thompson center handguns

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dieseldave

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I'm considering buying a single shot pistol by thompson center. I'm leaning towards an encore in 7mm-08. I like to reload, shoot, and deer hunt and feel like this will be a gun i could enjoy doing all with. Before I purchase the wrong gun or right gun any advise on the subject would be appreciated. A few questions would be is the contender a better choice, is the caliber I have picked gonna have unmanageable recoil, what length barrel should i get, and what scope would be fitting for this gun?
 
I have always wanted a T/C pistol. A few months ago I finally bought, or as some have told me, stole one. A Contender G2 stainless with a 14" Mag-Na-Ported 35 Remington barrel, a 14" Match 22 Long Rifle barrel, a Buris 1.5-4 X scope, and a Boyt case...For $250!!!
The ported 35 barrel lets you know when you touch it of, but it is nothing that is not controllable. I don't think a 7-08 would be too much.
Here is a link to the best forum I've found about T/C stuff.
http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php
 
I've been shooting TC's for a few years, and believe the gun your looking at should be a good one for most hunting in the lower 48. I have the 260 rem encore in 15 " with a 2-8 scope, shooting it from sticks , clay pigeons are not to hard at 100 yds. Same for the 308. but it offers better bullet selection. With max loads and 180 or heavier bullets the recoil gets a little stiff on the 308. If your not recoil shy , step up to the 375 JDJ, 444 Marlin, 45/70 , or 460 S&W they all offer great performance , and recoil with heavy loads. But you will never be under gunned.
 
Contenders are not able to take rifle cartrides like the Encore. It has to do with the pressures involved, and the size of the rounds. A Contender will handle .30-30, .35 Rem, and .45-70, but not a .308 or .30-06. For rounds like those (or based on those) you need the Encore.

Recoil is very...individual. The beauty of the Contender is that all you have to do is hang on enough that the gun doesn't hit you, or the dirt. It is, however, something you have to get used to, and manage properly.

Example: Friend of mine was watching me shoot my 14" .45-70 (ported, with a red dot sight). Even watched me shoot it one handed, offhand (a chore, but it can be done, if you are strong enough:D)

He shot it, and while he had locked his wrists, he didn't with his elbows, and the gun came back and wacked him on the nose with the edge of the red dot sight. Bled a bit. He did hit the target, and after we got the bleeding stopped, shot it again, hitting the target, and not himself.

My Contender in .44 mag with a slender unported 10" barrel jumps up a lot worse than the heavier .45-70 does! Really surprised me the first time, so much so I said a bad word at the range!:D
 
I've been a fan of the Contender for 40 yrs. The tightest five shot group that I've ever fired was with a .7-30 Waters 16" barrel. I also have two Encores. The Encore trigger is not as nice as the Contender. Never shot the Contenders replacement the G2.

Contender Pistol .223 Super 16, 7-30 Waters Super 16.
Encore Rifles 50 cal. ML, .308 sporter barrel, .223 Heavy Barrel.
 
Dave I guess WE didn't really answer you questions, ,but to do so requires more info. What type of hunting are you doing , spot & stalk? Long range. Over feeders, From a tree stand over food plots? Are you used to shooting scoped handguns?
I really like the 2-8 or something like that, but find many just don't want to take the time to get used to the higher power scopes.
Alex
 
I bought the 14 inch SS 44 mag and mounted a 2-7 Bushnell on it. Works great but close up shots are horrible slow, (you know when a buck walks under your tree stand and you never heard a thing.) I switched to a red dot and it was the best thing I every put on my G2, but it broke after shooting one day and I went back to the scope. In my State I'm limited to 357 mag, 10mm, 41 mag, 44mag, 45 colt, and 50 mag. No rifle rounds in the pistol. My 44 mag shoots clean out to 100 yards with Hornady flex tips and thats plenty of range for me.

If I had it to do over again I would probably have bought the blued 12 inch 44 mag and purchased a higher priced red dot. The 12 inch barrel would probably be a little easier to move around with and I really liked the red dot for hunting and shooting. I guess it all depends on where your hunting and what ranges you are expecting.
 
