Smoothing the Thompson/Center Encore

The success of the Contender pistol led Thompson/Center to bring out a slightly larger version called the Encore with a longer, thicker frame and a redesigned trigger mechanism. At first glance, it might look like a larger version of the Contender. It’s not. The Encore is one of the most versatile firearms available on the market today’it can serve as a pistol, rifle, muzzleloader, or a shotgun. Due to this versatility and popularity, it’s a good candidate for action smoothing and trigger-pull work.

Although the manual states "Encore triggers are factory set to an optimal pull," there’s always room for improvement. mechanism that will need your attention’t he trigger, sear, hammer, and hammer strut. Before any work is performed at least two questions need to be answered: (1) What are the customer’s expectations regarding triggerpull weight, and (2) will the firearm be used for hunting, target shooting, or both?

You will, of course, have to make the decision on what is a safe trigger-pull weight, so you’d better know your customer. There are four parts to the trigger The trigger-pull weight should be tested prior to any work being performed so you can monitor your progress. But before you do anything, keep in mind that you should not pull the trigger of this firearm with the firing pin and spring in place.

Doing so can cause the firing-pin spring to be compressed, and then when alive round is fired, the firing pin will not return but will become stuck in the primer. As a result, when the barrel is opened, it will bend the firing pin. To avoid that problem, follow this procedure: After making sure the gun is not loaded, remove the two screws on the forend, remove the forend from the barrel, tip the barrel open, and remove the barrel hinge pin by tapping it out (in either direction).

Then remove the barrel from the frame. To remove the firing pin and firing-pin spring, remove the socket-head screw directly above the firing pin using a 7/ 64-inch Allen wrench. This screw can be removed with or without the hammer in place. With the screw removed, push the firing pin from the hammer side to help remove the round plug retainer in the breechface that houses the firing pin and firing-pin spring. Place a rag between the frame and the hammer to cushion the hammer, and test the initial trigger pull.

To cock the hammer, you will have to

push the interlock "back" (by inserting your index finger down inside the front of the action on the right side) while cocking the hammer. The interlock’s function is to prevent the hammer from being cocked without the barrel being fully locked into the action. Finish the basic disassembly by removing the buttstock or pistol grip. Complete Disassembly For complete disassembly of the Encore you will need a punch, a straightblade screwdriver, and a small hammer. Using the screwdriver, remove the triggerguard pivot.

Once the triggerguard screw is removed, you can separate the guard from the receiver. Turn the action upside down, and you can see the relationship of the internal parts, particularly the trigger/sear spring and the interlock. The trigger/sear spring’s L-shaped leg points to the rear. Make a note of these parts and how they fit together. Remove the next three pins from the smallest to the largest. The smallest pin is the trigger-pivot pin.

Once it’s removed, unhook the trigger/searspring leg that engages the trigger and remove the trigger. The next largest pin is the sear-pivot pin. You’ll see apart with an angular end pointing to the front of the frame. This is the interlock. Observe the interlock and sear engagement. When removing the sear, slide it out and the interlock will come out with it. Finally, remove the largest pin’t he hammer-pivot pin. The triggerguard return-spring strut can now be removed.

The hammer will drop down inside the frame and can be removed out of the bottom. The hammer strut and spring come out through the top of the frame. For any action work, this is all the disassembly required. Removal of the large-headed spring-loaded pin inserted through the trigger is not required.

Smoothing and Polishing the Parts Before you do any stoning or polishing, reposition the pivot pins into the frame and install the trigger, sear, and hammer on the outside so you can see where the parts come in contact with each other. This will give you a much better idea of what to do and where. For smoothing and polishing these parts, I use a fine-cut Diamond EZE lap (Brownells part #290-100-001). Be careful; it removes material very quickly.

I also use the FF-46 fine India stone (#657-246-246), black/M-fine ceramic stone (#080-721-604), and the white/X-fine ceramic stone (#080-721- 601). Take your time, overdoing it can have dangerous results. When you do action work on the Encore, it’s best to do it in a sequence starting with the trigger, sear, and working up to the hammer and hammer strut. This keeps everything in relative order. Starting with the trigger, observe the top rounded surface area. You’ll see where it has made contact with the sear.

Use the EZE lap here to even out the contact area while maintaining the original shape. Follow this with the ceramic stones using honing oil and putting a very smooth polish on the top surface. The sear, being located in between the trigger and hammer, has more contact areas and requires the most attention due to the sear notch that holds the hammer back at full cock. The areas to be smoothed and polished are noted in the accompanying photos.

Starting at the bottom of the sear, you can see the roughness left by the casting marks. This surface cams against the top of the trigger and needs to be smoothed and polished. Hold the sear in one hand with the side to be worked on facing up and lay it on the corner of your workbench. With the EZE lap held flat on the surface, smooth this area down. Check after each stroke and be aware where the bluing is being removed.

This surface is usually uneven and rough; remove all of the bluing maintaining the proper angle. Apply Dykem or use a marker as needed to maintain the correct angle. If there is a casting mark in the middle of this area, do not try to

remove it completely. Again, after using the EZE lap, finish with the stones and honing oil. Check the sear notch. Is it rough or not making even contact? This notch will have to be polished, as it is the most critical part. Don’t use the EZE lap here, only the stones. As with the other parts, maintain the factory angle of this notch, going slowly and checking your work often. Once again, use Dykem or a marker as necessary to maintain the angle and monitor your progress.

Start with the fine India stone, and progress to the white Xfine stone to put a bright polish on it. The sear notch must be horizontal or slightly more than horizontal. When using the stones, work in one direction, keeping them flat. Don’t move them back and forth, as this will tend to create an arched surface. Aside note here on sear/hammer notches: The sear has a double function; besides releasing the hammer, it also acts as the hammer block.

