My dad can beat up your dad!

If it's versatility I want, I shoot either my .411/.416Rem Mag or the .450/.400. I can load pistol bullets (lead or jacketed) or go up to the 400gr.Woodleighs.

The Encores and G2s are nice in both handguns or rifles/carbines. Use a cartridge with too much backthrust though and the frame will stretch. The #1 or Winchester/Browning HiWall won't do that. I have an Encore barrel in .500S&W but don't try to get .500NE performance from it. The falling blocks will take virtually anything.

Thompson vs Ruger #1?

HMMMMM. A good analogy.....

THIS IS A TC




VS This

THIS IS A RUGER #1



Make mine a Ruger #1 please.

Well, if by "big bore," you mean a caliber above .400, I'd want a Ruger #1 in .404 Jeffrey - provided they bored it correctly at .423. The .404 gives you a big, heavy bullet but the recoil is no worse than a .375H&H, which is why the round was popular for decades with African game management units.

That said, for me and the hunting I do (or am likely to do) the most versatile "all-around" single is my #1 in .300 H&H (from Ruger's original run).



I can load it up or down, use light (150gn) or heavy (220gn) slugs, and with handloads it'll equal the 300 Win mag and maintain parity with the Weatherby. The H&H genes don't hurt its panche at the range or in the field either.



Plus, that long 26" tube is very accurate and keeps velocities up. So what's not to like?

Hey Nick,

Where did you get those scope bases?

Mick:

Those are Mould's Ruger #1 mounts. It's a 2-pc mount and Brownell's carries it.

Great mount. You get more eye relief, have more Weaver slots for mounting options, and the rear mount sits about .250" away from the forward edge of the receiver. The rings are Warnes.

quote:

Originally posted by Nick Adams:
Mick:

Those are Mould's Ruger #1 mounts. It's a 2-pc mount and Brownell's carries it.

Great mount. You get more eye relief, have more Weaver slots for mounting options, and the rear mount sits about .250" away from the forward edge of the receiver. The rings are Warnes.

Thanks Nick, very nice rifle. I like the way you have it setup.

I like POP's version of a Ruger #1 the best!

quote:

Originally posted by Low Wall:
I like POP's version of a Ruger #1 the best!

Low Wall,

Tell me more about the “POPs” version.

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:

quote:

Originally posted by Low Wall:
I like POP's version of a Ruger #1 the best!

Low Wall,

Tell me more about the “POPs” version.

I wish I could tell you more...She's a little skinny but that little smirk is what does for me...makes this old fart chuckle...

Mick...one post up from Nick Adams post with the #1

quote:

Originally posted by Low Wall:

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:

quote:

Originally posted by Low Wall:
I like POP's version of a Ruger #1 the best!

Low Wall,

Tell me more about the “POPs” version.

I wish I could tell you more...She's a little skinny but that little smirk is what does for me...makes this old fart chuckle...

Mick...one post up from Nick Adams post with the #1

The top one is pretty hard on the eyes but I’m sure she would work in a totally drunken moment (she might be the best thing you ever had) but one of you needs to wear a mask while leaving the bar.

The one on the bottom? She’s sweet looking but I have underwear older than she is. I go for women that are old enough to know what they really want. That girl has some real #***###***#!! written all over her.

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:

quote:

Originally posted by Low Wall:
I like POP's version of a Ruger #1 the best!

Low Wall,

Tell me more about the “POPs” version.

Pop's version is hot and classy....Like the #1.....

quote:

Originally posted by POP:

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:

quote:

Originally posted by Low Wall:
I like POP's version of a Ruger #1 the best!

Low Wall,

Tell me more about the “POPs” version.

Pop's version is hot and classy....Like the #1.....

I would have to agree with you Pop.

Epic thread fail......

HOW ABOUT A RUGER #1, 375 H&H? ANY GAME, ANY WHERE ON THE PLANET!!!

impola#03
Short posting but you got me thinking. I have a .375 #1 I've only taken 3 animals with it. One fox,one black bear and one brown bear. Three shots three trophies. From the fox that did'nt get tore up to bad to the brown bear (same hunt Kodiak island) there's alot in between.

I traded out some hunts for an Encore a few years ago and it has been an excellent platform for me. The thing that I really like is that I can use it as a loaner rifle for a wide range of people who are hunting a wide range of game animals. They are not beautiful guns, but they are functional and I am not worried about some retard putting a scratch on the camo synthetic stock. After watching a guy drop my Weatherby Lazermark .300 on the rocks while we were Red Stag hunting I have made a decision that an ugly gun is a perfect loner gun!

I have scoped barrels in .223rem, .25-06, .308, 30-06, 7mm Rem and a 50cal inline. When I have younger guests or smaller women that need to use a rifle I can put them with the .223 or the 30-06 (it has a very effective muzzle brake on it) depending on what we are after, and with other folks I have the selection of other calibers to use. I commonly will bring one case with 2-3 barrels that many people can shoot if one of their guns fails or if they don't want to travel with their firearms.

I have had good luck with the barrels being precise, many of them will shoot MOA which is all I need in a hunting gun for the game we chase.

Gun safety is always paramount on my mind, and I am very happy knowing that they can't jack another round into the chamber when we are following a blood trail, and when the action is open it is very apparent.

I would like to buy some big bores for the gun to mess around with, but the info about stretching the frame makes me nervous.

I want a .375 tube for the thing, I just haven't gotten around to picking one up yet. I think it would be a hell of a lot of fun to shoot hogs with, and like I mentioned earlier I don't have to worry about putting dings in it.

Make mine a 40 cal.
405, 40-70, 416 Alaskan,450-400, etc

I shot contender carbines for years. Blued frames with synthetic stocks. They work well but like one poster said they have "NO CLASS".

