SmallCaliberCentral

Guys when I 1st shot my friends .270 T/C Encore I fell in love with the accuracy. So I bought one for deer hunting in .270 as well (heavy barrel)... I modified the trigger spring (2lb pull), put in an upgraded/stiffer hammer spring and pillar bedded the fore-end... the darn thing can put 3 shots in one hole with factory ammo at times...it's a shoots great (0.5 MOA avg). I decide to buy a .204 bull barrel and i'm very dissapointed...the fore-end pillar bedded as well... I am shooting 1.5'' 100 yrd groups with factory 39 grain hornady ammo (12 twist barrel) which will not suffice for me trying to smoke nutria rat's at 500+ yards away. I am trying to shoot the heavier 39 grain bullets due to their higher BC and downrange energy....the 32 grain rounds will hold .75 MOA about half the time....yall know of anyone that can make a nice custom 23'' 11 twist for an Encore?....i'm hoping this will better stabalize the heavier 39 grain rounds...

I own a T/C Encore (stainless) and I bought a new T/C stainless .204 Ruger Barrel 26" 1-12" twist heavy weight for it a while back. The first 20 rounds I shot, copper stuck to the inside of the bore like flys stick to fly paper. After removing all the copper and getting the inside of the barrel smooth (JB and Rem-clean) that problem is now non-existent. Then it also would not stabilize bullets over 32grs. (I got the impression you dont handload) To make a long story short, I am now shooting 40gr. Berger Varmint BT bullets using 25.1 grs. RL-10X with Remington 7 1/2BR primers (3724fps.). They stabilize and no more oval holes or keyholes on the target. I could load a heavier powder charge but the groups are tiny with some vertical dispersion due to me not maintaining similar cheek positions on the stock. The 39gr. Sierra would be a better choice (a higher B.C.) but they are not as consistent (but produce small groups) in my Encore (as the 40gr. Berger) where as it (the 39gr. Sierra BK) "RAGES" in my Savage LRPV and VLP rifles. Ballistic coefficients are .236 (Berger) vs. .287 (Sierra) The Encore bbls. have long throats; let the bullets jump. Load to.....O.A.L. 2.256" WW Brass. Should be DRT on Nutria's.

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Mine shoots very good with new brass. Once fired not so well. Encores are funny. You sometimes have to really work
them to get them to shoot. Find the load it likes, find the right headspace and you are good. I got mine ironed
out to under 1 inch at 100 with the 39's and it just plain shoots the 35 Bergers. Mine won't shoot 40's at all. Neither
Hornady or Berger 40s shoot well.