Contenders are well thought out, trim, minimalist, break action carbines that allow easy experimentation with both rimfire and centerfire cartridges, are a joy to use in the field, and can fill a niche for a lot of rifle loonies.
Encores are mass marketed, ugly, abortions.
Travis
Nailed it.
Agree with this...mostly. I think the Encore handguns are just fine. The Contender can't handle rounds like the .260, 7-08, etc. Where they lost me was what they do with the Encore rifles. If I want a single shot .300 or .375 or even a 25-06 I'm gonna go with a Ruger #1. They do look like sick aberrations with barrels that are out of balance with the rest of the rifle. Now, an Encore 12 gauge slug barrel seems like a good idea for our short-range weapon seasons here in ID along the river bottoms.
