Author Topic: Whitetail deer hunting with Encore pistol (Read 3912 times)

youthpastorjon · « **on:** December 09, 2009, 03:01:23 PM »

I am considering hunting deer with an encore pistol. I was curious what you guys use for this?
I have thought about getting a ported 15" 30.06 barrel but I did not know if this would be to much on a pistol.

blhof · « **Reply #1 on:** December 09, 2009, 03:41:18 PM »

I've used a 14" 30-30 for Ky. deer out to 150yds and less recoil than a 3006.

Win 1917 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 09, 2009, 03:56:15 PM »

A lot of people use 7mmTCU's in Contenders for whitetail very successully so you can get away with a lot less cartridge than an '06. I use a 260 Rem that works great. If you're not a reloader maybe go 243 or 7mm-08. 30-30's are less common in Encores but that would be a great choice too.

Madmark · « **Reply #3 on:** December 09, 2009, 04:44:35 PM »

30-06 in a handgun is going to be quite a handfull, and will be an earbreaker if fired without hearing protection while hunting!!
I use a 7tcu, and have used a 30-30. With ballistic tip bullets, either will stop a deer in it's tracks.
I would look at the 243, 260 rem, or 7-08 if I wasn't a handloader.

David D. · « **Reply #4 on:** December 09, 2009, 05:34:11 PM »

I hunt deer more with Contenders more than Encores. Contenders I use most are 357Max, 30-30IMP., 6.5JDJ. The Contender is a little more compact than the Encore. I do have Encores that I deer hunt with and some that I plan some day to use. I've taken several with a 6.5X55S.M. with a brake. I do wish it had no brake as the recoil would still be very manageable without it. I have an Encore with a 16" 6.5X284win. unbraked I plan on using sometime in the future and recoil isn't bad at all.

Have never fired an Encore in 30-06 I would think without a brake it would be a hand full. Then with a brake the noise without ear protection is very punishing to painful.

As I'm sure you know its as much where you place the hit as it is power you hit with. Choose a caliber you can shoot with comfort and accuracy. If you have never shot a braked pistol try one before buying and see if its right for you. They can tame a beast but I personally dont care for them.

Grumulkin · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2009, 03:36:57 AM »

Quote from: youthpastorjon on December 09, 2009, 03:01:23 PM

I am considering hunting deer with an encore pistol. I was curious what you guys use for this? I have thought about getting a ported 15" 30.06 barrel but I did not know if this would be to much on a pistol.

I don't think the recoil would be that bad especially with some type of muzzle brake. I shoot a braked 308 Encore handgun among other chamberings and it has similar ballistics to the 30/06. An advantage with the 308 Win. cartridge is that it's shorter than a 30/06 which means you get a little more effective barrel length and maybe a little more velocity.

The photo is of my Encore with the 308 Winchester barrel on it. The barrel started out as a 15 inch tapered barrel with iron sites. I sent it to T/C and had them shorten it to just behind the holes for the front iron sight and add a T/C Muzzle Tamer. The total barrel length ended up being around 14 inches or a little over. The scope is a Leupold VX-III 2.5-8X in an SSK Industries T'SOB scope base/ring set.

The barrel in this photo is a tapered stainless steel barrel that started out as a 15 in. 7mm/08 barrel. Once again, I had it shortened to remove the iron sight holes and had an integral muzzle brake installed. The installer of the muzzle brake messed up the finish of the barrel so I had SSK Industries apply their black mil spec coating to the barrel and I think it turned out nice. Once again, the scope is a Leupold in a T'SOB base/ring set. The 7mm/08 cartridge is quite adequate for deer and the way I have this handgun set up, the recoil is VERY mild.

For those concerned about their ears, of course you ALWAYS should use ear protection when shooting ANY firearm be it handgun, rifle or shotgun with or without a brake.

acbjohn · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2009, 06:11:41 AM »

First year hunting with (my) Encore in .308 Win. It's stout, but controllable. My father has a 7mm-08 and the lighter bullet gives a little less recoil. Both are scoped and tack-drivers with handloads! BTW, mine put a 130 lb doe in the freezer 2 weeks ago. Time to switch barrels to the 209X50 as muzzleloader opens Monday in NY.

youthpastorjon · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2009, 07:51:56 AM »

anyone have any experience with the 460 barrel?

xphunter · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2009, 09:09:12 AM »

jon,
If you had a good brake like Holland's New Radial brake ( http://www.hollandguns.com/ click on muzzle brakes), the 30-06 would be fine. FWIW I wear hearing protection even when I hunt, whether it is braked or not. I use this brake myself with cartridges quite a bit larger than the 30-06 and can attest to their ability.
For most deer hunting situations you may not need that much horsepower unless you want to work on shooting further and or going to larger game at distance.
The 7mm-08 and the 260 Rem will be nicer to your hand and potential flinching issues IMO-If braked they would be puff-cakes.
The 243 Winchester also is a great deer getter, and recoil is even less than the two I mentioned.
I am a minister too-Welcome to hunting with a specialty pistol!

