Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Encore pistol hunting rig

I have an itch that needs scatched. I haven't killed a deer with a handgun.

I have an encore. I know...I can buy a nice revolver for what it'll cost to setup the Encore. But....eh. I think I wanna do the Encore.


I'm to the point I'm sorta disgusted with how much reloading stuff I have so I'm thinking to do it in something I already load for.


Itd be for deer...maybe black bear....timber..I've never killed a deer in excess of 100yds. Pretty much all 75 or in.


I load for 450 bushmaster and 358win.

I think bigger caliber doesn't seem to suffer velocity loss as much...so those could be good choices.


I can tone down the loads and not break my wrists.


What are you guys favorite Encore pistol setups?

Looking for caliber, barrel length and profile, what furniture etc.

Post pics if you have some cool furniture or scope setups etc etc. I'd love some ideas.

I carried a 12” Encore with a scope for a bit, and found it cumbersome and awkward. Used a scabbard-type holster, probably a TC one. If doing it again, I’d probably go with a red dot. A week ago I had little trouble dinking some steel plates of various sizes at 100 yards with a .22 pistol and a FF3 from a rest and leaning against a post. Unless the better visibility through a scope is important for you, think about the RD. It certainly is smaller and lighter. Some kind of mono or bipod might be a good idea too for that big gun.

FWIW, the only deer I’ve killed with a handgun was a doe shot with a scoped 629. Spined, and of course DRT.
I do have a 620 .357 setup with a FF3 for hunting that might make it out in a couple of weeks for does. Have a couple in the freezer now, and the Smith carries even easier than a 6-7 pound rifle. Until I try it out farther, 50 yards is my limit for now.

Show us what you end up with.

Had a Contender in .35 rem w TC 2.5-7x scope. Always ran it at 2.5x.
Swapped to an Aimpoint clone to see if an RDS woukd work.

Holy cow.

Made offhand shooting stupid easy.

Still a heavy and awkward rig.

I hunted mainly with a handgun when I lived in the midwest. T/C Contender in 44 Mag, 300 Whisper, 357 Mag., and 357 Max. Took at least one deer with each. Took several with the 44 Mag. and 357 Max. The 357 Max was my favorite. I set up an Encore with a 260 Rem barrel for Indiana but moved to Illinois before I got a chance to hunt with it. Illinois had a cartridge length restriction so the 260 wasn't legal.

Absolutely understand the size and how cumbersome they can be. A red dot is a good idea. For my uses, I don't need a scope. And I'm at the point in life where if a deer gets away, so be it. I hunt in pretty good deer country and I've killed 2 or 3 a year for over 20 years. It would be a way to keep hunting fun and interesting for me.

I have a 15” muzzleloader barrel for my encore, with a red dot It’s a beast to carry, and to shoot.
I much prefer my 10” contender in 30 Herrett.

I have hunted with Contenders, Encores, and revolvers for over 20 years. My favorites are a Contender in 7-30 waters, an Encore in 7TCU (also a Contender cartridge), an Encore in .243 and a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt.

My Contenders and Encores all wear Bushnell 2-6X pistol scopes. I keep them at 3X, but I have dialed up the Waters and .243 to 6X for a 100+ yard shot.

There are some good deals on Encore pistol barrels that can still be had. If you don't mind spending the money, an SSK or MGM barrel would be a good investment.

I’ve had an Encore in 30-06 for many years. Killed quite a few deer with it. I hunt from a blind with a rest. Farthest kill was 300 yards. Closest about 20 yards. 150 pro hunter bullets do a hell of a job. Edk

I have shot deer with a 10" 357 Contender and a 15" 270 Encore.

Either worked well.

Straight-Wall or Bottle-Neck cartridges?
Deer at that distance are easy to kill...What sounds cool to you?

Any other choices than 450 BM and 358 Win? Depending on cartridge, something in the revolver range (41 mag, 44 mag, 45 colt, 44 SM) I would go with 10" barrel. For cartridges that burn more powder (and more recoil), I would go with 14" barrel. To carry it, when I had mine, I drilled and tapped the end on the barrel for a swivel stud and made swivel stud for the grip, then attached a short sling. it slung on my shoulder and rode between my arm and body (upside down).

- If your stuck on 450BM and 358 Win, based on your range of less 100 yards, I would load some light 450 BM in a 14" barrel.

For what you're describing a .357 Max with 180 gr. Speer FNSP or a WFNGC cast bullet in the 200 gr range would be ideal in my book. It's what I've used for years in Iowa and have yet to catch a bullet in a deer, from 50 to over 200 yards.

I have owned a 356 Win Encore. Rimmed version of a 358. Killed one buck with it at app 135 yards. I had another in 7.62x54R (.308 Version). Also killed a nice buck with it at close to the same distance. Also had a 260 but never killed anything with it. It was capable of long range shots. I have shot impressive groups with it to 600 yards.

What I would do:
Send the Action off to Steve Stratton and have a trigger job done to it to start with.
For a barrel I would go with an MGM, BullBerry, or SSK. I have owned all three with no complaints with any of them.
I would strongly consider a .308 Winchester or 30-06. Lots of good bullets to pick from. Hits hard, and will reach out far enough to satisfy most handgun hunters.
Barrel Length? The last few I have ordered from MGM have been 15.875". Check hunting regulations for Maximum Barrel Length. I go long for more velocity.
Have a Four Gill Muzzle Brake installed, "and a good one". A highly recommend the Harrell's Precision 4 Port. I use the version with four holes in the top as sold and installed by Hunt's Long Range.
Forend: I have always went with Tony's in a 10" length, and a nice sand bag friendly profile. I prefer Charcoal Laminate to go with the factory rubber grip.
Forend Attachment: I have used the Bullberry Hanger Bar System on all of my Encore barrels to date. The first Encore Barrel I bought used from Mark Hampton was the Bullberry in 260 Remington with the Bullberry Hanger Bar System. I went with it on all my later barrels. Good accuracy off sand bags. HOWEVER the Bullberry Hanger Bar System is not a good choice if you plan to use a bipod. Recoil will break the Dovetail Inserts. If doing this over I would go with Two or Three Screws to attach the forend. I like Bipods a lot.
I would go with the Evolution Gun Works scope base. The flat one is just fine on most barrels. On my 223 barrel I ran out of UP Elevation at 500 yards. I switched it to a 20 MOA EGW Base. NOTE: EGW does make a 6 screw base. You need to contact them to verify who sells it. I believe Bellum, but I am not 100% sure about that.
SCOPE: This depends a lot on how you hunt. If you shoot from a stand using a rest such as sand bags or a bipod you can get by with some Rifle Scope's. I used the Weaver Classic Extreme 2.5-10X which is no longer available. On the 2.5-4X power settings you would think it was a Scout Scope. The higher the magnification the closer to the scope you will need to be. I have not had a reason to order one yet, but I would strongly consider the NEW Weaver Classic Series sold by Natchez. The lowest power available in a 30mm Tube is a 4-16x44mm. I am sure that this scope will "dial up" like the Classic Extreme. This scope is reasonably priced. If by chance you are not happy with it on the Encore, put it on a rifle.

If you hold the handgun at arms length, I would go with a Burris 2-7 Handgun Scope.

I do have a MatchDot on a 357 Maximum CVA Scout in a single shot handgun. I would keep the range down to not much over 100 yards with a Red Dot. I have taken several deer with a MatchDot mounted on my 9.5" 480 Super RedHawk. Works great at woods hunting distances.

Between my brother and I we also have Contender Barrels in 22LR, 223, 6.5x30JDJ, 35 Bullberry, 357 Maximum, 7-30, and 30-30AI. All are pretty much set up as above right down to the Stratton Trigger Job.

