Encore Problems

Bearcat 74

Bearcat 74

New member
Guys, I have an Encore 45/70 24" blued rifle and it has never shot real well. I had a moving zero with a VX-1 2-7 Leupold, switched the scope to a 3x9 Nikon and I am still having the same problem. So far I have put two pretty good scopes on teh gun and I am having trouble, I have never made it past 50yds trying to zero. I have shot 3 different factories and I have loaded for it myself. Should I send the gun back to T/C or what? I have another Encore .223 and a 50cal barrel that shoot lights out with the right ammo. The 45/70 will group good but the zero moves.


Thoughts??


Thanks!
 
Is the hinge pin fitting tight into the barrel and action? Could it be slipping and changing the lock-up of the action? I went to the accuracy hinge pin offered by E.A. Brown and Co. Just a thought.
 
Totch94, I just came from that site, I guess I should have read more before I posted. I am sanding hard on the wings of the forearm right now. Gonna check the hinge pin in a second. I pulled my forearm off the gun and I have a question, again. Looking from the wings forward, you have ridge, hole, ridge, hole, ridge. Should the ridges be level? I have a bad mark on my barrel on the second ridge forward of the wings - middle ridge - and if I lay an arrow in there it does not lay flat at all, if I push the back of the arrow down to the first screw hole the front of the arrow is about 1/4" above the second screw hole. This seems like it would be putting some stress on the barrel? Yes/No? Time to sand this down, yes/no?


Thanks
 
I put some 1/2" squares of gasket materiel at the screw holes to free float the barrel also t/c 44/70 barrels have no throat in them i sent mine to bellm and had him cut a throat in it so i could shoot heavy cast bullets.

Mine is a 24" bull barrel from T/C's custom shop
Now it will shoot 3 420gr slugs in to about an 1" at 100yrds

Gary
 
Bearcat44,

Sometimes the T/C fore-arm just plain does not fit all barrels properly. Place the forearm on the barrel holding it tightly to the barrel and if it pivots from the barrel tip to the breech area you have a high spot on the molded barrel supports. Relieve that area with a dremmel tool or sandpaper. Using the washers at the fore-arm screw supports is a quick fix but not a cure all.

Relieveing the rabbit ears (coving the hinge pin) is recommended but also some barrels shoot very well with some additional fore-end pressure at the tip. This is just the nature of single shot rifles. Just use a folded match book cover to test this.

A over size hinge pin from Mike Bellm (1X or 2X) is necessary since you have (relieved) floated the rabbit ear section of the fore-arm. The rabbit ears are designed to keep the hinge pin in place but if the hinge pin is under-sized it has to go.

Also shoot some of the new Hornady Revolution ammo in your barrel.

Hog
 
Well, it rocks badly, so I guess I will be sanding more today. After checking I do think the hinge pin is small so I will order the 1x and 2x from Bellm or one from E.A. Brown.


Thanks for the help
 
Shot again this morning, I am putting some forward pressure on the forearm on the bags. Instead of adjusting the bags I would push forward on the gun to get on target. 1st shot a little low, 2nd shot 2" lower than first, 3rd shot was with the first, noticed what I was doing 4-5-6-7th shots a quarter will cover them all. This was just at 50yds. I ground out a high spot and put a washer over the rear hole to level everything. When I grab the forearm and buttstock and twist I can get a little movement, I guess this is where a larger hinge pin will come in.

Thoughts on the hinge pin?

Ammo was 405gr Rem factory loads. The only 2 other loads that interest me are the Federal 300gr and the LeverEvolution 325gr. I really think these 405's will serve me well as a long shot is 75yds, recoil is nonexistant. I have shot these 405's handloaded to just over 2000fps, don't need that for whitetails.
 
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The O/S hinge pin from Mike Bellm will help if the holes in your frame or barrel lug are over size. You should not be able to push the hinge pin out with a finger. With the gun broken open you should have to tap the hinge pin out with a soft punch. When shooting these guns from the bench it helps to keep the front bag as close to the frame as possible, consistency is the key to getting good groups from the Encore.

Bob
 
Bob, I remember reading on here that having the bag close to the frame is important, so I always do that. As for my hinge, I can push it out easily with my finger, so I guess that explains a lot.


Thanks!
 
If you place "downward pressure" with your hand on a Encore
fore-arm the bullet will impact "LOW". Same thing with a Ruger #1. Having your hand on the fore-arm to steady the rifle changes the rilfe's abilty to "Free-Recoil".

Get your bags under the rear fore-arm screw.

Hog
 
I don't have my hand on the forearm, I was pushing forward with my shoulder, lowering the muzzle to get on target. This is giving me a low point of impact, which is opposite of what I think it should do, I would figure it would be high because it would be upward pressure in the forearm.

I am going to order a new hinge pin, probably the on from e a brown and see what that does.

I called T/C and they said it sounded like it met their accuracy requirements.
 
Bellm pin I've had bad luck with ebco got a crocked forarm from them sent it back and got another that was just as bad they told me it was not their falt as they just sell them, i had to fight to get my money back.

Gary
 
Somebody had given me an idea to free float the barrel by placing o-rings on the screws between the barrel and forearm.
 
I just used some nylon spacers from the hardward store, ground a contour on one side with a dremel so it matched the barrel shape, then RTVd them in place on the Flex-Tech forend, bought some longer 8-40 screws from Brownell's to mount the forend. Sanded the inside of the "ears" to clear the frame, it's completely floated except where it mounts to the barrel. Used furnace tape to keep the pin in place and to keep it from rotating, although I don't think it needed it, thought I'd try it before buying a locking pin. The first trip to the range it shot a .706" 3 shot group with 270gr Hornady RN with a near max load of N160 in the 375H&H PH barrel, can't complain about that!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 


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