Is this a taboo word here??  I have one and have always wanted to build it up some.  MachinenMatch make awsome octagon barrels for them.  Or are they not competition legal?  Sure would be neet though modern saftey vintage looks.....hehehe

kinglooie

Bullburry makes aftermarket barrels for Contenders and the newer Encore that are top notch. T/C's barrels are not real good from what I understand.  Bullberrys are under 400 dollars.   One of the competitors at Thurmont MD does  very well with one in 32 Miller. Another point is the Contenders switch rim to center fire quickly so you could make one gun do all.

No reason T/C's  would not do well in Schuetzen.  They win all the NRA rules Pistol Silhouette matches and do well in rifle Silhouette too.  I have one set up as a small bore rifle silhouette gun but ran afoul of ASSRA's 21 inch barrel rule, which I understand is for rim fires only. If I really wanted to use it would re-enter with a toilet paper roll duct taped to the muzzle.  Have another rim fire Schuetzen so no need.

In the old days of offhand competition lots of shooters used "Tip up's"  I never understood ASSRA's policy toward short rimfire barrels which seems to target the Contenders. It's easily circumvented by hanging a longer barrel on the action or some sort of muzzle weight.

Boats

Am I correct in thinking a standard barrel in octagonal form would be as ridged as a heavy barrel round??  If this is true why wouldn't a heavy octagonal be "inherantly more accurate".  Tha is assuming all factors are correct,from chamber to crown.   


kinglooie

Well, the way I see it, there are two basic problems with the T/C Encore. First is that it is a break action and most folks find these very inconvienent to operate off of sand bags, especially the breech seating part. The second problem is that a modern rifle design violates the spirit of the match. Remember our Constiutuion has always said something to the effect "to promote fellowship among those interested in single shot rifles deveoped between the end of the Civil War and the outbreak of World War 1. While more modern rifles are certainly legal in the matches, I have never thought of them as conforming to the intent of the original founders of our club.

One other point that sort of rubs me the wrong way is the scemeing to circumvent the rules. We are not a "ultimate lead bullet accuracy" 
club. We are a club of admirers of the old rifles. There is no schemeing neccessary.

contender and encores Are just as legal as any single shot fall block rifle ever made!          "PERIOD"

I see no reason that an Encore or a Contender cannot be an accurate set up. Like someone else said, a break open off the bench takes alot of patience and adhearance to a good method. Breech seating can and has been done. Gunsmith Steve Durren has made a couple of breech seat tools that work off of a stud installed into the side of the barrel. My son shot a .22LR Contender with a G2 23" TC barrel and kept right up with me shooting a BSA ISU martini. Granted, it had to have a new pin made for the barrel as the factory pin is too loose for accuracy and it needed to be recrowned too. Triggers can be quite good with a little work. Hooked butt plates can be fit from castings from Track of the Wolf but I suggest getting them in aluminum where possible 'cause it takes an extra large one to fit. 

As far as keeping in the "spirit", I have to respectfully disagree with Quarterbore on this one. Otherwise, you eliminate all of the Rugers, Perigrine, Miller, Hoch actions and while you are at it virtually all telescopic sights to boot.

This is not to get into a war of words with anyone, but I think we are talking about a couple of different things here...the spirit of antiques with original and at worst reproductions of antiques, and the spirit of old time single shot competition.   

Those interested in the former will find the Encore, and indeed the Miller, Hoch, Ruger and even my beloved "Penguin" hard to accept as well.  On the other hand, those who like to shoot single shots in the old fashioned way with plain based lead bullets at ring or Honor targets, usually at 200 yards, will find the Encore to be totally acceptable and welcome you to their matches.   

Fortunately, since Etna Green (indeed since most ASSRA affiliated venues) has a contingent of the latter, you should have no trouble finding a shooting home.  If you shoot on the bench next to me, You might see me pull out the aforementioned Penguin to shoot a bench match, then a rebarreled original high-wall Winchester to shoot off-hand or even a Maynard or Ballard if the wind is blowing in the right direction.  Have fun, I know I will! 

Charlie Shaeff
the Green Frog

PS  Oh yeah, as my old friend rimfire said, there were lots of break open rifles in use during the time after the "recent unpleasantness" including the Maynard, of course, and no one would try to exclude them, would they? 

Kinglooie
I forgot to say before, so I'll say it now, WELCOME to the insanity!  Don't take this banter too seriously, that's what makes this group so much fun. It's the open sharing of information and opinions. As long as it is done in friendly tones, it's not an issue. If it gets out of hand, the moderator will chime in in his usual "hugs and kisses" manner and set the offenders straight  . 

Many of the guns mentioned were limited production actions made by custom action/gun makers in the past 20-30 years. Not your usual run of the mill actions by no means. 

Again, welcome........