Purchase........ Why T/C

[Deadeye351]

I need input  dudes!  Why ............... or Why  not  buy a  T/C over  a  Handi?

[HEAD0001]

Good question.  I own several TC's, and have owned a few Handi's.  I am even considering buying one of the Buffalo Classic's.  The Handi's that I owned were decent for the money.  I did own a .223 Remington that was terrible.  I do not know why, but the rifle had considerable freebore?  I do not know why, and it shot horrific.  All the other Handi's were OK.  I prefer the TC, but it is hard to say why.  Especially when out of the box the Handi's tend to have a better trigger.  Tom.

[Keith L]

I have Contenders and a Handi.  If you look at the way the guns are made there is no comparison.  The workmanship on the Handi is cobby in comparison to the Contenders.  But then it is half the price or less.

My Handi is in the barn, and bounces around in the cab of the tractor.  It takes out the occasional varmint that shows up on the farm and does a good job of it.  It gets roughter treatment that I would submit my Contenders to.  Group size with it is OK, but about twice the size of the groups I can shoot with a similar Contender.

[skb2706]

As with alot of things you get what you pay for. A Handi/NEF is the cheapest rifle sold in the US. If you want the cheapest then by all means get one. Lots of guys love them. I prefer the fit, finish, accuracy and available custom upgrades that come with a TC.

[IL-Cornfed]

I've honestly got to the point where I don't even like to shoot my other firearms compared to my Encore Pro Hunter! The fit, feel and finish seem to be in a class by itself. But, as mentioned, what do you expect from a rifle that costs twice as much.  Good luck and good shootin'

[Davemuzz]

I need input  dudes!  Why ............... or Why  not  buy a  T/C over  a  Handi?

Ok Deadeye, I'll give you my reasons why. I'm not gonna tell you which one to buy...it's your money....not mine.

I own 2 Contender frames (not the G2, but the older Contender's). I own the new ProHunter and I had a trigger job done on it. I have one barrel for the ProHunter in .243, and 3 barrels for the Contenders... a .223 rifle that is an absolute lazer, a 45\410 10" barrel that is way too much fun to shoot nesting starlings in the spring, and a scoped 7-30 waters handgun barrel that is also cloverleaf accurate.

I own one NEF Handi in 22 mag and I put a Bushnell 3-9 50mm lighted reticle scope on it for fox hunting at night. I paid $110 for the gun and $110 for the scope.

The T\C's have superior workmanship. But, you pay for that. You can buy any barrel for the T\C, and it will fit. No send it back this....modify that...sand this...bedding that. Just slide the pin out of the old, in on the new, put the forarm on, and go shoot it. It's just that simple. Change from a rifle to a handgun with one bolt. Just that simple. There are no Handi handguns.

The Handi's are like your ugly cousin. They do the job, but nobody's going to say...ghee...that's a nice receiver. Now, that's not true in all instances, you can dress up a Handi with nice wood 'n stuff....but now your gettin to T\C price-land. So....if your up there, why not get a piece that you have a lot more options with?

I really like my Handi 22 mag. It's a very accurate gun. I got it for hunting at night, so if it gets banged around, dropped, stepped on, scratched or whatever, that's OK. It will still be accurate. That's why I bot it.

Dave

[Deadeye351]

It  seems like the cost  fit and  finish of  T/C's  might  be leaving them  at  home  when  the going  gets rough? And  when it does  looks like the HAndi  is stepping  up..... I  can only  afford ONE. lol    Kinda like  do you  wear  your boots all the  time to  be ready  for anything............ or  some  hotrod pair of leather shoes  that  you  only  wear to TOWN  and expect people to notice.

[skb2706]

I don't leave mine at home but I also don't use them for walking sticks/shovels/ballbats/axes and such. Why would you treat a TC rifle any differently than say a Remington or Winchester or Browning.

[Keith L]

Thats why they make all kinds  of guns.  You need to get what you want.  I have four frames and twenty plus barrels.  I think they work great and are worth the price.  I have one Handi that gets rough treatment and when it is ruined it will be thrown away.  It is kind of like a Bic lighter of the gun world.  It gets the job done but some of us prefer a Zippo.

[Davemuzz]

Let me clarify a bit.......My T\C Contender .223 has a Leupold 2.5-14X II 50mm mounted on it. This rifle is my summer G-hog\varmit rifle. It's kind of like my "american express" rifle in the summer....I don't leave home without it. But then, I'm not doing any night hunting (I don't do any Coyote during the summer). My handgun barrels (the 45\410 and the 7-30 waters) get used as I "feel like taking 'em out". The 7-30 is a great fall deer hunting cartridge.

