T/C Encore Pistol Hunters Package

I have an encore pistol in .223. I have fired about 200 rounds out of it so far with Iron sights. I am getting 1" groups at 50 yards with Federal factory ammo. I still have not started reloading for it, but have plenty of once fired to get started and my dies arrived a few days ago.

Once I scope it and load my own I have no doubt of 1" groups at 100 yards or beyond.

They are great feeling guns, and very versatile. I have an order for a 460Magnum barrel from MGM for it. I also plan on getting a 12ga barrel and rifle stock for it.

I love it so far.
 
I have one, haven't hunted with it yet got it last winter after hunting season was over. My Encore is an Endevor SS frame and 7mm-08 barrel, with Bushnell Trophy 2-6 power scope. Probably weighs in at 4 lbs +/- EWAG so not very heavy to pack all day when compared to a 8lbs rifle. Go over to Specialty Pistols those guys are hardcore pistol freaks and Guru's.

My one word of advice is be careful with the barrel selections. I had shot a .204 Ruger and .30-30 AI contender pistol my buddy owned, and they were great fun. My first barrel was a 17" .280 GNR which was capable of pushing a 140 grain bullet to 3000+ fps. Recoil wasn't bad due to the extremly effective brake, but that brake caused me to develope a flinch and I never could shoot it accurately. Even with electronic muffs the noise was loud and the blast would take your hat right off if the muffs didn't hold it on.

I got a used 7mm-08 barrel thinking I'd learn to shoot it to help me overcome the problems I had with the other barrel. That didn't happen so I've since traded off that big boomer. The .270 shouldn't be a terrible pistol to learn to shoot, start with some light weight bullets and work your way up.

When you are ready to but give Ed's Contenders a shout. He will put together a package for you cheaper than you can get from T/C. Good guy to deal with and where I went for my frame.
 
I would advise against a .270 in an Encore pistol. A .270 is an "overbore" cartridge. Without getting into a ballistics lesson here, just suffice it to say that any overbore cartridge becomes "inefficient" in a short barrel. There are lots of good calibers that work well in an encore pistol though. The previously mentioned 7mm-08 is a very efficient cartridge in a short barrel. There are others as well.

If you really want to get serious about this, go over to the Specialy Pistols forum. There are lots of true experts on there who can steer you the right direction.

http://specialtypistols.infopop.cc/eve/forums
 
I have an encore with several barrels and it is a versatile and accurate hunting pistol. I would stay away from any -06 based cartridge ( 25-06, .270, .280, 30-06) because, as mentioned above, they are really overbore for a 15" barrel and you'll not see any performance improvement over a .308 based cartridge like the excellent above mentioned 7mm-08.
 
Actually, I like the 7mm-08 better than the 270 win but they don't come in a package deal. I asked about the deal hoping that somebody would have one and could give me an exact weight for comparison to lightweight rifles all scoped up & ready to go.

As far as "learning to deal with recoil" goes, I think my 500 S&W is a pretty good teacher;)
 
Last edited:
I hunt almost exclusively with a pistol. Either a Revolver in 44 Mag or 454 and a T/C Contender. I have shot an Encore in 308 and it was a handful both in weight and recoil. They are accurate and they shoot good but I like my Contender a little better. For Sheep as long as you keep your shots inside 200 yds I would look at a Contender in:

30-30 winchester
7-30 Waters

I have both and find myself shooting the 7-30 a little more. To get the most out of these you have to hand-load and you need a Super 14" Barrel. Both will shoot inside an Inch at 100 yds if I do my part. Scope selection is a big thing with a hunting pistol. If you get a fixed power go with 2X or 3X tops. For a Variable 1-5X is nice. Burris or Leupold are the only scopes I will put on a hand gun. I would look around for a good used frame and then buy the barrels you want. I have several barrels for my Contender frame:

22LR- this is a blast to shoot tree rats with
223- Very accurate
30-30 maybe the most accurate one I have and a real deer killer
7-30 another very accurate round, kills like electrocution
45-70 This one does not get shot too much, You can figure why. I got it for Hogs but the 30-30 does just as good with 1/2 the recoil.

Or an Encore in:

260 Rem
300 Savage
7mm Mauser

In any event to get the most out the T/C you will have to hand load.
 
I am a handloader. I looked at the Contenders too, they are significantly lighter than the Encores. I wonder if anybody builds an aftermarket 7mm-08 for the Contender? The 7mm-08 has quite a bit more poop than the 7-30 waters. Or, can a 7-30 Waters chamber be recut to 7mm-08 specs.?

What bullets are you using for the 30-30? I'd imagine you aren't limited to those flat nose jobs like are used in tubular magazines.
 
The contender can not handle higher pressure rounds like the encore can. Any .308 win or .30-06 based cartridges are too much for the contender when loaded to factory specs.

If you are buying new, get the encore as there are more options out there for you to choose from.
 
Encore & 7mm-08 vs. Contender & 7-30 Waters

The below info is presented with Sheep/Goat hunting and the slight chance of bear hunting/defense
/general survival in mind

Either Encore or Contender can use a .45 colt/.410 bbl for survival/after hunt fun (camp-tent bear gun/Ptarmigan & Grouse gun) for very little extra weight.

Did some comparisons with weight data from T/C and external ballistics using
http://www.biggameinfo.com/index.aspx?page=%2fbalcalc.ascx

Used a 150 gr. Nosler ballistic tip hunting bullet (.456 B.C./.266 S.D.) for both.
Loads below are max velocity for 150 gr. bullet from Hodgdon online data.

T/C Contendor with 14" bbl weighs about 3lbs 12 oz.
7-30 Waters with 34.2c gr. Varget (max point blank range = 220 yds w/187 yd zero)
Range Muzzle 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Path -1.5 2.0 3.5 2.9 Zero -5.5 -13.7 -24.9
Wind(10) 0 0.3 1.0 2.3 4.2 6.7 9.8 13.6
Energy 1593 1470 1354 1246 1145 1051 964 883

T/C Encore with 15" bbl weighs about 4lbs 8 oz.
7mm-08 with 48.5c gr. H4350 (max point blank range = 254 yds w/216 yd zero)
Range Muzzle 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Path -1.5 1.1 2.4 2.0 Zero -3.8 -9.6 -17.6
Wind(10) 0 0.2 0.8 1.8 4.2 5.3 7.8 10.8
Energy 2169 2012 1865 1726 1595 1472 1356 1248


Boiling it down

The Encore weighs about 20% more than the Contender
The Encore in 7mm-08 gains about 1.39x the energry of the Contender in 7-30 Waters (from 0-350 yds)
The Encore in 7mm-08 gains about 15.45% more useable max point blank range over the Contender in 7-30 Waters

If Bears and bbl options were not a factor the Contender would win out based on carry weight but both Ephram and versatility are a factor for me. I'll gladly carry 12 extra ounces to have a gun that can launch a 175 gr. Nosler Partition at 2325 fps (2100 fpe) vs. a sligtly lighter gun than can launch the same bullet at about 2100 fps (1713 fpe). plus the option of so many more cartridges through the Encore.

If'n I lived anywhere in the lower 48' besides the Northern Rockies I'd go with the Contender in 7-30 Waters. I live in Alaska and come from the northern 1/2 of the Rockies so... It's the Encore in 7mm-08 for me.
 
Last edited:
While you can't run the standard cartridges on the Contender action there are a lot of high powered cartridges you can run in them and probably find something in 7mm to equal the power and energy of the 7mm-08. I'd do some more research and look to JDJ cartridges of SSK Industries. It is amazing what people are doing with the .444 Marlin cartridge in the Contender handgun. My friend in NY took his AK black bear at 200 yard with a .358 JDJ and 225 grain Nosler Accubonds and I can tell you that it hit with athority.
 
In 1986 I took my Super 14 44mag TC barrel and had it rechambered for 444 Marlin. Shoots like a dream and recoil isn't all that bad,,, at least I don't think so... I shoot a speer 225 HP at 2200 from the pistol, same load does 2400 from my 444 Marlin lever action.
 
Very good argument for the Encore! I live and hunt in the lower 48 and the contender fills my needs to a T. I have never been sheep hunting but I would think they are not all that tougher than a deer and not much larger than a Eastern white tail deer( 150-170#). So I think a 30-30 or 7-30 would do the job out to 200yds. My experience has been that both of those cartridges are very good Medium sized game killers. I would feel confidant hunting anything with them except Brown Bears and Large Elk. If I could pick and choose I would try an Elk with the 30-30 but it would have to be a close shot under very good conditions.

The 7-30 Waters Load is: SGK 140gr with IMR 4895 33.6gr @ 2270fps; That is a very respectable round with a good SD.

The 30-30 load I like is: Sierra 135gr SSP 31.5gr ReL-7 @ 2315fps; This is a bullet Seirra made for single shot pistols. It has a thin jacket and will expand at lower velocities. You have to watch for this in a contender. If you are shooting rifle bullets and your shots are long you will not get much expansion if any from say a Bonded core 165gr 308 bullet at 180 yds.

I said earlier there are 3 things that will make a T/C really shine:
1. Reloading for it, This is a must but you say you do.
2. A good scope and mount, anything over 3x is not only wasted it is a hindrance.
3. Lots and lots of practice. I shoot mine more than just about any gun I own. Not only because I like it but I want to feel comfortable and confidant with it. I can shoot at my house and before the season starts I climb up in a tree with my stand and shoot for it at ranges from 25yds to 210yds.

Whichever one you get good luck with it and have fun. From your name I assume you Bow Hunt. I used to also till I found Hand gun hunting. I still bow hunt a little early in the season(When the Mosquitoes are bad down here:() but I really like hunting with a hand gun.

Sam
 
What Fun!!!!

I was at a range years ago. This other shooter let me fire off a few rounds through his contender chambered for the .45-70. I don't remember the load, they weren't factory loads though. Let me tell you, the fun and thrill was on par with a tax audit or a root canal.:eek:
 
my local cabelas has several pistol barrels in their bargain cave for $175-$225. dont remember the caliber.

also it may be cheaper to build your kit. i see frames going all the time on the greybeard outdoors(go2gbo.com) encore classifieds. see all the furniture/barrels for fair prices there too. there is a encore/contender handgun page too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top