Hi,
I've been doing pretty well deer hunting with a Ruger Bisley in .44 mag. the past 5 years, but now I'm looking to try something different. I've been thinking of an Encore, but not sure which caliber, .243 or 7mm-08 is more appropriate. I have no problem with the recoil of the .44 with heavy hunting loads, but I'm looking to choose between the 7mm-08 or .243. (I know, buy both! but not now). In your experience, is one better performing or easier to shoot than the other? I'll be reloading, so ammo availability shouldn't be a factor. Thanks for any advice.

The 7mm-08 has turned out to be a favorite of mine,It"s VERY COMFORTABLE to shoot, not to mention one of my most accurate barrels, I"m loading the 120 gr. B-tip in it.I would choose it over the 243, because of bullet weight, the 08 is much more versatile, welcome to the barrel addiction.

I would go the 7-08. Super cartridge with some great bullets availible. reflex264

The 7-08 would indeed be more versatile.

7-08 x3

7-08 x 4

I shoot the 7/08 and load the same bullet. Very accurate, sub MOA groups at 100. I also have a .223 Rem that has taken many hogs, crows and other critters and just acquired a .460S&W barrel for my Encore. I'm a little giddy over that one. The 7/08 is a great Encore selection for whitetails.

I have killed a lot of antelope, whitetail, and mule deer with a 14" 7mm-08

Are you going to hunt deer with it, or are you going to go after something a little bigger ?

Thanks for all the replies. I really appreciate your responses.

Any "must have" options? I read that the trigger usually needs work. Thanks to another subscriber's previous thread I see that eabco.com does trigger "tune-ups".

racksmasher; I plan to use it to continue to hunt whitetails. But NH this year has changed the black bear season to run concurrently with the deer season, so it's possible a bear would be an opportunity.

I like 308 best. If you are set on 7-08 my buddy Mark has a nice SS pro hunter bbl in 7-08 you would be able to pick up pretty cheep.
If you choose 308 he has a custom Reeder 308 with a brake unfired.
Think you could buy either one for around $175
He has some scopes and other encore stuff too if you need it.

One more before I sign off
I didn't include the 356 Winchester that was the best 200 yard or less gun I gave ever owned.
It brought new meaning to if it is brown it is down.

Looking forward to the 35 XP replacement

If bears are a target, bump up to a little heavier bullet,triggers are no big deal at all, google Bellm"s T/C, for whatever you need.

I had the exact same situation. I was fortunate to shoot both side by side before I bought my own. I was leaning towards the 243 before I shot them. Glad I did because the 7-08 recoils so much differently. For me it is way better. It's more of a push back vs. the 243 which had a pronounced muzzle flip. I felt as if I were going to drop the 243 with each trigger pull. Not so with the 7-08. I'm very happy with the 7-08.

thadf: I've been asking around the club regarding who shoots an Encore in either .243 or 7mm-08. Haven't found anyone yet. No chance to shoot either of them before I buy, so your response really helps.

From the great responses I got and from what I've read, I'm headed toward the 7mm-08. Need to save up a bit more, but it won't be long.

The 7-08 is a superb deer cartridge if that is your main objective. But the .243 is more versatile (imo) as far varmints/predators up to deer. I dont want big 7mm heavy bullets for the small critters. A 55-60gr bullet from a .243 would be much preferable in some circumstances. However a 120-140gr bullet from the 7-08 is preferable for the bigger stuff. It all depends on what your plans are for its uses.

Kyode;
Thanks for the alternative option comment. I'll be using it strictly for deer. I've used my .44RemMag Ruger for close-in varmints and my .223 rifle for farther out (and way farther out) varmints. It'll be a hoot to get an additional barrel for the Encore to cover farther-out varmints though. I hear getting barrels is addictive!

H2O; thanks for the offer, but I'm going to have to wait a bit before I can buy.

7-08 x 10 i have an encore and a few xps in this caliber and it seems to be the perfect all around round for specialty pistol platform. low recoil (on a relative basis) very accurate great selection of bullets great ballistics and the ability to hit just a bit harder than the 243 if you ever want to go up in game size a bit from whitetails. to me its just a bit more versatile.

Having a fond liking to the 7mm (.284) - I had SSK craft up a 7x57 Ackley Improved with brake a few years ago. I run Sierra 120 grain pro-hunters at 2900fs. It is rather mild to shoot, recoil comes back into your hand and I can spot hits thru the scope. This setup has taken several Indiana whitetails.

B..

Where can one find an encore or contender in stainless, with a 7mm08 barrel, and any speculation on what a fair price would be? Also, what is the recoil like compared to a warm 44mag?

No Contender barrels should be chambered in 7-08.

I had MGM build me a barrel in 260 Remington and I'm really liking it. 13" fluted in matte black. 120gr nosler bt's at 2400fps. Very accurate and controllable.

I run run my Pro-Hunter with the 270. Had Mag-Na-Port done to it, and I'm really enjoying it more now. It was worth the extra money in my opinion. Putting a Encore together for my son in 7mm-08 for next season. The turn around from Mag-Na-Port was less than a week. The bullet selection from the 7mm and 30cal. You can't go wrong! I may also, add a 30-06 to the line up.

I haven't had any experience with the 7-08 or 243, but I used the 260 Remington for a season and really liked it. If you are only after deer, I can't see either round being a bad choice. If something heavier is on the menu, I would go with the majority and try the 7-08.

Why do you say that?

The contender can't handle the pressures of the 308/708 class without stretching the frame. Hence the reason they brought out the bigger beefier Encore frame in the mid 90s

Thanks GlennS!

Ok. Thanks for the explanation. Learning something new every day.