So don’t shorten the sear’s hammerblocking arm or its trigger-contact arm. Sear angles and trigger-notch angles are critical to safe operation of any firearm. Most, if not all, trigger pulls have what is called "positive let-off." When you stone a sear or hammer notch, you can remove the proper angle or too much metal resulting in a negative let-off. In this case, the hammer falls before you finish pulling the trigger through or you can push the hammer forward without pulling the trigger.

Either situation is very unsafe. If, after finishing, you find you have a negative trigger pull, you can recut the hammer-cock notch of the sear to a more horizontal angle. What you’re doing when you stone a sear notch on the Encore is two things: (1) removing the rough edges (polishing), and (2) leveling it square. When you finish with this action work, the trigger pull should be smooth, crisp, and just a little positive. The radius on the hammer nose is the next area which requires some detailed work.

You will see there is a small area that has the bluing removed. Again, don’t change the shape; you are only removing the roughness. After using the EZE lap working in one direction, follow by polishing with the ceramic stones. The last part to be smoothed up is the hammer strut. Mount it in a vise with the T-shaped portion, which contacts the hammer, facing up. Using a fine-grit sandpaper in a shoeshine motion, remove the roughness, then follow up with crocus cloth making it smooth.

Down each side of the hammer strut, use the EZE lap to remove the sharp corners where it comes in contact with the hammer spring. This completes the action work. Let’s put it back together and check our progress. Before final reassembly thoroughly clean and degrease all the parts. Then, to enhance what’s been done on each part, apply Brownells Action Lube Plus (#083-050-002) to all contact points including the top of the hammer strut. You don’t need much; a little goes along way.

Reassembly When doing any action work, disassembly and reassembly is performed throughout the process, checking and rechecking your progress. To reassemble the Encore, start with putting the hammer spring and strut into the hole in the grip/buttstock tenon. Move the hammer up into the frame, position the top of the hammer strut into its recess, and install the largest pin. Pull back on the hammer slightly.

If you don’t feel any resistance from the mainspring, check and ensure the hammer strut is seated in its recess properly. Now lay the action on its right side, hammer to your right, and locate the interlock. It lies flat on the inside of the frame. Lay the interlock below the frame with the spring that is attached pointing downward and to your right. Set the sear into the interlock. The sear is installed with the cock notch facing the hammer.

Slide the two parts up into the frame with your fingers, and install a punch of appropriate size to hold it in place as you turn the action bottom up. With the frame bottom up and the rear of

This angle must be maintained, as any change can result in an unsafe firearm. the action positioned forward, install the sear/trigger spring. The sear/trigger spring is installed by doing the following: Grasp the coils of the spring with needle-nose pliers with the L-shaped leg at the top pointing inside towards the hammer. Push the coil of the spring down inline with the sear-pivot-pin hole, and capture it with the punch.

Install the sear-pivot pin, transferring the spring from the punch to the pin as you drive it in. If you have access to a metal lathe a slave pin can be made, which makes the installation a lot easier. The slave pin should be .123 O. D. and .638 inch in length. You simply assemble the sear and sear/trigger spring and insert it in the frame with the interlock and remove the slave pin by driving in the sear pivot pin.

Install the trigger by slipping the hole in the trigger over the end of the spring and moving the trigger down to install its pin. The triggerguard return-spring strut is now installed. Push out the hammer pin just enough to insert the strut, and tap the pin back into position. Place the triggerguardreturn spring onto the strut, and move the triggerguard into position with the trigger in its opening and the strut at the rear of the triggerguard.

While holding this in place, align the holes for the triggerguard-pivot screw and install the screw halfway. Look inside the action and you will see a large headed pin in the trigger. Push this down while inserting the screw the rest of the way and tighten it with a screwdriver. Once you’ve reassembled the buttstock or grips, barrel and hinge pin, and the forend, you’ve completed the reassembly. Before moving on, do a function check to ensure it has been assembled correctly.

If the hammer fails to cock, something is awry and you’ll have to go back and troubleshoot the problem. Safety Checks and Testing Now’s the time to check your pull weight and perform the safety check. Again, you’ll have to push back on the Encore’s interlock until you can cock the hammer if the barrel is not seated into the action. Position a rag between the frame and hammer to help cushion the hammer blow, and check the pull weight. Cock the hammer again and push firmly forward on it. The hammer should not move.

If it does move, the sear notch will have to have more positive contact as I mentioned earlier. Next test for hammer rebound. Dryfire the gun. When you remove your finger from the trigger, the hammer should (and must) rebound back off from the firing pin and lock in position. If it doesn’t rebound properly, anew sear/trigger spring will be needed. When all of the safety checks are positive, you can finish with adjusting the trigger-stop screw.

Cock the hammer, reinstall your protective shop rag, and turn the trigger-stop screw with a .050 hex wrench until it touches the trigger. Apply pressure to the trigger while backing out the screw until the hammer falls, then back out the screw one-quarter turn and test this setting. If the hammer hesitates, back out the screw another one-quarter turn. Once you have finished dry firing, reinstall the breechface plug, firing-pin spring, and firing pin.

Reinstall the barrel, the forend, and buttstock or pistol grip if you have not already done so to complete the reassembly. Conclusions The Encore used in this article was a 209×50 muzzleloader model that came out of the box with a gritty trigger pull of 5-1/4 pounds. And the trigger-stop screw was not properly adjusted.

After the work was performed, the trigger pull was a crisp and smooth 2-3/4 pounds with no overtravel (although I’d be the first to admit that this pull weight could be considered too light for hunting in dense woods or rough country). The Encore is a gun that will be used in many applications, so it’s imperative your final result is well matched to your customer and his requirements. I