Grumulkin · « **Reply #9 on:** December 10, 2009, 10:18:06 AM »

Quote from: youthpastorjon on December 10, 2009, 07:51:56 AM

anyone have any experience with the 460 barrel?

It so happens that I have an Encore 460 S&W Magnum barrel as well. Here it is along with a 1.5 inch group shot at 200 yards.

I love this cartridge but it is quite hard on scopes and the recoil is significantly more than an Encore in 308 Winchester. I've used mine to take a number of animals including Zebra and Red Hartebeest so it's certainly up to the challenge of 200 yard deer hunting.

Win 1917 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 10, 2009, 01:58:04 PM »

Quote

If you had a good brake like Holland's New Radial brake ( http://www.hollandguns.com/ click on muzzle brakes), the 30-06 would be fine.

Sweet looking brakes. I've never owned a gun with a muzzle brake but I've been thinking about trying one for awhile. I'll keep those in mind.

TommyD · « **Reply #11 on:** December 12, 2009, 12:25:16 AM »

Quote from: youthpastorjon on December 09, 2009, 03:01:23 PM

I am considering hunting deer with an encore pistol. I was curious what you guys use for this?
I have thought about getting a ported 15" 30.06 barrel but I did not know if this would be to much on a pistol.

I just bought an Encore .308 Winchester 15 inch barrel with a 2 to 6x Bushnell scope. Only taken it out on the range twice so far. My impression as a new Encore shooter is that while it does make quite a flash and bang, the recoil is not as bad as I thought it might be. I have the ProHunter with the rubber grips and wear a Past shooting glove. It does jump a bit, but easier on the hand than my .45 Blackhawk (4 5/8) with stout 300 grain loads. AND I can actually hit things at 160 yards!

I did not go with the muzzle brake and I am quite satisfied with the gun. I have shot other types of guns with muzzle brakes, but did not like the effect. While the muzzle didn't jump as much with them, it worsened my perception of the muzzle blast. With every shot, I could feel the shockwave hit my face. Not painful, but annoying.

I feel my .308 encore is easily manageable without one. But I am 6'1" and weigh 192#, and I am no stranger to large bore revolvers with heavy bullets.

Of course, some people really like them. Perception of recoil is a very subjective experience. If you have friends with similar guns with and without the muzzle brakes, I strongly suggest you try them out. See which one you like.

Tom

David D. · « **Reply #12 on:** December 12, 2009, 02:01:20 AM »

[quote author=TommyD

While the muzzle didn't jump as much with them, it worsened my perception of the muzzle blast. With every shot, I could feel the shockwave hit my face. Not painful, but annoying.

If you have friends with similar guns with and without the muzzle brakes, I strongly suggest you try them out. See which one you like.

Tom
[/quote]

I most certainly agree with your perception of a brake. While most are very useful I just don't like them for the very reason you stated. For my personal use I feel I'm better off using a cartridge I can control and shoot comfortable without a brake.

As recommended you should try one with a brake as a lot of shooters do use and like them.

Madmark · « **Reply #13 on:** December 12, 2009, 12:19:23 PM »

The only braked barrel I have is a TC Hunter barrel for the Contender, chambered in 7-30 Waters. I have shot other barrels with different brakes, and in comparison, the recoil of my barrel seemed excessive. Is it my loads, or is the TC factory porting inefficient?

xphunter · « **Reply #14 on:** December 12, 2009, 12:21:04 PM »

Quote from: Madmark on December 12, 2009, 12:19:23 PM

The only braked barrel I have is a TC Hunter barrel for the Contender, chambered in 7-30 Waters. I have shot other barrels with different brakes, and in comparison, the recoil of my barrel seemed excessive. Is it my loads, or is the TC factory porting inefficient?

TC brakes are nothing to shout at IMO

JON8777 · « **Reply #15 on:** December 12, 2009, 05:43:38 PM »

This past year I got a 30-06PH pistol. IMO the -06 recoil is nothing worse than a hot 44mag load.

I had every intention of deer hunting with it this past year, but with only shooting 15-20 rounds this past summer I left it in the safe. I'd rather shoot it more this summer, load some shells and put a red dot on it for next years deer season.

