Thompson Center Encore Questions

[Bitswap]

Hello everyone,

I've decided to sell a few of my 308's and get a Thompson-Center (TC) Encore and had a few questions about them.

This will primarly be used for hunting. I do a little reloading.

First are the sights, on the barrels with iron sights, are they tapped for scope mounts? And vice-versa, can you put iron sights on the barrels with holes for scopes?

Is stainless steel worth it if your not worried about looks? Does it add accuracy?

With good ammo, what kind of MOA can I expect with the 24" barrel? I see references to custom barrels and puts me off a bit... buy the receiver / stock and go elsewhere for a barrel? A bit confused.

Triggers. I almost automatically put a jewell trigger on my rifles. Is this necessary with the TC or will it void it's warrantee?

Thanks in advance,
Bit

 

[R.W.Dale]

First are the sights, on the barrels with iron sights, are they tapped for scope mounts? And vice-versa, can you put iron sights on the barrels with holes for scopes?

yes every encore rifle barrel i've ever seen has been drilled and tapped

Is stainless steel worth it if your not worried about looks? Does it add accuracy?

If you're worried about durability in adverse conditions then stainless is ALWAYS worth the money. I've never heard of stainless being more accurate though.

Triggers. I almost automatically put a jewell trigger on my rifles. Is this necessary with the TC or will it void it's warrantee?

I like my Encores trigger, but then again I'm the kinda guy who feels a good trigger is a luxury not a necessity. Guns with bad triggers can be just as accurate as guns with good ones, You just have to have the trigger discipline to not let it effect you.

With good ammo, what kind of MOA can I expect with the 24" barrel?

Nobody can realistically answer that question about ANY rifle without shooting it first. Every rifle is an individual.

 

[Redlg155]

If you are interested in the Encore, then I'd definitely check out this website. http://www.eabco.com/ I've dealt with them several times and have been happy with the service and answers to my questions.

This is my second Encore. My first one was blued, which I gave up for a little bit more rust resistance in the stainless frame. I've been very happy with my stainless frame, which I put on a 24" 12 ga realtree camo barrel for deer hunting. The triggers of both have been very nice, a lot nice than a lot of bolt action rifles. Of course your experiences may vary. A jewel trigger is not an option, however, there are folks out there that will do a great trigger job if you need one. EAB (the link) states that they can get you to a 2.5lb pull for $50.00.

 

[critter]

TC makes good stuff. I have an older contender and have 2 barrels, both 14" stainless. One is .223 and the other is a 30-30. Either one will shoot under 1" at 100 yds any day and all day long.

 

[Bitswap]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

Now I'm debating about the pro-hunter (PH) stock and encore receiver. My blr 308 would knock the teeth out of king kong and want to tame this lightweight beast. My pss 700 308 is a kittycat by comparison, but weighs too much for hunting.

Should I piece-meal this purchase? Get the PH stock, Encore reciever, and encore barrels? Thinking ahead since I have a friend that wants me to get into 50 cal muzzleloaders. Or should I just get a Limbsaver pad for the Encore. I can shoot a Remmington 12 870 all day and feel no pain as far as my threshold goes. The 308 blr hurts... don't notice it when I'm shooting, but afterwards...

 

[R.W.Dale]

Or should I just get a Limbsaver pad for the Encore.

funny you should ask, I just ordered a pro hunter stock for my 460 Katadhin. when it arrived it became evident that the only real advantage the PH has over my old synthetic stock is the limbsaver pad. If I had it to do again I would order the limbsaver pad for my old synthetic stock and save $50.

 

[Coltdriver]

Regarding the trigger it is easy to take the action apart and get a trigger of any weight you choose. I got lucky as my factory trigger is light and crisp and about perfect for field use. I did take it apart and moly lube the parts but that is all I did.

You can go here http://www.bellmtcs.com/ and get a great set of instructions on takedown of the action and progressive steps you can take to get the trigger where you want.

I do have a limbsaver on my Encore that I use with a 45-70 barrel. It makes the rifle fun to shoot and does not punish you physically.

 

[Bitswap]

Very nice, great responses!

Trigger pull doesn't bother me, trigger creep does. You know, when the trigger moves a bit and hangs before releasing the sear... my bmg does that and is annoying as all get-out. It will probably be for sale soon if the gunsmith can't fix it.

I'm really excited about getting this rifle. A few friends at work want me to get into muzzleloading. He said the forearm needs to be long enough to hold the rifle vertically because it gets so hot after firing and thought it was a bit too short.