Thompson/Center (T/C) has a sterling reputation in the industry. Its products are unfailingly reliable in challenging conditions. They are built for longevity, and their squeaky-tight tolerances show downrange. Add head-turning looks with unicorn-scarce versatility and it’s little wonder the firm has an enviable following.  

There’s no doubt the reappearance of the label in hunting stores will instantly attract the attention of knowledgeable hunters. The volume of features packed into the Encore PROHunter XT is also guaranteed to pique the interest of newcomers — even those who know little or nothing about the firm and its storied history.

This platform’s virtues are the headline act, worth a separate story. The company history takes a back seat when this system — from one of America’s finest gunmakers — has so much to offer customers.

 

Serialized Receiver

The Encore PROHunter Platform is a hunting quick-change artist. It might be after deer as a muzzleloader, shapeshift to a shotgun when it’s turkey season, and convert to centerfire when the time comes to fill the freezer.

The magic is made possible by the cleverly designed single-shot receiver, which was introduced in 1997. The Encore ProHunter hit the market shortly after and quickly gained an avid following.

The receiver comes with buttstock attached, recoil pad, a forend ready to mount, trigger assembly and more. It is the serialized component in the versatile system. As such, its transfer requires an FBI National Instant Criminal Background System (NICS) check — or accepted permit in that state.

There is no chambered barrel on the receiver, which seems a bit counterintuitive. Therein lies one of the secrets to its success, however. Buy the receiver with the barrel/chambering you want, add others later, NICS-free. Multiple-season guns, in one, with the same manual of arms and incredible performance. The fact gun-safe space isn’t unduly occupied is a bonus, too.

 

Interchangeable Barrels/Chamberings

Barrels currently available from the company include centerfires in a variety of popular chamberings, shotgun versions for turkey hunters that run 3-inch 12- and 20-gauge, as well as .410 bore, and models designed for slugs (12- and 20-gauge). Barrel lengths are 24 inches for gobblers and 26 for cervids.  

There’s also a 15-inch handgun barrel with a 3-inch chamber that fires either .410 bore shotshells or .45 Colt cartridges. The sample sent for testing was a .50-caliber muzzleloader, although .45 caliber is also available. Both measure 28 inches.

All lock tightly and securely into the PROHunter receiver, allowing the owner of that single component the ability to expand his collection when the mood strikes, before a season opens or when discretionary funds become available. It’s a versatile approach.

 

Receiver Virtues

Regardless of setup, the gun operates as a break-action single shot. A generous-sized trigger guard spur ensures a solid grip to open things for a reload, even when wearing gloves.

The CNC-produced stainless steel receiver has an even, bead-blasted finish. It matched the muzzleloading barrel sent for testing perfectly. The same look can be said for all the others in the line.

To ready for a shot, the hammer must be pulled back, as expected, but its ability to “swing” is a patented feature. The hammer spur, which is nicely textured for those times Mother Nature gets angry, can be rotated by the owner (tool included) to an offset ideal for right- or left-handed shooters. The single shot is fully ambidextrous as shipped, but it’s a nice customization feature.

Since the buttstock is attached to the receiver, length of pull — regardless of barrel mounted — is 14 inches. The smooth-face trigger, according to company specs when the gun was first re-released in April 2025, has a let-off weight of between 3 and 5 pounds. It was better in the model sent for testing, averaging 2 pounds, 7 ounces for 10 tries on a Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge. Both the trigger and sear are nitride coated for a cleaner, more consistent break. It was smooth throughout testing, crisp and creep free.

At the rear is a LimbSaver AirTech recoil pad, which features compression arches and Energy Burners. They did a great job reducing perceived recoil during testing. The .50-caliber muzzleloading barrel is rated for up to 150 grains of blackpowder substitute. I ran range sessions at only 100 grains — sort of a superstition, since I’ve always seen groups shrink at that mark. Regardless of chambering or load, recoil isn’t going to be of much concern.

Its overmolded composite stock with FlexTech Technology and compression arches also soaked up a lot of that energy. Add a soft cheekpiece, the same material in grooves at the grip with more on the forend, and it’s obvious comfort is a key selling point.

The receiver was shipped for testing along with the muzzleloading barrel. Altogether, the boxes included manuals, an empty chamber flag, hammer spur rotation tool and trigger lock. Thompson/Center was kind enough to send along a 5 1/16-inch, 12-groove Picatinny rail, along with the four torx-head bolts and wrench to tighten them down.

 

Safety

The hammer must be cocked before each shot and its spur is nicely textured. That, of course, provides visual confirmation of the gun’s status.

Thompson/Center added another safety layer, though. The automatic hammer block, with bolt interlock, may not visible — it’s worth mentioning at the counter.  

 

Muzzleloading Barrel

The bead-blasted stainless steel barrel sent for review locks firmly into place on the receiver. It is nicely fluted, as are all are in the PROHunter line. Each also has a match-grade crown.

Thompson/Center also counterbores the crown on its muzzleloading barrels. It’s an elegant approach that eliminates a chronic headache on some front-stuffers. The company calls it a Quick Load Accurizor.

Its diameter is slightly wider than the bullet, which allows you to seat the bullet quickly, easily and in proper orientation. Experienced blackpowder enthusiasts know well the frustration of a bullet off a degree or two refusing to go down a dirty barrel, or even a clean one.

It was a welcome change during the range session. Seating it and moving it down the barrel with the solid aluminum ramrod — which has a rotating “T” atop to save your hands — was a pleasure.

Attractive metal guides keep the ramrod stowed securely under the barrel. A loading jag ships with the barrel.     

 

Breech Plug

Things get very different, in good ways, at the back of the barrel. The company’s Speed Breech XD wears a corrosion-fighting nitride coating. It also has three gas compression rings to eliminate fouling. Seizing is prevented by a series of opposing locking lugs.

Removing it for cleaning requires a simple rotation of 90 degrees. The receiver has witness marks to ensure it’s locked fully or in the proper position to be pulled out.

Standard 209 primers are used for ignition and, in yet another nice touch, there’s an extractor. It’s not uncommon for primers to get stuck on a muzzleloader. When one does, it’s yet another headache.

Altogether, things worked flawlessly in testing. Breech plug removal was as close to as effortless as I’ve experienced in a muzzleloader.

There was one unfamiliar step, however. To free the breech plug, the extractor must be fully removed. That requires fully backing out a small screw on the right side of the barrel. It’s an easy chore, but I’d avoid making it a habit when afield. Small items like that have a habit of vanishing when they hit the ground.

 

Performance

From a sandbagged prone position at 100 yards — on a 68-degree day so dead calm the smoke hung around — the gun averaged 1.27 inches over five three-shot groups. Two groups were below the single-inch mark. Attribute the fat trio to user error, because anyone who knows Thompson/Center understands it has a six-decade-old tradition of delivering enviably tight groups.

For testing, I used PowerBelt 300-grain Aerolite bullets with two Triple Se7en 50-grain pellets. The Picatinny rail wore a GPO Centuri 3-12x44i C riflescope. The company also offers a Firestick-capable muzzleloading barrel.

 

Overall

The serious engineering and thought that have been poured into the Thompson/Center Encore PROHunter XT design make it a viable choice for any retailer. The gun, or more accurately platform, will offer broad appeal.

It’s a system capable of expansion and, ultimately, heading afield in multiple seasons, even those times limited to handgun hunters. Best of all, it does so with a legendary performance, in the right hands anyway, backed by the company’s limited lifetime warrantee.