Tom, $260 for a used TC muzzleloader, hmmmm, I have seen a used NEF muzzleloader for $100 and under. And a new huntsman for $150. What do used TC rifle barrels typically run??? Based on the classifieds here more than a new complete NEF rifle.... And a new NEF barrel fitted costs under half what a typical used TC barrel costs.
In regards to fitting barrels -
Actually I had heard that, but why should you have to. If you have more than one frame, would you have to fit each frame to each barrel, or fit each barrel to each frame?
The Encore and Contender barrels are interchangable between between all the frames. I have three Contender frames and about a dozen or so barrels that I mix and match. I have two Encore frames and about four barrels that also do the same. They hold their value and you can swap them off for others and not have to go through the fitting nonsense each time you want to try a new barrel.
Why should you have to? Easy, TC and NEF have taken different approaches to making their rifles. TC uses a more expensive tooling process (read computes, robots, etc) that turns out receivers and barrels that are very close in tolerances. Then they take any barrel and receiver, put them together, and into the box they go. Of course with the sticker price reflecting the higher cost of manufacture. NEF uses lower technology to make their recievers and barrels which are much wider in tolerances. Then they take a reciever, measure, select the mate barrel (a receiver -.010 needs barrel +.010...), put in the box, and charge less because the technology to make these guns is much cheaper. For additional barrels you send in the reciever, they measure, select the mate barrel, rebox and ship back to you. They've been doing this for decades, many many many decades.
NEF could make their recievers/barrels tighter in tollerances but then prices of manufacture would go up and then so would the sticker price. They'd be the same as TC.
Pay me now or pay me later??? Well, lets say I buy a NEF Handi rifle bull barrel 223 for varmints for $200. Send it into NEF and get a 30-06 for $82, a 12 gauge turkey barrel for $59, a muzzy barrel for $79, plus shipping. So for $420 and shipping I can have a 223, 30-06, 12 gauge turkey, and muzzleloader. Add $58 and you can have an open sighted rifled slug barrel or $93 for bull barreled scope mount slug barrel. Oh, and have a free trigger job while it's there.
How much would a TC with bull barrel 223, 30-06 sportster barrel, 12 gauge turkey, 50 cal muzzy, and a slug barrel cost?
And that is why the nonsense of fitting barrels, it's cheaper, much cheaper as you add up a bunch of barrels. But if you need to be able to fit any barrel on any frame (never personally needed to) then you need to get a TC. Or if you like buying used barrels then you need to get a TC.
So, pay me now or pay me later..., it's going to take a long time before my old hunting truck is going to cost me as much as my SUV... :wink:
And Thomas, I think you need to go buy a new NEF. I think you'll enjoy entering a whole fun new addicting world we all know and love! Don't fight it any longer. Come to the dark side Luke, I mean Tom. :wink:
later,
scruffy
