I have read the majority of his site and it sounds fairly plausible.

Has anyone done all the things suggested or had him do them?

Doing business with Mike Bellm is a mixed bag. He has some good ideas and good product mixed with some BS. People differ on which is which...

Thanks!

I have always enjoyed TC Encores and Contenders, but sometimes making one shoot is an undertaking.

What do you think of the oversize hinge pins and firing pin shims?

The oversized pins should only be used if your holes are oversized/sloppy fit and the oversize pins go in with finger pressure. You should never pound on them with a hammer to get them in like some people do. Reaming pin holes for the matching pin size means that you loose barrel interchangeability which is one of the reasons for wanting a T/C.

I try to avoid a lot of the other things he talks about by sticking with rimmed cartridges when possible.

Most factory T/Cs don't really need anything done to them but sometimes the parts swapping / interchange does not work well because of machine tolerances.

His trigger kits are great for DIYers.

I watched his youtube videos last night. Kind of interesting, kind of weird.

Not sure I agree with that kind of frame to barrel gap even if headspace is preserved.

Where would be protection for a blown up case head be?

As a break open, there is always some gap and potential for gas blow by. I don't find his thoughts on head spacing very convincing. Conventional reloading techniques using rimmed cases and/or rimless cases seem to work just fine.

1. I believe adjustable hinge pins such as sold by EABCO are better than oversized hinge pins.

2. Bellm's kits for trigger jobs are very good. I believe that the best thing one can do for an Encore is a trigger job.

3. I've had multiple Encore and Contender barrels and frames and to date have NEVER measured head space or had any head space problems.

4. I have had head separations in Encores and they were non events.

I've dealt with Mike Belm several times over the last 15 years, and every time it's been a pleasure. I've got couple old Encore frames that he did trigger jobs on, and I've used his springs in a couple others. I do use his oversize pins and like them.

I've never had trouble getting an Encore to shoot sub MOA, but I've never used a "factory" barrel except on my muzzleloader. I've got a couple of TC custom shop barrels that are blistering tack driver and a couple Match Grade Machine barrels that are just silly accurate.

The best thing I ever did was buy a Lone Wolf Encore stock when Virgin Valley sold them. It took over 10 years, but I finally found second stock.

Since you're in California, the best thing you can do for your Contenders/Encores is take them to Jim Henry in Barstow and have him do the trigger and give them a once over. He set both of my G2 frames to 1.75lbs and remarked that every looked great. Those guns are more accurate than I'll ever be.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Sullivan:
I've dealt with Mike Belm several times over the last 15 years, and every time it's been a pleasure. I've got couple old Encore frames that he did trigger jobs on, and I've used his springs in a couple others. I do use his oversize pins and like them.

I've never had trouble getting an Encore to shoot sub MOA, but I've never used a "factory" barrel except on my muzzleloader. I've got a couple of TC custom shop barrels that are blistering tack driver and a couple Match Grade Machine barrels that are just silly accurate.

The best thing I ever did was buy a Lone Wolf Encore stock when Virgin Valley sold them. It took over 10 years, but I finally found second stock.

I've had the same experience with Mike. He's done some really nice work for me and is always helpful and interested to talk guns.

Encore eye candy
Bellm tricked receiver, MGM 9.3x74r full bull 8 flutes, with a Lone Wolf stock

Jeff, if you ever decide to sell that stock, I'd like first option.

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
1. I believe adjustable hinge pins such as sold by EABCO are better than oversized hinge pins.

2. Bellm's kits for trigger jobs are very good. I believe that the best thing one can do for an Encore is a trigger job.

3. I've had multiple Encore and Contender barrels and frames and to date have NEVER measured head space or had any head space problems.

4. I have had head separations in Encores and they were non events.

These would seem to be contradictory statements.

Not really.

Irrespective of proper headspace, if brass is used enough, you will either get splits around the mouth or neck or a headspace separation. How soon it happens depends on at least in part on cartridge design and pressure.

One of the cartridges I've had headaspace separations is with a 460 S&W Magnum barrel. The load, per a Quickload calculation, has a pressure a little over 60,000 psi and I think the chamber is a little more generous than optimal.

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
Not really.

Irrespective of proper headspace, if brass is used enough, you will either get splits around the mouth or neck or a headspace separation. How soon it happens depends on at least in part on cartridge design and pressure.

One of the cartridges I've had headaspace separations is with a 460 S&W Magnum barrel. The load, per a Quickload calculation, has a pressure a little over 60,000 psi and I think the chamber is a little more generous than optimal.

Right. You can get a casehead separation that is not caused by excessive headspace, but in order for the brass to stretch that much at that point, it is much more likely that the brass is undersized for the headspace as it exists in that firearm.

Sometimes you can't help it, as in the instance of straight-wall cases. I have a FA .454 Casull in which I had a few cases come apart due to the high pressures involved, the heavy crimp necessary to keep the bullets from slipping, and a bad batch of brass that was out there for awhile. For bottleneck cases, sizing them just until the action closes fully on a chambered round (a "snug", or even a slight "crush" fit) is an indirect means of measuring and accounting for whatever headspace exists in that firearm. I've never shimmed the firing pin bushing on an Encore, but I HAVE measured a few barrel-to-frame gaps, and that is where the variable enters the picture. If you put a barrel on a different frame and there is a greater barrel-to-frame gap, you have increased headspace. Failing to account for this can cause misfires and casehead separations.

I have used Mikes Contender and Encore triggers springs ,Hammer springs, stones and directions with amazing results.I used an over size hinge pin on one of my Contenders.It worked good.I also like the EABCO adjustable hinge pins and use them on all my Encores.I am happy with my dealings with Mike,but take with a grain of salt his headspace issues.