The Encore/contender does quite well for rabbit hunting. My cousin has used a Contender for the last couple of years and one of my grandpa's best friends has used one for as long as I can remember. I don't remember if the barrel is choked or not, obviously it is but I don't remember if the chokes are interchangeable and I don't know what the constriction(s) are. I do know that using the pistol really hasn't limited the range for either of them. Recoil is light. It might have something to do with the heavy gun, but the 410 has a lot less recoil than my 357 magnum does.

 

Hi
I have a contender with a 14 inch .410/.45 barrel. The kick is quite mild with 2 1/2 or 3 inch .410. I haven't shot many hand guns , but I can say it is no way near the kick of my friends 5oo S&W.
There is a choke that is removed with a special tool if you remembered a touch of anti seize on the threads. The inside of the choke has 6 vanes that create the choke effect. Point is that if you plan on a reloader you'll need to use a modern style shot wad for the choke to be effective. The choke must be removed to shoot .45 long colt and save your money on slugs, they will not group with or with out the choke.
The .45 LC works well. It seem the bullet likes the long jump to the lands. Also the .45 can be loaded real hot compared to the off the shelf loads.(Just check out the heavy frame hand gun section in some loading manuals.) Williams Gun sight has some dandy sights that will mount on the vent rib, making a 145 yard shot on a deer easy.
Think about reloading .410. with a loader like MEC 600 Jr. A 1/2 ounce of shot, about 6 or 7 cents, 3 cent primer, 3 cent wad, and about 4 cents of "lil gun" powder and no more than 20 seconds per reload. compare that to 25 over priced redi loads in a 2 cent card board box.Your investment will return fast if ya shoot it half as much as I. Its a real hoot to shoot.
At 50 feet a load of #9 has holes large enough for a starling to slip by. I would use #5 or #6 sot for rabbits and expect lots of misses.
Practice practice.
A load of #4 s at about 15 feet will cover a chuck... they do little more than twitch.
I' happy with the 14 inch, I fear a shorter length would let the pattern to open to far to soon. Just my feel......Hope this helps.

Terry

 

This is great information guys...thank you for your help.

 

The "choke" tube is not a choke at all. It is a shot arrestor. It strips the wad and stops the shot from spinning that was imparted on it by the rifling in the barrel. I have owned a 10" and 15" in the Encore and both shot very well. I had taken rabbits out to 25+ yards with them both. I usually ran #6 for a mix of pattern density and pellet energy. I found them much easier and nicer to carry when busting brush and jumping on brush piles. Plus in my old age, it doesn't bother me to miss anymore and come home with nothing to clean.

Hope this helps...

Mark

 

I have the magnum research BFR in .410/.45 lc with a 7.5 inch barrel and use it on treed squirrels all the time. Works great and very few get away.

 

I have the same pistol....encore 45/410 with 12" barrel. As far as recoil it is less than a 44mag....and even less than 357 with 410 shells. It does have a tube that stops the wad from sprinning as it exits the barrel and patterns good to 20 yards or so. I have killed a bunch of rabbits with mine, but I find that 7.5 shot is way better than 5's or 6's for me. My pistol will also shoot the 45 colts very accurately at 25 yrds or so.....