T/C contender/encore questions

[kscardsfan]

Does anyone here have one? And what do you think of them? There's a part of me that would really like one for the sake being able to play with new/different calibers without having to buy a whole new gun just to experiment. Are barrel changes pretty easy to do? And are they pretty accurate?

 

[Smith357]

I had a nice Contender set a few years ago but sold it when I needed cash. I'm still regreting that and hoping to start a new setup again soon. I had two frames one a dedicated rifle and the other a dedicated pistol. I had 8 barrels in in .22lr match, .223, .44mag, .30-30 and 45-70. Even the pistol barrels had sub MOA accuracy with handloads, not sure about the .45-70 though, it was a real brute in the light weight Contender and if I did not wear a glove the trigger guard would rip my knuckles open during recoil. The Bullberry .22lr barrel with the 50x scope and RWS R50 won many matches against high dollar target rifles. The .223 barrels worked best with 45 grain Ballistic tips and 25 grains of Varget. The short 14 .223 and .30-30 barrels were very loud, and threw some large fireballs I can only imagine what a 15" Encore in .308 would do.

As for reconfiguring the gun barrel swaps were very easy, the most time was consumed by changing over from the pistol grip to the rifle stock, so i bought a second frame to eliminate that change. Also the trigger was very simple and easy to adjust, i'm not sure about the New G2s and the Encore triggers, I have never dug into one.

 

[DeadAye]

Does anyone here have one? And what do you think of them? There's a part of me that would really like one for the sake being able to play with new/different calibers without having to buy a whole new gun just to experiment. Are barrel changes pretty easy to do? And are they pretty accurate?

I have a few and LOVE them.
Not only can you play with and use different calibers without having to buy another gun - You get to use them with the same super excellent trigger.
Takes a minute to change barrels and they are known for accuracy.

Downside: Some just can't deal with a single shot - They NEED to be able to put 20 rounds down range to hope to hit something. With a single shot you actually have to aim

I practice with a 22 barrel and deer hunt with a 7-30 Waters.
Like I said - I love these things.

Mine are the original Contenders, btw.

 

[dg101win]

I have one with a factory ported 12 inch barrel in 35Rem. I put a Burris 2 1/2x7 on it and it is great on Indiana whitetails.
I use the Hornady 180 Single shot pistol bullet,in Rem cases,H322 and Fed 210 primer. I chronographed this @ an average 2001fps. Also from the bench I can cover a 5 shot group with a quarter.

I also have the 45/410 barrel the one without the rib,played with it a little but nothing serious. Barrel changes are simple to do.

 

[NFrameFred]

I traded one up years ago that came with a 22 lr barrel and a 7/30 Waters barrel.

Having absolutely no interest in a four pound single shot 22, I managed to swap the rimfire barrel for a 45/70 barrel with a muzzle tamer, new in the box. Now we're cookin' !

I never got around to adding any other calibers (though I am tempted from time to time) as the two mentioned do just about anything I would want a scoped single shot hand cannon to do.

Hard to find a more accurate gun and you can spend a whole afternoon at the range and still only shoot a handful of rounds. When you know you only have the one shot, you tend to make it count. Venison steaks provided courtesy of Thompson Center Arms.

 

[servmgr64]

I haveboth got the Contender about 1976 is a pistol & the Encore about 5 years ago is a rifle. I have .22lr, 22 hornet, 30-30, 45 colt, & 3"410 for the contender. Encore barrels are .22lr, 22 hornet, 25-06, 30-06, & .50 black powder. I is great to use one gun for squirels & deer. Both shoot better than I can & would be among the last to go if they had to be sold.
Scott

 

[m75rlg]

'Nuff said!

 

[jkc]

I have an older SS Contender frame, and two "Super 14" SS bbls w/factory "Muzzle Tamer" brakes, one in .30-30, one in .223. Both are equipped with Aimpoint 2x/2MOA optics, and within those aiming instrument limitations, are up to 1.5 MOA groups, at least, and probably better with more sophisticated optics. I really like this system, and it's a boon for AZ's handgun javelina hunts, providing rifle-like range in a legal "handgun" package, along with optics suitable for my aging eyes. Barrel changes are quick and easy, trigger's good, what's not to like?

 

[625smith]

What's not to like. They are very accurate and fun. Great trigger. It you are looking for a contender get one with a serial number over 195000 as these are the easy open frame. Here is one of mine with a 45/70 barrel.