I have switched from the Encore to the Nosler M48 Handgun's. My 6.5CM was pretty much ready to go out of the box. I had Hunts Long Range install the Harrell's 4 Gill Muzzle Brake. My 22 Nosler was the M48 NCH version, and came with the Harrell's Brake installed, along with a Fluted Barrel. I really would prefer a 308 in the M48 Handgun, however Nosler does not seem to make them very often. I have not found one for sale in the last two years.

Just my 2 cents on the Encore Build.

Bob R

I'd go with a 250 Sav, 14" barrel, 1-9 twist, with a 2-6x Bushnell if you can find one.

I hunt here in upstate South Carolina, my CVA Scout 357 Max pistol with Burris 3-12. I have shot Hornady 180gr XTPs and currently Barnes 140gr XPB. Both are accurate and have taken deer. I wanna try some Fury 180gr truncated point bullets with some Longshot powder. Also thinking of trying some cast bullets.

I have a 308 pistol barrel that I have killed deer with.

So many options for the Encore platform, I can see how difficult it could be if choosing just one chambering. I could never do that.

The old reliable 30/30 Win. for distances such as you described and beyond would be a great consideration. Handloading or using factory ammo, which is almost always available when many others aren’t.

I have been a handgun hunter over 40 years. I have Encores, Contenders , but mostly prefer revolvers.
My question to OP’ster. Have you compared an Encore to a Contender? Most cartridges, especially for N American game you can use a G2 Contender, and if you hold them both, you will see why I suggest this. You can comfortably swing a contender on a moving target MUCH easier than an Encore. I’ve hunted all over Africa and America with a contender in 375. It kills everything cleanly out to 300 yards. Yes you can get the same in an Encore, but they’re heavy and cumbersome. Just an idea to look at the platform.

I can heartily endorse your going with the .358 Win that you're already set up for. And I definitely like Pappy348's thought of mounting a red dot sight on it. In your hunting conditions it would make a perfect handgun for the job and the red dot wouldn't be weighing down an already heavy handgun. Nothing wrong with the .450 Bushmaster either, I'm just kinda partial to the mid bores.

I have a 15" barreled Encore in .35 Whelen and even with full power loads don't find its recoil to be objectionable. With a proper hold the recoil results mostly just in a strong lifting of the forearms and not so much of a sharp jolt like a higher velocity rifle chambering would produce. Kinda reminds me of shooting my .416 Remington Magnum Model 70 Win Safari rifle, feels more like the recoil from a heavy load in a 10 or 12 gauge shotgun than the sharp crack to the shoulder like my light weight 270 rifle delivers.

Loading down for a more comfortable recoil also makes sense, just don't go with too light a bullet as you'll need some heft in your projectile to ensure adequate penetration (remembering that projectile energy equals mass times velocity squared!) And with deference to Viper225, if you go with the .358 or .450, adding a muzzle brake will mostly only be a waste of your money. Muzzle brakes are most effective with high velocity loads that have a super high velocity of escaping gasses, i.e. "overbore" cartridges with high case capacity and smaller bore size .... certainly not the case with the .358 Win or .450 Bushmaster. And in loading down to a more modest velocity be watchful that you find a load that has adequate velocity AND good accuracy out of the shorter Encore pistol barrels.

Good luck & happy hunting!

This

I would add if you are already set up to load for the 358Win. personally I would go that route along with the Harrell muzzle brake it would work nicely.

Mauser 06. Encore is a wonderful platform and handgun hunting makes the hunt more challenging. I have had the Encore in 35 Rem, 45-70, 223 and 444 Marlin. I think the 358 Winchester is a great cartridge and own a few rifles in that caliber. Old time advice suggests "go with what you know" and 358 Winchester will surely do the job!
Greg

I'm in the process of scratching that same itch. I used to shoot Contenders many years ago. I started with a 14" 7-30 Waters and added 14" barrels in 222 Rem and 375 JDJ. I also had an Encore pistol in 444 Marlin for a short while.

I've been away from them for quite a few years and recently pieced together another 14" 7-30 Waters from various sources, and also picked up a 14" 445 Supermag barrel.



