I have and shoot both. My first Encore was the .50 cal muzzle loader. Then Mississippi changed hunting laws to include 35 caliber, break action single shot firearms with exposed hammers origanally produced or replicas of rifles made before 1900. This led to the hunters in MS proping up H&R/New England 1871 for years. Them, after much debate the T/C Encore and Contenders were accepted as "primitive" and the search began. I load and shoot the 35 Whelen and 358 Winchester in the Encore and the 35/30-30 in the Contender. I also shoot some wildcat rounds out of these. I shoot a 260 Bellm#2 (6.5 x 308) in the Encore and a 308 Bellm in the Contender. Because I have problems with accuracy when I change barrels, I have purchased a frame for each of the calibers I shoot. All of my
Encore and Contenders are in rifle configeration; "never had much use for" pistols.
Encore and Contenders are in rifle configeration; "never had much use for" pistols.