Encore/G2 - 22 LR accuracy?

[Jim B.]

I am a devoted fan of my Encore but recently have had the urge for a quality 22LR rifle.  I have seen the conversion kits sold by several of the custom makers and the barrel by OTT that does not need a conversion kit.  The problem is, buy the time you spend the money for a custom barrel and conversion kit (which does not seem very convenient) you are talking about nearly the price of a new rifle.

So I thought - what a great reason to buy a new rifle!  I never owned a Contender but the new G2 looks like it would make a great companion to my encore.  I can get a new G2 carbine in 22 LR match for about $100 more than any of the replacement barrel options for the Encore.

So, here is my question - which will be the most accurate (in general), an Encore with a custom barrel and rimfire conversion or a stock G2 carbine with a factory 22 LR match barrel?  Any experience or opinions appreciated! Jim

[jh45gun]

I would bet either would do well but I would go for the Contender a smaller frame that would fit the 22 size better and what the heck you have a excuse to buy a other gun then. Plus think of all the options. 22 mag, 17HMR, and all the centerfire rounds that would fit this action that does not need the weight and strengh of the Encore.

[armory414]

I agree with jh45gun.  If you're looking for the most bang for your buck, go with a used Contender frame (Ed's T/C's is a good source--www.edstc.com) add a stock set (semi-finished sets can be had for around $65 from gunstocks.inc) and then get either a G2 barrel or a custom barrel in .22 LR MATCH.  This will leave you more money to put toward a better barrel (Ed's T/C's will have the barrels also).  With stocks from gunstocks.inc (there are other sources as well) you can get as fancy wood as you could hope for, go laminate, or go with a thumbhole stock instead of the regular buttstock.  Point is, you can end up with a custom-looking carbine for about the cost of a new, off-the-shelf G2.

[Jim B.]

Thanks for the advice.  Do you have a URL for gunstocks.inc?

[hh4064]

I went the way of the custom encore. I bought a custom barrel from Bullberry out of Utah and bought a rimfire conversion from Virgin Valley guns from the same state. This combination is amazing. It shoots almost as good as both my 54ms anschutz wow....... But honestly it is chevy or ford... Analyze how you want to shoot, that is more important then anything. Then decide how much you can afford to spend add 15% and just do it. Life is way tooooooooooooo short to try to save 50 bucks. Have fun.
mbj
michigan