Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Encore shooting...

When i got my Encore, it had a black synthetic stock and stainless 308 barrel. Took it to the range and shot it about 20 times and every time i shot it the dang thing wouldnt open. Got to talkin to the guy i got it from and he said maybe it was headspace? Im no gunsmith so i dunno, but i wanted a different caliber anyway.

So i posted a want ad for a 358 win barrel and came up with a 16" example. Then i posted a want ad for a wood stock and a feller pm'd me with a Boyds thumbhole laminate. Then i sold my 35 remington handi rifle to pay for it all along with 150 pcs of new brass, dies, and a couple humdred bullets.

Got everything in, loaded up some rounds and headed to the range. The forend needed a little fitting so i left it off and shot the gun a couple times. It was hard to open too, so off to the gunsmith i go. He said it wasnt the headspacing but it looked loke it had some nrass around the firing pin. No doubt from dragging it open. Also needed him to fit the forend. Well i left it with him saturday. He called tuesday and said it was ready, so fast forward to today...

Grab my hear and head to the range, get setup and shoot a few rounds. Still wanting to stick when opening. More on that in a minute.

Im shooting a blued frame, laminate stock and 16" blued barrel with ports.


Loads i tried that it liked are below (all using winchester brass, cci 200 primers, and 200 gr Hornady spire points):



Im gonna load up 6 more to try saturday. It also shot 4064 decently. Gonna run a few more of those too just to rule them out.

Now for the sticking. I think the hammer pin is sticking out. It has a 38 lb hammer spring. Anyone have trouble like this? The primer actually has drag marks when that happens. Need a harder primer? Softer spring? I mean it is literally work to get the rifle open afyer firing it.

Nice looking!

Proper full length brass resizing is critical in the Encores.

Most shop upgrades usually install somewhere around a 50# hammer spring if that gives you an idea.

All of my Encore barrels are < 1/2 moa shooters but it took some effort to get them there.

Maybe its time to call TC?

Reloder 28 is dead on about the full lenght resizing.

Head spacing on a break action is from the firing pin bushing to the rear of the shell casing.If the gun opens and closes properly unloaded then from what you describe the casing is not seating deep enough in the chamber.

You can take the barrel off the gun and drop in one of your reloads and see if it is proud of the rear face of the barrel.It doesn't take much to close the space.

The frame to barrel gap is not the head space.

New winchester brass. Ran it through a full length sizer before loading ammo up. The 308 barrel did it too. It was once fired as well as some factory new ammo.

So it sounds like a head spacing issue? Will see about getting it checked. Thanks.

could be the hole for the firing pin in the breech face is too big and the primer is flowing back into it

Wow how would i fix that??

call tc and they might send a new breech part that contains the firing pin. or they might need the gun back for a bit.

how do the primers look on the fired brass?

The impression looks good. But it leaves a drag mark when you open it.

Not everyone but most

looks to me more like your firing pin is not retracting back into the receiver. have you cleaned it? maybe spray some canned air into the firing pin hole or push a pipe cleaner in? sounds like maybe the pin is sticking in the "out" position. maybe some dirt or something in there. try it and see if that fixes it.

I had a local gunsmith clean it. Still doin it after that.

Could the pin be too long?

no because you'd have pierced primers. i think it's a spring issue. there is a spring that pops the firing pin back into the receiver after firing. i'm thinking that's your issue if the breech block is clean inside.

Thanks

someone said you could tighten the set screw near the hammer, may help. is it loose?

Nope its tight. Thats the one on back above hammer right?

yup

You might want to take out your firing pin block and see if someone has added a spacer behind it. I think it is Mike Bellm that makes a shim kit that tightens up the head space, the shims go behind the breech block. Check it out on Bellm's website.All you have to do to get out the block is take out the screw under the hammer.

Don't get sucked into the Bellm vortex. He has some good ideas ever now & then.

I wasn't touting his ideas, just thought someone may have put one of his bushings under this breech plug.