I suppose I could take my T\C's out, drop 'em in the mud, step on 'em, bang 'em against the trees, rocks, truck bumper's 'n stuff. But that would be like taking my 2000 Mustang GT convertible (with 28,000 miles) up the gas well road on a weekly basis to check how my food plot is doing. However, I'd much rather take my 1995 Chevy S-10 4x4 up that road. A few more scratches on the S-10 won't make it run any worse. Those scratches won't make the Mustang run any worse either.....but....oh, nevermind.

You see, the Handi has the plastic stock. And if the receiver gets all scared up 'cause I'm huntin at night and can't always see what I'm bangin up against, who is gonna notice? And who's gonna care? The gun is still going to be as accurate as it was on day one! That's why I bot it! 

The T\C is as accurate now as it was 2 years ago when I did the setup. And it's just as "pretty" after all that time in the field. It's my summertime "Mustang" rifle. And the Handi is the S-10! What else can I say?

Dave.

[Keith L]

Kinda like the difference between a Corvette and a Neon.  They will both get you there but one is more fun than the other, one lasts longer, and has a higher value when you are done with it.

[R.W.Dale]

 I used to be a dyed in the wool Handi kinda guy, But then I got to handle an encore OMG the ergonomics are so much better than a NEF. Your options to customize are also VASTLY superior with an encore. And lastly it's been my experience that the TC will shoot rings around your avg handi. I've owned about 10 diffrent center fire NEF barrels on 3 or 4 frames NOT ONE ever shot less than a 2" 100yd group twice


 My ssynthetic stainless Encore is just as rugged as my handi's  were.

[Deadeye351]

OK  thanks guys! I would like to  get a T/C  .223  any  help  with  finding one  and  anything  extra needed will be  greatly  appreciated!!

[Davemuzz]

Deadeye,

You will get a bunch of opinions on this, so here is mine. I have a .223 that is an absolute tack driver. It has a factory T\C 23" Contender barrel on it, so it wasn't a high priced custom barrel. But, I handload and it took me some time to "get the load wired".

I have the barrel on the "old style" Contender frame. (I own 2 "old style" frames as I really like them). The frame that my .223 is on is a really old one in the 147XXX serial number range. I had sent it back to T\C when I first got it and they uipdated it to the easy open trigger. Well worth it!! Since this frame is dedicated to the .223 barrel, I don't worry about frame stretch with shooting heavier calibers with this older model. (Pre-easy open frame).

I also have a newer frame 447,XXX that I shoot my handgun barrels with.

You can pick up a good "old style" Contender frame for no more (max price) of $250. You want to make sure it's an easy open with a serial # above 400,XXX, with the rimfire\centerfire switch on top of the hammer.

I would buy a new barrel (but that's me) as if you have an issue, you can send it back to T\C. Plus, you know it hasn't been shot with "superman" loads.

Here is an example of a frame I would consider buying: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=73837720

[~Ace~]

You will get a bunch of opinions on this, so here is mine. I have a .223 that is an absolute tack driver. It has a factory T\C 23" Contender barrel on it, so it wasn't a high priced custom barrel. But, I handload and it took me some time to "get the load wired".

What load(s) did she end up liking ?

[Davemuzz]

You will get a bunch of opinions on this, so here is mine. I have a .223 that is an absolute tack driver. It has a factory T\C 23" Contender barrel on it, so it wasn't a high priced custom barrel. But, I handload and it took me some time to "get the load wired".

What load(s) did she end up liking ?

Ace,

After much experimenting (I think it took me about 2 months of fooling around with this one) the magic combination was the 40 grain Nosler balistic tip over the maximum load of BL-C2. This load from this barrel is just a tack driver. At 100 yards it will put 10 rounds in a quarter. So, if I miss a groundhog....I can't blame it on the gun! 

Dave

[rebAL]

After 5 years of frustration with my NEF Handi & 3 barrels I finally decided to get rid of it & spring for the T/C.  The recurring  problems I had were ejection, loose fit, & stuck brass.  I need a gun I can rely on and if all I wanted to do was shoot from the bench & predator control I would have kept the handi.  Accuracy was never a problem & factory service was excellent except for having to return the rifle & all 3 barrels which would have meant the hunting season.  I have not owned my 45/70 Encore long enough or shot it enough to comment but so far I have no complaints.  I feel confident taking it in the field after big game without any problems.

[Deadeye351]

Alright,  I picked up an Encore in .308 it seems to  shoot pretty  dang  good. Yall help me watch  for a Good .223 bbl.  Thanks for all the input!