I finley got an Encore Pistol frame and for-end and am trying to figure out what pistol/rifle barrel I want to buy. I currently have a DW 357, DW 44mag, a 454 Raging bull pistol and a Remington 700 300 Win Mag rifle and do not wish to duplicate these cartridges.

I am planning to use the Encore pistol on Deer mainly and am leaning toward a rifle cartridge. After reading what everyone likes to use I am more confused now than ever. It will be in a 15" SS configuration

I have thought about a 7BR or maybe a 308 my friend wants a 30-06 barrel for his. I would like it to be able to burn the powder efficiently and have enough knock down power to get the job done. I currently have a Bushnell 3200 series 2 to 6 power pistol scope.

Your suggestions will be appreciated.

There are several options that come to mind. The 12 inch 7/08 is one of them. My SIL has one and it's about perfect for deer. Or, a 357 JDJ (now a production caliber from TC). That would give you a bit more power to handle larger game (and more recoil).

I am considering the 375 JDJ I need to stick to what is available from the factory if possible due to a low budget for this project.

It's hard to improve on a 7-08 or 308 in a short barrel........

Check out the Hodgdon Powder website and look at the load data for handguns.......the velocity obtainable from a 15" barrel in 308 or 7-08 is pretty impressive.......and the recoil is reasonable.

If I had the mind to get an Encore, I would go with the 7-08 with a 14-15 inch barrel. Good bullet selection and tollerable recoil.

I'd suggest the 7mm-08 since you are leaning to a 15" barrel. The recoil is moderate, and it has plenty of reach for any long shots that may arise. A 140 grain, 7mm bullet at 2450-2500 fps makes a dandy deer dropper, but so does the 120 grain Ballistic Tip at 2550-2600 fps.

This is just me but I would go with the .260 Rem in a 15" Encore from Fox Ridge. You would have the 6.5 bullet with some of the best BC's of most bullets and several weights in factory to choose from. You would have the 15" barrel that would shooting 2500-2600 with factory 120grn ammo. Running a ballistic comparison the 7-08 has 1 grn more capacity. Having had the 7BR, 7-08 and 6.5x55, I would say the .260 wins hands down. I kept my .260 Rem in the Encore until I found a XP100R in .260 and now my hunting buddy has the Encore barrel. With my handloads the Encore barrel is shooting 2655fps with 120grn Ballistic Tips. That is plenty of bullet and velocity for deer, hogs or any other game you might shoot in KS or other states.
I just like the 6.5 bullet. You can, if you reload, use some of the Low Drag bullets made like the Sierra's and Bergers and get one heck of a long range handgun. I have some of the 140grn 6.5 Bergers that I'm getting ready to reload for some long range shooting.
Did I say that the recoil is less felt in the .260 than any of the other calibers I mentioned. You could also get a Fox Ridge break like I have on my .243 and almost have no recoil. The 2x6 scope will be fine on any of them for a while but to get the most from either the 7-08 or the .260 you could use the 3x12 Ballistic Plex from Burris. I have a 2x7 BPlex on my .260 now but I'm saving my change for another 3x12.
You living in KS you could take advantage of the flat shooting calibers.
Where in KS are you? I hunt a lot around Great Bend and south of there.

Mike

I would agree with McClura on the .260 being an excellent choice. Even more important is his choice of the 120 gr. ballistic tip.

Personally, I handgun hunt with an encore 7mm BR but I also use a 120 gr. Ballistic Tip. The longest shot I've had with it is 135 yards and the bullet performance was exceptional. The BT seems to perform well at handgun velocities.

I'd say you'd be hard pressed to better the 260 rem, 7-08 or .308 in a 15" tube. With 120-140 gr bullets they will all be within an inch or two of eachother in trajectory out to 300 yds, and I doubt any deer would show much difference in being hit from any of the three.

I've been a long time fan of the .308, and tend to prefer larger bullets, so that would be my choice. With the barnes 130 gr triple shock, you get an interesting combination of relatively high velocity for a pistol ~2700 fps, and penetration comparable to a heavier conventionally constructed bullet.

The other plus of the .308 is cheap milsurp ammo for practice, and the one thing every handgun hunter needs is lots of practice.