Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots 240 weatherby custom encore

Looking into getting a i240 weatherby encore barrel. Seems to be a lot of opinions about the 240 and the encore action but seeing how bullberry, mgm, and ssk will all chamber it and the 240 being basically a belted 6mm-06 should be ok. That being said has anyone tried one? I'm trying to find out if the factory weatherby/Norma ammo, nosler custom or Hunting Shack ammo is ok to use or if they need to be fed downloaded handloads? Any ideas or experience on this would be greatly appreciated.

I've had quite a few Encore barrels and never found any to be less than able to handle full factory loads. In fact max handloads have never been a problem.
I have a friend that managed to crack an Encore frame at the hinge pin hole shooting way overpowered loads, the same barrel shot fine on a different frame with standard factory ammo afterwords.

This is a good warning to exercise some common sense or reasonable extra care. Had those same way-overloads been fired in a 'strong' and properly vented bolt action the results would have been quite different. A catastrophic fail with a "way over" load should be a warning that this design in one that should be held level below that are max for a much stronger bolt. Factory 308 type pressures. Failure is one thing, slow stress and wear is another.

Curious what the OP is thinking of for barrel length? Long and fluted? Or very long?

If you handload, consider a 6mm/06 instead as Weatherby brass and ammo is pricey. See the latest issue of Handloader (314). Good article by Layne Simpson, who has an Encore 6/06.

Whichever you get, go fast-twist or face scorn and pity from all over the globe.

As I'm not a fan of belted cartridges, I side with Pappy and his recommendation of 6mm/06. Abundant brass and easy to hand load for.