Encore problems.

[Fan of the 1911]

I have a 15" 480 Ruger barrel that have trouble with. It will close most of the time, but the hammer will not come back. I have other barrels and this is the only one I have trouble with, it is the only pistol barrel I have for the Encore. Any one have problems like this? I'm about to start reloading for the .480 and I would like to fix it. Thank you.

[Aunegl]

TC Encores have a lifetime warranty. Ship it back to the factory, to have it fixed.

[TCFAN]

Is this a new or used barrel that is hard to close and won't let the hammer cock?
Can you see any thing different between the barrel that won't work and the ones that will.
It sounds like the interlock is not being pushed back or set.I am not sure what is on the barrel that pushes the interlock back but with a barrel off of the frame you can set the interlock with your finger to make the hammer cock.
The above is probably not much help but it is all I could think of...........Terry

[kweidner]

if you are using reloads it is very likely they are not sized correctly. Ask me how I know this. Check out mike bellm tc. The encore headspaces off the shoulder not rim. It is critical for accuracy in this system. Loaded cartridge must be .000 including the frame gap. he sells a dial indicator to help accomplish this. Set up dies to push shoulder back just enough to let bbl close WITHOUT interference. If you try to crush fit it will NOT allow hammer to come back. if its a straight wall it uses the OAL to headspace. If factory round chamber could be too short.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

your grip bolt my be to tight or to long loosen it up if that works put a washer in

[Fan of the 1911]

The problem seems to be with the factory ammo. Some rounds drop right in and closes up, hammer goes back.
I haven't had a chance to reload any for it yet. I have a few 400 grain boolits cast, just have not loaded as of yet.

[Fan of the 1911]

I also have had the problem 2 different times. I use it for my rifle most of the time so I switch it back and forth, I think its the ammo rather than the grip, but next time I will check that. I don't normaly over tighten bolts, but I will admit I don't want the .480 hitting me in the face.

[nhrifle]

I can think of a couple possible culprits. I worked as a welder for T/C when they were still in Rochester. Most of the problems were caught during production and never made it out the door (if I told you how many barrels got scrapped on a typical day for sundry defects you would probably cry), however, some did find their way to the public.

First potential problem is headspacing on the barrel, as it may not have had the chamber cut to the same depth. I saw two different operators use the same tooling on the same setup with identical barrels get different chamber depths, so it might be that you need to have the chamber lengthened by a small amount. And since the .480 is a rimmed cartridge, yes it does headspace off the case mouth but the rim also comes into play. The barrel is bored for the chamber and also has a counter bore for the rim. The dimensions are critical here as well. Cases can vary by a few thousandths in all dimensions as there is a manufacturing tolerance, and if the counter bore is cut to the absolute minimum, a case with a rim on the high side of tolerance will abut against the barrel during closing, preventing proper operation. Might need the counter bore deepened as well. Check a few cartridges and measure depth there.

Second problem, there is an interlock piece that prevents the hammer from cocking unless the barrel is completely closed. It has a small spring that operates it that can wear and weaken over time. It is a small c-shaped piece that fits over one of the hammer lugs on the right hand side of the hammer and slides forward and back.

I would lean more toward a cartridge clearance issue than the interlock, tho with mechanical things, anything is possible. I'd start measuring anything you can.

Hope this helped.