I wanna throw my encore away

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Creekrunner

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I bought a pro hunter a couple years ago and haven't ever been able to obtain any accuracy out of it I've tried a gob of different bullets and amounts of t7 loose but the best I can get of it is 3.5 " 5 shot groups at 100 yards. The last month or so I've really started to dig deep and do some homework trying to figure out the best way to fine tune this gun to make it better. I know I am getting a horrible crud ring and that's not helping the matter I'm not new to bp but all this information is starting to get confusing. I want to try bh209 but not sure what I need to do so. I be read about variflames vent liner o-ring and the pr adapters but I guess I just need some help with the basics and any ideas you guys might have. The funds are low for me and I'd like to spend what I have on stuff that will help the most and go from there. Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated thanks
 
I'm not a T/C expert or even a novice at that but from what I have read on the prohunter is that there are a bunch of after market upgrades to accurize them. First you may want to look into a new hinge pin, they come in 1x and 2x to tighten up your action and that is a big one on accuracy. Contact a member on here by the name of Encore50A he will fill in the gaps on the other things from trigger springs to hammer springs and even a lock up spring I think. You should be able to shoot Bh209 from your stock breech plug you just need a magnum primer such as a Fed209A or a CCI209M. You will also want a drill bit to clean the carbon out of your plug not sure on the size but only spin it by hand so you don't damage your plug. Hope this helps.
 
X 2 on everything Hornet said. I think I remember Encore saying the entire kit for trigger springs and new hinge pin was like $30 or less. And if you are mechanically inclined and can follow directions you can do the work yourself. Hope you pm'd him or he will see this eventually and respond, I am sure.
 
I know my hing pin isn't as tight as I believe it should be I can use my punch and smack it out by hand with a good pop I also am going to do the springs just didn't know they were that inexpensive. I am also concerned about the crud ring. It's bad bad after one shot if I don't basically do a complete clean I can't get a bullet past it and seated properly which only makes my problem 10x worse I'm sure. I guess my question is with the bh209 will I get the same problem and what would everyone recommend as a breech plug .
 
BH209 = absolutely no crud ring. The TC Encore/Omega is one of the best production breech plugs for BH209 ignition. NO reason to even think about changing it. You just need to use magnum primers. I personally use Federal 209A primers in my Omega but know others who prefer the CCI M primers. I use T7 in my Traditions Sporter because its breech plug design does not allow for use of BH209. If you run a simple spit patch after every shot the crud ring will not be a problem. I have shot as many as 20 shots in a session by only running 1 spit patch after every shot. Take a plain cotton patch, lick one side of it, using your ramrod with cleaning jag run patch all the way to bottom of bore using short rapid strokes increasing the length of every stroke until until all the way to the breech. Then pull out patch, flip it over to dry side and with one long smooth stroke run it all the way to the breech. This is for T7 and is not necessary with BH209. Also if you don't like the taste of cotton you can use a spray bottle and spritz a little water on the patch. Just don't soak it or you will have to run more patches to dry the bore. Personally having a TC with the best production breach plug I would switch to BH and never look back. Good luck with whatever you do.
 
I will just add, seems crazy to pay the kind of money they want for an Encore, then have to install some after market additions to make it accurate. T/C should be ashamed of them selves. But if $30.00 would make it accurate I would sure go that route. If that fails, I would be calling T/C.
 
I shoot a encore this is my load black horn 209 100 grains with 300 sst bullet with red or black sabot . I can shoot all day without cleaning the barrel at range . My rifle is all factory and it's shoots 1" Moa . I also had problems with triple seven .
 
I have the TC Fx Pro Hunter, and everything said above has been true for me: cleanining the fire channel of the breech plug with a drill regularly, magnum primers, try to go with black horn....it is great. I was getting 3 1/2 to 4inch groups at 100 yards, I was running a spit patch down the barrel between shots. I have found that my gun will group extremely well with a dirty barrel........shooting the dirtybarrel has made all the difference in my groups.... I can get 1 1/2 groups now. Using the black horn, I do not have to clean until I am done shooting. The bullet/sabot combo I found to work in mine after a couple of years of experimenting is the Barnes 250 boat tails - with the yellow harvestor crushed rib sabots made for boat tails. Good Luck!
 
I have an Endeavor and a 45 I built with parts from a pro hunter and a Bergara Barrel. I will mention a few things I have learned the hard way. The Endeavor will not shoot accurate with 777 all it does is get a massive crud-ring, with Pyrodex or Blackhorn and 110 grains of Blackhorn and a 50 /40 200 grain Shock Wave or a 250 grain Shock Wave it will shoot under an inch when I don't jerk the trigger.
The other things I have done to them is the oversize pin from Belm and put two steel warshers between the barrel and the forearm, I also sand the ears of the forearm that go over the pin so I can slide a dollar under them. The other thing we know od is that some have a off center muzzzle inset the only thing that can be done about that is having the barrel shortend by a couple inches and rebuttoned. I also repace the trigger spring on mine as I did not care for the trigger pull. :roll:
 
I have a pro hunter .50 Cal, from out of the box it shot 1" to 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards, with just about anything I put down the barrel, shooting BH 209. I would not fool with modifying your gun, T/C would hold it against you. I would contact T/C and if they didn't make it right I would never buy another gun from T/C. I know from everything I have heard about a pro hunter I would never buy another one.
 
