I was browsing through some of the old pictures on this site when I stumbled upon people showing off their Encores chambered in magnum rifle cartridges. Specifically, I think they both belonged to Wapitirod, a 300 Win Mag 15" with a muzzelbrake, and a 458 Lott, if I remember correctly. While my wrists are hurting just trying to imagine touching one of those off, especially the 458, I can't help but be a little curious about the prospect.

Do any of you currently (or formerly, I won't judge if you sold it

) own a handgun length Encore barrel chambered in a belted magnum rifle cartridge, specifically a 7mm, 300, or 338 Winchester? Give me a rough estimate of what the recoil is like.

Yea, Rod has been a glutton for punishment. And, he will also tell you that shooting some of those monsters has taken a toll on his health. Too much of a good thing can be too much of a good thing.

I don't think I would want to shoot the 458! I do have a 300 Win Mag barrel that Rod cut down and added a brake to though. Its 17" with the brake. I admit I was ready for some serious recoil the first time I shot it. I had some Winchester 180 gr Power Point ammo that came with the barrel. I was surprised to find its recoil was about the same as my .308 Win loads (165 gr NBT @ 2200 fps, 15" barrel). I'm sure the brake helps tame it quite a bit. The 180 gr 300 Win Mag load chronied at 2530 fps and was very accurate. I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep this barrel. In a .30 cal my .308 does pretty much everything I need without burning as much powder. If your looking for one this might be your lucky day!

Here is a link with a pic to my post about it a few years back.
300 Win Mag Post

Personally not a fan of belted magnum cartridges in the Encore.
Especially, if you are hoping reload your brass and run it the way you would a bolt rig.

Pab, how much would you ask for that barrel, hypothetically speaking?

Uh-huh ;-)

The hypothetical-ness depends on the asking price.

PM sent TN

With a good brake like a Holland Radial Baffle....Recoil is not a issue

I run a 30-338WM in an Encore.




(two antelope are T/C Encore kills)



Barrel is a cut rifled Blackstar Accumax 1 blank built by MGM.
Very accurate to boot.

It'll push Berger 175 VLD's to 2846 FPS at 1/2 MOA as long as I have my game face on.

Nosler 180 BT's will do 2800 FPS.

Nosler 190 ABLR will do 2725 FPS.

I've shot a few other bullets, but mostly the first two (Berger 175 VLD & Nosler 180 BT) above.

The Hornday 165 SST has been pushed to 2928 FPS, but I've only shot that load once (one 3 shot group).

My barrel is 0.850" accross the flats (0.920" diameter) at the muzzle. Has a lot of heft to it, so recoil isn't too bad.

Buttermilk, that's a beauty. What kind of scope is that?

I had the 300wm. Rifle barrel cut down to use for handgun. Recoil using a walnut factory grip was unbearable. 10 180gr factory loads would put you out of commission for a couple weeks. Turned my thumb/palm area black n blue. That is not smart imo.
A muzzle brake turned it into a fun gun. Amazing difference.
if you enjoy play..... Its worthwhile. Otherwise you can accomplish similar results with less gun.

I would guess a muzzle brake or Mag-na Port is key to getting the most from these in an Encore. Every gun that Imown with a brake is easier to shoot and more enjoyable without giving up the power on the bullet end of business.

Here's a .416 Taylor (.458 Mag. necked to .416). Did this last week. 400 gr. Horn. DGX. Dropped!!

Nice, Doc! Who's brake on that beast?

Looks like one of SSK's to me.

Mark

I once owned a 15" SSK in 375 H&H Imp. was fun to shoot and recoil was not bad at all but it was a little pricey to shoot, since I have not been able to hunt for the 15+ years and only do a little target shooting I decided to let it go.....here is a short video clip of me shooting it, this was a fire form load with 80grs of 4350 and a 250gr sierra, accurate & real easy to shoot, JD really knows how to set them up.......

375 H&H IMP

Mark

When I made this post, I did so more out of curiosity about these set ups than desire to actually have one of my own. However, pab1 offered me a great deal on his 300 Win Mag barrel, and I accepted. Before long, I'm going to be able to judge for myself what it's like to fire one of these.

Great Buff Hitman. Swinging the big hammer.

X2

I'd love to hear the story behind it.

Burris 3x-12x AO Ballistic Plex reticle handgun scope.

"Buttermilk, that's a beauty. What kind of scope is that?"

SSK brake. Still a lot of recoil, but very manageable. Buff in a small herd. Couldn't get close enough for revolver shat. Facing me at shot. Hit trachea and aorta. PH never allows clients to take facing shot. I did hippo and croc with him. He said he trusted my shooting abilities.
Bullet expanded to 0.83". Penetrated 5 feet.