i am thinking about getting a 7mm magnum barrel for my encore, but i don't know much about the caliber. i any of you folks have this caliber rifle i would appreciate any info about them.

I own an Encore but not a 7mm barrel. Mine is in .308. What do you plan to use the barrel for? What type of areas do you plan to hunt?

The 7mm mag is a great cartridge, good ballistics and accuracy. Might have a bit of recoil in the Encore though.

I hunt w/ a 7mm rem mag and love it. the 7 rem mag shoots flatter than a 270 and hits harder than a 30-06. great rifle cal. for any game in north america(except maybe alaskan bear) I don't see much dif in recoil between it and 30-06 but mine is a model 700, I haven't shot an encore much.

my dad hunts with a 7mm magnum... its a weatherby... but he loves it... it shoots flat and hard! he hasnt had to go look for a deer after the shot yet (unless he missed ) after 5 years of hunting! to me it shoots more than a 30-06.. ( same amount of recoil ) and a very little bit less than the 300 ( which i shoot ) its great for all around hunting.. in the brush or in a field! just my thoughts!

Pancake,

I have a 7mm mag and like it a lot. To advise whether or not to buy one entails some questions. First, what kind of terrain are you planing to hunt? Is it open meadows or steep mountains. What do you expect your longest shot to be, 50, 100, or 250 yards? The 7mm is a great all round weapon just like a 270 with a little more whack. If I was going to get a new barrel for my Encore I would think about some of the new short mags. I think they make them for the Encore and they have some advantages. The short case tends to lend itself to greater accuracy. Since you are talking Encore this isn't as much an issue because it doesn't have a large open box receiver like a bolt or lever action guns. A short action provides less variability upon recoil. Another thing I have read is the short mag uses its powder more efficiently thus reducing felt recoil. They are obtaining equivilent velocities as a 7mm mag with 20% less powder. This can be big with the Encores box lock style action. It can beat you up. One thing that boads well for the 7mm Rem mag is its availability. You can buy the stuff at any WalMart. If you are going to hunt in fringe areas where getting ammo is difficult I would lean towards the 7mm.

One of my favorite cartridges is the 308 Winchester. I have seen field grade weapons shoot 5 shot groups at 100 meters and you could cover it with a dime.

When you come right down to it, it is all a matter of preference. If you want to try a 7mm Rem Mag do it. I can always come up with another reason to buy another barrel later. It is our duty as firearm consumers to buy new toys upon wanting them. For me, I have more guns then I need, but not as many as I want.

Hope you enjoy whatever you decide upon. If you don't, try, try again.

Vic

In regards to the Encore and the "short mags".

I don't know of any barrel makers making the short mags at this time for the Encore. I know a couple tried at first and they did not work out so well. Something about the case resting on the shoulder in a single shot.

If you want the best barrel (no matter the caliber) and you reload, I would look at OTT for a custom barrel. You send them two dumby rounds loaded on your press with your dies. They make a chamber from the rounds so that you can get the best fit and accuracy.

Here is a recent article about OTT's work along with Mike Bellm of BellmTCS on making a .2 MOA 6mmBR Encore...

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek055.html

OTT can be found at... http://www.ottllc.com/

After I get my turkey barrel for my Encore my next barrel will be a pistol barrel from Mike at OTT.