I've been looking at getting a 308 Win. rifle for the last couple years, but you can't hunt deer in Indiana with it. If I got it in a pistol, I could hunt with it. If I got a TC Encore, I could get the rifle and pistol barrels. I really don't know how the round compares from rifle to handgun. What type of velocities do you get from the 15 inch encore barrel? Can you use factory ammo because I see people on the forum loading very light bullets?

I was looking at buying the TC Encore but was kind of turned off by what I heard about headspacing issues. I was wanting to get into reloading but was told do to the headspacing issues there have been all kinds of problems when trying to reload for the enocore. Could someone explain this or let me know if a bolt gun would be better for reloading.

Thanks, Kyle

JD Jones wrote a great article in the March/April American Handgunner about barrel length and velocity. He uses the .308 as a test cartridge. He found that the .308 is such an efficient cartridge that less than a 5% velocity difference is common and in some cases a short (15'') barrel will out perform a rifle length barrel. Its worth finding the article on their site. I own 2 308's and am a huge an of the cartridge. expect 2400-2600 for factory ammo, and 2800+ in hand-loads. I've got a batch that do 3100+ in a 15" tube!!! look up the article, its great; And look at the individual bullet makers reloading manuals too.

yes, you could use factory ammo. testing different types/brands may need to be done to find which one is most accurate in that particular gun.
check out hodgdons pistol data for aproximate velocities expected.
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

reloading for break action pistols is not difficult. size die setting for headspace adjustment has to be done for any firearm for best brass life etc.
you simply do not want your brass "too short" or "too long" from head to shoulder for best performance.

Who ever told you that either had a different agenda or they don't know anything about reloading. If you get yourself set up to reload there are any number of folks on this site that can help you get started. It's really quite easy and many find reloading relaxing. The 308 is a fantastic cartridge for deer sized game. Stuff a 150-165 Nosler Ballistic Tip in the front and it's pure poison.

You can get by with more mistakes with a bolt pistol than a break-open action, but it is not that hard to learn to reload correctly.
There are more people who have break-open actions than there are those who have bolt pistols and the majority of them reload.
You are going to lose about 300 fps in a handgun (15") compared to a rifle length of the same chambering.

Gary is right! Last year at this time I had no thoughts about a handgun or reloading equipment. Now I have both. I got a mean ass revolver and plenty of powder and bullets to keep me going for a couple of years now. I have not reloaded any rifle cartridges yet, but I wouldn't let somebody discourage you! It is easier than you think! The only real way you can screw up a load is by NOT being VERY thorough with what you are doing! I now don't even know why I waited so long for the handgun or reloading equip.

Iunderpressure, I don't think for one minute you could get bad advice on here!

kyle you have some good advice already and if you hang around
you will get more this is a great site to learn and let me take
this time to welcome you to our site enjoy.
larry

Is it better to just use a neck resizer or a full length resizer (I think I'm calling them by the right names) when reloading for an Encore?

you can use either one, but a full length die should be used ocassionally(depends on how hot loads are) to maintain brass to chamber fit.
when considering headspace with a break action, keep in mind there may be some barrel to frame gap. the cartridge needs to fill this gap(but not crowd), as well as fill the chamber. this is where break actions differ from a bolt.

"keep in mind there may be some barrel to frame gap. the cartridge needs to fill this gap(but not crowd)"

So would you accomplish this by using a neck resizer most of the time? If not, how would you do this?

i don't use neck sizers, but you could if you want for some firings. if the brass(under hotter loads)stretches from head to shoulder, the shoulder would need to be bumped back ocassionally with a full length die. i don't think you can do that with a neck only size die.

i use a full length die to maintain the shoulder position at each firing. i set my full length sizer a known amount off the shellholder with an automotive feeler gauge. one needs to completely ignore instructions in die sets or manuals to adjust the size die tightly down against the shellholder in the press.

a couple thousandths one way or another can be important in lots of circumstances.

i guess it is more like.... "close tolerance partial sizing" with the full length die.

you can remove the barrel and use your barrel/chamber as the gauge. you never want the cartridge to go below flush with the breech, and you never want it to protrude above it excessively. only the amount needed to fill the barrel to frame gap.

there may be several ways to skin a cat.....this is just how i do it......

I like that phrase.

I do just as KYODE has started. I use a Bellm headspace gauge to set my dies up. It only takes a few minutes and the die is set for good.



Excellent advise. I enjoy handloading almost as much as shooting and hunting.

Ernie, that is about it in a nutshell.

Listen to Tig and Kyode… they have helped my reloading immensely!

well....thanks TCman....that is nice to know.

i use the bellm headspace gauge to set my dies up also. i think it is a nice tool for the $. it is not 100% necessary and there are other ways around it....but i like it.

my last set of dies i "locked down" were some rcbs 6x47 for my custom ott contender barrel. i "eyeballed it" n was fine, but it is hard to really get within a couple thousandths one way or another....just guessin.

As others have said, reloads aren't a problem in the encore as I use both factory and reloads in my 30/06, .270Win, .500S+W, and .375H+H barrels. I have had a barrel that had excessive headspace from the factory that had to be returned, but all the rest haven't been a problem using loading techniques similar to those already mentioned (no mass production factory makes everything perfect every time, but it's how they fix it that's important!) I wouldn't hesitate to buy an Encore as it was my first handgun and is still my "go to" deer gun even though I have half a dozen others to choose from!

I have some reloading equipment, but have never used it. So I'm not real clear on everything. What would happen if you used only the neck sizer on rounds for the encore? I know people like to do this on bolt guns because the reloads fit the chamber of the gun.

KYODE I was thinking a neck sizer just reshaped the shoulder. Im just trying to figure things out. Thanks Again...

iunderpressure

Just like when I did BPCR with a Remington Rolling Block in 45-90 aka 45-2.4" cartridge and if you just neck size then index your rounds to the chamber. Find a spot on your case head stamp that you can use as a 12 0'clock guide and chamber seat all your rounds this way. Remember in reloading consistancy is the key to accuracy.

a neck size die only squeeezes the neck diameter back down to hold the bullet....again after firing.

since you are "new"....you should study a loading manual or two extensively to get basics down.
if you start reloading for a break action, come back n ask more questions as you go.

if you continually neck size only for a break action, then as your brass grows in length from base to shoulder it can eventually grow enough to cause minor problems. this is easily corrected with a full length sizer. imo, it is best to maintain case fit throut the process with the full length die properly adjusted. again....if loading light loads from the lower end of the charts, you may get by with neck sizing fo a longer while. hotter loads work the brass more/faster. loads TOO hot will expand the primer pockets and make the cases unusable at a faster rate. that does not mean it is not ok to run loads at max, as long as accuracy is acceptable.

No, the neck sizer only sizes the neck and does nothing to the shoulder. So over a few firings the case will "grow" in lenght from the action springing a little when the cartridge is fired. Eventually you will have trouble closing the action as it is trying to squeeze the over sized case into the chamber. With the Contender and Encore if the action does not close enough the locking bolts on the barrel will not push the hammer release and you can't cock the hammer. This is usually when you see someone opening and slamming shut the action until they get the hammer to cock.

Before getting the Encore with both pistol & rifle barrels, look up and read the BATF ruling on this. Apparently, whichever frame you get, if it starts as a pistol it has to always be a pistol and the same with a rifle. Better to be safe than sorry.

Actually you can make the pistol into a rifle, but you cannot change it back. That is according to the letter of the law, but the likelyhood of it ever being an issue is remote, at best. It is a law that needs to be changed, or ammended.

But it is good that you are aware of the issue as many are ignorent of it.

I think someone is giving you a line. No head space problems unless you don't know how to set up a Die. I load 150 -165 balistic tips for chucks to deer and I use my 308 rifle match loads of Sierra 168gr BTHP over varget or 4064 and it shoots almost as well. All shoot very well. I have shot many hundred MilSurp 150's with great success for practice. I vote to get a .308 15"er. It is one of my go-to barrels.

underpressure,

refer to this article on Contender and Encore headspace. http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=172 . It tells you what the issues are for hinge type break open guns.

Doc

All of the posted advice is good. I live in east central Indiana and hunt in Jefferson County. My Encore is a rifle frame and has a 20".460 S&W barrel for my grandson. He shoots .454 Casulls for deer. I just bought a Remington XP-100 15" .308 for deer hunting. Indiana's regulations are illogical. Where do you live? If we are close, I would be happy to help you learn reloading.

Wheeler, that is a very generous offer your extending. This thread was revitalized and is over 2 years old. LOL The last record of “iunderpressure” posting is over a year ago. FWIW

TCTEX, I should read more closely. Kindness is always timely. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Amen Bro. Your thoughts truly came from the heart.

This may be a dumb question, but after becoming proficient with a pistol, why would you go back to a rifle?

Why not? They're still fun in thier own right.

When Indiana first legalized pistol caliber rifles I had a plan. That year I killed a deer with a rifle, pistol, muzzleloading rifle, shotgun and bow. The next year I returned to pistols and bows. Rifles are fun toys, albeit too easy to suit me now.