Just wondering if anyone else has shot the Heavy barreled Encore Factory 25-06 from TC. My brother has one and the best groups we can extract are over 2 inches for 3 shots at 100yards. Some are much worse. Before going further, I should say that TC has already offered to repair/ replace the barrel if needed. No flies on them. While I am at best a mediocre shot, He is a marine, expert marksman and avid shooter and I know he's tried just about every factory load available. We even handloaded some bergers out to touch the rifling (Thinking Classic TC generous Throat) but still ended up with 2+ inches. We cannot see any physical flaw and know that only 250 or so rounds have been through this rifle as it was new when we started.If this were any other gun, even the same gun with a sporter weight barrel, we would accept the 2-3 inch groups as good enough, but the muzzleloader barrel that came on the gun produces Sub Moa with just about all loads. Is this normal?

35(definitely not 25fan for now)

I don't know anything about T/Cs of any sort. I normally shoot Handi rifles, where I can get a whole rifle for less than a T/C barrel. :D

Now, to the point, I have loaded some 100 gr Rem bulk pack PSPs with 22.5 gr of Blue Dot that shot 1 1/4" at 100 yards. It wasn't anything special, as far as a load, just the first thing I threw together for a reduced recoil load. Better components should do better, but that's sufficient for deer hunting around here. The gun was an older M700 with a 4X scope (if I'm remembering right!).

I have a 24 inch sporter weight for the encore and it does much better. Keys with the encore are a tight hinge pin so there is no side to side slop. Next with the rimless rounds you need to load them to the chamber. I fire form brass from factory loads to my chamber, then I resize in a full length die without the decapping pin (RCBS die). Then, I put the expander/decapper in 3 or 4 turns and expand on the downstroke. This creates brass tight to your chamber with very straight necks. Then any good bullett shoots. My hunting load is the 115 gr TSX over a healthy dose Re22. The chrono reads 3200 on average and 5 shot groups @ 100 yards average 1.25 inches.

Idoc

When I size in the full length die I don't full length size, only the neck, sorry.

Idoc

Had a .25-06 with the 26" heavy, and I was getting about the same accuracy that you experienced, not all that impressive for a hvy bbl gun. I have a 24" .243, that my daughter shoots, and that gun drills with combined tech. bal.-tips (95 gr.). Switched to my all time favorite s/s rifle- Ruger No.1-B, .25-06 , and it will shoot circles around that hvy-bbl encore all day long !!!