Doc Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 Ok, I'm getting very close to and very serious about buying a Thompson Center Encore in .223 caliber. What I would like to hear is all the comments good or bad about the company, their features, reliability, accuracy, and any other aspects of that particular gun that might influence whether or not you would recommend buying or not buying it. So far, I have heard only one complaint and that was about the trigger pull. The term that was used was "Lawyer trigger" because it comes from the factory with a fairly heavy trigger pull that has many customers requesting some modification almost immediately. I just thought that with all the scuttlebutt that goes on in the gun enthusiast community, that there must be quite a few experiences (positive or negative) that have been passed around. Personally, I would rather hear them before buying than to experience them after buying. Can you guys help me out? Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 I have an Encore ML, no centerfire rifle barrel yet. I love it. Very accurate, and the trigger pull is not heavy at all IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 I have several barrel for my encore....One of which is a 223 heavy barrel. TC calls it heavy but I wouldn't. Yes it is heavier than a normal hunting rifle but not as heavy as varmint/heavy barreled rifle. With that said I am very happy it is NOT as heavy. I pack this rifle A LOT as I coyote hunt. So I am glad it is not to heavy . Several yotes have been shot with this gun. MANY many prairie dogs have been shot with this gun too. When ever we make the trip to S. Dakota this rifle goes too. I have killed prairie dogs from 100 to 400 yards with it. So it's accuracy is good. SUB MOA is not a problem. I will agree that the trigger pull is heavy. But that is my only complaint. I really love the gun:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKYhunter Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Keep them coming guys. Your building my confidence in this upcoming purchase. However, if anybody has any complaints, I would like to hear them. We're talking a fair amount of money here and me being an extreme cheap-skate, I am really anguishing over this expenditure. Not only do I have to buy the gun, but I may spring for a good quality scope. So, when I buy this gun, I want to be just plain in love with it forever. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shorty785 Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 a guy i hunt with just got a new thompson center icon in 308 caliber and that is probably one of the nicest guns i've seen trust me it looks better than my 300 that i paid 1800 for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Lake Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Yeah, T/C rifles are tough to beat..American-made quality in every ounce..I am looking into one of their centerfire rifles currently as well..7mm-08. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 IMHO, if you really like a good trigger and don't want to spend a pile of money on the rifle then take a very serious look at a Tikka T3 in 223REM. The Tikka's trigger requires only 1 screw to adjust the tension. You can set it down to around 2 lbs pretty easily. On top of that these rifles are seriously accurate. Yeah I know it's not a single shot but these guns are very lightweight and IMHO as easy to carry around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorden Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 No complaints about mine, I love it;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKYhunter Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohiobucks Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 I've got a 30.06 barrel for my Encore, it shoots very well. 50 cal muzzleloader as well, it shoots pretty good as well. Can't go wrong IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 Are you considering the pro hunter or regular Encore? I'm thinking of getting the regular Encore with a walnut stock and blued barrel. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 I give you one observation you might want to examine with the Encore. Tell me what you think. This is a bigger deal, if you often hunt tight quarters where your rifle shots will be less than 50yards. As far as I know it's impossible to COCK the hammer silently. You will get an amazingly loud CLICK! In close quarters this can be all it takes to blow your opportunity and spook game. For this reason I make sure I can get the weapon ready to fire absolutely quietly or I don't take that weapon where close shots might be possible. Perhaps that's been fixed on these guns now. I'm really not sure. But it was very very loud on the old Contenter Pistols. It kept my from ever considering one. I've had loud safety clicks ruin opportunities for me. Lesson learned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 This is a bigger deal, if you often hunt tight quarters where your rifle shots will be less than 50yards. As far as I know it's impossible to COCK the hammer silently. You will get an amazingly loud CLICK! . My Encore has somewhat of a click. I wouldn't say it's any louder than any other safety. It's more of a thud than a click. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 I will check out the hammer noise next time I'm someplace where I can get my hands on one. Nice thing about that is that it is real quick to test out. Thanks for clueing me in so I can check it out. These are the kinds of things I want to know about so I can see for myself if they are bothersome or maybe even a deal-breaker. Things like that may seem to be picky, but they are the kinds of things that I would like to evaluate before a purchase rather than after. