Shoot a muzzleloader long enough and you’ll eventually need to remove the breech plug because something gets stuck in the barrel. This usually results from not following the first rule of muzzleloading, which is “powder, patch, ball.”
About every 100 shots, I shove a bullet down the barrel without powder. Luckily, that didn’t happen during the 85 shots I fired while testing the Endeavor, although after the eighth shot, I did loose a cleaning patch in the barrel. Normally this would have spawned some choice words while I used a wrench to remove the breech plug, but with the Endeavor, I just opened the action, grabbed the knurled end of the breech plug with my fingers, twisted it 90 degrees and pulled it out. This is possible because of two flat surfaces containing interrupted threads on opposite sides of the plug and small O-rings at the front and rear that help seal against blowblack and excessive fouling. The system works very well, and even when the plug was fouled to the point a wrench was required, it was still easy to remove.

The overmolded pistol grip on the Endeavor’s FlexTech stock provides a solid purchase, regardless of weather conditions. A matching treatment on the fore-end gives the gun an unusual look.

   I lost another patch in the bore after 31 more shots, and plug removal required the little spanner wrench supplied with the rifle. If the need arises to pull the plug while hunting or after limited shooting, fingers should work fine. The Speed BreechXT, finger-removable breech plug is reason enough to buy an Endeavor.
The Speed BreechXT is the major difference between the Encore Pro Hunter and the new Endeavor. The Endeavor retains several Pro Hunter features, like the Swing Hammer that pivots and locks to the right or left making this a 100-percent ambidextrous gun. It is much better than screw-on hammer spurs that are commonly seen on many break-open muzzleloaders.
   Another Pro Hunter feature found on the Endeavor is the E-Z Tip Extractor. When the action is opened, it pulls the 209 primer from the breech plug. You can then grab it with your fingers or just tilt the rifle and the primer will fall. You won’t need one of those little tools to remove fired primers when shooting the Endeavor. Also, pulling on the extractor moves it slightly to the rear so it can be twisted out of the way, permitting breech plug removal.

    The Endeavor came with an all steel Maxima, Weaver-style scope base installed, upon which I mounted a 3-9x40 mm Zeiss Conquest with the new Rapid Z 600 reticle. This is a good combination because the quick-release rings provide instant access to the fiber-optic open sights.
    For accuracy testing I used three different powders and Barnes’ excellent Spitfire TMZ bullet. These bullets require a bit of effort to load and with the BlackMag3 and the Triple Seven Magnum Pellets, I had to wipe the bore after every shot to keep from busting a gut while pushing the bullets down the barrel. A tight bullet-to-bore fit is not a bad thing and one reason these bullets typically shoot so darn well and produce such consistent velocities. There’s nothing wrong with a muzzleloader that will average less than two inches for 15, five-shot groups with three different powders! During accuracy testing the bore was swabbed after every shot regardless of powder used.

The E-Z Tip Extractor is moved slightly to the rear for removal of Thompson/Center’s unique Speed Breech XT, making cleanup after finding theideal load a snap. The extractor pulls the 209 primer away from the barrel once the action is broken open, so there’s no need to carry a special de-priming tool.

  One thing that made loading the tight-fitting Barnes bullets bearable was the Quick Load Accurizor (QLA) system Thompson/Center has incorporated into all its muzzleloaders. Essentially, what the company has done is remove the rifling while maintaining the groove depth in the last inch or so of the barrel. Though it has a cool sounding name, it is nothing more than a deeply recessed crown on the rifling, or a false muzzle if you prefer.     Regardless, the system works and has been employed in the construction of quality muzzleloaders for more than 100 years.
During testing, I also appreciated Thompson/Center’s collaboration with LimbSaver as much as I did the fancy named, false muzzle. LimbSaver has gained recognition when it comes to recoil and vibration reduction, and the FlexTech stock on the Endeavor is a product of that technology. The stock incorporates a soft, Sims recoil pad and also uses the patented NAVCOM material to stripe the rear of the stock with a series of ribs. Based on a time/impact force measurement, Thompson Center claims the FlexTech stock results in a 43-percent reduction of felt recoil.
    I cannot verify the recoil reduction claim and did not have a comparable Thompson Center with a different stock for comparison, but after firing 85 shots in three days, I’m not sure the exact percentage matters. That’s not to say I was sore or that the recoil was unpleasant. It’s not uncommon for me to shoot more than 500 rounds per week from various firearms and I am not ashamed to admit I don’t like recoil. What I will say is I have fired many modern in-line muzzleloaders with which I would not attempt to duplicate this feat for fear of an aspirin overdose. In short, recoil was not bad at all.
    As far as in-line muzzleloaders go, the Endeavor has a lot going for it. With a suggested price about double most in-lines, it’s not cheap, but given the features and the fact that you can swap out the muzzleloading barrel for a centerfire shotgun barrel, a muzzleloading shotgun barrel, a centerfire rifle barrel or even a rimfire barrel, means you can do about anything you want with an Endeavor; as long as you don’t mind loading ’em one shot at a time.

Long range sessions with a .50-caliber muzzleloader can be a little uncomfortable, but the stock’s unusual design and the LimbSaver buttpad answer that problem on the Endeavor.

The rifling doesn’t run to the end of the barrel because of Thompson/Center’s Quick Load Accurizor system, a design that helps make fast reloads easy.

 

Shooting Results

Load	Velocity	Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Average
Blackhorn 209, Barnes 250 grain spitfire TMZ bullet	1,968	1.44	1.46	1.41	1.48
Five, five-shot groups from a sandbag rest at 100 yards, measured in inches. Velocity measured in fps, 15 feet from the muzzle with a Shooting Chrony and is the average of five shots. Temperature during testing varied from 74-88 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

—Richard Mann