Chris I also came to the personal realization that I sort of got caught up in the "more is better" way of thinking when it came to TC barrels so I thinned my pistol length Encore hunting barrels down by three Sat. and Sun. while helping Ed Kirkpatrick of Ed's Contenders run his tables at a local gun show.

The three barrels I sold or traded off were;

1. A new and unfired 15" heavy Fox Ridge barrel in 7mm-08 that I'd had sitting here for almost 2 years and I hadn't even mounted it on a frame yet.....the little light finally came on and I realized that I already had a 15" heavy Fox Ridge barrel in .284 Winchester so why in the heck did I need the 7mm-08.

2. A 15" TC off the rack 45-70 barrel.....this was my "Moose and Mack truck" barrel but I've since picked up a SSK barrel in 35 Whelen and it will certainly fill the same niche.

3. A 15" Fox Ridge bull barrel in 300 Whisper.....I've got a 14" Contender barrel in 300 Whisper as well as a Remington centergrip XP-100 so why I felt I needed the same caliber in a Encore is beyond me.

In pistol length Encore barrels I'm now left with the following four and I feel I've pretty much got all my bases covered....Fox Ridge barrels in 6.5x55 Swede, .284 Winchester and 300 Savage plus the SSK barrel in 35 Whelen.

Ike