After all that, a 'fire member put this XP100 in the classifieds and I couldn't resist This my first XP100 and find the mid-grip easier to get steady shooting from improvised rests and field positions.

Loving your XP-100!
What chambering?

7 IHMSA. Havent shot it much and no real load work yet - just fireforming cases. 100 yds:



I'm pretty jacked about it so far. Probably should have just hunted it this year with my fireform loads

It is a shooter!!!!

I really want to try a 10-12" Encore in 7mm-08 just because I've already got a rifle length pro hunter in the caliber.

Even though I love 10" barrels on the Contender I've found 12" to feel better on the Encore.

I hunt with an Encore 15" .308 pistol w/Sig Romeo5 red dot and Encore 7mm-08 rifle w/Docter scope (and a Contender w/14" 30-30). The .308 is very snappy with factory loads, but doable for around 6 shots before it starts letting you know about it, and the Romeo5 handles the recoil with ease. I know, put a brake on it, but that'll take the fun out of it.
I hunt exclusively with the Encore .308 pistol in the swamps. It's way easier to get thru the thickets with the pistol rather than the rifle. I can ethically hit at 100yds easy with it, but in the swamps I hunt in, the average shot occurs in only 15 to 40 yds. I shoot .308 150g Core Lokt and 7mm08 139g SST's.
There's just Something about waiting for that perfect shot knowing you have only 1-shot.
My shooters are wrapped in camo gun wrap. None look purdy, but the ugliest is my .308 Encore pistol by far, all black except the camo wrap. Besides, looks don't kill. Well unless you're Peter Plug (Jerry Clower's Dove Huntin') you can ugly grin them, lol.
I've had zero deer to go beyond 5 yds after being hit, where the majority drop DRT when hit. I'm not bragging on my shooting skills, but rather attesting that practice makes you a better shot, especially when it comes to shot placement, ethically and quickly dispatching of an animal with only 1 shot.

I had Encores with MGM barrels in .260 Rem and this 12” .338 Federal with muzzle break and a Leupold 2.5x8 scope. It was heavy as hell. Shot good though

^^^ Nice ^^^

I would go with the 15" barrel in the 7-08, My .02, I have a MGM barrel I just received last week in 308 Win. and it's a shooter with several factory loads. It also has their
Sixer muzzle brake and its very effective.
SSK is building me one now in 243Winchester 16.25" for the Encore.

I have the encore 7mm08 pistol barrels in 12" and 15". I can group the 15" barrel better than the 12" barrel using factory Hornady 139g sst. Both are fire dragons after dark.
But I'm sure I can tighten up the grouping on the 12" barrel with a handload. I reload, but I've just not really cared about developing a load for it. Mainly because I use the 7-08 encore rifle and the 308 in the pistol.

Hunted exclusively with Encores for about 10 years. Eventually evolved to SAA’s in 45 Colt. Much prefer the SAA’s. Don’t own anymore Encore handgun stuff.

So an update after a couple years.


I was hesitant to throw money at something I wasn't sure on....but as my usual, kept it on my radar. I came across a few barrels for fair prices but odd chamberings I didn't wanna mess with.


The other day a 12" 44mag popped up locally at a real fair price. Rubber TC furniture...2.5-7x TC scope.

New round to load for but an easy one.


Price was right so I snagged it yesterday.


Went to the range today.

I have some learning to do on how to properly hold it.

The guy had some 240gr XTP Hornaday factory ammo he threw in so that's what I was shooting.

I had a blast. I made the mistake once of trying ro hold the forend with my weak hand and almost tasted the scope.

With 2 hands it wasn't horrible but I think I can improve.


I was pretty shocked to be cutting holes at 45yds off the bench. My light trigger job helps a ton.


I have a spare red dot sitting on the bench. I'm going to swap the scope out. The scope works but getting behind it....eh...in hunting situations, I think it'll be a mess. It'd be fine from a shooting shack or whatever. I think for 50-75yds tops, a red dot will be dandy.



