I recently bought a stainless steel/synthetic T/C Encore rifle with a 26" heavy .223 barrel. I mounted a 3x9x42 scope which seems to work quite well although the gun is probably a bit underscoped.
This is a neat little gun. Trigger is just over 3 lbs and is nice and crisp. There's an overtravel stop, but I haven't even adjusted it yet--there seems to be no need.
Everything was finished nicely and looks to be excellent quality. Well almost everything was finished nicely...
I noticed that the muzzle face was extremely rough. I mean, it looks like they were using a cutter that was a million years old and dull. There was some chattering, but mostly, it was just grooved bigtime.
I wasn't too worried about the grooves, EXCEPT that there was a tiny lip that would catch my fingernail that ran around about 1/3 of the rim of the bore (right where the bore meets the muzzle.) I don't think this is going to be conducive to good accuracy since it really amounts to a messed up crown.
I figured that I could get rid of the little lip, so I got out a .45ACP round and some 800 grit paper. I placed the paper over the muzzle, cutting side to the muzzle, and then poked the .45 bullet up against it so that it went slightly into the bore with the paper twixt it and the rifle. Then I twisted the bullet & paper around to cut a new bevel between the muzzle and the bore.
Well, I got it so it looked OK and took it to the range. Results weren't encouraging, but it was windy, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. UNTIL I got home and looked at the carbon pattern on the muzzle. It was clearly asymmetrical, indicating that the crown still wasn't right.
Plan A. I contacted an ex-benchrest competitor to have him cut a new crown. He was willing and I made preliminary arrangements with him. Unfortunately, I am need to use the rifle this Saturday to zap a coyote or two that have been bothering a friend's livestock.
So, Plan B. I decide that since I've got this guy lined up to do the crown, I might as well give it another shot myself. If I really hose it up, at least the expert can fix it. So, I pull out my 'crowning kit' again.
This time, I start with the primer end of the .45 ACP cartridge and try to grind the muzzle face immediately surrounding the bore flat using the 800 grit paper. When it looks satisfactory, I turn the cartridge around and cut a new bevel/crown. I stop a couple of times and look at the results with a 20X jeweler's loupe and keep going until it looks like the bevel is uniform all the way around the rim of the bore. Then, I switch to 1500 grit paper and put a mirror polish on the crown, check it again, and put the gun into the rifle case for a trip to the range.
Range testing/sight-in took place this morning. I had some Federal 55gr HP (Load 223E), some Winchester USA bulk-packed Walmart 55gr FMJ, and some Black Hills 52gr HP Match ammo.
Shooting was done at 100 yards using 3 shot groups (cause I'm too lazy and not good enough to shoot 5 shot groups.)
The Federal made 1.75-2" groups, the Winchester shot into just over an inch, but the Black Hills made up for it with half-MOA groups. The best was 3/8", the worst was 9/16".
When I examined the carbon pattern on the muzzle it was perfect. A nice sharp line radiating from each land and the little scribbles that show up around the grooves of a gun with a good crown and a flat or dished muzzle face. Everything was uniform and crisp.
But, I don't have anything to compare the results (shooting results) to.
So, to all you Encore shooters--Does this sound like typical performance from an Encore .223 rifle? Should I have the expert recrown the gun anyway after my hunting expedition?
Was anyone else surprised that the Federal ammo was a dog out of this rifle?
Thanks,
John
This is a neat little gun. Trigger is just over 3 lbs and is nice and crisp. There's an overtravel stop, but I haven't even adjusted it yet--there seems to be no need.
Everything was finished nicely and looks to be excellent quality. Well almost everything was finished nicely...
I noticed that the muzzle face was extremely rough. I mean, it looks like they were using a cutter that was a million years old and dull. There was some chattering, but mostly, it was just grooved bigtime.
I wasn't too worried about the grooves, EXCEPT that there was a tiny lip that would catch my fingernail that ran around about 1/3 of the rim of the bore (right where the bore meets the muzzle.) I don't think this is going to be conducive to good accuracy since it really amounts to a messed up crown.
I figured that I could get rid of the little lip, so I got out a .45ACP round and some 800 grit paper. I placed the paper over the muzzle, cutting side to the muzzle, and then poked the .45 bullet up against it so that it went slightly into the bore with the paper twixt it and the rifle. Then I twisted the bullet & paper around to cut a new bevel between the muzzle and the bore.
Well, I got it so it looked OK and took it to the range. Results weren't encouraging, but it was windy, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. UNTIL I got home and looked at the carbon pattern on the muzzle. It was clearly asymmetrical, indicating that the crown still wasn't right.
Plan A. I contacted an ex-benchrest competitor to have him cut a new crown. He was willing and I made preliminary arrangements with him. Unfortunately, I am need to use the rifle this Saturday to zap a coyote or two that have been bothering a friend's livestock.
So, Plan B. I decide that since I've got this guy lined up to do the crown, I might as well give it another shot myself. If I really hose it up, at least the expert can fix it. So, I pull out my 'crowning kit' again.
This time, I start with the primer end of the .45 ACP cartridge and try to grind the muzzle face immediately surrounding the bore flat using the 800 grit paper. When it looks satisfactory, I turn the cartridge around and cut a new bevel/crown. I stop a couple of times and look at the results with a 20X jeweler's loupe and keep going until it looks like the bevel is uniform all the way around the rim of the bore. Then, I switch to 1500 grit paper and put a mirror polish on the crown, check it again, and put the gun into the rifle case for a trip to the range.
Range testing/sight-in took place this morning. I had some Federal 55gr HP (Load 223E), some Winchester USA bulk-packed Walmart 55gr FMJ, and some Black Hills 52gr HP Match ammo.
Shooting was done at 100 yards using 3 shot groups (cause I'm too lazy and not good enough to shoot 5 shot groups.)
The Federal made 1.75-2" groups, the Winchester shot into just over an inch, but the Black Hills made up for it with half-MOA groups. The best was 3/8", the worst was 9/16".
When I examined the carbon pattern on the muzzle it was perfect. A nice sharp line radiating from each land and the little scribbles that show up around the grooves of a gun with a good crown and a flat or dished muzzle face. Everything was uniform and crisp.
But, I don't have anything to compare the results (shooting results) to.
So, to all you Encore shooters--Does this sound like typical performance from an Encore .223 rifle? Should I have the expert recrown the gun anyway after my hunting expedition?
Was anyone else surprised that the Federal ammo was a dog out of this rifle?
Thanks,
John