The Good, The Bad, The ??? of Encore 209x50 Rifles

[Dave1]

I am considering retiring my very old TC 50 cal Renegade rifle after a lengthy and distinguished career of hammering whitetail bucks.

The BP rifle that I am considering as a replacement and that really appeals to me is the TC Encore 209x50.  I like the looks and feel of the gun.

I have been watching the owner reports for the last year or so and have read about some problems that concern me and would like to know if these are isolated incidents or something I can expect to have to address myself.

Some of the Encore problems I have read about on these forums and others are: 1)the hinge pin is too small which allows loose play and sloppy mating of barrel and receiver.  Requires work or replacement.  2)Very rough trigger requires trigger job to achieve acceptable smooth pull.  3)Hammer spur breaks.  4)Accuracy varies.  There have been a few other issues also.

I have no experience with an Encore rifle so any/all feedback will be appreciated.

Thanks, Dave1

[Redhawk1]

I currently have 3 Encore frames with M/L barrels on them, two 50 cal's and a 45 cal. I have not had any of the problems you have mentioned. I have also sold my buddy 2 of my Encore frames that he has put 50 cal M/L barrels on. He also has not had any problems. Also you might want to go back and read a lot of the post here and you can get a good feel for how we like our Encore M/L's.  

[Vapour]

On your questions.

1.  Some people seem to have relatively loose Encore's and accuracy doesn't seem to suffer for it.  You can always go for the cheap fix with tape if it bothers you.

2.  Although some Encore's may have rough trigger pulls, the one that came on my gun is pretty close to that of my smithed Rem 700 trigger--very clean break at around 4 pounds.

3.  Hammer spurs may break--I have no knowledge on this topic.

4.  Accuracy--This is where RedHawk and I will disagree.  My Encore--while I love many of its features--has a very finicky barrel.  It shoots 3 loads very well, but outside of those loads it shoots rather poorly.  Now that Michigan deer season is finishing it should be headed back to the factory to see if it's me or the barrel.

5.  Just in case you missed this complaint in the TC rifle forums, some scope bases will not match the contour of some of the 209X50 barrels.  To fix this you need to use Burris offset scope rings or a scope with a LOT of vertical adjustment.  Probably won't be a problem on the gun you buy, but be aware.


Overall the Encore is a great system, especially if you plan to shoot other calibers.  Very nice ergonomics, nice trigger, good customer service (so I've heard), and usually very accurate guns.  Yesterday I just recomended one to another hunter looking to move up from the Hawken he's been using for years.

[wild willy]

Agree 100% with Vapour my gun. good trigger works fine very finicky but with loads it likes shoots very good. I would not buy a lot of one kind of powder or bullets till you find what it likes

[jeff223]

i dont have an Encore myself but 3 of my shooting freinds do.at the range i have shot all of them and they all shoot very good.if i were to ever give up shooting Knight Rifles the Encore is the rifle i would shoot.i good smith can do a trigger job and they have a great trigger after that.i had my G2 done by a local smith and its about the same setup as the Encore and the trigger is great (under 2lbs).trigger jobs are $25.00 in my part of the country.

the Encore are great guns :wink:

[toytruck]

I have the Encore in .45 caliber and .50 caliber and love it. The .45 is harder to find a load it likes, but I have killed four deer with it and a 225gr.powerbelt.  I tried sabots in the .50 and got too much plastic fouling and accuracy suffered.  I killed a small buck in early season this year with the .50 and a 300gr. Harvester "sabertooth" bullet. It shoots 1.5" groups at 100yds with two T7 pellets. I plan to work on the groups with loose T7 FFg after the season is over.

I put a Sims pad on the synthetic stock and a steel base on the .50 barrel. I had to have the .45 barrel TC aluminum base built up with epoxy due to the Leupold scope running out of vertical adjustment.

The trigger was adjusted by using the screw in the trigger guard and it breaks crisp and works fine for me. Never had a problem with the hammer spur.

When cleaning you need to remove the firing pin assembly as needed in case of blowback and clean out that area.  The hinge pin has alittle play in it but not enough to hurt accuracy.

I don't like the short aluminum ramrod (too noisy and you need to add the jag to load) and will probably use my Renegade synthetic ramrod in the late season to see how it works in hunting situations.

Hope this helps.  I really like the rifle over all. :-)

[simonkenton]

As far as the Encore being finicky, I wouldn't let that bother me.
I have a Savage, it is finicky too. I have two powders, and two sabots, that don't shoot well.
But I have two other powders, and two other sabots, that I get 1 1/2 inch groups with.

[str8shooter48]

I've had my Encore for about 4 yrs now. My biggest gripe with it was the synthetic stock that came on it. Its pretty much hollow which makes it too light and noisy. I replaced that with a Boyds laminated set. Quieter,heavier which balance the gun better and soaks up more of the recoil. A whole lot nicer  looking too. Which is available as an option on the guns now.

The issue of the scope base, the barrel contour and the gap at the front of the scope base. I didn't like it, was concerned about it, but once I got over it it turned into another no problem.

The trigger on mine was a little heavy but it broke clean. I had a trigger job done now it breaks cleanly at 2 1/2lbs. I'm told I'm to finicky about triggers but that me.

