TC Encore Barrels

[waylonrocks]

An email from EABCO got we wondering. They have a new batch of barrels available in such chamberings as .375 Win, 450 Marlin, and 6.5x47. Yet, barrels for popular offerings have a 6 to 9 month wait. Why catalog barrels that are not popular? Same with Haus of Arms that sell SSK barrels. Available barrels are of unpopular chamberings in inefficient barrel lengths. A .264 Win Mag in a 16 1/4 inch barrel is rather pointless. Common sense would dictate that any barrel that is cataloged but is sold out, is sold out due to customer interest, so why not make more of those? There doesn't seem to be any .308 Win barrels to be had, yet I can buy a barrel for the .260 Rem. Barrel length is another puzzle. Thompson Center is just as guilty. Studies have been done showing optimum barrel lengths for virtually every cartridge yet their ProHunter barrel is 28 inches long, which is unnecessary for the 6.5 Creed, .308 Win, etc. The in stock EABCO .44 Mag barrel is 26 inches long, which has no advantage that I can see. I understand for efficiency that they use one barrel length for multiple chamberings but why go overboard when everyone else uses 22 to 24 inch barrels? I assume the manufactures monitor internet forums to get a feel for what customers want but sometimes it seems like they are out of sync in that regard. My forum reading seems to show that people favor a wide range of mainstream classic and new cutting-edge cartridges. Instead of offering a barrel in .221 Rem Fireball, how about one in .257 Roberts?

[NSB]

I’m not going to dive into all of this, just too much to speculate about. I don’t tell people how to run their companies, sales figures do the talking. As to barrel length being “not optimal” in your opinion: not everyone buys a barrel because it gives the best velocity with a certain powder at a certain length. They don’t lose all their power by giving up a couple inches of length. Some people want a “balanced” gun, a certain weight gun, perhaps a carbine, etc. As long as it shoots well, most of the other factors aren’t nearly as important as you think. The main reason they’re offering all the odd ball calibers is because that’s all they have left after all the popular stuff got bought out.
Note: TC is no longer making or selling barrels. The doors are closed and no production is being done.

[Rapier]

Many times a company gets a buy in barrels that a barrel maker offers at a "move it out" price. Usually the seller offers the barrels at a reduced price. Why a barrel maker makes some barrels is a mystery to them also, when they are left over stock. But as a production manager, you do not make many mistakes like that.....
Eben (E. Author Brown) is a very smart fellow, and a good guy, other than he lives in MN. I kid him about that, so had to mention that.

[Iowa Fox]

The 375 Win in a Encore barrel is a winner. Its a frame stretcher in the Contender. I have 4-375 Win and 2 357 Max barrels all in the Contender. The 375 is everything the Max should have been.

The supply of factory original TC barrels is really drying up out here.

[Ed K]

I'll second the notion that what you're seeing is leftovers. There may be stock on those items however not too deep - 1 or 2 maybe?

Right now you can order an SSK Hunter grade Encore barrel in 308 Win that is in your choice of 18", 20", 22" or 24" lengths for $300 which given the quality is the best deal going at the moment.

[NSB]

I'll second the notion that what you're seeing is leftovers. There may be stock on those items however not too deep - 1 or 2 maybe?

Right now you can order an SSK Hunter grade Encore barrel in 308 Win that is in your choice of 18", 20", 22" or 24" lengths for $300 which given the quality is the best deal going at the moment.

SSK Hunter barrels are actually made by Green Mountain, not SSK. They run the gambit from pretty mediocre to very good. It’s a gamble buying one. SSK makes their own Premium barrels which cost about double but are actually outstanding in quality and accuracy. I have both and there is a difference. Their Premium barrels are the best Encore barrels I’ve owned to date (I’ve had quite a few of them), better even than MGM and TC’s custom shop.

[waylonrocks]

On the SSK website, they only show a 15 inch barrel for a bit above $400 as being in stock . I went through the process of creating a custom barrel which quickly moved past $500. Where might I find the $300 versions? Thank you!

[Ed K]

SSK Hunter barrels are actually made by Green Mountain, not SSK.

If you are referring to the barrel blanks that may well be correct. I was not aware that SSK manufactured barrel blanks at all - including for their top line TC barrels. Green Mountain barrels are at least as good as a factory TC barrel in my experience. Not claiming they are the cream of the crop of custom makers of barrel blanks. One has to decide for themselves what will be good enough. Will you be big game hunting at 50 yards or varminting at 300? I have TC barrels based on Green Mountain blanks, as well as TC barrels from Shilen and Pac-Nor super match grade blanks.

Where might I find the $300 versions? Thank you!

For example when creating a custom barrel chambered in 308 Win, select "Hunter" in the barrel grade field. It looks like that option is available in 1-7" & 1-10" twist rate. You may wish to specify other options which may affect pricing but yes, you can get a $300 Encore barrel from SSK.

[NSB]

HausofArms.com is showing quite a few of the SSK barrels in stock. They’re also a great place to buy from. Check them out. I’ve dealt with Marty many times and he’s a great guy to do business with. His stock in trade is SSK and TC barrels, frames, and stock sets.

[waylonrocks]

Thanks for the info! I didn't realize the importance of the chosen twist rate as it relates to the pricing options. Yes, Marty from Haus of Arms is great to converse with. He also has excellent YouTube videos on a variety of topics.