Thompson Encore/Contenders

[Anonymous]

I've been looking at these a long time. Don't really know why- maybe it's the whole "Lego-ness" of the entire system. The ability to change parts and pieces and have something different to mess around with.

I was a good boy this year and my birthday saw a little gun cash come my way for a new shooting pole and I'm weighing out some options.

With that said- the Encore got my attention...but I don't know how much I'll actually hunt with it. Not sure as a big game rifle it would ever get the nod over current inventory. Or as a .22....or anything else now that I think about.

Honestly, perhaps that funky little .410 barrel is about the most appealing part.

So for you Thompson fans.... what are these really good for?

 

[Thebear_78]

Thier good for a lot, especially as a pack gun. I have had several in both rifle and pistol variants. The encore I like as a rifle the Contender I like as a pistol. It is also about the best online muzzle loader you can buy.

I currently have two encore frames and one Contender frame. Between my dad and I we have 22 hornet, 7 TCU, 30/30, 35 rem, 44 mag, and two 45/410 barrels for the Contender. I have a 17" 308, 24" 30/06, 24" 22/250, and a 209x50 muzzle loader. I have had several other barrels over the years. All of my current barrels will shoot sub MOA. Using a small print between the forearm and barrel can help with consistency of POI. You can fit a frame and a couple barrels into a small suitcase for travel. I have taken mine back home with a couple barrels several times. 30/06 barrel for deer, 22-250 for coyotes, and muzzle loader.

As a muzzle loader it is one of the best out there. The breach plug is easily removed for cleaning. You can use either 209 shotgun primers or get an after market breach plug that converts to large rifle magnum primers. This really helps with black powder substitutes like blackhorn 209. It is completely water proof, a serious consideration for our rainy hunting seasons.

As a pistol I think the Contender is better than the encore. Any of the more powerful rounds that require the encore need more than 14" of barrel. The pistol barrels like 30/30 and 35 rem are accurate and powerful without being too much of a good thing. Loading with short barrel friendly powders cut down on the muzzle blast.

The crown jewel of the Contender is the vent rib 410 barrel. It can be an absolute blast while small game hunting. Especially for grouse and ptarmigan. Mine is a constant companion while big game hunting and has saved many of what would have been an uneventful trip.

I also found a collapsable stock that when combined with a short rifle barrel it made for a great platform for teaching my left eye dominant son how to shoot. The 17" 308 barrel combined with trailboss powder behaved like a rimfire but still shot very well. It was a great way to work on making your shots count.

This is my buddies daughter shooting the trailboss 308 loads.




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[Anonymous]

Thanks Bear! That's an aspect I hadn't considered- a muzzleloader.

 

[Thebear_78]

I seriously consider it a muzzle loader first, and rifle second. I'm planning on taking a brownie with it one of these days. I've shot whitetails out to 175 yards with it. That was with 250 Barnes expanded and 777. I'm getting even better results now with blackhorn 209 and the large rifle magnum primers.




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[Anonymous]

I'm thinking I could do a chunk of hunting with an '06, a 223, and ML.... stick a 20ga smooth bore on it and you're set.

 

[Thebear_78]

I had a single shot 20ga barrel at one time but it never really tickled my fancy. Something about the pistol grip stock, just didn't feel like a shotgun. I have a buddy who had a fully rifles shotgun barrel that shoots very well.

It's great for picking into a small case and being set to hunt a lot of different game.


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[jimbires]

I have an encore . I only use it for a muzzle loader . it does shoot pretty good .

 

[adm1977]

I have an Encore 209x50 I bought to hunt our early inline muzzleloader season. I never really intended to get other barrels for it. Then I got to thinking about it and for 2 to 3 hundred dollars you could have another rifle in a different caliber. I first got a 338-06 from the old T/C custom shop Fox Ridge outfitters. It is one of my better shooting guns when I got it accuracy wise. The 2 years ago I got the itch for another barrel for it. This time I got an E. A. Brown barrel in 204 Ruger. It shoots even better then the 338-06. I always liked the concept of one frame and a different barrel to hunt different game with. I actually got checked by a game warden one time and he was questioning my gun. He said he had never seen anyone hunting with one ever. I have to say it is a pretty versatile platform that never really caught on like T/C thought.

 

[Alderman]

Just got a 10" 357 Magnum barrel to add to my "collection".
Picked up a 35 Remington and a 7-30 Waters barrel last year and had a lot of fun playing with those. Actually hunted a bit with both but never got any shots at game.
Mine are all Contenders.
I'm not much of a pistolero but these things are amazingly accurate.

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[Thebear_78]

The 35 rem in the super 14 is an excellent big game pistol round! I chronographed the rem 200gr load at 1900fps out of mine. Very accurate too


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[elkeater2]

I've been looking at these a long time. Don't really know why- maybe it's the whole "Lego-ness" of the entire system. The ability to change parts and pieces and have something different to mess around with.
Honestly, perhaps that funky little .410 barrel is about the most appealing part.

So for you Thompson fans.... what are these really good for?

They do appeal to different people for their own reasons, sort of like you mentioned - Lego-ness, maybe a .410 barrel, etc.

There was a lot of hype and they were promoted heavily on TV by Jim Shockey, Greg Ritz, & Larry Weishun. The H&R Handi-Rifle was the only other rifle out there which offered the same versatility in barrels, and it was rifle/shotgun long gun only. Don't know if that changed. Those were always sort of plain Jane and cheaper looking, the Encores were upscale for sure.

They are "good for" the other things that single shot break open guns are: safety, since you can check to see if it is loaded or unloaded easily, and the hammer must be cocked to fire. They are ambidextrous - can be used by lefties and righties in the same group or family. IF you buy an Encore frame that is registered as a pistol frame, you can use pistol or rifle barrels. Otherwise it is legally rifle/shotgun/muzzleloader only. Right now, barrels are numerous and if anything, getting cheaper.

I sort of bought into the hype, but also the fun of learning a new system, tuning the trigger, and juggling stocks, scopes, and barrels. I have a 28" 25-06 fluted, a stainless 209x50 muzzleloader, a 24" 7-08, and a 26" heavy .223. I have taken game with each, and never felt very limited by the single shot aspect. Been tempted to get an additional frame mostly so I could tune it up also. The 28" barrel feels and handles like a bolt action with a 22" barrel - but it cranks out velocity!! The 7-08 24" is so handy, again because of the overall shortness. The .223 is great on prairie dogs partly because the pace of shooting seems to keep things more relaxed for me and the targets. I shot a whitetail doe with the 64 gr. BSB last year, perfect performance. The muzzleloader has taken all kinds of Wyoming game. A 250 grain Barnes TMZ at about 2100 fps is potent on elk in the timber.

I can't speak about the pistol barrel use as a couple guys did. I think the system is good for what you want to make of it.

You can also load certain bullets right out to the lands if you want, since magazine length doesn't apply. My 7-08 loads take advantage of this and I have more case capacity to play with as a result.

Hope that helps. I'm glad the spouse doesn't ask what anything I have is "good for" BTW. She knows those things keep me out of the house and I come home happy
EE2

 

[TC260]

I have to say it is a pretty versatile platform that never really caught on like T/C thought.

Granted the Encore and G2 aren't setting the world on fire these days but there were boatloads of Contenders sold during the heyday of IHMSA which was an extremely popular sport during the 80's. Warren Center started off building guns in his basement, I'd guess a 50 yr (and counting) run on the design well exceeded his expectations :mrgreen: