Newbie questions on Encore pistol purchase.

[Eugene]

Hi All,

Hope you are all well, I have been mulling over a new purchase over the past few weeks, I have decided to build a 300 whisper (30-221) bolt action, I will be using a Savage/Stevens action for ease of barrel change, going to see gunsmith this weekend, he has built many and is happy to help.

Now my next desire, a TC pistol, I am in Australia, so we are limited to a max cal of .38 or (0.038”) I doubt the idiot who drafted this law new that a 38 special is actually .357 in dia or we of had that restriction. But I am off topic.

I cannot without a special permit, which I may get later, but not now, own anything above .38,

I can get an Encore pistol, “Pro Hunter”, 15” fluted barrel, in stainless with black rubber for $1700. AUS, cal 308 win
I can get an Encore pistol, in stainless with black rubber for $1600. AUS any cal (16 week wait)
I can get an Encore pistol, STD model, blue and timber, for $1450. AUS any cal, (16 week wait)
I can get a G2 pistol, , in stainless with black rubber for $1650. AUS any cal
I can get a G2 pistol, , blue with timber  for $1395. AUS any cal

Yes I know I am getting taken roughly from behind, but import is too hard to worry about to save a couple hundred dollars.

Given the cal restrictions for me at the moment, I was thinking 308 win, in the “Pro Hunter” Encore. Fit a 2-7 EER scope and play, my intention is to shoot some Metallic Silhouette, but not in a full on competition win at any cost style, just for some fun.

What other cal’s would you recommend, I don’t mind recoil, and I would love a 358JDJ, but will have to track down a barrel or have one built.

Barrel length thoughts, is 15” too long to “carry” as a hunter, or would a 10” -12” G2 do everything I want?

The money is not an issue, it is getting something that I like which is more important to me, cost is soon forgotten, there are none available used at the moment in Aus, so new it is.

I was thinking of a 10” .223 and the 15” 308 for starters, then a 12-14” whisper to go with the bolt gun once it is built.

Do I need a scope and mounts for each barrel, or are the good QR rings good enough to allow scope swaps?

Sorry for all the questions, but I don’t want to waste money on something which is no use?

If you could have only one Barrel, pistol length, UNDER .38 cal, what would it be.

Chris.

PS: we can also put a stock and rifle barrel on  TC’s and take them hunting, then return them to pistol for club use, another reason I am keen, as a new light weight carry rig would also be welcome

[Richard P]

 Eugene, if you want to shoot Metallic Silhouette, how about visiting IHMSA.org or IHMSA.net and locating one of the Aus. shooters there.  Connect with them and compare notes on what you need.  How much recoil do you want to endure ? 
  Personally I think the 15'' are a bit unwieldy for carrying around a lot. They are good if you hunt from a blind or stand.  The 7mm-08 offers a good compromise on power and trajectory. The .243Win will shoot a bit faster with lighter bullets; the .308Win will handle heavier bullets.  Assuming you will settle on a bullet between 100 to 140gr weight, the 7-08 is a good choice for handloaders.  I dont think you want full rifle loads in a 15'' Encore.  If you could locate a .260Rem barrel it would be worthy of consideration.  rp

[shot1]

