Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Encore pistol hunting rig

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.