Is an encore an encore?

[leather5to1]

I have not been exposed to the Thompson Center family of firearms.  I love my bolts and have spent years playing with just them.  I have been considering a TC for a while and just have some basic questions.  I read back and searched but never found anything definitive.  Is an encore frame the same as every other encore frame?  Should I look for a particular age or offering?  I primarily want to just varmint and target shoot with a bunch of different calibers that I am curious about, but don't want to have a gun in each.  I appreciate any opinions or knowledge you give.  I am sort of overwhelmed because of the shear magnitude of choices and options that TC offers their conteder and encore customers.

[yooper77]

Well I can’t speak for the later models, but I bought my Encore (blued) in 1997 and it has a crisp trigger and solid lockup for each and every barrel I have ever tried.  I haven’t ever altered anything since its perfect in every way.

I don’t know what type of finish you desire, but I would look for an earlier blued frame which has a trigger stop screw on the trigger guard like mine.

yooper77

[Gibbsfan]

Well there is the frame like the previous guy has with the trigger stop. I have two prohunter frames and the only difference between them and the regular encore is the swing hamer and a little fancier engraving. The g2 and the contender are completely different than the encore. I did both of my triggers in mine and they are bothright around 2 1/2 lbs and very crisp. All of the encore barrels will fit on the encore frames. I have 4 barrels for mine and they all shoot under 1/2 inch at 100 yrds. Thats pretty good for a break open gun.  I just started with this set up about a year ago and love mine. I have been a bolt shooter my whole life and wanted a wildcat and this was the easiest and cheapest way for me to do that. I have 270 gibbs, 25-06 ai, 243ai, and 223 all in prohunter barrels.

[Encore28]

All Encores are interchangable----------That includes the Pro Hunters.
The Contenders and G2's are not interchangable with an Encore.
I am not sure if that is what you are asking??

Encore28

[leather5to1]

Thanks for the responses, I was mainly asking about things like the screw stop.  Changes to the model through the years that might be desirable. 

I know the legal implications of swapping handgun and rifle barrels, I have read a bunch of threads on this matter.  Am I correct to say that mechanically, if I buy an encore handgun, I can then put a rifle barrel and shoulder stock on it.  Then this same frame also has the ability to become a rimfire, a shotgun, and a muzzleloader. I would probably never do any of this, I just like varmint and some long range calibers, but I would like to understand correctly. 

Like I said earlier I would just like to experiment with calibers and I almost have enough cabela points which I have been saving for a gun purchase (free gun ).  Just trying to get all the facts, I asked one of the cabela gun counter guys if you could change the barrel on an encore handgun and he looked at me like I had three eyeballs and said he has never heard of changing barrels on a handgun.  He also didn't want to ask anybody else.  It must have been his first day, just sad.

[doc-and]

You are correct you can put a shoulder stock on the frame as long as the barrel exceeds the 16inch requirement for a rifle and 18inch for a shotgun. You also have the ability to shoot rimfire, shotgun and muzzleloader.

docand

[jy951]

Earlier models have a grooved trigger which I prefero to the smooth trigger on current models.  That and the trigger overtravel screw are the only external differences you can tell from then and now.

[Luckyducker]

Leather5to1, you can put any Encore barrel on any Encore frame.  The only thing that has to be changed is if you have a centerfire rifle set-up, as an example, and want to change it to a muzzleloader you will need to change the forearm also, and a forearm change is required to then switch it to shotgun.   BTW, all centerfire rifle barrels, regardless of contour, can use the same forearm.  Evidently I have the older style frame with the trigger stop screw and grooved trigger, though I have only had this for four or five years.  I bought the blued frame from Cabella's in Sydney, NE without a barrel.  The trigger on mine is excellent.  I have a standard contour barrel in 7mm-08 and a ProHunter barrel in 204Ruger.

[leather5to1]

Thanks everybody, thats basically what I was asking.  I just wanted to make sure I had this straight.  I look forward to shooting and experimenting when I find an action.  Is there any barrel manufacturers that have it up on everybody else?  Some of the calibers I want to try aren't available from TC.

[DannoBoone]

Is there any barrel manufacturers that have it up on everybody else?  Some of the calibers I want to try aren't available from TC.

I was once told by a custom barrel smith that it would be very unsafe to try to make Encore barrels for the short, fat cartridges
such as the WSM's, WSSM's and RUM's because the frames will accept barrels of only one width and there wouldn't be enough metal
around the chamber to hold pressures.

Other than that, the custom companies who deal with T/C barrels can make about anything ya want.............for a price.

[yooper77]

Some of the calibers I want to try aren't available from TC.

What cartridges do you want?

yooper77

[leather5to1]

Some of the calibers I want to try aren't available from TC.

What cartridges do you want?

yooper77

I'm interested in trying a 17ccm (so cute), 22-243, 220 swift ai, 6mm-223, 6mm remington ai, 6mm-284, and 7x300 weatherby.
The last mentioned, I have a custom rifle built on a mauser 98 action in this caliber.  I use it as my bear rifle and have a great load for it,
but I would like to save the barrel and play with this round just on targets.  Can anyone tell me if this is a safe round for the encore,
it is ballistically identical to the 7mmstw.

[yooper77]

Some of the calibers I want to try aren't available from TC.

What cartridges do you want?

yooper77

I'm interested in trying a 17ccm (so cute), 22-243, 220 swift ai, 6mm-223, 6mm remington ai, 6mm-284, and 7x300 weatherby.
The last mentioned, I have a custom rifle built on a mauser 98 action in this caliber.  I use it as my bear rifle and have a great load for it,
but I would like to save the barrel and play with this round just on targets.  Can anyone tell me if this is a safe round for the encore,
it is ballistically identical to the 7mmstw.

Most of your cartridges are very easily obtainable but the 17 Cooper Centerfire Magnum unless you have a good source of 22 CCM brass.

The 7mm-300 Weatherby Magnum is so close to the 7mm STW (Shooting Times Westerner) that it could be made from a 7mm Remington Magnum barrel.  I know the STW is safe for the Encore.

22-243, could be made from a 22-250 Remington barrel.

220 Swift Ackley Improved could be made from a 22-250 Remington barrel.

6mm-223, which is almost identical to the 6mm TCU (Thompson Center Ugalde)

6mm Remington Ackley Improved, could be made from a 243 Remington barrel.

6mm-284 could be made from a 243 Remington barrel.

If you contact SSKIndustries.com, they are the best gunsmith that you could possibly want for the T/C Encore I am sure they would be able to make what you want or very close to it.

yooper77

[leather5to1]

Thanks yooper, very good info.  I will check into SSK.  I was hoping the 7 stw had been done, then I would know I could have the 7x300.  I would go with the 7stw but I am set up for the 7x300, and now that people have experimented with the stw I have had loads of reloading data to work off.  Hodgdon 870 was the only powder for that caliber until the stw came along.

[sk330lc]

All Encores are interchangable----------That includes the Pro Hunters.
The Contenders and G2's are not interchangable with an Encore.
I am not sure if that is what you are asking??

Encore28

The Endevore are also Encore frames.    Just have some fancy engraving,