Single Shot Muzzleloading Rifles Blog

I’m not really positive which came first, modern man, or the wild turkey, but one thing I do know is that as long as these two species have been co inhabiting the same woods, there have been turkey hunters. Through the years, the turkey killing weapon of choice has never stopped evolving. What may have started off as a club, has since evolved into something our ancestors could have never possibly dreamed of.
Since I have started turkey hunting years ago, I have put my gobbler killing faith in “Ol Mossy”. You see, “Ol Mossy” is my 20 yr old trusty 12 ga duck gun that looks a little like a canoe paddle, and weighs as much as an outboard engine. But friends, no longer am I one step above Neanderthal turkey hunter. Enter the CVA Apex. Not only has this little gem put down several deer with my .270/.50 barrels, but now it is truly a 4 season weapon. The 12 ga turkey barrel option makes this system complete. The day it showed up on my doorstep, I tore it out of the box, slapped on a red dot scope, and started making thousands of tiny holes down range. Inside of 3 shots, this turkey slayer was sighted in and laying down some very impressive patterns at 30 yards and beyond. Now if you have ever patterned your turkey loads before, you are well aware that it’s very similar to being kicked in the shoulder by a small horse. Those loads were not designed for an afternoon of clay pigeon practice, that is for sure. In fact, previous patterning sessions with Ol Mossy had me anticipating this sight in session somewhere in between receiving my first prostrate checkup and doing my taxes. To my surprise, the crushzone recoil pad and the stock design made the sight in very tolerable. Dare I say “pleasant”?
Now is it really necessary to have a dedicated turkey gun? Probably not I suppose. From the club, to the bow and arrow, to the blunderbuss- all weapons have the ability to kill turkeys cleanly. But with each weapon comes limitations. Even Ol Mossy was handicapped. It shot almost a foot left at 40 yards with turkey loads. That’s no way to treat a turkey! Besides, those things are tough as nails once they are wounded. After all the time one spends getting up early, buying tags, carrying around decoys and blinds, does it really make sense to go out to the blind with your granddaddy’s rusty duck gun? Well, it depends I guess, if you are comfortable operating with limitations. For me, I would just as soon set down my club for something more appropriate-like my new CVA Apex.
A week later found me huddled in a blind with a youth hunter, trying to kill his first bird. With time running out for the young lad on the last day, we were able to talk a fine gobbler specimen into checking out our decoy spread. Those are some of the longest moments you’ll ever have in the woods. Watching that strutter slowly work his way into your set up. All the time, praying to yourself “I hope I don’t mess this up somehow…..” In this case, our calling was good enough to fool the bird. The silence was broken with one simple sound as the gobbler closed to 30 yards. Click. I’ll have to say, I love the sound of the hammer being cocked.
Then, it’s was as easy as putting the dot on the head, and pulling the trigger. So easy, even a 5th grader can do it. No, I got that wrong. Am I smarter than a cave man? Ugh, I give up. But I know the cave man turkey hunter is jealous of my gun.

Although a dominant buck is the prize for which most CVA muzzleloader deer hunters search long and hard, what do we really know about the dominant buck? Is it only by right of combat that he has claimed the most-favored status? Is there a dominant buck in every section of the woods? Do all dominant bucks sport heavy racks and carry heavy body weights? Is the dominant buck always a certain age or older? Dr. Larry Marchinton, a retired professor of wildlife biology at the University of Georgia’s School of Forest Resources, is a widely-recognized authority on deer behavior. Marchinton believes if older bucks are present in a herd, one buck will rise to the position of dominance when he is 5- or 6-years old. “A buck rises to dominance through maturity and sparring. Immediately after the velvet is removed from the deer’s antlers, bucks will spar to test each other’s physical prowess and strength. Although this sparring is not an all-out fight, the bucks will learn their positions among the other bucks in the area. The bucks that prove to be the strongest are the ones that will assume positions of dominance by the time breeding season arrives.”

Dr. Harry Jacobson, a retired wildlife researcher and professor in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at Mississippi State University, is another of the nation’s leading deer researchers and explains, “For most bucks, the process of dominance probably starts well before the rutting season. In our section of the country, a sorting-out takes place within age groups that may begin as early as the fawn-age class. Dominance relates to early encounters between bucks as much as anything else. If a young buck is whipped one time, he’s less likely to challenge again the buck that’s whipped him. Probably dominance is determined psychologically as well as by the actual physical size and antler size of an animal. Also, dominance sometimes may be expressed because of the territory imperative theory of behavior. For instance, if you’re on your home turf, you have the advantage over someone who’s not. Familiarity with your surroundings and being in your own place of residence has much to do with how you defend that territory. Some parallels in human psychology may help us to understand a deer’s psychological makeup, since most anyone is more willing to defend something that belongs to him.” Once a buck begins to exert dominance over his peers through sparring matches, establishes a home territory and possibly outlives the other bucks in his age class in that region, he may defend his home range and his right to be sultan of his harem, until his position in the herd is changed.

Can More Than One Dominant Buck Exist in the Same Area?

Many of us believe only-one dominant buck exists at one time in a particular hunting area, and once someone bags him, that’s the only dominant buck likely to be seen during the entire season. However, Dr. Marchinton says more than one dominant buck can exist in the same region. “Deer are not generally territorial in the sense that only one dominant buck occupies a specific site,” Marchinton mentions. “Several dominant bucks at various times may use the same area. Usually the highest buck in the hierarchy at a particular point in time and in a specific place will be the dominant buck for that region.” Dr. Jacobson comments, “A buck will generally tolerate other bucks within his territory. Most often a pecking order of dominance exists. Occasionally animals that seem to be buddies or pals won’t challenge each other but may challenge another buck of equal size in their region. Much of what we know about deer behavior is based on what has been observed from confined, tame animals, which may not be representative of the behavior exhibited in the wild.”

