Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Thompson Center Encore/ProHunter Centerfire/Muzzleloader??

As a user of mainly Remington bolt guns and Knight muzzleloaders I am a bit out of my element here...

I have been tempted to step into the break action scene with a TC for both muzzleloader & centerfire and just today ran across a deal on a slightly used centerfire barrel for an Encore. I need to decide what to do about closing this deal, but need to learn pretty quickly in order to do so knowledgeably.

Will the Encore barrel fit the ProHunter frame/stock, and vise versa? Don't you need a different forearm for centerfire vs muzzleloader? I did notice that most factory barrels for Encore are 26" and for the ProHunter, 28".
Is the ProHunter worth the extra money, in your opinion?
Is the Bergara barrel more accurate, for less money?

If I pick up the 35 Whelen SS Fluted Encore barrel, I will look for a set up with the SS .50 cal muzzleloader barrel.
Any suggestions on where the best deal is?

Thanks for your help.

Encore & Pro Hunter barels are all interchangeable. You do need a different forend for cf vs. ml. Encore barrels are 26", Pro hunters are 28" and fluted. No, I don't think the 28" barrel has any advantage in any caliber. Bergara barrels have been having some accuracy issues, so I'm told. My buddy has one in 300winnie and can't get it to group. Try E.A.Brown.com they have some good deals on Encore stuff, plus they make their own barrels to fit Encores.

I own and have used the T/C Encore for over 20 years and have never had an accuracy issue as some other members here have had. All the calibers that I've tried shot very accurate. I presently own 3 blued frames. Mounted barrels are 24" 405 Win, 24" 358 Win and 22" Custom Tapered 6.8

My barrels not mounted are the 50 cal muzzle loader and a 24" cut down to 20" in 308 for a short carbine. Also have a 26" 20ga rifled barrel for my shotgun only towns. You need 1 forend for the 24/26" barrels and 1 forend for the muzzle loader because of the ramrod slot. The muzzle loader forend can double as a 12ga forend also. The rifle forend will fit the regular Encore barrels plus the Pro-Hunter barrels. The Pro-Hunter frame has the switchable hammer for a righty or lefty.

It's like any other firearm. Some people love them and others think they're butt ugly and wouldn't buy one.

Ken

IMO there is nothing to be gained with the pro hunter (I have owned both) forends for standard encore and prohunter centerfire are interchangable,different forend for mz.Concerning bergara,I have had one in mz that shot well and one in there prohunter knock off that was just ok.I have seen in the past a few people talking about the lug on the barrel being soft(Dont know if there is any truth to it.)I shoot an MGM barrel and it will shoot .5 MOA. The encores are a lot of fun.

You might gain a little velocity with the longer barrel. Also fluted will take a small amount of weight off,(I know 28" is heavier than 26") plus should aid in cooling the barrel. Might not matter much to some but there is a slight advantage of longer & fluted.

Thanks guys. I'm going to get the 35 Whelen barrel.

I'm in no hurry, but I want to buy a Stainless .50 cal. Muzzleloader in either Encore or ProHunter configuration...Black or Camo. As long as it's Stainless metal.

If you have one, or run across a good deal, please contact me here or at my email address:

jeffpg45yahoo.com

Thanks

Jeffpg, if I'm reading you correctly, you are liking the idea of interchangeability. First, let's operate on the premise that the Encore platform is a very well-thought out and built single shot firearm. It is quality. From there, all the Encores are the same. the frames are all the same. Just a matter of one has no embelishments, and the others have trim and writing on the frames. The barrels are the same, and interchangeable. I use an Encore w/the Pro-Hunter Flex-Tech thumbhole stock and barrels that are 24". I like the balance. I think the Pro-Hunter barrels make the gun a little front heavy. It's a personal thing, though. On the muzzleloaders, the breach plugs are different, however. Check each one out. it's a matter of plug removal and cleaning convenience. Again, personally, I look at the way the gun balances for me. I do like their stainless steel treatment. It is very matted. Not shiny at all. That for me is important. It's aesthetically pleasing. My gun came with very pretty wood laminated thumbhole butt and forend, which for me was heavy, and had a klunky feel. Replaced them with a Flextech butt and an Encore forend in cammo. Much lighter and better balanced. Added a Stratton hammer extension, which is super light, because I like my scopes mounted as low as possible, and the ocular part of the scope was very low, barely above the hammer. Now it is great, because my thumg is away from the scope. The .35 Whelen has a bit of recoil, although not much more than a .30-06, so maybe having it in a heavier/longer Pro fluted format isnt't a bad idea. The Whelen caliber is really a great one. The functionality of the .50 cal. in the Encore format is superb also. That is why it has been so popular. Can't go wrong with the gun at all. The Encore is super. Aftermarket products for it are everywhere. Go for it! you won't regret any of your choices with it.