The ENCORE is the c`urrewntly..

supported firearm from T/C.
The regular (original contender) and the G2 are not supported.

The Encore has better design for handling the higher pressured cartridges.

Can't specifically state that the 7-08 how it will handle.

But I have an original with the 10" Octogan barrels and THEY are a HOOT!

First barrel was the 30/30 and used commercial ammo with no problem, and just bought a 21" 30/30 barrel to match the carbine stock I have.

Best find a club that has silhouette matches and attend just to get information and give it a try.

Hope this helps.
 
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Thanks for all the advise/info. I now know I will choose the encore because I would want to be able to use rifle calibers and probabily a 44mag as well. Iam leaning towards a leupold 2-8 for the scope. I will be stand hunting over food plots so I am hoping for at least a chance at a 100-150 yard shot I also enjoy shooting paper for these two reasons among others is why I am interested in the 7-08 with the 2-8 scope. What kind of accuracy should I expect and any suggestions on a load to start with when reloading for this particular gun? How about triggers I've never been satisfied with factory triggers without a little tweaking is that possible with a tc trigger or any suggestions on what trigger to have installed by a smith?
 
Lived in GA for about a half year and as I remember the deer weren't too big. I own a G2 Contender, 14" barrel, chambered 6.8 Special. I have a 4 X Leupold on it. The recoil isn't bad and 100 - 150 yards is definitely in the range of the 6.8.
 
Dave, I've got a pistol with a Leupold 2.5-8x and I'm not fond of it (at least for tree stand hunting). It is too much scope for sitting on a 100 yd stand. In order to get a good field of view, I need to keep it dialed down. Unfortunately, at that setting the eye relief is so long that I have to hold it at maximum extension. If I were sitting on the ground looking for a 200 yd+ shot, then that scope would be much more pleasant.
 
T/C

have had Contenders and Encores for years. A Contender was my first handgun, The danger is contracting BAD (Barrel Acquisition Disease). I started with one and now have....more than that. My favorites are .30-30 and .44 Mag. both in 10 inchers.
I agree with the earlier note about brisk recoil in the .44 chambering. That combo broke every sight that I put on it (red dots) until i tried an EO Tech. That survived.

The regular (original contender) and the G2 are not supported.
Click to expand...

Not quite sure what to make of that. The guns are still offered (G2) on the T/C website. They still make barrels. Do repairs.

Pete
 
I own a .44 Mag, .223 and .410 barrel. I'm looking for a whitetail deer caliber with longer range. I'd like some feedback and suggestions. Thanks.
 
range

I'm looking for a whitetail deer caliber with longer range
Click to expand...
What range?
Contender or Encore?
In general:
For Contender, the 14" barrel in 7X30 Waters is very popular.
For Encore, the 15" barrel in .308 Winchester.

There are many other suitable choices since there are about a gazillion chamberings available for the two platforms.
Pete
 
In the Contender I like the 35 rem, and and in the Encore I would think the 260 would be a great deer round. Since I use a walking stick these days, I always have a rest, and shooting from that it's no trick to breaking clays at 100 yds.
 
If field carrying is an issue, don't forget that the Contender is smaller and lighter than the Encore. And quite frankly, the 30-30, 30 Herrett, 7-30 Waters, and 7TCU give adequate pay for woods whitetails - not to mention the 44mag. Also, the 10" barrels can be nicely holstered.
 
Should I buy a complete gun or should I get the action then buy a barrel from another manufacturer how about triggers what r my options also I heard once that u can get a slightly larger set of pins that hold the components together tighter than the factory set has anyone any advise on these subjects with the encore
 
The best price on new Encore frames right now is at Buds. You can either buy a package deal or put one together yourself. The pin thing comes into play when you have a barrel that has a slightly oversized hole. You can either buy an oversized pin or Encore makes an adjustable one.
 
With the price of T/C factory barrels going up a custom barrel wouldn't set you back that much more coin. MGM makes a great barrel for just a few bucks more than T/C.
 
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