My friend gifted me a Browning Low wall a few months ago. Now the contenders are for sale. It's nice to hunt with a rifle you enjoy looking at too. And the browning is a tack driver. Regards, Byron

POP where did you get the picture of the ruger in the pink dress.

I own both a #1 and an Encore. I like and appreciate both of them. But living and hunting in a place like Ohio where we can't use breech loading rifles for deer the Encore is the most versatile.

As far as looks go I think my Encore looks far better then most of the guns in Ohio's woods deer hunting. Though beating Mossy 500s and 870 Expresses in the looks department isn't hard.

quote:

Originally posted by southernutah:
POP where did you get the picture of the ruger in the pink dress.

You crosseyed????? That is the TC. The Ruger is hot and classy.

The Ruger #1 is a nice rifle but really lacks in versatility. You are limited to one cartridge. The TC Encore enables the shooter to interchange barrels and stocks. This is versatility. With a thumbhole stock, the Encore kicks less than the Ruger and balances better.

I owned a Ruger #1 in 458 Win. There is a reason why I no longer own it. The Encore suits my needs better.

You can't beat this for old school versatility.
Everything from up to 3 1/4 ounces of shot for ptarmigan and turkey to 4 7/8 ounce bullets or 1500 grain roundballs for four legged critters.


Bob

That'll work !

Kevin- there are all sorts of ways to look at "versatility"...being able to change barrels is just one angle of view.

I consider a rifle which with one chambering will take the most variety of game, to be the most versatile. Of all the cartridges around, I'd probably have to choose something on the order of the .375 H&H as THE most versatile.

After all, a rifle is only as versatile as the person shooting it, and it is a LOT easier to shoot well when using the same cartridge all the time. Hence the old saying "Beware the man with one gun...he may know how to use it!"

The nice thing about the .375 H&H class of cartridge is that they deliver plenty of power even for elephant, and bullets are available which fly with the same trajectory and won't blow an animal even as small as a fox all to bits.

If a wanted an American-made rifle with interchangeable barrels, I'd not pick the Encore. I despise the appearance and feel of their stocks and don't much care for the action either.

I much prefer for instance another pair of Thompson-Centre products, either the TCR-83 or the TCR-85. I have had one of those for the past 20+ years, with a half-dozen+ barrels, and still like it very much (the TCR-83).

BTW, I've owned both English and American take-down bolt actions with multiple barrels for over 40 years. they are just as quick to change barrels on as any TC product. I still have one of those which also has seven different, fitted, barrels, in .22-250, .243, .257 Rob, 7x57, .30-BR, .30-06, and a .375/.308 wildcat. It is a nice, accurate, gun but never goes out of the vault anymore. Too many other guns are much simpler to use and still remember which ammo to have along, where they hit and how their bullets buck the wind (or don't), etc.

For myself, I tend to rely more and more on pretty much one proven familiar rifle when out in the woods where I might meet pretty much anything found in the PacNW.

That's not being critical of your like for the Encore. Whatever best floats your boat is what YOU should use. And it's OK to recommend it to others, even me.


But that doesn't mean I will automatically accept your preference. I have my own.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul B:
I won't deny the utility of the Encore, because it definitely has that. However, for me they're just too damned ugly. So, I'll stick with my Ruger #1 rifles, several od which are sub-half inch rifles, most at or very close to MOA and even the worst of the bunch is a 1.5" gun and considering it's chambered for a DGR round, that's good enough.
Some like Fords, some like Chevies, some like whatever. It's whatever turns you on. Might as well enjoy them while we still have them and quit pissing and moaning about what ever is the best and do what ever it takes to keep the damn things.
Paul B.

I have to agree, they work fine, just not for me. I have two Ruger #1S & live hunting w/ them. One in 7mmDakota & one in 338x74K. Both shoot better than I do.

I have an Encore with a few barrels, as well as Ruger #1's in .375H&H, 9.3x74R and .270.

Why, oh why, can't I have the beauty of the #1 (the classiest production rifle ever, IMHO) combined with the shootability of the Encore? I can shoot my Encore .416 far more comfortably than the .375 No.1, which beats the snot out of me. The Ruger stock just plain doesn't work for me when recoil enters the equation.

On the other hand, sitting in my deer stand with the Encore and its rifled 12ga barrel, I know that I can shoot it very comfortably, no pain. Then I look down at it and have to say "Damn...this is one ugly gun!".

John

I'll go with a #1. I really dislike the encoure. The upright grip on the ones I have shot makes my chin line up perfectly with the top of the stock so everytime I shoot one, it is like catching an uppercut! Besides, they are butt ugly ---- see female photos above!

Over the years I've owned and/or shot most of the single shots available to most of us. Also drillings, double rifles and even a vierling.

I like the idea of an Encore for a loaner rifle or a rifle to take on a weight-limited extended-time expedition into the complete unknown, but it's a little too utilitarian to have any serious braggin' rights (for me). I guess the pride-of-ownership factor makes me a snob, but if so, then so be it.

I personally like the original Winchester high wall as being the most versatile. For instance, it takes about 2-3 min to swap barrels & scopes. Calibers available include everything from 50-cals & belted magnums all the way down to rimfires as well as 20 gauge, and there are 3 different types of set triggers available in addition to the standard single trigger. Field disassembly is easy & therefore maintenance and repair are simple if ever needed.

One of my high walls has been a 50-110 WCF and a 22LR in addition to its 223 Rem and 300 Magnum bbls. Different strokes for different folks (and different game, G).
Regards, Joe

I'm taking my new 50 2 1/2 Shiloh Sharps after moose around Dillingham this fall. It should be all I need and should do a wonderful job. Jim