BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

grendel · Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 6

I am seriously thinking about getting a encore pistol to do some hog and deer hunting, but not sure what cal. to get the barrel in. I don't want to have a lot of recoil but want enough bullet to do the job. Anyone have any input?

WesternHunter · Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 685 Location: Western USA

What do you mean by encore pistol?

In order to get enough energy transfer onto target when hunting hogs you will end up with something that recoils more than you may like. Handgun hunting is done well with a .44 Rem Mag.

Like I say - for a handgun caliber to have enough power for hunting things like hogs, you will need a good sized revolver caliber and those with enough energy usually kick more than an auto loader caliber.

grendel · Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 6

t/c makes two types of pistols: contenders and encores.

I have hunted several hogs and brought ever one of them down with my 243 rifle, but not sure about handgun power. from what ballistic tables i have read, it would seem like the 7 mm-08 and 308 cal. would be more than enough energy to bring a 150 lb. hog down.

fuzzybear · Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1350 Location: Bend, Oregon

7-30 waters, 7-08, 308 all work well for deer and smaller game.
Bullet selection is a consideration. You'll want something that holds together. Yet expands at those velocities.
In the 7-30 waters you may have to have loads made up.
The 308 would be my choice. Ya gotta love those 30 cals. Great bullet selection and it can be down loaded.

mw243 · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 45

You may want to consider the .35 Rem. It can develop decent power in a pistol length barrel and recoil might not be as bad as with a faster rifle caliber.

Tweesdad · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 13 Location: Hudson Valley of NY

For deer size game and smaller, mine sports a .308 Win. 15" barrel. I use Sierra 135 gr. SSP bullets. Note: I would advise you not to get the T/C muzzle tamer brake. It make the gun simply too loud to shoot. With plugs and muffs, my ears rang for a week.
For Boar, Black Bear, etc., I use the 12" .454 Casull barrel.
Between the two of these, I am ready for just about anything I intend to hunt with a pistol.
Good luck with whatever you decide upon.

king.460 · Joined: 30 Oct 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Alabama

Tweesdad wrote: For deer size game and smaller, mine sports a .308 Win. 15" barrel. I use Sierra 135 gr. SSP bullets. Note: I would advise you not to get the T/C muzzle tamer brake. It make the gun simply too loud to shoot. With plugs and muffs, my ears rang for a week.
For Boar, Black Bear, etc., I use the 12" .454 Casull barrel.
Between the two of these, I am ready for just about anything I intend to hunt with a pistol.
Good luck with whatever you decide upon.

I also recommend the .308 or 7mm08, but purchase the Walker Power Muffs and leave the break on :thumbsup1:

Nismo1 · Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Mammoth Cave

My uncle bought an encore in .270 win. 15" over the summer. He's killed a few deer and a couple of formerly domestic (semi-wild) pigs this year with federal accubonds 140 gr.

I was shocked how little recoil the thing had... and accuracy. perhaps it was the length or the grip it felt similar to light .38 spl. loads. I though it was a bit awkward at first, but fun to shoot. I may end up with something similar in the future

aaalaska · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 21 Location: Palmer Ak

I have a 260 Rem and a 308 barrel both 15 in neither has a muzzle brake but I will install one on the 308 in the future both shoot most loads better than I can,either one should fill the bill .Remember you can buy nearly any caliber in the encore so you should find many that will do the job

WyoJoe · Joined: 25 Dec 2007 Posts: 96 Location: Laramie, WY

Depends on if you handload or use factory ammo. If you hand load you might want to look into the 6.8 Rem SPC.

granite · Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 22

If you favor the head /neck shot I would go for the 25-06 but if you shoot for vitals I would choose 308.

onesonek · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 58 Location: Pipestone, MN

As mentioned bullet construction and placement are key. The .260, 7-08, and .308 would work well, with bullets having a SD of .250-.280, give or take a couple points. I prefer the bullet to exit. Nosler Partitions or Barnes TSX would be my choice. One thing about recoil. I was shooting a 30-40 AI with 165's near max. and the factory rubber grip. The grip, even though it had some give was too narrow in the palm and web. Went and bought a Boyds. It was alil too large for my hand. Took the dremel to it made more of a custom fit. Made all the difference in accuracy, and if felt recoil. Brakes are nice in some situations, and almost mandatory in some loads. But I prefer to hunt without, if at all possible.

Dave

ELK-AHOLIC · Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 109 Location: Seattle, WA

308. Why would you get it in a pistol cartridge when you can have a 243, 22-250, or a 308 ? Thats the only reason I would buy a Thompson. If you want a 460 s&w or 500 s&w buy a wheel gun. I own a Savage striker in 22-250 it works nice for Deer!

WM5L · Joined: 12 Oct 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Central Texas

7mm-08,15"

Redhawk1 · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 75 Location: Delaware

For hogs and deer, any 41 Mag, 44 Mag, 308, 7mm08 will work just fine.

My advice is, if you are going to handgun hunt, practice a lot. I see way to many guys try to shoot further than they are capable, not how far the gun is capable.

I have been handgun hunting 27 years now, and I know what distance I am proficient at, and which handguns I choose for different distances.

And did I mention a lot of practice. :thumbsup1: