I have had a hard time picking which one I really want. The calibers I am wanting come in both for the most part. .204 ruger, 22lr, 45-70, and 44 mag. Here is the hard part do I want a .30-30 on the G2, or a .260 on the encore.

I know from a reloaders stand point it would be hard to take a .260 over a .30-30, but I already have a .260 in a mountain rifle. It's really a hard decision to make, let's hear everyones thoughts.

And before it gets said I CAN'T AFFORD BOTH. hahaha

I don't know why the 30-30 would be any better for reloading than the 260. There are plenty of 6.5 bullets to choose from. That said I have had a blast with my 30/30 contender all year getting ready for deer season. I don't know about recoil of the 260 but to me the 30/30 loaded with either 125 of 150 grain bullets recoil less than the same contender in 44 mag. If I were going to shoot factory loads out of the 45/70 I would get the encore. That extra 3/4 pound in weight will be about ten pouns of recoil energy less than the contender. I imagine it would be stout in either one.

The bad part of reloading the .260 is Brass. Not easy to find and not the cheapest on the black.

Some one else picking which frame you want don't work ,would be like picking you a girl friend .We can list good and bad points though.The G2 has a smaller frame a shorter trigger reach ,and is lighter. Caliber wise for deer the factory chamberings should be used on the short side of 150 yds [IN MY OPINION].The Encore has a larger heaver frame and can handle higher pressure cartriges.The trigger reach is to long for some and the gun is heaver so you need to handle both to see what feels good to you. Caliber wise in the Encore, you can go from mild to wild.
Personaly I like the contender better.

You really need to handle both before you buy an Encore. I love the Contender, notsomuch the big brother. You need to ask what distances you will be shooting. Up to 200 yards there are G2 chamberings that will work for deer, if you plan to shoot 300 or further you will need a bigger boom. I stay within my limitations and would rather get a little closer than reach out a little further. The G2 in 7-30 Waters is a nice combination for deer.

I agree you need to handle both but it's pretty widely excepted the Contender is a nicer gun to pack because of it's smaller size and weight but the Encore can handle more and more powerfull cartridges but like i posted on your other thread if you look into some of the wildcats out there you can take everything from mide to elephants with the G2. The X444 line of cartridges really opened things up in the performance arena with the 375X444 being acceptable for Cape Buff and Elephant with the right bullet and load, even the 45-70 with solids or the punch bullet would get the job done. I'm getting ready to rechamber my 7-30 to the 7x444 to stretch my reach for mule dear and increase the power in general a little.

You could use a wildcat like the 6.5 Bullberry in the G2 so you could use the same bullets in the 260 and the G2. 6.5 Bullberry is a necked down 30 30 case. I do not have one but I find it interesting.
But the rounds Rod mentioned will get the job done as well.

my vote is for one of each- I have hunted for the past 22years with a contender, but this year switched to an Encore in 7mm-08, I am not sure which I like better.

The is truly a hard decision because I really have no problems with either frame in terms of feel. Even though I am 5'9" 165 I have no problem palming a basketball, so hand size is not a problem.

I may have found a lead on a contender with two barrels that may be for sale. My cousin is rumoured to be getting rid of his 7x30 waters and .223 on the old cntender frame. I just can't get ahold of him to find out.

both are great arms imo. the encore has some great cartridge choices, the 260 and 7mm-08 being 2 of them. for longer ranges or a wider selection of factory ammo options the encore may be the choice.

but......it comes at the price of a larger/heavier handgun overall.

the G2 is my pick, especially if you load your own ammo. there are cartridges out there to do most any job. i have a couple encores....n about a dozen contenders!....2 of those being G2's.

I will go with the G2 for one simple reason. My WIFE, she wants to start hunting and she hates the feel of a rifle so I guess that settles it.

LOL, I traded 2 Contenders in on G2's because my wife couldnt open a G1. It sounds like you made your best decision.

Have both. But consider cold weather shooting/ hunting. Cold fingers have a hard time pulling rimless cases from either gun. Rimmed cases (30-30, 30-40, 444 based) MUCH easier to remove from gun. Been there ,done that! Just purchased 307 win barrel for Encore for that reason. AND can use 308 dies to reload! Have 30-30& 30-30 Ackley for Contender plus 35 Bullberry.Have 260 Rem barrel for Encore also, great caliber, game killer for sure & easy on recoil!

All of my 'Tender barrels are in rimmed offerings as well, for that reason as well as a few issues I once had with a 35 Rem barrel and a 223 barrel and misfires due to headspace and factory ammo.