Rifle Forearm on Encore Pistol

[Raven]

I am thinking of drilling and tapping an additional hole in my 15" stainless Encore 308 pistol barrel so that I can use a rifle forend.  I have several rifle forends including the TC facotry rynite, Boyds laminate, and VV custom.  I have the VV set up with thier hanger bar system.  If I drilled and tapped the extra hole, I could use all of my forends and have the benefit of a free floated barrel and a sling stud for a sling or Harris bipod attachment.  It looks like the 15" barrel would still stick out at least 1.5" past the end of the rifle forend.  I have a drill press and 8-40 tap.  Anyone done this modification or see any reason not to attempt it?

I welcome any feedback.

Thanks

[southern utah]

Call Jeff at VVCG and get a hanger bar for the pistol barrel that will work on the rifle forearm. I am looking at doing the same thing.

[Raven]

Hey Utah,

That would work!  Does VV make such an animal or would it be a custom order?

[dakotashooter2]

Haven't done it but have had the same thought. The rife forearm is an ideal fit. It gives you much better options for using a rest and hand placement for offhand shooting. We really just need to convince TC to drill, tap and cap another hole in their barrels. I'm also supprised they have not come out with an intermediate lengh forestock for the encore. If I recall correctly The contender forestocks are available in 3 different lengths. Why not the encore. Quite frankly I think an intermediate length forend would sell much better than the one they currently sell for the handgun. It works OK on the 10-12" barrels but is way too short for anything longer.

[singleshot]

Raven:
I have 2 Custom 15 inch barrels from Eabco that use only the rifle forend and in this case were only tapped for the rifle forend.  You are right that there is only about 1+1/2 inch left of barrel overhanging the forend.  Both forends were bedded also rather than using hanger bars.  The hanger bar idea sounds like a good one to me though.  If interested in how they look, email me and I will e-mail you photos.   Both guns are 22-250 that I use for PD hunting and both have provisions for bipods.  I have both wood and rynite.    Ed

[Raven]

I am still tempted to drill the additional hole, although if VV makes a hanger bar for a pistol that will accept the rifle forend, it would probably be a better way to go.  For some reason, I am not scared of trying this modification.  I agree with Dakota, TC should make an intermediate length forearm for the Encore.

[Possum]

While we are on this subject...  I've tried to find the 8/40 screws to replace the kind that T/C gives with it's forearms with no luck.  I've started thinking I could do my own by starting with another diameter screw and recut the threads to be 8-40.  Any suggestions?

[Raven]

Possum - VVCG has the 8-40 socket head replacement screws for the Encore forend.  My forend/hanger bar set up came with them.  You may give them a call and see if they will sell some.

Utah- I called Steve VVCG earlier about your idea on the pistol hanger bar for rifle forends.  He said that they do not currently manufacture anything like that.  They have the short Encore pistol length hanger bars for factory barrels and the longer rifle hanger bars, but nothing that would allow the mounting of a rifle forend with the shorter pistol hole spacing.  Steve did indicate that just drilling another hole to accomodate the rifle forearm spacing is a viable option and they do offer this service.   Obvioulsy, they can also make a custom forend to your specified length, but I was trying to find a way to use some of the parts I already have in hand.

[KN]

Go for it! I have done several this way. Won't hurt a thing. You would be better off doing it on a mill though. Less chanch of a screw up. You'll need a good bottoming tap to finish the threads with.  KN

[Javelina]

Hello Everyone,

In case it is of interest in this thread, I have had both BB and VV make extra-long forends many times for my Encores (see photos below).  Some are pillar bedded and some are set up for hangar bars - both types are just ordered extra long to be .25"-.50" from the end of the particular barrel length I happen to have on a given Encore pistol or carbine frame.  It hardly costs anything extra for an extra long forend, and I find it works perfectly for me and my way of shooting the T/C's.  I haven't owned any short forends for either pistol or carbine Encores or Contenders for years.  Almost all my barrels, pistol or carbine, Encore or Contender, are full bull, so that makes things easier also (as I write this, I am starting to realize how truly LAZY I really am!).   :lol:

The reason I have them made this way (BTW, I free-float and glass-bed all my hangar bars in so they are really strong and stable, and all my forends are laminate for the highest strength levels possible) is that I mount all my sling-swivel studs within about 1.5" from the muzzle end of both pistol and carbine forends so I can mount my Harris bipods as far out there as possible to reduce radial sighting errors. If you're a crummy shot like I am, you need all the help you can get!   :lol:   It works great for me on both pistols and carbines, Encores and Contenders.





The Encore pistol above is VV wood, and the Contender Carbine is BB wood.  I have used pistol spacing for all my custom forends so as not to have any problems switching forends - even between pistols and carbines.  Of course, I'm only speaking of swapping Encore forends with Encores, etc., I wish Encores and Contenders were interchangeable, but T/C messed that idea up for me!

I also realize that some of you are talking about existing forends that you want to use - but I thought this perspective may be of use also.

Good luck with your efforts!  One of my favorite elements of T/C's and how we use them is that all of us seem to do it a little bit differently.  From our diversity. . .comes our strength!

Safe and good shooting to you!  

Javelina

[Raven]

Thanks for al the great input guys. I chickened out on drilling the barrel and ended up modifying one of my Boyds laminated rifle forends.  I drilled another hole in the forend for the pistol spacing.  I can now use it on my pistol and rifle barrels.  I really wanted to use my hanger bar forends though.

Thanks again!

[444encore]

While I'm not sure the effect this would have on larger calibers I have had decent results with my .22-250 barrel by simply attaching a plastic T/C rifle fore end on just the rear screw. Which when tightened brings the fore end up of the rest of the barrel so there is only one contact point. This works great with a harris bi-pod and brings your pivot point much further north. As I said earlier, I cannot recommend this set up on anything that would recoil harder than a .22-250, for I haven't personally tried it.

[southern utah]

Raven,
I stopped by VV and Steve said you had called. Like you said they don't have a hanger bar for the pistol barrel to rifle forearm.  If we bug them enough maybe they will make one. I have been talking to Jeff at VV about making a pistol barrel with the rifle forearm holes .   Hope the extra hole you drilled work out.

[Raven]

Utah,

I have not shot it yet, but it looks like it will work.  It would have been an easy and highly satisfying fix if VV made the hanger bar conversion that you had thought of.  Maybe they will make them at a later date.

[doc-and]

Just looking at my Encores and being an Engineer by profession, it seems to me that you could design a hanger bar that would mount to a pistol barrel at the forward screw location and extend free floating from there.  Then use a longer rear screw and short forward screw to attach the rifle forends to pistol barrels after routing out the material that would interfer with the hanger bar.  I may have to draw it up and see if I can get my machinist friend to fab me up a couple for my barrels.

doc-and