Encore Pistol to hunt whitetail

[tcencore3006]

I live in an area that does not allow me to hunt with a rifle.  It is shotgun only however they do allow pistols to be used while hunting whitetail.  I was curious who here uses an Encore pistol to hunt whitetail and what caliber you recommend.  I am ready to make a purchase on one but was curious what all you experts think:) Thanks.

[kynardsj]

Me personally, it's a stainless in .308 but the 243's and 7mm08's are nice too. Recoil isn't bad at all and they will reach out there and touch something. Ammo for all three is easy to come by even if you don't reload. Good luck on your choice.

[bulletstuffer]

Check with your local DNR as some states may have cartridge restrictions for handguns.  Pick your cartridge based on the distance you will be shooting and get a good scope.  Hunting deer and other critters with handguns brings it to a whole new level of fun

Good luck,

Bulletstuffer

[ChrisK]

I too live in a state that is restrictive on what you can use in a long gun. Here in Indiana we can use anything that is atleast 1.16 in length and the bullet diameter is .243 or larger in a pistol. Never made sense to me really. I just bought a .243 encore pistol and that is what I am going to use during our gun season this year. It doesn't recoil that bad at all and from what I hear with practice you can really poke them at a distance with this caliber.
Chris Kiefner

[Slowpoke Slim]

Yes, make sure of the actual game laws. Some handgun regs will even stipulate that it needs to be a "straight wall case", which means no bottle neck cased pistols.

In your situation, I would take my Contender in 30-30, or 375 JDJ, if the regs allowed bottle neck cases.

[tcencore3006]

Kynard,
How's that recoil in a .308 handgun?

[mikemayberry]

I have set up two different handguns with .44 magnum for deer and pig hunting.  One is a twelve inch Encore and the other is a S&W revolver 7.5 inch Light Hunter.

Several observations follow:

I fell much more confident with the single shot and would shoot it out to 40-50 yards if the conditions were right.

Both are accurate but so far I think I can shoot the Encore farther accurately with the single shot--me, not the firearms.

I handload for both so I can true up the loads.  In the Encore I have found success with the 240 gr. XTP and the 250 gr. Leadhead Elmer Keith loads.  Both are very accurate.

My biggest challenge is to be totally committed to handgun hunting.  What this means is that I often carry one while rifle hunting but then have to choose which to shoot.  Alas, the rifle often wins but the handgun only hunting will eventually take over.  I realize that will not be a problem for you since you are rifle limited.

I believe one could become proficient with the .44 magnum out to 100yds.  The bullet energy will be there and you might want to read some Elmer Keith article to verify that it truly was developed as a hunting round.  Dirty Harry was just the fun movie hype.

Good luck and let us know where you end up.

mm

[xphunter]

Have you determined if there is any restrictions imposed by the state you hunt in when it comes to cartridges?
Describe what kind of hunting set-up you think you will use most (ground blinds, tree blinds, spot-n-stalk, etc.)?
What would be some maximum ranges of areas where you hunt?  point blank to 50 yards?  100 yards?  200 yards, further?
Do you reload?

I live in an area that does not allow me to hunt with a rifle.  It is shotgun only however they do allow pistols to be used while hunting whitetail.  I was curious who here uses an Encore pistol to hunt whitetail and what caliber you recommend.  I am ready to make a purchase on one but was curious what all you experts think:) Thanks.

[kynardsj]

tcencore3006, it's not bad. With full power loads you know you've touched something off but the Pachmeyer grip and the weight of the pistol make it very manageable. I've been playing with some light loads that are a lot of fun. See my post in the reloading forum about "The Load" by C E Harris. A friend has had one of these in 308 for years. He always loaded 125 NBT's over a dose of IMR3031. Very accurate and not bad recoil at all.

[flipajig]

As stated above check out the rules in your state.. you know your distance that you will be shooting. I shoot a Contender and have been for around 3 years so im still learning.. one thing I do know is shooting a scoped pistol is different. It took me several trips to the range to beable to shoot a tgt that I was happy with. im now able to shoot a 1/2" at 100 yds with my tender. This dosnt happen every time but its way cool when it dose.

[flipajig]

As stated above check out your state laws.. You know your distance of you will be shooting so select a cal that will get the job done. shooting a scoped pistol is something new and different it took me several trips to the range to make it happen to where I was happy. I have been shooting a Contender for 3 years now and I have been able to shoot a 1/2" group at 100 yds this dosnt happen every time but when it dose it is verry cool.
My point is pratice,pratice and when you think you are good enough pratice some more. A rule of thumb is when you can put all 6 into a 10" papper plate then that is your max range. good luck and welcom to handgun hunting..

