You said it hitman. I guess I might be an ol'e timer when it comes to my contenders. Been killin critters with them for 23 yrs now and don't feel the need to change. The g2 nor the encore offer me anything that I can't get done with my contenders. That's almost like being unfaithful...LOL...to the gun who has been so good to me.
Same here. In my case I've been a heavy Contender user since 1968. Have owned over 40 Classic "C" frames, still have 20 EO Classic frames and have had well over 200 barrels with a few more than half factory and the rest custom wildcats. Had 6 Encore frames when they first came out, saw no need for the extra weight as a 35 plus year handgun hunter and could do anything I wanted with the "C" frame so didn't need the higher pressure cartridges that could be used on the Encore. Will admit the custom 10" 416 Rigby got attention at the range though.
As a long time friend of Tim P. and Ken F., under the table at the 2000 Shot Show I handled the original G2 prototype well before released that Tim and Ken wanted my opinion of. Told them flat out I would never own one on the spot... and I never have.
A common misconception mentioned in this thread is that none of the Classic frames can be recocked without opening the action. Sorry folks, but that is total BS and the EO frames can in fact be recocked after slight pressure on the trigger guard to reset them WITHOUT opening the action. Been so long since I've owned a pre EO frame I don't remember about them for sure, but that statement does NOT apply to the EO vintage frames.
Another common misconception is both can have equally fine triggers after some tuning. Still waiting to see a G2 with a trigger as light and smooth as all 20 of my frames have, let alone to match my bench only frames for long range varmint hunting that literally have whisper triggers (and are still perfectly safe in a drop test). I call those bench only frames just because they are too light for carry in the field where a mishap is a higher risk than in bench shooting. Ounce wise, none of mine are over 1.5 pounds, most are 8-12 oz and some are below 6 ounces. They also were all done by the master "C" mechanic Jim Henry, who as a friend tuned all my frames and triggers to my specs.
On the comments about the G2 only cartridges... I'll just add that as a long time personal friend of Fred at Bullberry the man is extremely conservative and will not offer anything out of his shop that he considers even the slightest bit too much for the Contender, despite other custom shops offering them without question. One of the reasons Fred based his Bullberry proprietary cartridges on the 30-30 case that is too weak to push very far. Also, I have been a serious user of Contender wildcats for 25+ years, starting with my first 375JDJ barrel from JD (I've had 4), followed by many other JDJ wildcats and most of the Bower wildcats - a few from Brown Precision. Without question the Classic "C" frame takes even the handcannon loads with ease in any of these cartridges, and they will do most anything you could do with even an Encore.
I do agree a new person just getting started might give the Encore a strong look as a single platform for both handgun and rifle just to save money for great versatility. Having never known the benefits of the old Classic "C" they would probably be satisfied with just the Encore.
So bottom line, I'm with you that the only frames I'll ever own is the Classic "C's", with a preference for the later EO's, and see no need for either the G2 or Encore for anything I'd ever shoot. 40 years of shooting the Classic that has never failed me just can't be replaced I guess.
Larry