For any of the bottle neck rifle calibers you need at least 14" of barrel to make them worth your while. To shoot any of them accurately you will need to shoot from some sort of rest. For walking around hunting it is best to use either a small back pack with some stuffing like small pillows etc. in them or some sort of folding tripod. The best way to carry a specialty pistol is either in a bandoleer style shoulder holster or put a sling on it. There is no comfortable way as in carrying a 4" revolver on a belt holster to carry a specialty pistol. As for frame type and caliber it depends on what you really want to do with it. A 308 Win is WAAAAAAAY too much gun to shoot steel with. You will have a sore hand, head ache and a case of the flinches from the muzzle blast and recoil before you get through the second bank.
If you want something to hunt deer size game with and just fool around shooting some steel with I too would suggest either the 7-08 or better yet the 260 Rem. The 6.5 calibers really have a great selection of bullets that work great on game at the velocities you can get from 14/15ish" barrels. The shoot a bit flatter and the wind does not bother them as much at distance also. These calibers are only for the Encore. As for the G2 the 30-30 Win and the 7-30 Waters are about the best for deer size game and they need 14" barrels to do their thing. The best caliber I have had experience with in a G2/Contender frame is the wild cat 30-30AI. I got my barrel from Match Grade Machines (MGM) it is a 14" SS Shilen barrel. Extremely accurate and with 125 gr Nosler ballistic tips it does 2670 fps and hammers deer. With a 2" high zero at 100 yards it is on the money at 200 yards. The best thing is in a pinch you can shoot regular 30-30 Win ammo in it and it is accurate. Matter of fact that is the best way to get fire formed cases. Get some factory ammo and practice shooting and you end up with fire formed cases to reload. Lee makes and inexpensive set of loading dies for the 30-30AI unlike most of the other wild cats.
To really stretch out an Encore you need to put on a muzzle break and use a rifle scope. You can only shoot what you can see and the pistol scopes, even the 3 - 12 power, does not have enough magnification to do precise target shooting over 300 yards.

[P.A. Myers]

How difficult is it to import barrels? You will want more.

[Eugene]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies, I was starting to think that 308 may be too much gun for regular playing around, but due to the cal restrictions was looking for more grunt than the 357 would offer.

I know I will want more barrels, import is no problems, it is the export, I think you have to be approved by the US Gov to export firearm parts, not to many do it, I use brownells etc, but it is a pain to buy more expensive items as the regulations tighten up when the value is over $100.00

there are guys who do specialize in exporting one off bits, I will need to contact and price it up, spare barrels out here are over $800 each.

I found a used G2 last night, it has a 357, 30-30 and 45-70 barrel, cases for each barrel etc, leopold scope from memory, looks new, for $2200. for whole lot. it isnt cheap, but it is under what I could buy it all out here for, I would not need a permit for the 45-70 barrel unless I fit it on, so no issue there.

The 357 would be good to have to use for practice with lighter loads.

I think I will explore the import option, as going off US prices of $700 for a G2, and barrels around the $300. I could buy the frame and 3 barrels for around $1300 US which is about $1200. aus, so that leave $1000 to cover import. and I get to choose my barrels.

There is only one importer into Aus, he has a monopoly and charges whatever he feels he can get away with.
Same as freedom arms, there was one importer, over $3000 for a feild grade, a Remington pump action 7600 .308 is over $1600. aus ($1800.US) tell me we arnt getting stiffed.

I will call Aus firearms regulators today to ask about the import.

Thanks for the ideas and input guys, take care.

[Grumulkin]

1.  You will have more cartridge options with the Encore than with the Contender so I'd recommend the Encore.

2.  308 Winchester recoil isn't that bad.

3.  For barrels I'm going to scope I actually prefer the non fluted ones as opposed to the Pro Hunter barrels and I prefer the ones with no iron sights.

4.  You could probably get by with QD rings for something like a 223 but I wouldn't try it on a 308 handgun.  Then again, maybe I would with the expectation that I might break something.

5.  A bandoleer holster is the way to go with the Encore.  Pistol Packageing makes nice ones.

4.  As for barrel length, I have some 15 inchers and they're OK but 13 or 14 inches is handier in my mind.

[Curtis]

My experience is with the old style Contenders and not the Encore or G2 so take this for what it is worth.  I much prefer the 10" barrels although I haven't tried a 12" which is what they offer new nowadays.  I own 14" barrels in calibers that justify the extra length, but I'm usually sitting in a blind with a good rest when using them.  For tree stands or woods walking I'm toting a 10" Contender in a bandoleer, usually in 357 Herrett.

Weight may also be a factor to consider and the Contender will be a bit lighter than the Encore.  Personally I can't think of any reason I'd want an Encore in pistol configuration but that's just me.  With calibers like 30-30 AI and 309 JDJ available on up to 375 JDJ I just can't think of anything I'd demand of it that a Contender or G2 couldn't accomplish.

Curtis

[Grumulkin]

Since you can have up to ".38 caliber" you could have this!  It's an Encore with a 13 inch braked barrel chamber in 375 H&H Magnum!

You do lose velocity with the shorter barrel but accuracy ain't too bad.