is this rifle capable of ? I am looking at the replacement pro hunter barrel or a MGM in 308 or 444 . I have heard all kinds of stories concerning their accuracy with rifled centerfire barrels.

If you happen to get a good one, the accuracy with a factory TC barrel can be very good, as the 3-shot, 200 yard group using an Encore Pro Hunter below indicates. They don't all shoot that way, but as a rule, you can expect 3/4th inch groups or perhaps a tad better at 100 yards if you pay attention to details and tailor your case sizing to the headspace of the particular barrel. If you are unsure about the headspace, it is clearly articulated on this site: www.bellmtcs.com


With an MGM, you can expect phenomenal accuracy. Below is a 100 yard group fired with a Contender barrel in 6.5 Bullberry IMP (aka 6.5x30-30 AI) while fireforming brass. I don't recall how many shots that target was, but more than likely, it was at either 10 or 12.

Bobby, very impressive groups. The receiver is bone stock,I have been thinking of boxing it up and sending it out for a trigger job and any action tuning it might need. I know in his website Bellm doesn't particularly favor TC barrels and that is making me lean towards MGM.

I own 2 MGM barrels and will vouch for their quality of work. Bullberry also makes extremely good barrels and come with an accuracy guarantee.
Having said all that, the last 2 barrels I bought were factory. They are hunting calibers and I am not as interersted in tight groups as I am of having the bullet hit where its supposed to.

A trigger job is something I'd definitely recommend. If you like to dabble in things, it's something you could try yourself. You can get the kit from Bellm, or, there's actually a way that's even simpler -- and works like a charm. I was a little leery at first, but I have since used it on 4 frames and enjoyed good results with all of them.

Here is the link:
http://specialtypistols.infopop.cc/Articles/sp4.pdf

If you are interested in gilt-edged accuracy, then I would definitely recommend a custom barrel, and MGM would be at the top of the list.

Heck, they may even have something in their existing inventory, which means immediate delivery and no waiting, though with MGM, it's usually only around 4 weeks anyway.

Shot today with a 28 inch Pro Hunter barrel. My best group ever wasn't with a Pro Hunter barrel but a regular blue 26 inch Encore heavy barrel in 25/06; it measured about 0.15 inches center to center.



The above 1.5 inch group was shot at 200 yards with Encore handgun with a 15 inch barrel.

For some reason, in all the Thompson/Center factory barrels I've had (I'm sure over 30 by now), I've only had two that had problems and those were remedied without hassle by the factory.