The pistol length 30-06 is loud to begin with. If you are planning on hunting with it, brake or not, you are going to need ear plugs.

youthpastorjon · « **Reply #16 on:** December 13, 2009, 01:48:30 AM »

Alot of you have mentioned needing ear protection. I rarely cover my ears even in the coldest of weather because on some occasions you hear the deer before you see them. That said, what do you all recommend for ear protection while hunting?

Keith L · « **Reply #17 on:** December 13, 2009, 02:32:15 AM »

I have a set of the electronic muffs that noise blank when you shoot. They allow you to hear (and even amplify) the rest of the time. Sounds are not natural, but workable. And the sound deadening is not as complete as a set of plugs under regular muffs, but the job gets done.

I only use them when pistol hunting.

Hopalong7 · « **Reply #18 on:** December 13, 2009, 03:09:20 AM »

I spent most of my life around heavy equipment and big bore handguns and wasn't smart enough to protect my hearing. Now a deer can walk right by me in dry leaves, an old gobbler can rattle the woods on the next ridge and I don't hear a thing. Now I HAVE to wear ear muffs just as Keith described to have any chance of hearing game. I use digital Game Ear muffs when hunting or just shooting. I also use the smaller Game Ear device as an everyday hearing aid. Works great! FWIW I still don't care much for brakes though.

David D. · « **Reply #19 on:** December 13, 2009, 03:11:32 AM »

Quote from: youthpastorjon on December 13, 2009, 01:48:30 AM

Alot of you have mentioned needing ear protection. I rarely cover my ears even in the coldest of weather because on some occasions you hear the deer before you see them. That said, what do you all recommend for ear protection while hunting?

I really like my Peltor Tac7. Adjustable volume, can here deer way off, automatic noise suppression, stereo sound, can even tell if the deer are behind you. When cold they keep the ears warm. One big drawback is if windy they can drive you nuts.

JON8777 · « **Reply #20 on:** December 14, 2009, 03:22:34 PM »

I use the cheap 4$ ear plugs that are on a string. I barely put them in my ears so I can still hear, but its a quick and easy to seat them.

If your scanning the woods for deer (without flopping like a fish out water) your going to have time to set the plugs, open the scope caps and get into shooting position.

Everyone complains about ear protection while hunting, IMO if you have time scan for hunters/stuff in the background,turn your body, line the deer up in the scope, you've got the 2 seconds it takes to put plugs in.

Paints-n-cows · « **Reply #21 on:** December 17, 2009, 03:51:34 AM »

I went to a set of electronic muffs this year, since I started hunting with a hangun, and am perfectly happy with them. They actually enhance my hearing some but the best part of them is that after I fire the weapon, my ears don't ring.

And if you choose to shoot a weapon with a muzzlebrake, some form of hearing protection is a must.

Heavy C · « **Reply #22 on:** December 17, 2009, 07:53:22 AM »

I went with the .308 15" ProHunter barrel for my pistol shooting 150 gr Federal factory ammo. No brake, and it is very manageable. I'm good with it out to 200 yards. I use the foam ear plugs on a string. I put them in slowly once I've spotted my prey.

Here's a pic of a mule deer I shot Sunday near the Big Bend in Texas.

youthpastorjon · « **Reply #23 on:** December 17, 2009, 10:29:23 AM »

Nice muley Heavy. Not bad for 200 yard hand gun shot!

Heavy C · « **Reply #24 on:** December 17, 2009, 11:38:54 AM »

Thanks, but this muley wasn't taken at 200 yards. I regularly practice at that distance, but this guy was a mere 65 yards away. Kind of disappointed with a shot that close. I was hoping for something a little further, but I'm glad I got him.

You can't go wrong with the .308. It is easy to find ammo, and if you hand load; then you can work up some really sweet loads.

youthpastorjon · « **Reply #25 on:** December 17, 2009, 02:33:07 PM »

Oops I read it wrong. Still a nice muley though!

Cheesehead · « **Reply #26 on:** December 18, 2009, 02:22:18 AM »

I shoot a 6.5x55 Encore pistol and my brothers 308 Encore, both very managable and accurate, plenty for deer.

Cheese

youthpastorjon · « **Reply #27 on:** December 18, 2009, 02:27:44 AM »

Has anyone tried 26-06 as a pistol?

xphunter · « **Reply #28 on:** December 18, 2009, 02:46:10 AM »

Quote from: youthpastorjon on December 18, 2009, 02:27:44 AM

Has anyone tried 26-06 as a pistol?

No but I use the same case capacity in both 6mm & 6.5 and they both work great.
The 284 Winchester case is approx the same as the 06. My cartridges are the 6mm-284 and the 6.5-284.
Ernie