Having shot TC for years, I have played with the Encore for a while. I have shot everything from a 17 Remington to 375HH and really liked the interchanging barrels, and at the time I was getting barrels for under $200. The 375HH barrel was a boomer and I would not shoot something that large without custom wood and padding. I really loved my compact 243 and 30 cal barrels, as did the younger shooters. At one time I was at 11 barrels and 4 frames. Now, I do not shoot the Encore as I have moved to exclusively Contenders and bolt guns. I have found that for the hunting I do, the Contender has a caliber that works, and if not I have a bolt gun which will work.
My biggest issue with the Encore was the trigger. The factory trigger was not up to my standards, and unlike the Contender, I could not play with it easily at home and adjust to my liking. I had different TC friends do trigger jobs for me and eventually I had a nice trigger.
The price on the barrels has gone up, but there are also more options available now than a few years ago. I am not sure I would get into an Encore again as I would have to dump a few thousand into just a few frames, barrels, and decent grips, and the value is not there like it was. I have had a heck of a time with TC in regards to their warranty, parts, and service since they were taken over by S&W, and I am not sure I want to delve deeper.
As for durability, I was never worried about my Encore failing me in any way. I missed one animal out of many with an Encore, and that was my fault 100%. As a lover of off-path calibers, the Encore was wonderful, as it was so easy to load for and barrels could be found (or made).
Overall, to me, the Encore was worth it when TC still ran the shop. I have seen and heard mixed reviews in dealing with TC lately, but the Encore is a wonderful tool if you want to spend the $$.