 

[n4zov]

I shot a 10" Contender chambered for .30 Herrett for quite a while in metallic silhouette matches and I can assure you they are plenty accurate! Also they are very adaptable. In addition to barrel changes you can easily mount scopes and other accessories.

 

[kscardsfan]

Ok, so here's the follow up to these questions, what is the difference between the contender and the encore? To my simple, over loaded brain they appear to be the same thing, but I know there has to be a catch/difference on there somewhere.

 

[ia1727]

Nuff Said !

'Nuff said!

Now that's what I'm talkin' bout' --shot 4 deer last year with mine, one of the original Contenders with their 2.5 x 7 scope with the lighted reticles for low light conditions.

Have a .357 max. ( taken countless deer with it)--.223 and this year a .44 Mag all. All are 14" barrels with muzzle tamers and scoped. Can't hardly wait for fall to use the .44 mag.

Get one you'll love it and it will make you a better shot, plus, it is a Smith & Wesson Company now.

Steve

 

[Smith357]

Ok, what is the difference between the contender and the encore?

In a nutshell the Encore is bigger. There are a few other minor differences but the Contender can't accept a round with a high pressure round with a case much bigger than a .30-30. The Encore can use bigger cartridges with higher pressures like .30-06 .338mag.

There are two disadvantages to the Encore. Older Contenders can have their triggers tuned to a high degree. I have not seen anybody claim they can tune an Encore trigger to that level. (But of course the Contender itself is now the "G2" and its trigger isn't as simple either.) The biggest "disadvantage" of the Encore is weight. They made it stronger by using more steel.

 

[AR_Black]

Have a .357 max. ( taken countless deer with it)
Steve

Steve - what load are you using for deer? I've got a Contender 10" .357 max bbl on the way for Illinois deer season ths fall.

Last year, I only had an Encore with a 14" .45-70 and a 4x scope. I didn't see any deer, but it certainly helped remove all the remaining leaves from the trees in a 100 yard radius

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T/C single shots - addicting and expensive. Well worth it!

 

[jbcap]

I have two contender frames, one with a 14" hunter barrel in 223 with a 3-9x pistol scope, deadly accurate. I also have a 10" barrel in 41mag and one in 44mag. The recoil on the 44mag is a little more than I like but they are very accurate. I ended up with two frames after looking for the 41 mag barrel and bought the whole set-up for $150, only wanted the barrel, but couldn't turn that one down. Barrel changes are very fast, take the fore end off, push the pin out and swap the barrel. I have been looking to purchase a few more barrels but other projexts have put that on the back burner. Joe

 

[zercool]

I traded into a Contender with a 14" .30-30 earlier this year, and can't wait to take it out for deer season this fall. It's definitely got some bark, but it's a ton of fun to shoot!

 

[ia1727]

Steve - what load are you using for deer? I've got a Contender 10" .357 max bbl on the way for Illinois deer season ths fall.

Last year, I only had an Encore with a 14" .45-70 and a 4x scope. I didn't see any deer, but it certainly helped remove all the remaining leaves from the trees in a 100 yard radius

-----

T/C single shots - addicting and expensive. Well worth it!

AR--

This is what works for me in a 14" barrel :

20 gr. IMR 4227 w/ CCI 400 primer and Hornady #35771--180 gr. .357 HP/XTP bullet.

With good shot placement he won't go 20 yards.

Good luck hunting.

Steve

 

[H Richard]

The Encore will accept a lot more high velocity and high pressure cartridges. However older Contender barrels and current G2 barrels will not fit an Encore, and Encore barrels will not fit a Contender or G2. Many great older barrels ave available but you need at least the G2 frame to handle them. They are great guns to play with, and very versatile. I've had the older Contender for over 25 years, and quite a few barrels have been on it. A barrel swap is about a 1 minute job, remove the fore end, punch out the cress pin. Mount new barrel, insert cross pin and install fore end.

 

[kscardsfan]

I can only assume that the rigid frame and barrel interface makes them insanely accurate. Are the "less tunable" triggers still pretty good triggers? Or are they pretty sorry triggers?

 

[Andy Griffith]

They aren't bad triggers as compared with other factory guns out there, but if you are looking for a 8oz. trigger- look elsewhere.

The guns are very accurate in pistol form. I have one in .410, with barrels for .32-20 and 5.7x28.

It seems that the rifle sometimes doesn't seem to live up to the accuracy of their pistol brethren and many have come up with ways to bring the Encore into into sub M.O.A. accuracy by doing many things to tighten it up.

I can't find the links though, as they were on my old computer.