All it is to me is 209 primers and triple 7 powder is your problem . So stop using 777 !
 
Try getting ahold of ENCORE50A he has done some pretty impressive stuff with the Encore platform.Kinda suprised he has not chimed in yet.He has radar for this kinda stuff.
 
Have you cleaned out your breech plug flame channel. Go to Blackhorn 209s website and learn how to clean it with a 1/8" drill bit.

Clean the firing pin assembly.

Get Mike Bellms 1x & 2x hinge pin set.

Change out the locking lug spring. Mike Bellms carries them.

Change to Blackhorn 209 powder.
 
I am going to do that just change things one at a time. Thanks for the info I'll let you guys know what happens. One more quick question my dad has the omega I can shoot the bh out of it just using the hotter primer as well ?
 
You can shoot Blackhorn out of the Omega using any shotgun primer. The primers don't need to be 'hotter'. Myself, i have shot a few thousand shots of Blackhorn out of my Omega(s), and the primer i have used the most is the W209. Just don't use the special reduced heat primers like the 777 primers intended to reduce the crud ring. Same is true for my Knight Disc Extreme. In that rifle i have only used W209 primers, because they fit the best.

It is a myth that one needs 'hot' primers for Blackhorn. The myth probably got it's start because when Blackhorn was introduced, there were a few breech plugs that weren't designed right to burn Blackhorn, so folks went ahead and tried to cure their issues with magnum primers. The Omega has never never never needed a magnum primer to successfully ignite Blackhorn powder.
 
junkman said:
Try getting ahold of ENCORE50A he has done some pretty impressive stuff with the Encore platform.Kinda suprised he has not chimed in yet.He has radar for this kinda stuff.

:huh?: After my 550 mile ride yesterday, which by the way included visiting my 91 year old mom :D , some things needed attention today. After mowing a little over an acre of yard, I then realized my food plot, which was supposed to be purple top turnips, was actually all grass, I spent all day on the mower.

I have yet to own, or to work with another's Encore platform rifle, that I couldn't get to shoot MOA or less with saboted bullets. All the recommendations in the first few posts will make the rifle group better. And as stated, that hinge pin is a huge contributor to poor groups. If you're tapping yours out with the palm of your hand, its to loose and you need a larger hinge pin. The other things mentioned all contribute to making the rifle much more accurate, group tighter and especially at long range.

First, go to Mike's site and spend some time reading. Mike knows more about the Encore platform than any other person in North America. http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/

The hinge pin should be tight. It should NEVER move by hand. The Pro Hunter I currently have up for sale, took a 2X pin right out of the box. I'm not talking about using a maul to install or remove one but, it should have to be driven out. I use a small ball peen hammer and punch. I lube the pin with anti-seize lightly prior to inserting it.

Here's what I'd be doing to the rifle:
1....... install the proper fit hinge pin. 1X or 2X
2....... replace the factory trigger spring with a lighter (to your preference) trigger spring. Myself I prefer 2#
3....... hone the sear
4....... Not necessary but, have a trigger over travel screw installed
5....... replace the factory locking bolt spring with a Bellm HD
6....... replace the factory firing pin spring with the Bellm HD
7....... remove and replace the factory 30# hammer spring, with either the 44# or 51# spring from Bellm

If you're not good at working with small parts or following directions, you can have someone else do the trigger work and install the over travel screw. Jim Hendershot does an excellent job and has a VERY QUICK turn around. Actually Jim will do all of the above. Jim's web site is on the Bellm site. You can call Jim and he'll tell you how to send the frame. If you can follow directions and work with small parts, Mike has the directions, with photos, posted free on his web site.

Its amazing the difference about $35 worth of parts can make to an Encore platform rifle. When I used to do work for a few guys, I've had them ask me if it was even THEIR rifle when finished. It'll make that much difference. Its the tightening up of everything that makes the largest change to grouping. They even make hinge pins for the CVA Apex now.

Now, if you intend to throw out that Encore, instead of doing that, let me know and I'll pay the shipping for you to send it to me. I could use another :yeah:

When all finished, drop in 110grs volume of BH209 and set a Barnes 250gr TMZ on top of it. Then have fun!
 
Have you had somebody else shoot it to rule out that factor? Encores do have a learning curve with placement on a rest.

I also agree with whats been suggested. I chased a 1 inch group with mine and spent a ton of money doing it. After the Bellm after market pin and springs, 3 pyro pellets, a HP24, and a 250 Shockwave got me 1.5-2.0 and more then minute of every deer I shot with it.
 
Here's a tip that hasn't been mentioned but it made all the difference for me. I have an old Omega .45 stainless that I just couldn't get to shoot accurate 100 yd. groups no matter what I tried. Then I read BUCKDOEHUNTER's thread ( viewtopic.php?f=13&t=25483 ) on knurling bullets. I shoot Hornady 200 gr. .400 XTP's in Harvester crushable sabots and knurl every bullet. They are tighter in the barrel now and I believe the bullet sticks to the sabot and spins better coming out of the muzzle. The gun groups very well now, and a gun I was going to give away is now my favorite. Hope it works for you as well as it did for me.
 
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