Author Topic: Encore/Contender Pictures!! (Read 11340 times)

chevy · « **on:** July 21, 2011, 08:58:12 PM »

I searched and was surprised there isn't an Encore/Contender picture thread? I know some of you guys have some awesome rifles! I am interested in seeing them! Post em up!

Here is my "Black Betty" with it's first (and only) kill so far! I put it together at the end of deer season last year. Going to hopefully get it out after some hogs soon!

35 Whelen with a 28" prohunter barrel, Leupold 3x9x40 scope!

sweetwyominghome · « **Reply #1 on:** July 21, 2011, 09:40:47 PM »

I do much more with Contenders than Encores, but here are a few:

chevy · « **Reply #2 on:** July 21, 2011, 10:57:19 PM »

Nice! Contenders are welcome too! I will try and edit the title!

Dezynco · « **Reply #3 on:** July 22, 2011, 03:56:23 AM »

Here's a picture of my favorite! It's a G2 Contender in 375 Winchester. It's got a 24" Custom Shop barrel. I all the work on it myself, including a trigger job, oversized hinge pin, heavy hammer spring, headspace shims, and locking bolt springs in the barrel. The stock came from Gunstocks Inc, I finished the stock and forearm with tung oil. It's a tack driver, I've shot several deer with it.

sweetwyominghome · « **Reply #4 on:** July 22, 2011, 07:36:35 AM »

Here is my favorite of the single shots. I’ve had it about 14 years and have taken lots of game with it. The little rifle has always performed perfectly, is easy to load for and is – for lack of better description – surgically accurate.

It’s a Contender with a 20 1/8th inch Bullberry tube in 7mm Bullberry and rests in a High Plains Pegasus thumbhole stock. I have swapped scopes since this photo was taken, and it is currently fitted with a Zeiss Diavari C 3-9x36 in Warne rings. It’s worn several different stocks and scopes over the years, but I think this is how it will remain outfitted from now on.

I’ve taken more game with a 26” MGM barrel in 6.5 BB Imp (aka 6.5x30-30 AI) and have soft spots for the .257 and 6.5mm JDJs, 7-30 Waters and 30-30 AIs. But the 7BB is the king of my Contenders, so to speak.

These are just a few of the memorable moments provided by my little 7mm Bullberry:

Ladobe · « **Reply #5 on:** July 22, 2011, 10:03:17 AM »

Out of all the TC carbines I've had, my favorite was easily the Bullberry Prototype 17HMR Contender with a special chamber and stock set mounted on a Jim Henry tuned frame. It killed a ton of predators and varmints for me to amazing ranges for a rimfire, never let me down, was easily the most accurate rimfire I've ever owned and one of the most accurate firearms I've owned.

L.

chevy · « **Reply #6 on:** July 22, 2011, 02:40:11 PM »

Nice! I am definitely building a short barreled rifle in the next month or so. I absoloutely love the looks of that 7mm bb!

chevy · « **Reply #7 on:** July 22, 2011, 02:44:16 PM »

Quote from: Ladobe on July 22, 2011, 10:03:17 AM

Out of all the TC carbines I've had, my favorite was easily the Bullberry Prototype 17HMR Contender with a special chamber and stock set mounted on a Jim Henry tuned frame. It killed a ton of predators and varmints for me to amazing ranges for a rimfire, never let me down, was easily the most accurate rimfire I've ever owned and one of the most accurate firearms I've owned.

L.

By far one of the best looking 17HMR's i've ever laid eyes on! Awesome gun and one of my favorite calibers, always one in my truck!

chevy · « **Reply #8 on:** July 22, 2011, 02:45:06 PM »

Quote from: Dezynco on July 22, 2011, 03:56:23 AM

Here's a picture of my favorite! It's a G2 Contender in 375 Winchester. It's got a 24" Custom Shop barrel. I all the work on it myself, including a trigger job, oversized hinge pin, heavy hammer spring, headspace shims, and locking bolt springs in the barrel. The stock came from Gunstocks Inc, I finished the stock and forearm with tung oil. It's a tack driver, I've shot several deer with it.

Beautiful rifle man!

sweetwyominghome · « **Reply #9 on:** July 22, 2011, 04:20:13 PM »

chevy-

THANKS for starting this thread!

Dezynco-

Love that rig! What kind of velocities are you getting? That would make quite the hog thumper. Been thinking on something like that for years but never followed through. Now you have me thinking again (that's dangerous for me LOL)

Ladobe-

GORGEOUS stock on that .17HMR. Is that one that Fred made?

Ladobe · « **Reply #10 on:** July 22, 2011, 04:22:31 PM »

Quote from: chevy on July 22, 2011, 02:44:16 PM

Quote from: Ladobe on July 22, 2011, 10:03:17 AM

By far one of the best looking 17HMR's i've ever laid eyes on! Awesome gun and one of my favorite calibers, always one in my truck!

Thanks for the kudos chevy, but the credit all goes to Fred who wanted the first privately owned 17HMR to be something special. The exhibition spalted curly oak came from his private stash for his personal firearms, otherwise known as the very best wood to come out of his sawmill.

As soon as they hit the shelves I bought and dolled up 2 more 17HMR's, and I bought 3 17HM2's soon after they came out. The 17 rimfires replaced all my 22 rimfires, the 17HMR's even my 17 Ackley Hornets eventually, and I always put one or more in the truck when I went out anyplace where I might get a chance for some predators or varmints. I did ADC for landowners, and they became go to's for much of that.

