TC Encore 338 federal

Thebear_78

Handloader
Sep 30, 2004
3,047
669
I picked up a tc encore pistol in 45/410 the other day for a grouse and bunny blaster for my SXS.

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I’ve had a couple of the contender versions and they are great for grouse. I’ve even taken a few out of the air.

Since I had the encore set up I figured a big game barrel could be fun. I found a 338 federal barrel with a burris 2-7 scope. Since I am already setup for reloading the 338 federal in my ruger frontier scout it was a no brainer.

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A 210 Partition at 2200-2300fps should be a very effective combination.

Anyone else shooting a short barreled 338 federal?


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Very nice. That load should work on everything you want to hunt.

JD338
 
I ditched the weaver rings for a better set. I figured something stronger would work better on a heavy hitting handgun.
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I loaded up some mid range loads for the 338 federal encore barrel. 42.5gr of imr4895 with 210gr Partition clocked right at 2205fps.

Recoil was brisk but not unmanageable. And accuracy was better than I expected.

3 shots at 100 yards
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Indeed, accuracy does look good. I have no doubt that the recoil is brisk, but that should give you some real power when used on game. Fascinating possibilities.
 
The scope at 7x was pretty decent for targets but I don’t know how practical it will be for hunting. At 2x it’s not bad but I’ve been toying with idea of a red dot on it.


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That’s good speed. Should make a great shooter for your intended purpose.


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Thebear_78":9ysi91py said:
I ditched the weaver rings for a better set. I figured something stronger would work better on a heavy hitting handgun.
42dd565792c3383bebfae0804e6c29a1.jpg



I loaded up some mid range loads for the 338 federal encore barrel. 42.5gr of imr4895 with 210gr Partition clocked right at 2205fps.

Recoil was brisk but not unmanageable. And accuracy was better than I expected.

3 shots at 100 yards
0dfed1e9e306310d54476b1097d742a5.jpg



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That’s good shooting! I know some dudes that can’t consistently do that good with their rifles let alone a handgun!!


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Very nice! Man, that is a cool combo. I have always wanted a TC handgun in a cartridge like that. I always sorta wanted to try one in a 7-08 for some reason. The 338 Federal is mighty cool though.
 
I have one with a 7-30 Waters barrel that with full house 120gr loads the recoil is very brisk.
I had a straight 10X on it for ground hog hunting and could put the smack on one at 100yds with ease. I had a muzzle break put on it to help tame the recoil some but then couldn't stand the muzzle blast and it would cause you to flinch after 10 shots.
 
I want a 338Fed barrel for my Encore Pistol. I currently have 223/257R/308win/454Casull.
The 338Fed are very hard to find. I am even thinking about getting a rifle barrel and cutting it down.
 
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