Knight Mountaineer .50 verses T/C Encore .50

[rnnhntr]

I have been shooting traditional muzzleloaders for about 50 years and host the muzzleloader matches for my local club here in Colorado. I allow modern muzzleloaders in the matches as long as they are Colorado legal. I know almost nothing about the current generation of modern inlines, the closest I come is an H&R Huntsman in .58 caliber. Since I often help new shooters with their guns as part of the match I figure I should know more about the current generation of inlines than what I can read. To that end I am looking for a Colorado legal gun in .50 caliber since I may end up wanting to hunt with it myself. Based on my budget and the online research that I have done I have narrowed my choice down to the Knight Mountaineer .50 or the T/C Encore .50. I know they are very different guns. From those familiar with them, what have you found to be the advantages or disadvantages of each. Are there other rifles that I should consider in that general price range. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[dwm]

I have both, the encore will be shorter,and have different barrel options, if getting the encore I highly recommend doing the bellm spring upgrade and hinge pin. mine is extremely accurate.the mountaineer is extremely accurate, it’s longer because of the bolt , if you can get one in your hands that would be great, the stock can feel bulky for some, I know it can be a reach to the trigger for some also.sorry but I love both of them,get both of them, you probably will at some point anyway, lol

 

[Scotts98rt]

I have both. In general the encore is easier to clean for me, but feels heavy and clunky compared to the other 6 knights I own. That said I generally don't have the need to shoot past 150 yrds. Accuracy is the same at 100yrds in my experience. I personally don't like the double safety on the knight, but it's a small thing. The triggers on the knight mountaineer are much better than the encore as it comes from the factory. Also another small thing is that the encore is easier and faster to prime on a follow up shot. Again this is my opinion. Good luck on your quest.

 

[dbowling]

prefer the Mountaineer if in regular stock dont care for the thumbhole stock on them. If bare primer on Knight both can be primed in about the same amount of time with practice, my buddy swears by his Encores they've never done anything for me but great guns very accurate.

 

[52Bore]

Ive owned both and would recommend the Knight mostly because-I believe CO requires a full bore bullet.
Encore’s QLA (muzzle) do not shoot conicals well, most like mine were not concentric.

 

[dwm]

Forgot about the qla , I only shot sabots

 

[ENCORE50A]

I've had Knight but, the Encore would be my choice. I've worked on way too many frames making them like a whole different rifle and the rifles just had insane accuracy.
The QLA wouldn't be an issue for me and if it were, it would be removed and recrowned. No doubt I'd be shooting the Fury bullets from it bullet to bore, which would take care of the CO crap.
The Encore or Pro Hunter would be much easier and quicker to clean and maintain.

However........... the Encore is not being produced anymore nor are parts. I helped a friend to find two replacement breech plugs and it wasn't easy.

However.......... what I would do would be to have an Arrowhead system.

However.......... or... purchase a 45cal barrel for things I could use it for with the CO crap then switch to the 50 when necessary.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

What is the gun SSK started making a copy of? Encore or Contender?

 

[toytruck]

I have owned a Encore, but not a Knight of any kind. The trigger on my Encore was amazing out of the box from the factory. I had a problem getting it to shoot accurately, even tried the .45 cal.barrel. The QLA was the problem I believe. All this was before I knew about removing it or using a plastic wad. The inside trigger area is a pain to clean. I used tooth brush and Q-tips.
I sold the Encore and both barrel's for what I had in it when I discovered the White Super 91. Don't miss it!!

 

[Tc280]

What is the gun SSK started making a copy of? Encore or Contender?

Original contender

 

[WV Hunter]

Knight for me, consider the UL also

 

[rusticbob]

It should depend on what you want it for. The Encore would probably be easier to carry if you are a still Hunter. If you are just going to sit in a stand and hunt that way ,I would think the Knight would be a better choice.
If you are only target shooting , would it be offhand or from a bench mostly?
Both are fine rifles, but the Encore is more adaptable.

 

[rnnhntr]

Matches are at the Golden Gun Club just east of Denver. I try to vary the coarse of fire from match to match to keep them fun and interesting. The stages in the matches I run can include offhand, benchrest, and various field positions at ranges from 25 to 100 yards. Targets range from various styles of paper bulls-eye targets to animal silhouettes to steel swingers. Some stages are slow fire untimed, some are a specified number of shots in a specific time period, and some are however many in a given time. I currently use a .62 caliber flintlock Virginia rifle to hunt and shoot the matches with, but would likely do both with whatever inline I get. My preferred hunting style is still hunting.

