New Member TC Encore Advice

Just recently I bought a new TC Pro Hunter with a 20in 460s&w Katadin barrel. Now I want to add a pistol barrel or 2 for deer hunting. I had a Taurus Raginig Bull 44mag before that I killed a couple deer with so I'm kinda already partial to the 44mag. The gun will be used in the southern Missouri woods with a 100-125yd shot maximum distance more than likely. I have been looking around and decided I'm going to go with a MGM barrel just can't decide on caliber. I'm leaning hard towards a 13in heavy taper or full bull 44mag. But I have also thought about a 30/30, 35 rem, 7mm-08 or 308. I have also looked at the 357 maximum and 357 Herret but don't like the hard to find and expensive when you do brass. What's your favorite 100-125yds deer caliber?

In a 13" barrel, the 44 mag loaded with a slow powder like H110 would be a fine choice for distances out to 125 or so. You will get a significant velocity boost over the same cartridge from a revolver, and yet be more comfortable to shoot. In the Encore you could even go with the 454 Casull if you want more punch, but the shooter will also feel it. The 30-30 is no slouch either, but one of my favorite 13" Contender barrels is the 7-30 Waters. IMO the 7-08 and 308 are better suited to a little more barrel length to take advantage of the increased powder charge.

Welcome to HH!

I was just planning on going with the 13in barrel in the 44mag. I figured I would have to go with a 15in or 15.875 with internal muzzel brake with the 7mm or 308. I looked at the 7-30 waters too but figured the 7mm-08 would just be easier to find brass for. My 14yr old son also hunts with a 7mm-08 rifle so I already reload for that caliber.

.44- 150 yds.
7mm or .308 400 yds. +
You choose for the future.

You have made good choices,match the caliber to the stand you are hunting, all are good choices!

Since you asked:




I use a 15" 300 Win Mag barrel. Of course, that's a bit excessive for your needs.

Since you already reload for the 7mm-08 and you have experience with the 44, you could narrow your options down to one of those two. Honestly, I think you'd be fine with a 12 to 13 inch 44 Magnum even at those ranges. If you want the 7mm-08, you'll probably need a 15" or longer barrel. Bottleneck rounds start losing a lot of velocity once you start shortening the barrel past 14". I know my 12" 270 barrel loses a heck of a lot more velocity than my 15" 300 Win Mag and 243 barrels. That said, the 12" barrel handles and carries a bit better, although to be fair the 15" barrels aren't all that bad in the field.

Want my advice? Choose the caliber that you want most.

Or both.

Yep, a 300 win mag is a little more than I'm looking for. One of my favorite deer rifles is a 300 wsm but it's a little more pistol than I want atleast for now.

Out of the 2, 13in 44mag and 15in 7mm-08 which one will have more recoil. Would I be better off having MGM install a internal muzzel brake on either 1 of them?

I would want a brake on the 7-08, but not the 44.

Me?

I would go 10" with heavy taper in .44 Mag. Make it a handy, lightweight, stalking/still hunting brush gun to tote around and handle 100-125yrd shots with a 4x scope on it.

Then,

I'd get a 15" full bull barrel in 7mm-08 for stand hunting clearcuts, pastures, right-of-ways, or fields. Put a 2.5-8x Weaver Piston scope on it and have the best of both worlds in the two guns.

I have both, you don"t need to brake either of them, the recoil is about the same for both of them, out of all my Encores, the 7mm-o8 is one of my favorites, very manageable on the recoil, and great accuracy and range.

Panther,
I recently got the encore in 44. Mag. Due to having a bent extractor ,which I had to get replaced, I have not had a whole lot of range time or been able to try different loads. Accuracy so far out to 75 yds has been exceptional and it is one of the kindest guns, as far as recoil, that I have to shoot. I usually start the day off with the 460s, 454s and other such punishing guns then end up "plinking away" with the old trusty 44. I have also been debating the 308 encore or even the 3030 magnum research. The magnum research is more of a,"why not" gun I think.

Hard to beat either one within its ability. I use .44 magnum revolvers with 7.5" barrels past 100 yards. A 10" unvented barrel on a .44 would be plenty for 150 yards. 7-08 is sweat and gives a lot more range. Recoil is not bad at all.

What scope mounts do you suggest on the encore pistols? I use leupold dual dovetail mounts on all my rifles would they work fine on the pistol too? Also how good are the Weaver scopes? They seem to be as clear as the Luepold and Burris scopes but do they hold up as good?

I use a Weaver base on my 300 Win Mag barrel and a Talley base on my 243 barrel. Can't tell you how well the Leupold mounts would hold up on a pistol, but like you I use them on a rifle with no issues. I think it would work just fine, though.

As far as scopes go, I can't recommend this one enough: Nikon Force XR
I've used the 2.5-8x28mm variable model on several handguns, and it kept it's zero no matter how heavy of a recoil it had to endure or how many times I bumped it against something. If you think you'll shoot beyond 100 yards, the 8x magnification would be a benefit while still allowing you to turn it down to 2.5x power for close shots. Additionally, if you choose the 44, the BDC reticle might come in handy for your longer range shots if you calibrate the aim points with your load. Plus, it's cheaper than even the fixed power Leupolds.

I like the Weaver rail on my T/C's, along with Leupold Rifleman rings. This allows for more flexible positioning fore and aft of the scope than the turn-in style base/rings sets, and also room for 3 or 4 rings if you need/desire.

I got rained out from work today and road around to a couple gun shops and believe I got 1 hell of a deal. I found a CVA Scout 14in 44mag with a Weaver 2.5x8x28 scope and a shoulder holster. That someone bought and traded back in on something else. The gun and scope look brand new, the box the gun came in with all the paper work, scope box and paper work, weaver base & rings and a shoulder holster for $460. The gun don't have a scratch on it or even any signs in the barrel or action that it has been fired at all. The he told me he had 10% off all used guns so I got it all for $414 bucks! I couldn't pass that up and couldn't tell him I'll take it fast enough.

You got a pretty good deal. The gun goes for about $300 and the scope for about $250 or so.

Great gun and scope for the money!!

That's what I was thinking, it came with about a $80 shoulder holster also. To good of a deal to pass up. I prefer the looks of my TC encore but the CVA has a better trigger on it. I need to sent my encore off somewhere to have a trigger job done.

Now buy yourself a 15in 7-08 barrel and put a brake on it and you are set. Some will say it dosen't need a brake but they don't know your tolerance ,or lack of for recoil[and neither do I] .It will make it louder but will tame it down considerably.You also mentioned a son and it will help him also,why put up with recoil if you don't have to.Just both of you always wear ear protection even when hunting. Once you loose hearing it never comes back so why chance it.The encore trigger job you can do with a spring kit by watching a couple of youtube how to videos. Welcome to the madness of handgun hunting.

You got a great deal. Yeah, the Encore's trigger isn't all that great right out of the factory, but you can fix that fairly easily by yourself. Check out http://bellmtcs.com/store/. Get yourself a replacement hammer spring and the pliers to handle them, and you'll be set.

WPrather,

Great find with the Scout, I've read that they perform way past their price. I'm sure you'll like it.

I went with a 10" Bull barrel, 44 Mag, from MGM and I'm still in the break in process, as I have had to change out the sights since this picture, but so far it's great.



Also have a factory 10" barrel in 7.63 X 39 with Bushnell scope that shoots well from a rested position.

Nice find.

I went with a 15" 7-08 (no break) and couldn't be happier. I shot it and a 243 side by side to help me make the decision. The 7-08 had a push back type recoil versus the muzzle flip of the 243. I like push back better.

Congrats on finding a reasonable price. That ain't always available.

WPrather, have you thought about what bullet you're going to try out of it?

I shot 240gr xtp's out of my raging bull 44mag when I had it and they worked great on the 2 doe's I killed with it. But I'm going to try a few different bullets, 240gr XTP, 225gr FTX, 265gr interlock FP and 265gr FTX. One thing I noticed on the FTX bullets is the different case trim length. Is that even necessary in the single shot guns or just the revolvers and lever actions?

Probably not, as long as the bullets aren't up against the rifling.

It's an OAL restriction that shouldn't affect your single shot. There is a good chance you will have room to seat them out even further if you want. It is easy enough to make a chamber length gauge from an empty case and a bullet to check the distance to the lands.

I figured that was the case in the revolvers and lever actions due to the flex tip. I couldn't see how it would make a difference in a single shot and didn't want to trim any cases different lengths for no reason. I always had good luck with the 240gr xtp's but the 225gr FTX's look interesting also. Since the single shots shoot harder than the revolver's the 265gr bullets may be worth a try too.

The 265 Interlock FP is intended for the 444 Marlin so I am not sure you will get the performance from it that you desire out of the 44 magnum, even in a single shot. But, it may be worth shooting a few into some media to find out.

I would not put a muzzle brake on the 7-08.

I hunted many years with a 270 JDJ, 15" barrel w/o brake. Loved it.

Thompson Center Encore & Contenders can be kind of addictive. But then again buying guns is fun. I got the 44mag taken care of with the CVA, I'm going to order a 15in 7mm-08 more than likely or maybe a 308 for my new Encore Pro Hunter frame. But now I have been thinking! What am I going to do if a deer stands up on the way in or out of the woods while I'm walking? Hmmm I believe I'm going to need a lighter pistol that I can free hand if need be so I'm probably going to need to get a SS G2 Contender frame ordered. Is a 10in barreled G2 Contender with a red dot scope light enough to free hand if need be? Thinking 357mag so my son can shoot it. Then of course will need a 22 or 22mag barrel for practice and squirrels.

Sounds like you need a revolver ;-)

First choice for what you describe would be a revolver. But, a G2 with 10" barrel is right handy as well.

I have a 10" .357 Mag (stainless) and .445 Super Mag (blued) barrel for mine.

What kind of load are you shooting out of the 10in 357mag with a 180gr bullet and what kind of velocity are you getting.

Dang that 357mag shoots good and it's not loaded to far off a 357 maximum's velocities.