Can I get a WSM in an Encore?

Please let me inform all potential and returning customers that the following calibers are not on our list of chamberings, so there is no sense asking "please". No WSMs, nor WSSMs, nor Ultras, nor STWs, nor Wbys (outside the smaller 240 Wby) will be made for Thompson/Center break-actions.

And further, it is my opinion that they are also too much for at least 95% of the shooters in America. Please understand that the gun writers, God bless 'em, are all victims of the printed glossy magazines, and must continually come up with stories and praise about something new and wonderful, while in reality, these "Horsepower" calibers are probably the worst choice for our numbers.

While I'm not a particular fan of the old 270 Winchester, I do agree with the father of that choice, the great Jack O'Conner, whom I read religiously in my youth back in the 40s and 50s (yeah, I'm old, but not stupid). His philosophy of a gun in a moderate caliber that becomes second nature in handling for an individual, is far more deadly than those massive "horsepower" guns, that are mostly shot with the shooter's eyes closed. It's been my pleasure on several occasions to prove this theory to the macho types. When on the bench, I unsuspectingly slipped someone a gun with an empty chamber. The embarrassment of the anticipation of huge recoil, and almost pushing the gun off the bench is enough to humble those big fellas. My point is; just shoot a gun with which you will be comfortable, and then you'll be making a well placed shot, with hopefully the correct projectile for the job at hand, and make a clean kill. Wounded game at extreme ranges is just another method of giving the "Anti's" a way to get at our sport. The average shooter will do much better with a 260 Rem, 7-08 Rem, 308 Win. Sure we'll make you a 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag, 338 Win Mag (among hundreds of other calibers), but please be a bit more conservative in you choice of caliber, and you'll be a happy shooter for a lifetime of enjoyment.

This message was felt necessary as myself and the rest of the Bullberry team are answering at least a dozen questions a week regarding these extreme calibers. So, let's be safe, confident, and have some fun out there!

Thanks,
Fred

p.s. Larger-than-Encore calibers can often be made safely in bolt-action firearms. This is due to the larger barrel diameters of these guns as well as the barrel generally being threaded into the action. All that extra stability lends to accepting the additional chamber pressure the "horsepower" rounds are capable of creating.