 

[Hausser1]

Given the scenario painted, I have to go with the Encore.
First, I've found Knight to produce high quality and accurate rifles. There's many on this site that love 'em.
Unfortunately, the double safety can cause hunting issues, especially when shooting at that end-of-season, 'last light' buck. Not that the following has ever happened to me, mind you, because it hasn't. You know the deer, it shows up after a full day hunt that you started with a 3:15am wake-up, no lunch breaks or food in your belly, wind-burned cheeks, and numb fingers and toes, only to have your gun make a really loud click noise when your target is less than 25 yards out. The deer runs away, flipping his tail with each bound in comedic gesture, as you gaze at your receiver only to realize the secondary safety hasn't been unscrewed. Some may look around for another mischevious hunter to blame, but alas, there is none. I certainly would be embarrassed if I did that, which of course, I didn't.
I think ENCORE50A and dwm both nailed it with their posts above.
While TC is out of business (for now), their receiver design is robust and simple. Other than springs or pins, I have a hard time believing receiver/frame will fail unless abused. I have 2 Pro Hunter Encores that I had trigger jobs done at EABCO for~$100 when I purchased the receivers. For backup, I also purchased
(2) Trigger Spring Kits (222240007777) from M-CARBO.
(2) TC Encore 1X2X Oversize Hinge Pin Packs from Mike Bellm at BELLMTCS or HAUS-OF-ARMS
(2) MIKE BELLM'S TC ENCORE/PROHUNTER Headspace Shim packs.
As also mentioned, the rifles overall length is generally shorter and they're easy to clean.
Finally, you can easily swap barrels between centerfire and muzzy.

... and there are no dual safeties




tc encore prohunter 1x2x oversize hinge pin pack
and a couple Headspace Shim packs

 

[toytruck]

A new rifle out of the box should not require all the above to improve it. If it was made correctly....I did put a new hinge pin on mine, trigger was great as is. Why have to put another cost of the original gun to make it better? I sold mine for the above reasons. Sorry, just can't see it!!
If I was to buy a Knight it would be a Ultra Lite .45 cal. with 1:20 twist. The secondary safety was my main issue with it also.

 

[WV Hunter]

Given the scenario painted, I have to go with the Encore.
First, I've found Knight to produce high quality and accurate rifles. There's many on this site that love 'em.
Unfortunately, the double safety can cause hunting issues, especially when shooting at that end-of-season, 'last light' buck. Not that the following has ever happened to me, mind you, because it hasn't. You know the deer, it shows up after a full day hunt that you started with a 3:15am wake-up, no lunch breaks or food in your belly, wind-burned cheeks, and numb fingers and toes, only to have your gun make a really loud click noise when your target is less than 25 yards out. The deer runs away, flipping his tail with each bound in comedic gesture, as you gaze at your receiver only to realize the secondary safety hasn't been unscrewed. Some may look around for another mischevious hunter to blame, but alas, there is none. I certainly would be embarrassed if I did that, which of course, I didn't.

IF that scenario was to ever happen, its user error. I've hunted with many different Knights since the early 90's. That scenario has never happened to me and in reality is so unlikely to happen. I never even put the secondary safety on unless I'm pulling my loaded rifle up into a treestand. The primary safety is plenty in 99% of situations.

For the OP to be making a decision between the two - that is literally a non factor. JMHO

 

[ENCORE50A]

A new rifle out of the box should not require all the above to improve it. If it was made correctly....I did put a new hinge pin on mine, trigger was great as is. Why have to put another cost of the original gun to make it better? I sold mine for the above reasons. Sorry, just can't see it!!
If I was to buy a Knight it would be a Ultra Lite .45 cal. with 1:20 twist. The secondary safety was my main issue with it also.

Maximum I ever spent was $35. That included hinge pins, trigger springs, HD firing pin springs, HD locking lug springs and both the 45 and 50# hammer springs. I've been out of them for awhile now so they likely cost slightly more.

How many people upgrade their Knight rifles? I know a ton of them are sent to Bestill Creations. How many end up modifying their CVA rifles? How many end up having vent liners installed? None of the production rifles are perfect or, they're not what a specific owner/shooter wants. For instance, I do not want a trigger that pulls more than 2# and that's for hunting. My trigger for target shooting is 1lb or less. That can be changed in an Encore without changing trigger springs. Just increasing the hammer spring to 50# will lower the trigger pull. So if I use a 2# trigger spring, all I need is a HD hammer spring to reach my desired target trigger.

 

[Hausser1]

IF that scenario was to ever happen, its user error. I've hunted with many different Knights since the early 90's. That scenario has never happened to me and in reality is so unlikely to happen. I never even put the secondary safety on unless I'm pulling my loaded rifle up into a treestand. The primary safety is plenty in 99% of situations.

For the OP to be making a decision between the two - that is literally a non factor. JMHO

That scenario did happen to me and I was making light of my error. FWIW I still have a knight in my collection.

 

[WV Hunter]

That scenario did happen to me and I was making light of my error. FWIW I still have a knight in my collection.

Congrats, your a 1% 'er!!!

I know it happens sometimes, but my point is to the OP... I don't think it should be a consideration in picking between the 2.

 

[rnnhntr]

Based on what feels better to me I have decided to go with a Knight. I plan to order it with the musket cap breech plug and buy a bare 209 breeck plug with the replaceable vents from SSK. I am also now trying to decide between my original choice of the Mountaineer and much as I hate synthetic stocks, the Ultra-lite.