280 Encore

[Gregky]

Do any of you guys have a problem with the accuracy of this gun? With the 50 cal Muzzle loader it does fine but with the 280 I get about a 5 inch group at 100 yards.

[Scott7m]

Do any of you guys have a problem with the accuracy of this gun? With the 50 cal Muzzle loader it does fine but with the 280 I get about a 5 inch group at 100 yards.

something is definetly wrong, heard that they had a bad barrel or two.. but thats horrible

[ebsmc]

I have a .243 rifle barrel that wouldn't shoot worth a heck. I also have a .243 15" pistol barrel. I called TC customer service and they told me it was my reloads. I told them I've shot factory loads through it as well with the same crappy groups. They kept telling me to find a round that it likes. That's when I told them that my 15" pistol barrel groups all of the above mentioned rounds at 2-3" at 100 yards. (Remember, we're talking about pistol accuracy.) They finally agreed to take a look at it. I wasn't too happy at this point. I sent them the barrel and then called a few weeks later to check on it. This time, the customer service person was nice as can be, found the status of my barrel, and told me flat out that I had a BAD barrel and brand new barrel would be shipped to me. A bad barrel? I paid $249 just for a barrel and it was BAD. For the price you pay for TC products, there shouldn't be a BAD anything. I've got the rifle grouping around 1.5" with one of my favorite handloads. However, the pistol barrel groups it around 1" when I do my part. I've got three pistol barrels and all of them are accurate, but I will always suspect their rifle barrels. Do yourself a favor and don't waste another penny on that barrel by feeding it any more high dollar ammo. Call up their customer service and get that barrel back to them. They expect at least 2" groups from their barrels with factory ammo. The 280 is a real accurate round and it should be doing much better than that.

[trust me]

I've always had great experiences with TC service of their ML products.

Personally, if I can get 1.5" out of a centerfire gun, I'm satisfied. I have an older TC barrel that will almost make that with reloads, and factory will just barely make it. I feel that a typical break action gun is going to be a little less accurate than a typical bolt action, but you can find examples of any gun that give great (or bad) results.

[Scott7m]

I've always had great experiences with TC service of their ML products.

Personally, if I can get 1.5" out of a centerfire gun, I'm satisfied. I have an older TC barrel that will almost make that with reloads, and factory will just barely make it. I feel that a typical break action gun is going to be a little less accurate than a typical bolt action, but you can find examples of any gun that give great (or bad) results.

i was told that the older tc barrels were much better.. said the newer ones are usually good but there are a bunch of bad ones in the batch.....

I'd be dissapointed to buy any gun that wouldn't hold 1" at 100 yards... thats my opinion though.. my cz 30-06 can stay inside a nickel all day at 100.. i love it

[mwezell]

Do any of you guys have a problem with the accuracy of this gun? With the 50 cal Muzzle loader it does fine but with the 280 I get about a 5 inch group at 100 yards.

Many of you know that I am not a T/C fan. This and their prices are why.

Mike Bellm is probably the foremost authority in terms of T/C firearms anywhere. I think that this sums it up nicely. Sorry T/C fans.....
It boils down to shotty workmanship and factory standards. A competent gunsmith does NOT do things the way they are done at the factory,T/C particularly.---Mike Ezell

http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=156

http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=440

p.s.--Your problem may be a bad crown but it's hard to say by looking at my computer screen.

[ebsmc]

I should have added that I had to put new Bellm's spring kit (trigger spring, hammer spring, and barrel lockup spring) and gave my Encore frame a trigger job to get the .243 barrel to shoot respectably. One thing that I had to do was file down on the fore arms strengthening ribs. (Yes, I have the composite stock and forearm.) Put a thin layer of grease or high spot on the channels then put your forearm back on and tighten it normally. You only want contact on the barrel at the two screw bosses that attach the forearm to the barrel. If the ribs contact, file them down. This would be applicable to a wooden forearm as well, but you would need to apply the thin grease layer to the entire barrel channel and look for high places in the channel. Also, I put two felt pads with holes punched in them on the screw bosses to help give me more clearance between the barrel and forearm.

If you use a hammer extension, get the Bellm hammer spring. If you add a hammer extension to the pre swing hammer frame, you need the heavier spring to ensure ignition.