Anyways, I'm pretty dang happy and can't wait to thump a deer with it!

Gotta figure our how I'm going to carry it and how I'm going to support it in the field.

I hunted with an Encore pistol in 15" and 16 1/4" MGM barrels in 6.5 Creedmoor for a few years. It was accurate but heavy and ungainly. Now I use the Encores as rifles. I have 2 of them in 23" MGM barrels in 20 Vartarg, 444 Marlin and 500 Linebaugh.

I like the Contender pistol. I have 3 10" barrels: 22 Hornet, 30 & 357 Herrett. I got one barrel that was my dad's RIP and it is a 14" muzzle brake in 7-30 Waters.

I am glad you found what you were looking for.
It is shooting great for you , and you don't even have things figured out yet in terms of hold.
Sounds like a win for sure!
Congrats.
240 XTP's will do a fine job on deer.

Some range time, maybe some hints on here or YouTube or something, I think I can figure out the best way to grip and shoot it. At the very least, develop some muscle memory and get more consistent with myself. I noticed muzzle flip varied from shot to shot which I know is an inconsistent hold.



Really happy though. Seems like it'll be a good round for my needs. Another bullet to stock and set of dies but that's no big deal. Looks like lil gun works well and I already stock that.

When hunting what will be the norm?
Groundblind?
Box Blind?
Seated in a chair or the ground?
Double-Kneeling?

I've killed a load of deer sitting at the base of a tree or up against a log.

I realize a tripod could become limiting especially while sitting and deer in fairly close quarters. You'd basically have to have the tripod setup in the right position or you likely aren't going to be able to use it. Real small window without moving yourself or the tripod... standing alleviates that a bit and you can shift your body position a bit easier. Just hard to stand for hours on end waiting on a deer.


A mono or bipod style stick is easier to maneuver around but you need the weak hand to support the stick/gun and I took a shot off the bag like that and nearly got to taste the scope...

So, again, maybe there's something to figure out there with a mono or bipod style stick where it does work and I just haven't figured out how to hold it.

Some of my stands have rails so that is a likely scenario. I can rest the forend or my forearms on the rail.


On the ground though, some support would be nice. Both knees up and forearms locked against my thighs would likely be enough in some scenarios.



I'd imagine this kinda stuff is what makes handgun hunting a bit more challenging

There are so many ways to get a solid rest at under 75 yards.
The best advice I can give is to try stuff, and see how accurate you are on deer sized vital targets at 75 yards from various rests.
It sounds like you hunt a variety of ways.

A Game Changer Bag should work great on a rail of a tree stand. You can rest your forend on the Game Changer.

In a box blind, depending on its size a tripod, that could utilize a number of things can be rock steady.
A bag under your grip and a bag on the forend is rock steady.

Consistent hand grip (don't over-grip) and finger placement is important.

Thanx! I actually shoot PRS (a little bit) and have a few bags, one of which is a small game changer that would be perfect over a rail. Actually might look into getting another with lighter fill for hunting.


Lots to explore and learn....which I find fun and fulfilling.

Getting square behind the pistol is even more important with handguns.

I hunt with a 1911 in 45 Super or 45 Colt most of the time when using a handgun. Have hunted with a 14” Encore 270 Winchester which works too.

3" pic rail came today.


Mounted it and grabbed the red dot and remembered I boogered the head of the mounting bolt when I removed it last time it was mounted. So I have to get a replacement bolt.


I won't get it back to pistol configuration till after turkey season anyways. I'm "weird" about swapping barrels and furniture and not reconfirmed zero. Turkey barrel was still where I left it....I just don't like taking it to chance....though with the optic mounted to the barrel, swapping barrels shouldn't matter, I just like to confirm before I miss or wound an animal.


I think I will enjoy the red dot on it. Anxious to try it.

I'm going to shoot it regularly all summer and get comfortable with it in preparation for fall!