EKYhunter

The 3" chambered barrel will work, however you won't be able to shoot 3" shells. Hastings makes a slug barrel for the 870 that has the 2 3/4" chamber. Hasting barrels are better than the Remington factory barrel but are more expensive. Hope this helps!

Well, from the picture, it looks like it's already sighted in pretty good! I love the Gold shotguns and that certainly is a great looking buck! Is that the gun you purchased? Your deer?

Nice looking addition to your collection.

Anybody else have any experience with the X-Bolt?

That's pretty funny!

Very nice looking mount. Good buck!

What exactly is this supposed to mean?

Awesome deer. Looks to me like he's been doin' some fightin'.

Great looking buck! Congrats to you!

OK guys, looking for opinions on these two rifles. Trying to decide on which to buy. I've owned the A-Bolt in the past and love them. I've never got to look at or handle the new X-Bolt. Anybody have one, know anything about them, or have an opinion as to which model is better? Thanks!

I think you made a good trade.

I'd call them and ask. I don't how old the information Hastings has published is, but it might be that it was published prior to Remington making a 3.5" gun. Also, might check the Cabelas catalog. They carry Hastings barrels and might have some info listed concerning the 3.5" SPS. I'd definitely try to get the Hastings if it will fit your gun. I'm guessing it will.

The only negative I've ever heard is that sometimes TC puts out a barrel that's not very accurate. There seems to be no specific caliber that tends to be more prone to this. I've never experienced this personally and many people I know have TC rifles and all of them have gotten excellent shooting barrels. I have read numerous times that if your barrel won't shoot a good group, you can simply send it back to TC for replacement. If you are wanting a TC, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Are you considering the pro hunter or regular Encore?

Welcome to the forums! I think he's a great buck. Congrats.

If Hastings makes a barrel to fit your gun, get it! I've got one on an 870 and they shoot much better than the factory barrel. Get the Hastings, you won't be sorry!

Another PM sent.

Good shootin! If I ever change from Magnus heads, it'll be the Strykers. They are sharp, accurate, and strong. A great head!

Just another reason I can't hardly stand to watch hunting shows anymore. All they do is push products or hype this or that. I also don't like how they talk sometimes "Big daddy rabbit", etc. Just sounds ignorant to me. I saw that shot on the Mathews show last night. I'm sure he had to finish that buck off but he never mentioned it. Did you also notice how he said they had just found that place that day, but then later mentioned having trail cam pics of a monster buck with huge brow tines? Something about that was fishy to me. Why not just admit you made a bad shot, got lucky and spined the deer, and then showed what actually happened?

Jakapr, you ROCK! That's a great buck and a great story! I love how you have all those pictures of that buck plus the shed. I think things like that make a great deer even more special! Congratulations to you!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad to hear about your new rifle. What model A-Bolt did you get? I had a 300wsm in the Stainless Stalker. It was very accurate. Could you post some pics?

I've owned an Encore for three years now and I love the gun. I've got a .50 caliber muzzle loader barrel and a 20 gauge shotgun barrel. Both shoot very well. I've never had to use TC's customer service but I've heard a lot of good things about them. As far as trigger pull goes, mine is a little heavy but I plan on sending my frame off to Mike Belm this Winter and having that issue taken care of. I don't think you can go wrong with an Encore.

I got to handle the Triumph this past Saturday for the first time. I did not like the way it felt in my hands. The pistol grip area of the stock was way to thick for my taste and reminded me of the CVA Optima which I also dislike. I own an Encore and it just feels right to me. I've been debating between buying a new Browning A-Bolt or setting up a rifle barrel for the Encore and I think I've decided on the rifle barrel. To me, the Encore is the better muzzle loader simply because of feel. Have you thought about the Omega? TC currently has a $50.00 rebate on the Omega.

Wow! Now that's a trophy! Tell your friend congrats.

I like him and how he represents sportsmen, the outdoors, and how he stands up for the 2nd ammendment. However, I can't stand to watch his show. "This segment brought to you by" yada, yada, yada....... All he does is push products and that really turns me off. Just my opinion.

Excellent advice!