Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots question for you tc encore guys

Hey guys, got a steal of a price on a tc encore(not pro hunter model..for now) from a co worker wanting to get rid of it...and im gonna put the black pro hunter stock/forearm on it and buy a cf barrel for it in .243 win..my question is how dothe pro hunter barrels shoot in these guns? Never shot one w/ the new fluted 28 inch barrel before so im not sure if i should stray away from them or not. Also, for anyof you that have shot one in 243 what bullets should i try in it? Gonna reload and was thinkin the 90 grain nbt for it would be decent for yotes and whitetails..thanks forthe help fellas!
Brian

Brian,

I can't give you an answer about the 28" barrel because I've never owned or shot one. I don't see the need to use one. A 26" is plenty long enough. I like the 24" barrels better to reduce some weight and walking into the thick stuff. I've shot a lot of calibers with my Encore but never the 243. I think you would be happier with a 24" 243 then with a 28" barrel. It would have a better balance feel and not be so front heavy.

Stay away from the stainless barrels if possible. They rust easy. I see them in the used rifle racks already rusted from people handling them. Accuracy has always been good with the barrels and calibers that I've owned. Never a problem to keep 1" or less in group size. Good choice on the Pro-Hunter stock set. I have the camo set with my 24" 405 Win. Here is a picture of my 405 Win.


Another picture of my Encore collection:
Top is my 26" Rifled 20ga for slug areas
Middle is my 358 Win
Bottom is again my 405 Win


For scope mounts I use the Leupold Dual-Dovetail with medium rings and also use the Talley 1 piece base/rings. I don't have to use a hammer extention with these ring and scope combination even with gloves on. Have fun with your new toy.

Ken

You got a good model to try several calibers without investing alot of money. I've had several different barrels that shot good and some that didn't. Check out Bellm's web site for ideas. Good luck.

I've two of the Pro Hunter barrels, 28" and stainless. No rust issues in the 3 or so years of use. Balance well imo although I do have the Pro Hunter frame which could make a difference. Can't say for sure as it's the only frame I've owned.
Usually get sub one inch three shot groups and at 28" I am getting good velocity w/o max or over max powder charges. Mine are chambered in 7-08 and 270.

thanks for the help guys!..the only reason im going to get a stainless barrel is the reciever/frame w/e you call it is stainless..but i was tryin to decide if the 24 inch older style encore barrel would be a better match than the 28 inch pro hunter barrel...i handled a prohunter yesterday and it really didnt feel unbalanced..i just wasnt sure how well they shot as ive never shot the pro hunter before...but i do like the fluted design of their PH barrels..and it does sound cool to not need to max load it and still get as good or better velocity because of the longer barrel...keep the opinions comin guys!

thinkin the 24 inch regular encore barrel in stainless is prolly what ill go w/..should work great for what i want it for

dont waste your $ on the pro hunter 24-26 is what you want.

thats what i was thinkin tc...just wanted to see if anyone had any experience w/ the pro hunter barrels...im thinkin the 24 inch barrel would be about perfect for shots out to 4-500 yards as long as i do my part and develop an accurate load w/ it..pickin the gun up thursday from a co-worker for a too good to pass up deal, and then start workin on my set up..so far i got for the set up: stainless encore in .243 win, 24 inch stainless tc barrel, prohunter stock/foregrip, and going w/ a 3.5-10x50 vortex viper scope on it..and more than likely a 9-13 harris bipod...sweetening up the trigger is also on the list, just dont know what trigger im goin to go with yet, and itll be shooting 85 grain sierra bthp,speer 85s, barnes ttsx 80s,or nosler bt 90s..should be deadly

Just bolted a .243, 24" stainless Encore barrel on my pro hunter thumbhole light weight frame. Shoots sub moa, but at 5.25 lbs, with 100gr. max reloads, it will definitely let you know your shooting it! Very accurate, I am happy with it. No need for a long barrel.

after doing some research online and lookin at some of the display pics of the encores on eabco , i think im going to go w/ a blued barrel on the stainless receiver/pro hunter stock..i might be weird, but i really liked the look of it..and if it shoots good im not worried about if its "pretty" to other people..and ill save a lil bit of cash buyin blued over stainless

I own two Pro-Hunters one 7MM and a 300 Win Mag, both are complete rifles. One is a thumbhole the other the standard stock. Both have had their triggers done by Steve Stratton, Hurricane, Utah. Both shoot exceptional well and are my preffered carry rifle. Mike Bellim is the T/C Guru, he and a friend of his have a great deal to say about the long barrel of the Pro Hunter. Basically - not good. I've worked around the harmonics problem with a muzzle breaks. No rust either rifle . Stratton Industries also provided hanger bars for the forends. I used Talley LW mounts on both. Nobody will do WSM barrels for the single shots. MGM barrel manufacuring, St. George, Utah makes outstanding barrels. They maybe able to supply additional ideas.

Some good info there!..im gonna play around w/ mine before i send it in for trigger work..the trigger w/ it seems pretty decent now, but i just got the rifle this morning and havent done anything w/ it..thanks for the info tho

finally got my encore in hand, and w/ the 24 inch .243 barrel im going to buy in the near future its definately gonna be a more "portable" gun w/ it not bein that long..im excited to get it up and running and get some kills under my belt

navyman20: I have owned an Encore for 5-6 years now. First barrel was a .223 Rem, 28", Fluted, Stainless. It will put 10 shots under 1" if I can do my part. Next barrel was 416 Rigby (can't afford Africa, but I can the gun). It is 28", Fluted, Stainless (with fact. brake). I am now trying to find a load that will shoot to 2"....have some Barns TSX to try next.........but it's not the barrel, it's the load that only shoots to 3 1/2" for now. Next barrel will be 300 WM, 28", Fluted, Stainless. Like the others have said, 24" will do the job but don't be afraid of another 2" of barrel. I live in Colorado so very little humidity and not much chance of fingerprints rusting stainless steel, but stainless will rust so keep some preservative on it. I have added a Thumb Hole stock and cannot recommend it highly enough. Good Luck!

Im goin to put on a blued barrel on mine, and the 24 inch barrel should be nice for manueverability when im in the woods, and probably get a longer match grade barrel for a long range specific gun

I have a EABCO 24" blue barrel in .260 on my stainless Pro Hunter, looks good & shoots good.

im lookin at the eabco barrel in 243 win..i should be able to shoot just about any bullet i want out of it w/ good results since its a 1-8 twist for the 243's..which should be about ideal for the 95 grain bullet im lookin at for it..should make for a sweet shooter

If you're going with a custom barrel also take a look at MGM. They make a pretty good barrel.

I've only had one 26" barrel. A Custom Shop heavy taper. Out of 15 T/C barrels I've had that is the only one that wasn't a shooter. Don't know if the length has anything to do with it but overall it seems like reports are a lot more mixed with long barrels. I haven't given up on mine though. It's going in to SSK shortly to be cut down to 22".

Double post

johnp034 mentioned a "thumbhole light weight frame.' What is that? The reason I am asking is I want to build a lightweight TCEncore. What do you guys suggest for components?

Thanks,
Jim