Encore carbines. I was surprised at the trigger pull -- not bad at all. I asked if he had done a trigger job -- nope, they were factory. I thought they were acceptable and wonder what all the fuss is about. Perhaps I've been shooting too many mil-surp rifles with creepy fifteen pound triggers and so have lost my sense of touch. So... why is everyone complaining? By the way, this friend is a very needy man, gunwise, and if anyone would like to donate guns you may send them to me and I'll make sure he gets them!

If you like the trigger on the Encore then you'ld probably love the pull of the hood latch on my Dodge Ramcharger! Just kidding...
I found the factory trigger pull fairly heavy, but the thing I don't like is it has a strange boing to it when it breaks. I've lightened mine with Mike's spring, and the rest I'll just have to ignore. It certainly doesn't compare to my reworked Ruger Blackhawk, and never will!

If I may politely disagree a little, when properly honed, the Encore has one of the VERY smoothest trigger pulls of any firearm I have ever shot.

The engagement must of necessity always be long, but properly honed, you do not even feel the movement..... only pressure on your finger.

I have seen about half of the sear notch ground away to shorten the engagement, but this also makes the hammer prone to easily pushing off, which in my opinion is not safe for general use. Smooth and secure is much better than short but risky.

Many of the factory triggers are pretty smooth out of the box inspite of all the rough casting "bark" rubbing together and the somewhat coursely ground finish on the sear notch.

The lowest pull weight I have found so far is about 2 3/4#, but most are in about the 4 1/2 # range or more.

All depends on what your needs are, but with the range of 7 spring tensions I supply, the instructions now available online as a free download, and the tools and Wyoming Stones to do the job, there is no reason to not have the trigger the way you want it.

The Encore's trigger is imho a bastard design, but it works great and is quite simple to work on by average folks once they have instructions on what to do.

Choose your single shot by the features you want, but never let the Encore's trigger be a deterent to choosing it over other designs. In some respects, the Encore is easier to do a trigger job on than the Savage, and I do not know of any "support" out there for the average "joe" to do his own Savage trigger job.

The Encore Trigger Job free download is here:
web page

Mike

Thanks, Mike. I can't seem to find the free download on your site (and I've looked for it before today as well). Can you lead me by the hand to the right spot?

Here's the link:
http://www.bellmtcs.com/Prod_and_Serv/free_cd.htm

Hey Rezdog - what part of Arizona are you in? The reason I ask is that I grew up in a fairly remote part of Arizona myself.

Javelina

My .02.
My Encore trigger was about as smooth from the factory as scooping gravel out of a truck bed. The pull on mine was between 5-6 pounds, this is no kidding. I was really considering trading it for a Contender frame but wanted some of the calibers available for the Encore.
Long story short, got mikes CD, did the trigger and knocked the "bark" off of the sear. I recently changed the spring, it was about 1 1/2 pounds now it is right at a pound and SAFE.
This is one of the best triggers I have, period.
For the money spent, plus info is free now plus the springs, it is the best money I have spent for a longgggggggg time.
I thought what Mike said about the trigger sounded to good to be true, well nothing but the truth.
Jeff

jsh,
same for me. Mine was pulling at 6 or 6.5 lbs. The "bark" was as bad as the bite... Cleaned it up with the stone I got from Mike and it came down to a smooth 3lbs. I was GOING to replace the spring, but the sping is now part of the space program. Mike ain't jokin when he talks about 'em flying around the room!

steve

Thanks 1buba -- I found it. Javelina, I'm in Chinle (Canyon de Chelly); not the end of the world but you can see it from here!

Okay Mike, I agree to an extent. That is, if you're comparing equivalent pull weights, The Encore can break clean with little creep. In addition to your spring, I did clean it up some. But my Blackhawk pulls at under 1 lb, so it's hard to compare. I don't think you can get an Encore to that level safely. That crude mechanism in the Encore looks like it was borrowed from a Kentucky rifle! It is my belief from my personal experience that with the proper work practically any gun's trigger can be made very acceptable. I really disagree with you on one thing though. The Savage is really easy to work on! That spring in the Encore can be a real b&^!ch! I'm sure it gets easier the more you do it.

[ 09-14-2002, 16:24: Message edited by: savageshooter ]

Savageshooter,
At least with the Savage you don't have to struggle with the spring, that I'll grant you.

As for pull weights, I have done several in the 13 oz. range that rebounded the hammer ok, but to make sure the hammer will rebound, even with the special shape of my springs, you have to shorten the hammer spring so it has about an eigth of an inch of free travel at the end of the stroke.

I simply picked a level above which I felt there would be a greater certainty fellows would not have the hammer resting on the firing pin when they took their finger off the trigger. Normally, when you get below about 1 1/2 pound, the hammer is less likely to rebound.

IF a person will be CERTAIN that the hammer will not push off easily AND it will rebound when you remove your finger from the trigger, you CAN go into the ounces, easily. The #7 spring was one of the first weights I worked with, so I got quite a bit of experience early on with extremely light Encore trigger pulls.

Consider how much support there is for doing trigger jobs per se. Not a whole lot across the board. Teaching others to do it can be challenging and risky. As with choices of chambers, for example, I take the responsibility of setting the limits with the intention of avoiding trouble for both the user and myself. We can get away with a helluva lot more than we do, but I don't want to be the one leading you off into deep water.

In regard to the springs trying out for NASA, the upper arm of my design may be something of an overkill, but we found out early that the upper arm really must have both the travel and the tension to rebound the hammer. In the future, I am considering shortening the upper arm a little to see if it makes the springs a bit more user friendly, but in the meantime, inspite of the challenge they present, the springs give an extra margin of safety.

The "assembly pin" I supply with the springs helps a lot. It keeps the springs captive.

But the best thing I have seen was the way "Grant" at Alliance, NE forged a set of pliers after looking at my reground needle nose pliers. His design is PERFECT. I have tried a half dozen times to get him to give me a quote on them so I can supply them, but no response. In the meantime, I bought a bunch of similar pliers, but have not had time to make up a bunch for sale. The one I bought from him at Alliance is great. It grips the spring solidly around the coil and the jaws are hooked like a big old male salmon, so there is no way that spring is going anywhere but where you stick it.

At a minimum, I should at least put up a pic of it on the site so others can make up their own if they want to.

Mike

Hey Rezdog,

I grew up in Southeastern Arizona and we thought we could see the end of the world from here too. That must mean that the end of the world is between Canyon de Chelly and Willcox. :-)

Just a note on the Contender triggers, I have an excellent trigger that was reworked by (you'll never believe this), a Kalifornia gunsmith who did an excellent job and the pull weight is nice, crisp and less-than-one-pound. I have had other experienced T/C shooters shoot my Encore and they are amazed at how good it can be. Don't be afraid to get an Encore because the trigger sucks initially, they can be made into a work of art.

Good shooting to you.

Javelina

I stand corrected! I really wasn't bad-mouthing Encores so much as whoever designed the trigger mechanism. It could have been better by design. I really do love my Encore, and I rarely go to the range without it. From the outside, Encores and Contenders are classic beauties, they shoot straight, and they make sense economically. Barrel swapping can really expand an already fun hobby. And Mike, nothing makes working on guns more enjoyable than having the right tools. Thanks again for your "historical" perspective.