Okay gang, I am aware of the various accuracy issues associated with Encores, as I have shot the rifle versions for quite awhile. I want a good deer / coyote / target caliber. Earlier many of you lead me toward the 6.5 X 284 since I reload. Many said that the advantages of a custom barrel were many. Since then I have priced custom barrels and the company that I was going to get it from raised their price for a 16 1/4" barrel to over $500. I have a hard time doing that for my first hunting handgun (I don't have much more than that in most of my centerfire rifles). I am sure they do good work and have a great product, but I am a bit uneasy with that cost right now. If I go with a factory offering, what caliber's seem to be the least problem prone or easiest to fix that fit my requirements? What custom shops do you guys like, perhaps some of them are a bit less expensive? I have heard that rimmed cases work very well in Encores and help solve a few problems. Any thoughts or input would be very much appreciated!

No personal experience here, but I have heard good things about Coyote Guns barrels from people whose opinions I respect. Here's their website. Looks like you could get a 16" 6.5x.284 barrel for $255 from their in-stock selection. If you HAVE to have 16.25", then it's looking like $322, and stainless is $35 more. It's where I would start if I were looking for that.

I would go with the TC Custom shop .260. I had one for a while and you can load 120grn for varmints and deer and the 140 for deer and larger game. Very flat shooting. Factory ammo available and easy to reload. I sold it when I got a .260 in the XP. Mild recoil and accurate.
Also for a round that is just a bit more power and speed the 6.5 Rem Mag. I have this barrel. It is a belted mag with a 6.5 , 120 grn bullets running 2530 fps. Very good round. It is also a Custom Shop barrel.
I think the Custom shop barrels are somewhere around $250 and sometimes Ed's Contenders has used one for less.
Mike

I'm a big fan of the 7mm-08 in a handgun so that is probably the way I'd go again for a first barrel but if you're sold on a 6.5x284 then go with TC's custom shop or like Mike said there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 260 and it would fit your needs also.

All of the non-TC custom barrel makers turn out excellent products but as you've already found out they are expensive and the wait can sometimes be long.

BUT.

TC or their custom shop Fox Ridge also turn out excellent shooting barrels, of the twelve pistol length Contender and Encore barrels I have only two are not factory TC or Fox Ridge and they will all shoot at or under 1" at 100yds. all day when I do my part.

Ike

You can get your 6.5 in steps which makes it more affordable. Buy a .260 barrel and use it. In time if you want a little more velocity, you can have it rechembered to 6.5-.284.

If you're set on a 6.5 then I also would recommend a .260 Remington. A 6.5 is on the low end (size wise) of good deer rounds, although quite adequate. If you might hunt anything a little bigger then a 7-08 or 308 would be prefered. Trajectory is of minimal difference between the three, from a handgun especially. Recoil does increase a bit as you increase caliber though. I am having a .260 barrel made, but then I also have a .308 to cover the larger end. Fox Ridge is simply a store front for T/C so you will essentially be getting a "factory" barrel from them, although you can specify length. As far as customs go, everyone has their favorites (kind of like football teams) and some are absolutely fanatic about theirs, specifically OTT. They all do good work but occasionally a lemon will appear. Those that don't stand behind their products don't last long, gossip travels fast in our circles. Some are easier to talk to than others. I have heard from many that SSK is one of those that is not as easy to talk to. Coyote Guns is relatively new but have gotten good reviews. MGM is VVGC revisited, don't know what happened to the original, but they do good work as does Bullberry. For your first on a budget, try a factory .260 or 7-08 as you can get them quickly, and go from there. You can always resell as these thing hold their value very well. FWIW, Rod.

Thanks for the replies so far. Handgun hunting is my "New Years resolution". Sure beats losing weight or something like that!

I have two Coyote TC Contender barrels. Both are excellent shooters and Paul Dustin is a great guy to work with. We talked several times on the phone and each contact was pleasant experience. I highly recommend him for your new barrel.
John (katcher)

The .260 is up to taking any animal up to and including elk with the right bullet. I've taken some tough animals with this round ( black wildebeast, gemsbok ) and was only using the 125gr Nosler partition.

Just my humble opinion but most guys can't shoot to the finest accuracy capability of a TC Custom or even EABrown accuracy barrels. I am not saying you can't; I am saying most can't. Given that, a tight, very accurate 6.5-284 will only give you about 1500 super accurate rounds before it lets up, and you can't cut the chamber back like a bolt gun. I think a fast twist 243 or 6mm/6.5mm-250 or even a fast twist 223 is the shits and giggles. You'll get about 5000 rounds from a good, lapped 223 and with 75-80 grainers, you'll carry fantastic groups (chucks/yotes) to beyond 600 yards. You'll also do it for a lot less; cost of barrel, brass, bulets, powder, etc. Only on the windiest days does a good 223 suffer, and if you can read teh wind, it will be right there.

I know that .243's and 6mm's have taken their share of deer through the years but I still consider them on the smallish side, especially from a handgun length tube where you are not going to get that 3000 fps that really makes those li'l boolits work. Stay with a 6.5 and larger and you will still have some oomph for larger animals as well. Trajectory-wise there ain't a hill-o'-beans difference between any of them to 300. If I could have only one barrel, period, it would be a .308. But, since I am not so restricted I would compliment that with a .260 Rem and .338 Fed . There is something to be said for factory chamberings should disaster strike and you have to buy ammo off-the-shelf. JMO, Rod.