TC Encore vs Contender

[Liver]

I am looking at both of these. Most likely all I'll ever shoot out of it is 357 magnum and 22LR (suppressed of course).

I know the encore doesn't have 357 or 22 LR options directly from TC. I do know where to find them.

The reason for the question is I'm only going to get one or the other, not both. And the most important part is the it'll be an SBR. I don't want both SBRs. One or the other.

I like the larger bore options of the Encore (it's good to have options), but it doesn't have the 357 & 22 barrels from TC.

Advice?

[CanOfWhooppass]

I think the Contender has a nicer weight/balance to it, if you don't need the mega calibers.

[Tony M.]

I've got an SBR'd Contender G2. I love it, but I wish it was an encore. Mainly because of the cheaper encore pistol barrels that I always seem to run across. The additional calibers available on the encore frame are also appealing.

[Liver]

I've got an SBR'd Contender G2. I love it, but I wish it was an encore. Mainly because of the cheaper encore pistol barrels that I always seem to run across. The additional calibers available on the encore frame are also appealing.

That's what I'm trying to avoid. Thanks.

[Garrett]

Suppressed SBR? The Contender will handle most common subsonic calibers you want for that role.

If I ever get an Encore, it will be for larger supersonic stuff.

I've got a couple of .357 barrels, .22LR, 300 Whisper, .223. Maybe one or two others. The lighter Contender does all of them just fine.

[Liver]

If I go Contender, any particular one to get?

[jreinke]

If you want to shoot rim fire ammo, the Contender is your ONLY option. Buy the new G2 Contender as it has the latest internal upgrades that TC has implemented. What I'm referring to is that the old style Contenders, if you road the hammer down on a live chamber, you'd have to break open the action to reset the sear to re-cock the hammer. Not so with the G2 Contender and Encore.

[Liver]

If you want to shoot rim fire ammo, the Contender is your ONLY option. Buy the new G2 Contender as it has the latest internal upgrades that TC has implemented. What I'm referring to is that the old style Contenders, if you road the hammer down on a live chamber, you'd have to break open the action to reset the sear to re-cock the hammer. Not so with the G2 Contender and Encore.

The contender is NOT the only option. It is the only factory option. However people are getting extreme accuracy out of encores with 22LR barrels.

I like shooting sub sonics out of suppressors. It's cool, I get it. I have 10000 rounds of CCI Quiet (710 FPS) in my garage.

The real value, in my opinion, is shooting loud supersonic ammo out of a suppressor. Makes it that much safer for my hearing. A lot of sub sonics are (almost) hearing safe without a suppressor. Just my opinion.

For those reasons I am strongly considering an Encore. It's really messed up. I have one machine gun, 2 SBRs, and 2 suppressors pending just because of 41p. They are all things I would bought over some time, just got accelerated.

I've never fired an Encore so that was the purpose of this thread. To get opinions on the platform and its suppression. As you can imagine not many people have a TC and even less have suppressed them.

[Kanook]

I built these for the wife and I for Christmas. I started out with consecutive numbered Encore frames, then found the 300 Blackout barrels, then the stocks from Boyds. We are using our TBAC CB9 suppressors.

We went with the Encore frame because we will mostly be using as suppressed rifles in calibers the regular Contender doesn't come in (.260 Rem, .308 Win, and a couple others.) My friend has a couple pistol barrels for his Encore so I built a pistol first while waiting for my stocks to show up, then I built the rifles so that in the future we can build pistols. His 30/30 is a nice handful.



added edit; I have a Contender (1st year I was told) in 357mag and 357max.

[Liver]

That is awesome. Wow. Both SBR? Where did you engrave? What caliber did you put on the form?

[Kanook]

Thanks for the compliment. They are actually full size, legal 16 1/2" barrel length rifles. Although I do want to shorten the stocks about 2" for a better LOP.

I had planned on the SBR route but decided I didn't want to worry about state lines and forgetting the 5320.20 (I think) permission.

There is enough room on the trigger guard for all my trust info if I decide to do it.

[Liver]

If I was going to replace the barrel and get a nice aftermarket stock (like yours), does it matter what Encore I start with?

Basically are there differences in the Encore series aside from the barrels and stocks it comes with? Should I just get the cheapest and go from there?

[Tony M.]

There are differences between the encore and the pro hunter, I know the pro hunter has a different hammer, but don't recall the other differences.

The trigger guard isn't a great place to engrave, as it's not the actual firearm frame. I had the engraving done on either side of my trigger guard, it's legal, and there was plenty of room on the G2, I assume there would be on the encore as well.

[Kanook]

http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=110

Hope the link helps explain some differences in the frames.

[Liver]

http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=110

Hope the link helps explain some differences in the frames.

Thanks. Thats one of the places I searched out that can help with a 22LR Encore barrel. Didn't see that link. Now the differences between the Encore and Encore Pro Hunter (if any).

[Neil]

I wouldn't advise letting cheap barrel availability sway your decision. After owning Contenders for over 30 years, I now have 3 original Contenders, 1 G2 Contender, and 1 Encore. I will NEVER buy another factory barrel for any of them. The least accurate custom barrel I've ever owned was more accurate than the most accurate factory barrel. This included at least one of the T/C custom shop barrels, which are nothing special accuracy wise. If there are good factory barrels hitting the market, they are too few and far between to gamble on finding one.

[Cannon500]

I'm really fond of my Contender SBR. Right now it's wearing a 10" 357 Maximum barrel, and the youth size buttstock. 22.5" long, and less than 4 lbs.

I have a 10" 22 LR barrel threaded for my Sparrow, and when the right deal comes along on another 22 barrel, I'll cut it back to 4 or 5 inches.

[Liver]

I wouldn't advise letting cheap barrel availability sway your decision. After owning Contenders for over 30 years, I now have 3 original Contenders, 1 G2 Contender, and 1 Encore. I will NEVER buy another factory barrel for any of them. The least accurate custom barrel I've ever owned was more accurate than the most accurate factory barrel. This included at least one of the T/C custom shop barrels, which are nothing special accuracy wise. If there are good factory barrels hitting the market, they are too few and far between to gamble on finding one.

Getting a 357 mag and 22 LR barrel for an Encore is anything but cheap.

[photoman12001]

I can't speak to the Encore but I have a pair of Contenders (rifle and pistol) that make awesome suppressor hosts. The pistol is especially fun and on some days I can shoot it better than the rifle; its trigger is exceptional. I have toyed with the idea of registering one of the frames as an SBR. Right now I only have a .22LR Match barrel for each and a .22WMR barrel for the pistol but I will probably pick up some other calibers once my Octane 45 HD is approved.

[RMears 45]

I like the Contender, I have 2 old style frames and 6 barrels. I love how you can choose between rimfire and center fire with just a flip of the switch. My 16" 30/30 carbine is my go to gun for deer. I have an Encore, Remington 700, Savage and Ruger all in 308 and 2 ARs but if you see me in the woods most likely I will be carrying my 30/30. It is short, light and a joy to shoot especially with my hand loaded 125gr Sierra Game Kings. My Son SBRed his frame to a 10" 44 mag and loves it. We will be threading the 357 mag barrel soon for some quiet moments at the range. The versatility of the cartridge selection, the ease of rimfire selection and the adjustable trigger make my choice the Contender ...... Hands down.

[RMears 45]

Photoman, I love the old Western knife in your photos. They don't make'em like that " no mo ".

[photoman12001]

Photoman, I love the old Western knife in your photos. They don't make'em like that " no mo ".

It's a cool one for sure. Someone posted a photo of one on another forum and I had to track an example down for myself.