[tcencore3006]

I appreciate all the concern but don't worry I will be and always have complied with the laws when it comes to guns and hunting.

@ XPhunter- I do all sorts of different kinds of hunting. I couldn't say if I do one type more than another.  Shot deer at 10 yards and shot a doe with my inline over 200 yards 2 years ago and yes I am just getting in to reloading.

[xphunter]

If, bottleneck cartridges are legal in your part of the woods then I would recommend either the 260 Rem or the 7mm-08.
Both of these work good to 300 yards+ on deer.  The 6.5x47 Lapua would also be a great choice.
I would use MGM to get the the non-standard chamberings
These cartridges will satisfy many needs in terms of deer hunting.
Nothing wrong with the 308 Win, but why have extra recoil when these will kill just as well, with less recoil, and will have better trajectory than the 308.
The 243 Win is also a good choice, but some folks just want a little more diameter and weight-Personal choice.

If you want more horsepower in terms of distance (less bullet drop and drift), then the 6.5-284 or the 280 or 280 AI.
If recoil is a concern, then a good solid bottomed brake like Holland's Radial Quick Discharge is a great choice.
Felt recoil drops to an amazing level with brakes of this class.
These brakes work so good, I use riflescopes on many of my single-shot specialty handguns:
http://www.handgunhunt.com/promo/membership/features/readNewArticle.php?oid=12&title=Rifle%20Scopes%20On%20Specialty%20Handguns

Good luck in your new endeavor!

XPhunter- I do all sorts of different kinds of hunting. I couldn't say if I do one type more than another.  Shot deer at 10 yards and shot a doe with my inline over 200 yards 2 years ago and yes I am just getting in to reloading.

[David D.]

About any rifle cartridge that will get it done in a rifle will do the same in an Encore pistol. I really liked the 15" heavy barreled 6.5X55SM in my Encore with Hornady 139gr SST bullets. Also had a MGM 16" 6.5X284 Win. full bull barrel. The recoil from both was mild. Only thing I didnt like were they were heavy.

Most areas I hunt are steep and rugged. I like my pistols on the lighter side so I mostly hunt with a Contender or G2 Contender chambered in 30-30IMP or a 6.5JDJ 14" full bull barrels. Also have a MOA 14" 30-30IMP. Any of the three will get the job done on deer size game.

[SD Handgunner]

I've been hunting with Handguns since 1982 but to be honest I have only ever shot 3 Whitetails with a T/C Encore Handgun (all the rest have been shot with T/C Contenders, Remington XP-100's or Revolvers).

The first Whiteatails I shot with a T/C Encore Handgun was with a 15" .243. This Handgun belonged to a friend. I had worked up a good load for him and as my reward he offered to let me be the first to shoot a Whitetail with his .243. My chance came during our January Anterless Season when two nice does came down the deer trail I was 200 yards away from. I shot the rear one first and she dropped in her tracks. The 80gr. Speer Hot Core Spitzer took her right behind the front shoulder, destroyed the lungs and exited the off side.

The second one didn't work as planned as this doe was walking at the shot and I messed up. I hit the doe a bit far back and she took off. She ran a little over 100 yards and stopped beneath the boughs of a Russian Olive Tree. I was committed and carefully squeezed the trigger when the crosshairs looked right. The doe collapsed at the shot and never moved. The result from the second shot was much the same as on the first deer, striking her behind the near side shoulder, destroying the lungs and exiting the off side.

A few years later another friend had a 15" 7mm-08 Encore Handgun rechambered to the .284 Winchester. With Ernie's assistance we ended up with a good load shooting 140gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. My buddy had his ankle in a cast and allowed me to use his .284 for Deer Season.

Opening morning about 1 hour into the season my chance at a smaller 4x4 Whitetail buck came at 150 yards. I placed the 140gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip midday top to bottom right up tight behind the shoulder. At the shot the Buck took off but only covered about 50 - 60 yards or so and piled up. The bullet hit exactly where I had intended, destroyed the lungs and exited leaving about a 1" exit hole in the off side.

Those are my only experiences with Encore Handguns. The .243 was my friends choice as he wanted a cartridge he could hunt both Coyotes and Deer with. My other friend wanted more reach and opted for the .284 Winchester. Both have served their intended purpose as will several other cartridges out there. The .284 has about the same powder capacity as a .30-06 and full power loads are not objectionable to shoot.  in terms of recoil.

Larry

[Lawful Larry]

I have usedmy G2 Contender with my .30-30 barrel. 



But as others have stated check with the DNR folks in your state for the finer details on handgun hunting. 

The .30-30 winchester is more then enough for power to take down a whitetail deer and the recoil is very acceptable to most guys. 

[SD Handgunner]

Man that's pretty. Very nice Grip and Forend, very nice.

Larry