What single shot?

[hangunnr]

Welcome to the Realtree forums Jim. Always nice to see a new face.

I'm a big fan of the 7-30 Waters. It's an excellent deer caliber. The potential of this round is huge when handloaded with the proper bullet. I've had both a 30-30 and 7-30 in Contender barrels. The 7mm is much friendlier along the lines of recoil. 150yds shouldn't be a problem as long as the shooter does his part.

You mention the 7-08 in a Contender barrel. The Contender won't handle that round. The frame can't take that kinda pressure. You'd have to go up to an Encore to be able to use that round.

Now.......If you would choose to go with the Encore chambered for 7-08 you realistically can get another 50-75yds effective range.

hangunnr

[hangunnr]

The felt recoil is IMO much less with the 7-30 compared to the 30-30.

You'll get a flatter trajectory with the 7-30. I wouldn't consider the 30-30 to be a 150yd caliber out of a handgun. The 7-30 will easily do 150yds and still have the energy to get bullet expansion.

You've encountered one of the big problems shooting the bottle neck handguns. The noise is brutal to say the least. The Waters doesn't run as high a pressure as your .308 so it isn't quite as loud. But, it is still very loud and shouldn't be fired without some form of hearing protection. I always have muffs with me while hunting with my single shots and will put them on if it gets to be time to shoot. This may sound like a PITA but it hasn't been a problem so far.

The difference between the Encore and Contender / G2 is the size of the frame. The Encore is much beefier. It was designed to handle higher pressure calibers. The G2 is basically a down sized version of the Encore. It won't however handle the same calibers.

The 7-08 in an Encore would be an excellent choice for a deer gun. The recoil wouldn't be harsh so a muzzle brake shouldn't be needed. There is enough mass in the Encore to soak up the shot. Like I said earlier the 7-08 is stout enough to get you to ~250 yds with the proper load.

hangunnr

[wing_0_nut]

Does Savage still make the Striker pistol?

I kind of like the bolt on the left side, so you don't have to shift your grip for a follow-up shot.

[hangunnr]

Kinda hard to describe the size difference. There is about a 12oz difference between the two if both have 12" barrels. As far as grip size?????????

I find the pistol grip on the Encore to be a little on the large size. I had to whittle mine down a little to get the proper feeling for my trigger finger. The G2 grip feels like it was made for me. I find it very comfortable.

hangunnr

[hangunnr]

Yeah, they still make the Striker. The left hand bolt was one of the few features that I liked about the gun. I had one in .308 that shot OK. It wasn't anything to write home about. Perhaps I just had a lemon as I know of several that are quite pleased with theirs.

hangunnr

[Rhinodog]

If I have an encore rifle, can I buy a pistol grip and a pistol barrel and be all set?

[AJ]

[ QUOTE ]
If I have an encore rifle, can I buy a pistol grip and a pistol barrel and be all set?

[/ QUOTE ]

It depends on how the receiver was registered. Yes the T/C Encore Frames for either Rifle, handgun, or muzzleloader, are physically the same. The big difference is in how the paperwork was originated. Once that Frame was sold as a Rifle or ML, converting it to a handgun is making a short barreled rifle as the frame is registered as a rifle. This is a felony. If the Encore was registered as a handgun frame, its perfectly legal. The ATF states that you can make a handgun into a rifle legally, but you can not make a rifle into a handgun.