A nice gent here on GBO now owns the above carbine, and bought it for his grandson to growth up with. It was hard for me to let it go, but it got the best home it could possibly get in my mind. It is all about the children... to carry on as we fade away.

sweetwyominghome · « **Reply #11 on:** July 22, 2011, 04:31:52 PM »

OK, here’s my 2^nd favorite Contender setup. It’s a 26” MGM bull barrel in 6.5mm Bullberry Improved (aka 6.5x30-30 AI). The two best words that I can think of to describe it are deadly and reliable. Several years ago, I put a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 on it in warne rings, and that is how is remains today, though I did change stocks recently.

chevy · « **Reply #12 on:** July 22, 2011, 04:35:58 PM »

Very nice!

Dezynco · « **Reply #13 on:** July 23, 2011, 02:36:09 AM »

Quote

Love that rig! What kind of velocities are you getting?

Sweetwyominghome,
I usually run Lyman 264 gr. cast lead around 1850fps. I also keep a few loaded with Sierra 200gr jacketed flat nose "Pro Hunters" that I can push up to 2400+fps. I've killed deer with both, probably a little further than I should be shooting, but what can I say, the rifle/cartridge combo just work!

Since that picture, I changed the scope to a Leupold "European 30" 3x9x40 with a dual-dovetail base. I love that scope, it's almost like having a flashlight when it starts getting dusky-dark!

David D. · « **Reply #14 on:** July 23, 2011, 02:57:45 AM »

Encore FRO 26" tapered 280Rem.

Encore MGM 26" Octagon 6MM/TCU

Encore 45Cal Super

Contender FRO 17" tapered youth 17MACH2

Contender OTT 20" 6.5X225IMP (6.5JDJ)

swift-justice · « **Reply #15 on:** July 23, 2011, 04:15:34 AM »

A few Enocres that I've got..

BUGEYE · « **Reply #16 on:** July 23, 2011, 04:35:32 AM »

WOW, I'm impressed and it takes a lot to impress me.

chevy · « **Reply #17 on:** July 23, 2011, 01:09:52 PM »

Quote from: swift-justice on July 23, 2011, 04:15:34 AM

A few Enocres that I've got..

PLEASE start contributing to the forum! If you have that many Encore's surely you have some halfway decent knowledge of them

Very nice collection my friend!

chevy · « **Reply #18 on:** July 23, 2011, 01:12:18 PM »

Quote from: David D. on July 23, 2011, 02:57:45 AM

Encore FRO 26" tapered 280Rem.

Encore MGM 26" Octagon 6MM/TCU

Encore 45Cal Super

Contender FRO 17" tapered youth 17MACH2

Contender OTT 20" 6.5X225IMP (6.5JDJ)

Wow! Some real beauties you got there! Maybe I shouldn't have started this thread. Already got two rifles added to the list! I love that .280! I have been shooting a 280 Abolt since I was 13 or 14. I really like that round! Great stuff man!

chevy · « **Reply #19 on:** July 23, 2011, 01:16:31 PM »

All these dang pictures made me go out and shoot mine this morning. Nothing fancy, nothing too long distance. Just felt the urge to shoot a couple rounds.

dave29 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 23, 2011, 01:21:27 PM »

Man, you guys have some nice collections.

I just started getting into T/C's about 6 months ago. I am up to 3 Encores now, and 1 contender frame on the way. I will get some pics later, but they are nothing special.

Grumulkin · « **Reply #21 on:** July 24, 2011, 03:30:24 AM »

The raccoon was taken at 270 yards using my 300 Win. Mag. barrel.

Grumulkin · « **Reply #22 on:** July 24, 2011, 03:31:03 AM »

The raccoon was taken at 270 yards using my 300 Win. Mag. barrel.

sobeit · « **Reply #23 on:** July 28, 2011, 09:32:03 AM »

Got tired of being brutalized by my 300 win. mag..so did a redesign on stock. We have a contender in 17HMR , a G2 in 30AI and an Encore in 300 win. mag...."L"

Ladobe · « **Reply #24 on:** July 28, 2011, 07:04:39 PM »

Found an old picture of another one.

Tasmanian Blackwood stock set was made by a friend long ago from wood he harvested near his home.

sobeit · « **Reply #25 on:** July 29, 2011, 07:38:40 AM »

Posted wrong pic for 17 HMR...this is it...last year by accident I shot a 3 shot quarter inch group....found it shoots better w/o the bipod."L"

Slowpoke Slim · « **Reply #26 on:** July 29, 2011, 05:37:47 PM »

Larry,

Wow, that is another beauty there. You sure knew how to pick the wood.

Nice to see you around buddy.

Ladobe · « **Reply #27 on:** July 30, 2011, 12:17:45 PM »

Hey Chris...

I'll add this one 'cause you'll recognize something on it that came to live with you.

Brown Precision 18" tapered barrel in 6X47, Choate folding stock, Premier 4-12 scope.

Larry

ptpalpha · « **Reply #28 on:** November 09, 2011, 01:32:33 PM »

My humble contribution. 20ga Pro-Hunter barrel, factory stock refinished, Sims recoil pad, teflon-coated Warne rings on an MGM scope base, and Zeiss scope.

sweetwyominghome · « **Reply #29 on:** November 10, 2011, 02:49:39 PM »

Here are a couple more recent shots (pardon the pun!):