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacybohunter Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 i have the regular encore in 30-06,its 5 years old killed 7 deer with it all under 40 yards, the thud or click sound never was a issue:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruse Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 I had a encore in 300 mag. It shot ok but I just prefer a bolt gun. My buddy bought it and used on a bear hunt. He did scare off a bear with it. He pulled on the barrel release inplace of the trigger. Anything can happen. bruse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 So has anyone done any serious target shooting with their encore, or know someone who has? What kinds of groups are their barrels capable of? How do they compare with other rifles for accuracy? I do like to mess around with targets a bit, and that will be another major use of this rifle. I'm not talking official competition, but just some bench-rest practice that checks out my shooting and the accuracy of the gun. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m gardner Posted December 5, 2008 Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 Go to http://www.bellmtcs.com/ for info regarding the factory accuracy and ways to improve it. I've worked over the actions and triggers on mine and there was a marked improvement on the problem rifles. Verticle stringing is common on break action rifles and Mike Bellm has good advice to help. I sight mine in with a cold barrel becuase they tend to walk as they warm up. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2008 Interesting web site, but would tend to scare anyone away from buying any TC products. Lots of info there, but it tends to lack a lot of "quantification". It is useful to know of existing problems, but I tend to like some correlation of a defined problem to just what to expect down at the target (in inches). Are we talking problems that produce bullet scatter that has to be measured with precision instruments, or are they inaccuracies that are measured with a 6" scale? It's something like reading a Consumer Reports article about a certain model of car. Often they will list problems or assets that mean very little to me and what I expect out of a car. The same thing applies to articles that describe problems with a gun but do not tell you what the accuracy penalties are that each of these problems cause. At any rate, it is good to see another side to the TC evaluations, and gives me something to look out for. I was beginning to wonder why anyone would buy any other kind of gun after hearing all the praise here for TC......lol. However, I would guess that the author of that web-site must have a fairly powerful love for the TC guns to have invested so much time and study into them. I will be spending quite a while perusing that web-site, and maybe take a copy of it down to our local gunsmith for comments. Thanks again for the link, that is the kind of info that I was looking for. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whttlbucksteve Posted December 6, 2008 Report Share Posted December 6, 2008 Ill start by saying Ilove my T/C The hammer is not that load.What are you going to hunt try out the 206 barrel super fast and great for yotes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2008 It's a good thing I'm not very impulsive because I have changed my mind...... again. I got my hands on a Thompson Encore Pro Hunter, and that's the one I've got to have!!!! The Flextech stock with the fluted 28" stainless heavy barrel. Yes, it's a whole lot more money than what I was initially looking at, but I'm just buying it once, and I want to get what I want. The gun will have split duty.......Bench rest target shooting (no official competition, just messing around) and predator hunting (coyotes, foxes, etc.). For my applications the .223 seems to be ideal, and it won't cost me an arm and a leg to re-load. The heavy barrel may not be the best choice for lugging around, predator hunting, but actually, I did have a chance to lift and feel one at Bass-Pro, and it really didn't seem to be that bad. I know the heavy barrel is an asset for my target shooting. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneshot Posted December 7, 2008 Report Share Posted December 7, 2008 Here's mine and I love it. I would never get rid of it. And it is definately a .223 critter cracker!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2008 Oneshot- Is that a 24" or 26" barrel? How does it do on targets off the bench? Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m gardner Posted December 7, 2008 Report Share Posted December 7, 2008 Well my .223 shoots under an inch since I started reloading for it (headspace is kept to a minimum which helps accuracy in this rifle). I worked the trigger over and it breaks at 2 pounds now. I also put a snug fitting hinge pin and a stiffer bolt locking spring. Before this it was hard pressed to shoot 4 inch groups from a cold clean barrel. A friend has one with a Bullberry custom barrel that is fitted and it shoots one hole groups. Most guys I talk to at the range say that they don't shoot well from the factory and I called Thompson Center and asked for help and they basically said I was on my own and to sight it in to take advantage of where the first shot from a cold barrel landed because break action rifles did tend to vertically string. Most of the guys who have the Pro Hunters are getting better results though. I really love my Browning A-Bolt. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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