I use to own an Encore with a few different barrels. Sold everything in favor of shorter, non-scoped pistols. Regretted that decision ever since. I love hunting with my revolvers (and my Glock too), but I'm wanting to get back into the single-shot game. I want something I can go long with, and on Elk-size game.

My thoughts today are to go with an Encore again, 15" .308. But I'm open to suggestions. I could easily see myself quickly adding the handgun muzzleloader barrel, and then something like a 22-250, .223, etc. I'm pretty confident in my decision, but I'd still like to hear what you think - always possible I'm over-looking a great caliber or make/model.

Oh, I'm a hand-loader too.

Thanks y'all.

-Randy

Define long, please.

Have you considered a BFR? I have been playing with this .444 Marlin BFR (long frame), and I am impressed thus far. I put a fixed 4X Leupold on it and it has a 10-inch barrel. Just another option.

They certainly bring a different flavor to the game. I would say that unless you are going with some of the contender based wild-cats, there aren't many well thought of elk rounds in contender platform, so Encore sounds better. There are a lot of cartridge options with the encore. If a muzzle break sounds ok, then you aren't limited by recoil either. What cartridges/calibers to you already load for? Want keep things separate so you don't mix brass or want to keep the list of components short and simple. Do you want to continue to hunt close like most do with a revolver, or do you want to stretch it out with something like a 300 win mag? Like big bore/powder cartridges, or more efficient versions?

In the end, barrels for an Encore multiply like rabbits, so don't don't get hung up on the cartridge choice. If you don't like the barrel, sell it or put it in the back of the safe until you decide you do and pick up a different one.

The one down side about the encore, is the difficulty/lack of rimfire options for cheap plinking. For some, 223 can fill that void pretty nicely though but accuracy and cost are often inversely related.

My first hunting pistol was an Encore with .223 barrel. I played with a few rifle barrels but went strictly back to the pistil setup. I currently have the .223, .243 and 7-08. I love the platform.

A few years ago I decided to enter the revolver world and went with a SRH in .454 Casull. Still have both and uses for each, no regrets.

Long for me is 200 yards. I feel I can get to 100 today with my .44/red dot combo, on large bodied animals.

I'll dig into the BFR. Thanks for the recommendation.

For an excellent all round cartridge, I think the 308 win is a great choice. Being a handloader, you can load from mild to wild, light to heavy, and have possibley the best bullet selection there is. The 308 gives up very little to the bigger brother -06 round - in my opinion. With the right bullet/load combo, I would think it's very capable of elk; that's speaking of some that's never hunted elk. If you'd like some reassurance of the 308 win, read Mark Hamptons "Addicted to Altitude"; the 308 pops up frequently in that book.

Randy,
The 308 Win will easily go "long" for you with elk.

Thanks everyone. I'm sure 200 yards seems remedial to some of you snipers, but 'long' is all relative.

I would think long and hard about whether the Encore's size and weight would be a put off in the future, as it was in the past for you. Contender's are lighter and more svelte. The Encore wins the power game hands down, but a Gen 1 Contender with a 14" barrel in 309 JDJ would be close to a .308, but in a smaller, lighter package, and would be a really cool, classic set-up. I also think you would discover later on that the 10" Contender barrels balance wonderfully. A 10" in 357 Maximum may very well cause you to let the revolvers set in the safe for a while.

Hmmm interesting. I'll research it.

Funny you talk about the revolvers sitting in the safe. While I can't imagine that happening, I have considered selling/trading my Ruger SBH in order to fund this project.

It really doesn't matter what anyone else can do. We all start wherever we are at.
IF, you want a 308 Win in a Encore, buy it.
It will work for the parameters you have set for yourself.
If, you want more horsepower, jump to the 30-06. The 06 will give you approxiamtely 308 Winchester rifle performance in a 15" Encore.

I discovered pretty quickly that my Contender with an open sighted 10" 357 Max barrel made a very reasonably sized, but powerful, handgun for belt carry. I ended up scoping it for hunting, so never actually carried it that way, but it's well suited for such. Since there's no action length a 10" barreled Contender is probably close to a 6" revolver in size. A plus is that the T/C open sights are the best and most precise I've ever seen on a handgun. It's nice to be able to switch from a packing gun to a long range hunting gun. That seems the real benefit to the Contender over the Encore IMHO.

Excellent feedback from everyone. Thank you very much for your help.

Merry Christmas everyone.

but definitely a step up in performance with the longer barrel and no cylinder gap.

Lots of great advice here. The various JDJ wildcats would definitely fit the bill for elk hunting. Having never shot them, I wonder what recoil would be in a 14" contender, but a muzzle break could take care of that easily if it were a problem. The 309 data published by Hornady suggests that the 309 gets 400fps more then I am getting out of a 14" 30-30 with equivalent weight bullets (lots of elk have been shot with 30-30). IMHO the only down side to such a contender setup would be lighter weight and stiffer recoil.

I really like my 30-06 Encore.My current load is giving me 2780fps with a 150gr ballistic tip. When I do my job it shoots 1/2" groups at 100 yards. A powder swap can get the velocity up a bit from that.

Exactly. Everyone has to do their own thing.If you draw your line at 100 yards everything is still good.

I agree that the Contender is the preferred package. The 30-30 AI will get within a couple hundred FPS of a 308 in a shortgun. As said, the plain ole 30-30 has probably taken more big game than any other chambering and with a little more snuff that the Ackley chamber provides elk are certainly within reason. I can't get a propper grip on the Encore due to it's size, but that might not be a problem for the OP.

A quick look on the net shows a 150 grain .308 Win. Encore 15" reaching 2600 fps. The 14" Contender in 309 JDJ AND 30-30AI with 150 grain slugs can both reach 2400+ FPS. Again, that's just a few minutes research on the net.

