TC Encore pistol?

[VAspeedgoat]

I was thinking of buying an encore with some birthday/Christmas money. My local gunshop said that now the encore is either a rifle or a pistol only. In other worss if I buy a .223 pistol, I can't buy a muzzle loader barrel and rifle stock and expect it to work. Is this true? If that is true is there anyone that make custom grips that would fit the rifle frame. I know they used to convert back and forth but I am told now they won't. Any guidance would be appreciated.

 

[TheShootist.41]

Take a look at www.eabco.com. They are pretty well stocked on anything to do with TC Encores. Their tel# is on the site. Hope this gets you an answer.

 

[1_pointer]

This is my understanding of the issue. It's not that they physically can't go from rifle to pistol, it's just that its not legal. You cannot make a rifle into a pistol per the ATF. You can make a pistol into a rifle. So, if you buy an Encore that is a rifle you cannot legally turn it into a pistol even though it is easily possible to do so. If you buy the Encore as a pistol you can turn it into a rifle and then back to a pistol because it was serialized as a pistol. Be careful not to buy an FX version muzzleloader as they are not capable of switching barrels.

For me, I doubt I'd be all that concerned with that issue. The main things I would always watch are to not have a rifle stock attached if the barrel on the frame is less than 16" and to make sure it meets the minimum overall length of a rifle if I have it configured that way.

Just what I found out when I looked into getting an Encore/Contender a few years back.

 

[danr55]

According to what I recall, if the barrel is less than 16 inches, you have to have a pistol stock attached. With a pistol stock attached, you can use any barrel length you choose. With a long barrel attached you can use either a pistol stock or a rifle stock. It is legal... it is not legal to have a short barreled rifle or shotgun.. (less than 16 inches).

 

[Redwood]

If you buy the encore receiver/frame, it is recorded as "frame " on the 4473. Then you can make it whatever you want.

 

[GSP4EVER]

I have always wondered about the legality of converting it from pistol to rifle, but I have never had the desire to make a rifle. Here in MN a "permit to purchase" is required for all handgun and some long guns from a dealer. The last time i saw a new Thompson Encore on the shelf was a muzzle loader and it was labeled "Permit and form required" by the retailer. If thats the case with new ones now, I would go to a place like gunbroker and just buy the frame and then buy your accessories separate. That is if you want the option of having a single shot 223 pistol and then later have a full length muzzle loader.

Anyway, you cant go wrong with an Encore. If you don't have a caliber picked out yet, I am going to suggest the 243 Win. Nice soft shooting round for a pistol. I needed some cash a bunch of years back and I sold mine. One of the dumbest things I have done. Since then, I have only ran across a few of them. I shot a pistol in the 270 Win. Thats a handful, but tolerable for about 6 rounds. Since S&W picked up Thompson Center, I haven't seen a new frame in a store for years. Con find them online every now and then. Theres a couple of retailers where you can get "custom" barrels for it. For me, I would want the 243, 308, 35 Remington, 30-30, and 7.62x39

 

[1976]

The encore pistol frame is different from the encore rifle frame, I have both and can not interchange the barrels, it is close but that only counts in hand grenades. TC would have a whole lot of ATF issues if this was possible. One has to obtain the 200 dollar tax stamp for a short barrel rifle or spend time in the federal pen. My last application for a short barrel tax stamp was 7 months which was better than my first sbr and also for the suppressor which was close to 13 month wait.

 

[Redwood]

The encore pistol frame is different from the encore rifle frame, I have both and can not interchange the barrels, it is close but that only counts in hand grenades. TC would have a whole lot of ATF issues if this was possible. One has to obtain the 200 dollar tax stamp for a short barrel rifle or spend time in the federal pen. My last application for a short barrel tax stamp was 7 months which was better than my first sbr and also for the suppressor which was close to 13 month wait.

True. The frames are long gun (centerfire, shotgun, and muzzle loader) vs handgun frames. The proper way to sell one is write it up as a frame on the 4473. This generally will buy you three components; frame, buttstock/grip, and a specific forearm. You then purchase the barrel of your choice. Exceptions are found in some locations where they are offered already barreled but they should still be sold as frames.