I am considering buying a new pistol length barrel for my encore. Would anyone care to comment on each ones pros and cons? Also may look to Virgin Valley and their shorty sale if they have any 14" blanks available. Would losing the extra inch adversely affect either cartridge? Use would be for target shooting and hunting, however in my neck of the woods my contender in 7x30 Waters is usually plenty for our deer. Would also like to know if people have thoughts on either as a 200 yard and under elk cartridge.

Thanks in advance for any advice

Vic L

Vic,
Either cartridge would be fine for the application you mention. You have heavier bullets available for hunting with the 308, but my personal preference is the 7-08. The type and placement of that bullet (whether 30 or 7mm)is what will ensure you downing that elk under 200 yards. I would choose the cartridge you want the most or the one you can get for the best price.
If you want a barrel primarly for elk I would go to a larger case capacity.
xphunter

Vic, I would pretty much second xp100hunter. I don't think 1" is going to make much difference although I would rather have longer. The 7/08 seems to be the most popular in the Encore. I personally have a 15" 308 and push a 165 Nosler BT at 2500+. The 308 would be my personal bias for elk, but then how often are you going to hunt elk as opposed to deer. If I were going to go elk hunting with my 308 I would probably opt for nosler partition or bear claw bullets. But don't worry about the elk because there's none around Jeff city (I hunt about 13 miles east of Auxvasse, which is about 7 miles north of Kingdom city). I know money is always the limiting factor, but like xp100hunter said if you could have one barrel just for elk that would be great. Virgin Valley necks the 45/70 down to 338 and reports 3000 fps with 180 grain bullets and over 2500 with 225 bullets if I remember right.

Happy Hunting

Thanks for the input,always a quandry as to what the next toy should be. They don't come around as often as I'd like.
Gray Eagle, on various roadtrips I have watched a very nice buck on the West side of Hwy 54 between Mexico and Auxvasse in a small cornfield just off the hwy. He's made it a few years now. I lately have been blessed with plenty of good hunting spots but I've often been tempted to check with the landowner. If that deer makes it another season or so I'll just have to try. Now anxiously awaiting bow season. Good luck and thanks again.

Vic L

Grey Eagle.... Hmmmm, there's a Budweiser distributor going by that handle in these parts. And I have seen Elk around Jefferson City - just look for the high fences just north of I-70 . 338/45-70 sounds interesting, I might have to consider the "shorty sale" again.

Vic, welcome to the forum! Passed through your neck of the woods this weekend, on the way to "the Lake"....

I don't know that there is a substantial difference between the two, excepting bullet weight. I'd be inclined to go with the 7-08 as a pistol chambering, unless big animals are on the ticket, and it seems that they are. If you absolutely can not justify a(n additional) bigger chambered barrel for Elk, I would go with the 308 as a "compromise", but am not sure that you could really tell the difference between 308/7-08. With either, I would try to make sure that the broadside shot hit just behind the shoulder and got heart/both lungs, they are big tough animals. I think there is no such thing as Overkill, and you owe it to the game to use an adequately powered combination. That's why I plan on using the 375H&H Encore pistol deer hunting this fall, and Elk if we ever get the hunt worked out .

An inch of barrel should not make/break it.

Just my thoughts and opinions, Bill

Vic L:
If you are leaning toward the 7-08 but want a larger case, think about the .284. It will do anything the 7-08 will plus some. It will also handle the heavier bullets better than the 7-08.

Outback

If you don't mind the muzzle blast thier is about 200 fps in most hand loads if you opt for a 30-06
I hve the 7-08...the 308....and a 30-06
More powder...yes!......less efficient...yes

But more power for those ELK

Fireball

Bill M, have you ran any loads over a chronograph with the 375 H&H? What barrel length do you have and do you have a muzzle brake?

Thanks!

Grey Eagle -

It's a VVCG Full Bull, Blued, integral brake, 16.25" long (I wanted to be able to use it as a pistol or carbine barrel). Accuracy has been superb IMO, and recoil is not bad. Burris 1-4 scope. Haven't tried it as a "carbine" yet.

All loads with Reloader 15, this is what I recall from what I've tried so far:

220/225 Hornadys at 2500 fps are real "comfortable", and will be my deer/practice load.
260 Nosler Ballistic Tips got right at 2500 fps with a max load.
270 gr GS Flat Nose Solids to almost 2400 fps, could probably go a little hotter.
Haven't chronographed anything else, and haven't hunted with it yet .

Best regards, Bill