308 encore vs 35 rem contender

[matt t]

I am going hog and deer hunting on Cumberland Island and it is pistol only.  I have the option to buy a 308 encore or a 35 rem contender.  The contender has a tasco pro point scope.  Both are the same price.  Which one should I go with and why?  Thanks for any input.

[kynardsj]

I'd give the nod to the 308 Encore. The 35 is a good caliber but the 308 is just hard to beat with the many bullet styles and weights. My friend has a 15 inch 308 Encore with a 4 power scope on it. From a rest he can put three shots on paper at 100 yards you can cover with a nickle. His bullet of choice is a 125 gr Nosler Ballistic tip but then he's just shooting deer and coyotes. I'd probably work up a load with some 150's or 170's seeing that hogs are involved. Good luck on your choice and your hunt.

[stubshaft]

308 Winny - Much more versatile, wider range of bullet weights and shoots flatter.  I usually shoot 165gr bullets out of mine.

[Hopalong7]

     I guess when it comes to handgun hunting there just isn't much more of a do-it-all than an Encore in .308win.  Reckon that's why I've had one 'bout 10 years or so.  What all have I killed with it???  Well....there's.....nothing, zilch, nada, zero, I mean nothin'....haven't had bad bullet performance....no bad luck....hadn't missed a thing with it.  Seems every time I get ready to go I just can't pick her up instead of one of my Contenders in calibers like 45-70, .375Win, 357Max or Herrett, 30 Herrett, or 309 and 6.5 JDJ.  I don't currently have a .35Rem, but have had a couple, and they fit right in there too.
    Seriously , either would do just fine.  I'm assuming that you don't have other specialty pistols and to me the answer to your question lies in the other things that you might want to do with the weapon.  My Encore doesn't miss-out on a muzzle loading trip and often goes turkey hunting w/ me as a shotgun(when I'm not using a Contender pistol for that too), but when it comes to handgun hunting, it just doesn't seem to fit into my plans.  But I got 'er there...just in case.  Good Luck w/ the Hog.  
Walt  

[Dezynco]

I had to face the same choice (not for hogs, but for handgun hunting in general).  I had an Encore set up with a 15" pistol barrel, just like you are considering.  It shot great, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it - EXCEPT - it was heavy.

I got rid of my Encore frame, gave the .308 barrel to my friend,  and got a G2 Contender since it is much lighter.  He's tickled to death with the barrel...

Most of the time, the calibers that are offered in the Contender will shoot much harder and further than I'm capable with a handgun anyway.  Now for a rifle, the Encore (and Prohunter) are much more versatile if you need some of the high power calibers like 308, 30-06, and up, but those calibers are a handful in a pistol.

So it really came down to a weight issue for me, not a "caliber power" issue.  The Contender is just a lot more pleasant to carry for me (as a pistol).  Any cartridge for the Contender like the 357 MAX, 357 Herrett, 44 Mag, 30-30, 7x30, 35 Remington, 45-70 will work just fine for most of my hunting situations, even if I start shooting some of these hogs were are starting to get here in Central Mississippi.

Just my 2 bits worth.