TC Encore Accuracy w/ Factory Ammunition

I

IdleChater

New member
Hey Gang:

I am going to get a new rifle. As some of you may have seen, I was debating between the Savage 12 and 16 - but - I started to investigate the T/C Encore and it has captured my imagination...

My concern is accuracy with factory ammunition. I was reading on a couple of sites and it seems that the only way to get MOA accuracy is to load to the gun. I know that many get MOA accuracy out of the Savage w/ factory ammunition. As I do not have the time right now to reload, it is important to get MOA accuracy from factory ammunition.

For those of you shooting the Encore, is MOA likely with factory ammunition, or should I stick with my original plans of getting a Savage?

Thanks.
 
Good question....with the exception of the 223 Winchester 45 grain HP ammo I bought recently, I basically reload my other ammo. The Winchester white box 223 stuff shoots MOA and maybe even a little under MOA...but with my 22-250 and 25-06 barrels, my handloads shoot 1/2" groups in the 22-250 and 0.44" groups in the 25-06.

One thing that I found with both my 22-250 and 25-06 barrels was that the headspace was more than I was willing to accept and it also caused less than great groups. By purchasing once fired brass and setting the headspace through my die adjustment, I achieved the sub 1/2" groups.

Hope that helps?????
 
There is an argument that, on the break-open single shots, neck-sized brass, or partially re-sized brass will give better accuracy than either full length resized, or factory ammo. This phenomena seems to be due to the fact that a slightly larger neck (fired in the same rifle) centers the bullet closer in relation to the bore. A LITTLE more pressure (from more length) on the breech/ barrel joint also seems to increase accuracy.
Mark
 
Well, I have an Encore, in a pistol version, chambered in
.308 Win., and I have a Savage Striker(model 12 without
a butt stock /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif), in .308 Win. The Encore has a 15"
stainless factory barrel, with no break, and the Striker
has a 14" blued barrel, with no break. The Striker
will shoot some factory ammo sub MOA, and the Encore
would be lucky to get to 1.5 MOA, even after it went
back to T/C for horrible groups. With hand loads,
the Savage is about .5 MOA. With every hand
load I have tested in the Encore, the best was about 1.25
MOA. The T/C has been a very frustrating experience
accuracy wise. And I am not willing to start sinking
more money into it to get things like barrel hangers,
and over sized pins, in an attempt to get to MOA or
better accuracy. It should come that way from the
factory! I even gave them a second chance to get it
there. I will say that they took a 5 MOA barrel and
got it it a 1.5 MOA barrel, but every time I shoot the
Striker, I look at that POS Encore, and get more angry.

So in my experience, if I were looking for a rifle, that had
MOA accuracy, or better, with factory ammo, and the choices
were Savage, or T/C Encore, I would RUN, not walk, to the
Savage rifle rack! For what it is worth, my T/C Encore is
taking a one way ride to the gun store this weekend, and I am
trading it for another Savage 16.

Squeeze
 
Squeeze,

Sorry to hear of your dilemma with the Encore....

To be honest, I haven't heard many bad things regarding their accuracy to date. Maybe the iscolated incidence of problems with accuracy here & there, like yours, but for the most part, their accuracy has been well reported.

I have two Contender's and two Encore's in rifle & handgun configurations. I think I've shot just about most every caliber they've made in them, and some wildcats. I like the .308 (as you) and I've got a Striker in 7mm08.
My one 15" handgun barrel that I've kept in the Encore is in .243. I did have one in .308 last year, but I traded it off for a .223 carbine barrel.
My .308 barrel shot 5 round groups from 1/2" to 3/4" at 100yds using Varget and Hornady's. Very happy with it.
It's quite possible that you had gotten a barrel that was poorly machined.....I've seen a few coming out of the factory that wouldn't shoot good no matter what was done. But, providing the barrel is the culprit, after several trials at the bench, Thompson (I've read) has stood behind their products and have sent out new barrels.

Maybe you got to stand on them a bit, don't know....

Savages are great shooting guns as well for the money. I like them also, (had several) but in my own opinion, I like the versatility of the Encore/Contender, (rifle, handgun, muzzleloader & shotgun), and regarding followup shots, although a possibility, they're extremely rare.

With practice, you can closely duplicate the time required to reload a single shot, as is possible with a bolt gun. Although I've done it in the past, it was rare.
They also recently had an episode on the "Outdoor Channel" doing just that, and I think the single shot shooter was actually quicker. Just got to have your ammo at the ready.

Regarding Encore accuracy, my heavy barrelled .223 rifle will shoot as well as my best bolt gun in .22-250.
1/2" 5 shot groups or less at 100yds. I give the edge to my bolt gun on an average basis, but it's hard to tell sometimes.

IdleChater......beware, the singles are habit forming /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Take care,
Bob
 
I've had the T/C encore and a couple of savage's, and the encore is a much better gun!The encore was in 223, 22-250 and 308. All would shoot 1/2" groups at 100yrds with factory ammo. Got lucky and the first lood I tried with all three would do 1/2" (223, 22-250 hornady vmax, 308 win 150psp).IdleChatter you should have no problems with your new encore and factory ammo.
 
My Encore is my one and only coyote rifle, excellent accuracy. Get a 6 shell wrist band for a shell holder, that makes follow up shots pretty quick with practice. Make sure it's a wrist band shell holder, I believe the regular shell holders are too small for the Encore. And as previously stated, Winny white box ammo, excellent accuracy but not a fur friendly round.

t/c223encore.
 
Hey Gang:

I appreciate your comments... UGH, such a tough decision... It seems that the jury is still out on the accuracy with FACTORY ammunition... Several of the above post indicate that with reloads, you can get excellent accuracy, but as many indicate that with FACTORY ammunition the accuracy might suffer...

Why do these decisions have to be so darn hard!!!!!

Others feel free to put in your 0.02...

Regards,
 
Hey, that just gives you a perfectly good reason to get into reloading. what more could you possibly ask /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

On the serious side, I know nothing about the Savage line of weapons.... the two you mentioned may or may not be single shots?????

I like single shots and I like the Encore....one frame, one trigger, one feel, etc., etc.

Many folks talk about follow-up shots on doubles and the such. Some folks are real quick at reloading the Encore. It takes practice.

Just a little extra info for ya. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
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To add to my previous post in which I totally bypassed answering your question (my apologies to you) I get 1/2 inch groups at 100 with the winchester white box 45 grain hp's (40 rounds) that come from wal-mart. And it could probably do better in the hands of a better shooter.

t/c223encore.
 
at times T/C quality control leaves a lot to be desired... I've been real fortunate with my 2 Encores... I've gotten an oversized hinge pin for the stainless action, but the blue has shot real well with the factory pin... free floating the fore arm with a couple "O" rings works wonders, tightening the rear screw first seems to settle some guns in also... I shoot all plastic stocks on mine and I take a blade and a Dremel tool and work over the fore ends also... you can't over tighten the fore end screws either, I just snug mine, and the "O" rings tend to keep them there... if you decide to get an Encore, hang out on Mike Bellm's site a world of good info there... stay away from Graybeards cesspool... way to much misinformation spewn about there...
 


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