#1 22 TCM site on the web

- Fri Jan 15, 2016 8:46 pm #4402 Anyone else have a Thompson Encore 22TCM rifle barrel? I have a MGM Custom 24" SS. Would like to share reloading info.

BTW, this is one FINE modern replacement round for the 22 Hornet.

- Sat Jan 16, 2016 1:32 am #4405 The Hornet is a venerable classic that never dies and never will. Every generation of rifleman has some who "discovers" it and fall victim to it's spell. I'm one of them.

That said, besides form factor and what we can fit it in the .22 TCM has some interesting capabilities the hornet will never have like PDW applications for one. Heavier bullets at higher velocities than the 5.7 FN could ever dream of... the PDW side of the TCM is only beginning to be scratched now.

Short and fat for it's length case with a decent shoulder angle....we seen that formula work real well in other cartridges like PPC and Grendel for two examples. Somebody needs to wring this thing out as far as it's accuracy potential can go.

I have said elsewhere the TCM is a kind of 22 Hornet for the 21st century but that's wrong 'cause it's more than that.

- Sat Jan 16, 2016 12:33 pm #4408 spartacus1239

I also have the MGM 24" Encore barrel. Mine has a 1:14 twist. What twist rate did you get?

I have found that the factory ammo and my reloads with the Armscor bullet are not that accurate (100 yrds). The main reason I decided on the Encore barrel rather than the RIA rifle was the ability to shoot a wider range of bullets and possibly a little heavier. Based on the stories on this forum about the RIA rifle I sure am glad I got the Encore barrel. I've not tried a lot of bullets yet, but I have used the Varmageddon 40 grain and it is very accurate (1/2' ten shot groups at 100 yrds). I'm using AA1680 which is also my favorite Hornet powder. I have some 40 grain VMax loaded, ready to try but haven't had an opportunity to shoot them yet.

I have shot some of my 37 and 44 grain cast bullets through the rifle. The accuracy of the cast bullet and the Armscor bullet seems OK out to about 60 yrds.

What have you tried?

- Thu Nov 02, 2017 2:47 am #15021 just got a little time to start messing with my encore again. in the past i ran a variety of loads with various charge weights w296 as well as both small pistol and rifle primers and 34gn midsouth varmint nightmare bullets and wasnt as pleased with the accuracy as I was hoping for. I'm toying with the idea of switching powders as well as bullet types, although id like to switch powders first because i have a s**tload of the midsouth bullets and theyre a lot cheaper than nosler or hornady bullets, although I do have a handful of nosler varmageddons and would be willing to turn to those if they get substantially below moa at 100. open to any suggestions both in regards to accurate loads and whether or not its worth sending my rifle to bellmtc's to get it tuned up vs just full length bedding the forend and getting one of their triggerjob kits once i have an accurate load for it. also interested in your opinion of the effects on accuracy of shooting a non floated barrel gun off a bipod vs investing in a hogsaddle type setup. thanks

American by birth, Texan by the grace of God

- Wed Jan 03, 2018 3:21 pm #15134 Any updates on this topic? I have been thinking of getting the encore for a better barrel over the RIA rifle. One of the reasons is like GaryB said so you can play with a wider range of bullets.

What twist rate is everyone running in their Encore MGM barrel?