Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC – Great Rifle

Description

One receiver, any barrel you want, is the whole idea behind the Encore platform, and the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC is a well specified example of it. An 18 inch threaded barrel in a cartridge built for efficiency, on a frame that will take a 20 gauge shotgun barrel or a muzzleloader barrel just as happily.

• Why a single shot break action still makes sense
• Full specifications
• What 6mm ARC brings
• Honest notes before you buy
• The single shot discipline
• The bottom line

Why a single shot break action still makes sense

A break open action has no magazine, no bolt throw and no feeding to go wrong. It is short for its barrel length because there is no action length to add, so the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC with an 18 inch barrel handles like a much shorter rifle. And swapping barrels takes a punch and about a minute.

That last point is the real argument. Buy the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC and you own the frame, the stock and the trigger. Adding a 308 barrel, a 45-70 barrel or a muzzleloader barrel later costs a fraction of a whole rifle, and they all share the same feel and the same trigger.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 6mm ARC
• Action: single shot break open
• Barrel: 18 inches, threaded 5/8×24
• Capacity: 1 round
• Frame: stainless steel, green Cerakote
• Stock: Kings Camo XK7
• Trigger: adjustable for overtravel
• Safety: hammer block
• Firing system: external hammer
• Suppressor ready: yes
• Drilled and tapped: yes
• Recoil pad: black rubber
• Included: cable trigger lock
• Davidson’s item 6322R, UPC 810180304375

The 5/8×24 muzzle thread is the specification that matters most here. This rifle is set up for a suppressor out of the box, and a single shot break action is arguably the best possible host for one. No gas system to tune, no action noise, no ejection. Suppressed, the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC is about as quiet as a centerfire gets.

What 6mm ARC brings

The 6mm ARC was designed to push efficient high ballistic coefficient 6mm bullets from a short action at modest powder charges. In a rifle like the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC that means light recoil, a barrel that lasts, and enough reach for deer and coyotes well past 300 yards without a magnum case.

It suits predator hunting particularly well. Flat enough for a long shot across a field, mild enough to spot your own impact, and quiet with a can on the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC. For a hunter who calls coyotes and shoots the occasional deer, this is a well matched combination.

Honest notes before you buy

The frame is drilled and tapped and the trigger is adjustable for overtravel. Optic mounting is straightforward, and the Kings Camo XK7 stock with a rubber recoil pad makes a mild cartridge like the 6mm ARC genuinely pleasant to shoot from field positions.

One practical note on ammunition. The 6mm ARC is newer than the cartridges most shops stock deeply, so availability is thinner than 243 or 308. If you buy the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC, pick up a few boxes when you see them rather than assuming they will be on the shelf in October. Brass and dies are readily available if you handload.

The single shot discipline

You get one round. That is the honest limitation and a fair number of hunters consider it a feature. It enforces a deliberate first shot, which is the shot that matters anyway. But if your hunting involves follow ups on running game or multiple animals in a group, the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC is the wrong tool and a repeater is the right one.

Reloading is quick with practice, break open, extract, drop one in and close, but it is not fast in the way a bolt gun is. Shooters who carry the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC generally keep a round between two fingers of the support hand for exactly this reason.

The bottom line

For a suppressor ready single shot that can become almost any rifle you want later, the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC is a sensible starting point in an efficient modern cartridge. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 6mm ARC is a sensible place to start.