Once I get my loading bench set-up, I may just have to look into the 30-30AI. It looks great, if the nerves in my hand and wrists can deal with the recoil.

The Contender is a smaller package for sure.
A good solid bottomed muzzle brake will solve the recoil issue.
100-150 fps is what separates a number of cartridges, like the 308 to the 30-06 and the 30-06 to the 300 WM.
My 16" 308 Win XP-100 MV was 2565 fps with a 168 grain bullet (Basically, a 170 grain bullet). You can subtract about 30 fps per inch in going down to a 15" barrel. Or, you can add approx 30 fps per inch when going to a longer barrel.
Dropping 10 grains of bullet weight will typically increase MV close to 100 fps.
With the larger case of the 308 Win, and the capability to run higher pressure in the Encore versus the Contender, you will see more separation in MV's once you go to the heavier bullets.
That is, if, you want to shoot heavier bullets.

I own a Handi rifle in 357 MAX and it impresses me with its accuracy and power now for a single shot pistol

.308 is my favorite,reasonable recoil,plenty of power,very accurate

Your not going to go wrong with the 308, Don"t over look the 7mm-08, both can go long with range and power, choose the right bullet for Elk, they are a toufg critter to put down, good luck with your decision!

Randy...you need a single shot 😉💪🏼. You will NEVER regret getting one. I'd opt for an Encore just because your barrel options are almost limitless. In order to make shooting a rifle round ballisticly beneficial in a pistol, you really need a 14 - 15" barrel. Rifle powder needs the longer barrel to optimize the burn rate. 338 Federal.....just an idea 😉

Haha I knew your vote would be something big and thunderous. In the end I agree with you about the barrel efficiencies and availability. And after researching the 309 JDJ, which looks like an awesome round, it also looks like a pain to get set up initially. Many more factors of course but all roads are pointing to an Encore. I actually researched the Competitor based off your testimonials but they seem pretty scarce now.

Thanks again everyone. Now...all it takes is money...

I would second the 338 federal. Great in a single shot

Contender.....358jdj and 223. Just a couple that jumped into my mind. There sure a lot of good choices!

This. Or the simple .308 Winchester. Lots of ammo and bullets and I?ve used it to good effect in the single shot pistol.

Thought I should jump in here and toss my 2 cents in on the Contender vs Encore discussion. If you are truly partial to the 308 or a similar (traditional) rifle cartridge I agree that the Encore is the way to go. The 308 is a great round. On the other hand I feel the Contender is a better offhand shooting gun than the Encore plus it is a bit lighter. For Elk size game out to 200 yards or so most of the larger JDJ wildcats from SSK Industries will get the job done. I have been hunting with a 358 JDJ Contender for 35 years and have taken quite a few head of big game including full penetration one shot kills on a Greater Kudu at 190 yards and a Blue Wildebeest at over 100 yards.

I'd opt for the Contender although I have both. The 338JDJ #2 is an awesome round and pretty much equivalent to the 338 Federal which is a great round in it's own right.

You guys are definitely making me think hard about this. I was pretty settled on the encore with only one hesitation and it was mentioned earlier by s4s4u. The grip. I remember years ago when I had an encore that I wasn't crazy about the grip and ended up modifying it (wood) to make it fit.

Bottom line is that both platforms will accomplish what I want. It may come down to what I find the best deal on.

Randy,
Zee's hands are not big, and he handles the Encore just fine.
He will respond about that more, if you still have questions.

I have both and really like my Contender the best.Been shooting a Contender for a lot of years though,Encore only a couple.If you are not recoil sensitive the .358 JDJ or 375 JDJ will do well in the Contender [with brakes.] I like brakes on my big guns and the 30-06 Encore is definitely getting a brake! If you have any arthritis in your hands,elbows brakes are the way to go on the bigger guns.

Ya know, the easy answer is BOTH! One for the big bangs and one for the small to medium sized bangs.
If you can pick one up used (frame only or complete pistol setup), then you can try it and probably sell it for the same as you paid. You will likely have to order a custom barrel for many of the JDJ cartridges mentioned. In the mean time you would want to have another barrel to take to the range to play with and get to know the gun.

I DO NOT TOLERATE RECOIL IN AN ENCORE WELL. I HAVE A STOCK 15 INCH 308 BARREL THAT KICKED TOO MUCH FOR MY LIKING, SO I SENT IT TO KEN KELLY AT MNP AND HAD HIM DO A QUAD PORT ON IT, PROBLEM SOLVED. HAVE NOT BLOODIED IT YET BUT DO NOT USE NON-REVOLVERS MUCH.

The Encore is definitely a large gun for me. I tolerate it for the cartridges available but prefer the Contender in every other aspect.

In shooting the Encore, I rotate my shooting hand more to the side of the grip to reach the trigger more comfortably.

Bad form by all rights, but necessary for me to shoot the gun.

Or you can always modify the grip, IF needed.

Exactly what I did with my last one. Wood working is a hobby of mine so I took the walnut grip to my belt sander and removed a lot of real estate. Helped a ton.

I like the way you think. There are a few really good deals on used contenders right now that come with a .223 barrel, which is one of the calibers I want. It would serve several purposes...fun range time, varmit hunting, and most importantly I want it for my youngest daughter. She's a killer and currently hunts with a .223 rifle - has 5 or 6 deer in the freezer over the years. I'd love nothing more than to see her kill a deer/hog/exotic with a handgun.

Would work well. My factory 14" 223 barrel will shoot 1" groups at 100 yards. Relatively cheap way to get some good range time.

For those that are having issues with trigger reach, pachmayr makes a grip that move your hand closer to the trigger and solves the issue; it also handles recoil better than the factor offering. I like my encore much better with the pachmayr grip.