Ramrods are a little chincy. yes noisy, short to fit the the compact size ot the gun. If you use it for cleaning the extended cleaning jag that comes with the gun helps. I have a fiberglass rod from my Renegade I use for cleaning. One plus note on the ramrod its threaded on both end so if you screw up the theads or break something off in an end you can flip it around and use the other end.

Hinge pin never an issue.
 
Finicky shooter not really. At least mine. I've used Clean Shot, 777, and American Pioneer powders. Bullets I've used T/C 240 XTP, Shockwaves/SST and Precision QT40's. I didn't have much of a problem finding a good load with any of the combination. My only issues with bullets are with the Shockwave /SST. They are a bear to load. Its the sabot not the gun. My new favorite combintion is American Pioneer and the Precisoion QT40.

Other than the few issues mentioned I think its a great gun. I recommend it.

[Redhawk1]

On your questions.

1.  Some people seem to have relatively loose Encore's and accuracy doesn't seem to suffer for it.  You can always go for the cheap fix with tape if it bothers you.

2.  Although some Encore's may have rough trigger pulls, the one that came on my gun is pretty close to that of my smithed Rem 700 trigger--very clean break at around 4 pounds.

3.  Hammer spurs may break--I have no knowledge on this topic.

4.  Accuracy--This is where RedHawk and I will disagree.  My Encore--while I love many of its features--has a very finicky barrel.  It shoots 3 loads very well, but outside of those loads it shoots rather poorly.  Now that Michigan deer season is finishing it should be headed back to the factory to see if it's me or the barrel.

5.  Just in case you missed this complaint in the TC rifle forums, some scope bases will not match the contour of some of the 209X50 barrels.  To fix this you need to use Burris offset scope rings or a scope with a LOT of vertical adjustment.  Probably won't be a problem on the gun you buy, but be aware.


Overall the Encore is a great system, especially if you plan to shoot other calibers.  Very nice ergonomics, nice trigger, good customer service (so I've heard), and usually very accurate guns.  Yesterday I just recomended one to another hunter looking to move up from the Hawken he's been using for years.

As far as the Encore being finicky, show me a muzzleloader that is not finicky. :-D . Every muzzleloader I have shot, I have had to find the right bullet and charge to get the best accuracy. So to me it is not an draw back.  

[AndyHass]

Actually, I have heard from many owners that the Knight Disc Elite will shoot most bullets accurately at a wide range of powder charges.  If it weren't for my extreme dislike of their proprietary Disc system and the fact that it is more difficult to clean than the Omega, I would have bought that gun instead.  If you can live with the Discs and their dumb secondary safety then that gun goes highly recommended.
   My old Traditions Deerhunter would also shoot sub-2" with almost anything I crammed down the barrel.
   The T/C guns seem finicky as a general rule...I know my Omega is as well.

[DannoBoone]

Of the four issues listed, I was "lucky" enough to have all but the 3d. I've
heard of the hammer spur breaking as a result of people using steel hammer
extensions. The trigger problem was resolved by honing matching (which
weren't) surfaces and a different spring.  I got a bigger hinge pin for the
factory barrel. After three years, I'm still working on the accuracy issue,
but that's just me -- some would be happy with 3-4" groups @ 150yds. But
when I've gotten 3/4" groups @ 150yds with the Savage, the Encore group
is frustrating for me.

[Dave1]

Thanks to all that replied with info.  I still like the Encore but it really bugs me that a top gun mfg like TC would continue to produce an expensive gun with these known issues/problems.

Being finicky about loads is not a serious issue with me.  All guns require some load testing and range work to determine the best load combination.

Yes, the Encore's problems can be remedied/fixed/repaired and improved on by you the owner but in my opinion the mfg should address the issues as part of their commitment to quality control and a sincere desire to improve their product.

The bottom line for me is I would hate to pay alot of money for a gun that I already know has some issues that I will likely have to address via alterations or modifications.  Still thinking.

Dave1

[AndyHass]

All mass produced guns are less than perfect out of the box....most guys who really care about centerfire accuracy do A LOT of work to expensive guns to get it.
   Some of this holds true in the ML world too.  Though I do think that as a general rule that ML guns are held to lower quality standards than comparable centerfire guns/barrels.

[DesertRam]

My Encore is a bone stock stainless version with laminated wood.  I've never noticed it being "loose."  In fact, I have to wiggle the hinge pin to get it through all three of my barrels.  My factory trigger is decent, though not great.  I'd guess it at about 4 pounds with a little creep.  It's better than a factory Savage (pre-Accu) or Ruger trigger :grin:.  I've never seen a broken hammer spur, though I've read about it when an extension was used.  My answer - don't use the extension.  My ML barrel is accurate enough for hunting deer-sized critters at reasonable ML ranges.  I can drop a 260 grain DC into the chest of a deer or elk at close to 200 yards, so I won't complain.  Does it shoot little bugholes like my .223?  Nope, but then I never worked that hard to get it to.  I figure 2" groups or so at 100 is plenty fine for hunting (which is all I use it for) and stopped there.  Now slap my Bullberry .257AI barrel on and we'll talk accurate!

I say go for it.  If you don't like it, you can just about get your money back out of it on resell.

[Bullseye]

My wife and I both have Encore 209X50's.  Both triggers break about 4 lbs and are crisp.  There is some wiggle if you grab the barrel and yank it around on the frame, but accuracy is great.

I have not seen any of the problems, nor have my two friends that shoot theirs alot.  Ever wonder if it is really the gun?