Single Shot Muzzleloading Rifles Blog

Editor’s Note: Mike Bellm of Mike Bellm TC’s who has spent more than three decades specializing in precision chamber work, has been using the Bergara Barrel made for the Thompson/Center Encores to help improve their accuracy.

Question: Mike why did you decide to put the barrels made by Bergara, on Thompson/Center frames?

Bellm: One of the reasons that I put the Bergara Barrels on the Thompson/Center frames is because the Bergara Barrels have a more-favorable price point than other barrels made for the T/C Encore. I’ve been doing barrel work on rifles for 33 years and making firearm systems as a whole function the way they are supposed to function. I really like the fact that the Bergara Barrels on average are much straighter than other barrels. I think they’re straighter than the T/C barrels, and I also like that the uniformity of the group diameter is much-more consistent. I think the Bergara Barrels address these issues much better than the T/C barrels do.

Question: How much more accurately can you make a Thompson/Center Encore shoot by replacing the factory barrel with a Bergara Barrel?

Bellm: I’m not saying that the T/C barrels can’t be made to shoot straighter. But regardless of how well manufactured a barrel is, if you put that barrel in an imperfect system that’s loose at the hinge, or the lock-up’s not good and tight – the gun’s won’t be as accurate as it can be.

I have a continuing and ongoing relationship with the BPI (Blackpowder Products, Inc.) engineers in Spain. The folks at BPI here in the States, is very experienced, knowledgeable and technically oriented in all aspects of guns and how they should function properly. When I point-out to him a change that will make the Bergara Barrels fit better on the T/C Encores, he’ll listen and work with me to incorporate those changes into the Bergara Barrels. The simple answer to your question, “Why did I start putting Bergara Barrels on the T/ C Encore?” is that the people at BPI work with me to make their Bergara Barrels fit the very best they possibly can fit on the T/C Encore frame. I’ve found BPI to be very diligent in trying to make the very-best product they can for what the consumers are willing to spend.

The very-first version of the Bergara Barrel for the T/C Encores was produced in 2006. BPI started with Ed Shilen as the company’s first adviser, which I thought was very smart on BPI’s part. One of the most-renowned rifle barrel makers in this country, Ed focused on bolt-action guns. Due to Ed’s experience and knowledge, BPI was able to blend the best of what’s been done in the fixed-barrel rifles and brought that knowledge and experience to the break-open interchangeable barrel systems. I told the folks at BPI that, “You can make a perfect barrel as perfect as manufacturing will allow you to, but that barrel’s not going to be any better than a reject barrel, if the entire rifle system that you put it on has problems. This is what my years of experience working with T/C break-open rifles have shown me – certain inherent problems with a system will keep a barrel from shooting well, such as the hinge pins. My company provides oversized hinge pins to give a tighter fit. To tighten-up the barrel, you’ve got to have good lock-up at the back of the gun and good trigger pull and be conscious of head space. Then you have to be extremely conscious of how these systems are bedded- especially how the forearm attaches to the barrel. Often if you take a stock forehand and screw it on, it may bend or tweak the barrel. That one screw can cause a rifle that’s capable of shooting sub-MOA groups to maybe shoot 3- or 4-inch groups, instead of grouping nice and tightly. With all of the emphasis being put on high velocity, Ultra mags and short mags that hunters are starting to choose, they’re hoping to place a shot that ranges from 400 to 500  yards. However, if you can’t place the shot in the animal, all your bullet will do is dig a deeper furrow when you miss.

Therefore, focusing the attention of the rifle on accuracy rather than distance is very important. If the rifle’s not shooting accurately, then how far the bullet will travel when you pull the trigger and how much knock-down power the bullet has doesn’t matter. Regardless of the caliber you shoot, the forehand of the gun and how it attaches to the barrel can play a major role in accuracy. To sum up, I like the Bergara Barrel on a Thompson/Center Encore, because I believe that the Bergara Barrel is the best factory-made interchangeable barrel I can put on the T/C Encore. However, if we don’t address the other small details on the Encore platform, the Bergara Barrel can’t perform as well as it’s been designed to perform. Bottom line is if you put a perfect barrel on an imperfect system, you still won’t get good results.

Editor’s note: Chad Schearer of Great Falls, Montana, host of “Shoot Straight with Chad Schearer” on the Sportsman Channel, has traveled all over the world hunting with a Muzzleloader. This week, Schearer will tell us about his African Muzzleloader hunt.

Question: Chad, how many-different animals have you taken in Africa?
Schearer: Over the years, with a muzzleloader, I’ve taken a Cape buffalo, a 2,000-pound eland, an impala, a duiker, a warthog and many other animals.

Question: Did you hunt with any of the new Bergara barrels other than the .50-caliber black-powder barrels in Africa?

 
Schearer: No, I didn’t take any of the modern Bergara barrels. I wanted to hunt this time with muzzleloader, so I chose a .50 caliber. However, I have hunted in Africa with modern Bergara barrels for wildebeests and a few other animals in years past.

Question: What bullet did you use when you hunted and took the Cape buffalo?
Schearer: I used a 510-grain PowerBelt Dangerous Game Bullet, which is a steel-tip bullet that PowerBelt no longer makes.

Question: How did that bullet perform, Chad?
Schearer: The CVA rifle and this bullet were life savers. The buffalo charged me. He was at 60 yards, coming straight at me. I shot him right above the brisket as he came straight for me, and the bullet lodged in his hindquarter.

Question: What did your guide say when you told him you wanted to use a CVA black-powder rifle to take a Cape buffalo?

Schearer: He said, “This hunt should be interesting.” And the hunt did get really interesting when the buffalo charged us. I shot, and for a few seconds, a big cloud of smoke was in front of us, making seeing the buffalo difficult. So, the guide didn’t know if I’d hit it. But we learned that as soon that PowerBelt Bullet hit the buffalo, he whirled and dropped 50 yards from us. When my professional hunter saw how efficiently the CVA rifle with the PowerBelt Bullet put-down that big buffalo, he was really impressed. That’s the only dangerous African game I’ve ever hunted.

Question: Chad, which rifle did you use?
Schearer: That hunt was 5-years ago, and I used the CVA Kodiak Pro. 

Question: So, what would you say is the main factor to ensuring a successful black-powder hunt in another country?
Schearer: Plan ahead. Make sure you have your blackpowder and percussion caps in camp before you arrive, and use a good travel agent, like Gracy Travels International, Inc., (www.gracytravel.com) out of San Antonio, Texas. Gracy Travel specializes in African travel, and they’re an expert at taking care of all the problems that can occur when hunting in Africa. They’re also a consolidator, which enables you to get good deals on airline travel, and they’ll send you all the information you need to make your hunt as problem free as possible. Next, make sure you have a good outfitter. In Africa, we hunt with Mafigeni Safaris (www.mafigeni.com).