Editor’s Note: Chad Schearer of Great Falls, Montana, former owner and operator of Central Montana Outfitters, guided clients to mule deer and elk each season as well as hunted on his own. Today, Schearer is host of the “Shoot Straight with Chad Schearer” television show presented by CVA that airs on the Sportsman Channel, Fox Sports South, the Lonestar Network and CBS Montana.

Question: Chad, which CVA rifle are you hunting with now, and how are you loading it?

Schearer: The situation and the game I’m hunting dictate the rifle I use. I hunt with the CVA Apex quite a bit, because it allows me to change barrels and keep the same rifle frame. With the Apex, I can hunt for deer or varmints, just by using different barrels. But when I’m using the Apex as a muzzleloader, I’ll load with either 100- or 150-grain PowerBelt bullets. I like IMR White Hots pellets. If I’m doing a whitetail hunt, I’ll use either a 245- up to a 295-grain PowerBelt bullet. If I’m hunting elk and shooting a .45 barrel, I’ll use a 275-grain bullet. If I’m shooting the .50 barrel, I’ll use either a 295- to as large as a 348-grain bullet. I like either the PowerBelt or the PowerBelt Platinum bullets the best, and I really like the Winchester 777 Primer. I’ve experimented with all different types of primers, and the Winchester primers give me the most-consistent ignitions. I’ve been extremely successful using that primer the last several years.

Question: One of the selling points with the CVA rifles is the Bergara barrels and the accuracy they deliver, even out to extended ranges. What’s the longest shot you’ve ever taken successfully with a CVA rifle?

Schearer: The longest shot I’ve ever seen with a CVA rifle was made by….

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with Mark Hendricks

Editor’s Note: Mark Hendricks, vice president of Technical Development for CVA, helps with product design, manufacturing, production, quality control and bringing new products to the market for CVA. This week, Hendricks will tell us what to expect from CVA’s new 2010 products.

Question: Mark, what CVA muzzleloading rifles have been redesigned this year, and what has CVA done to improve them?
Hendricks: The CVA Optima has been the most-exciting gun we’ve ever introduced. We’ve learned that our hunters want simple guns that are easy to operate and clean, and they want to buy them at a reasonable price. We’ve listened to our customers and implemented the changes throughout the line that our customers want. For instance, the original Optima had a deep-cut pistol grip, but the new 2010 Optima has a more-traditional stock. The stock and the receiver have been redesigned, so there are no pins and screws showing, making it a much-more attractive gun. The old Optima was available in a blued-steel or a nickel-plate finish. The 2010 Optima will be available only in stainless steel and only in .50 caliber.

Question: Why did CVA decide to change to stainless steel?
Hendricks: Historically, black powder has been very corrosive, and our customers wanted a gun that was easier to clean and maintain. Although stainless steel will rust if it’s neglected, it stands up better to corrosion and stains than the nickel or the blued guns do. Our customers also wanted a quick-release breech plug . In the past, breech plugs have always required a special tool to remove them from the barrel. When you were hunting or in a hunting camp, you could rarely find the special tool. For this reason, many of our hunters didn’t remove the breech plugs of their guns, so they weren’t able to maintain the breech plug like they should have. As a result, breech plugs often rusted or seized into the barrel. When this happened, the hunter had to send his gun in for repair, which took the gun out of his possession for a couple of weeks and was costly.

With the new CVA Quick Release Breech Plug (QRBP), you don’t need a special tool to remove your breech plug. You can remove it with your fingers. The QRBP is a gnarled ring at the back of the barrel that you quickly and easily can twist. We weren’t the first to introduce the quick-release breech plug. We watched as other companies developed and released quick-release breech plugs, and at training shoots, our competition demonstrated the breech plugs and bragged about how simple and easy they were to remove. However, after firing 20 shots or more through the gun, a tool was needed to release the other companies’ quick-release breech plugs, which negated the purpose of the quick-release plugs.

The Research & Development (R&D) Department at CVA began to work on a quick-release breech plug that could be unscrewed with only finger pressure and didn’t require a tool to remove it, even after firing numbers of shots. CVA developed a specialized sealing system in the nose of the breech plug that actually kept the fouling out of the threads of the breech plug, the problem that caused the quick-release breech plugs produced by other manufacturers to not operate properly after shooting multiple rounds through their rifles. The CVA Quick Release Breech Plug, however, can be removed from the barrel after one shot, 20 shots or 100 shots, 5 minutes or 2 weeks after shooting.

Question: What else has CVA done to the Optima?
Hendricks: The unlocking system, or the breech and the lever, is at the end of the trigger guard, making it much-more convenient and attractive than the old Optima. All of our stocks come with a CrushZone Recoil Pad, which is extremely effective in reducing the amount of recoil you feel when you shoot. Too, we put in new ramrod thimbles lined with Delrin, a nylon material that serves two purposes. Delrin holds the ramrod in place better than the old ramrod thimble did without scratching or damaging the ramrod. Too, it keeps the ramrod more silent than a metal thimble by quieting the buzz you often hear if the ramrod hits or taps the barrel.

The new Optima is available in the standard and the thumbhole stock. The thumbhole stock comes with the DuraSight integral scope mount and is really a scope-shooter’s gun. It has a higher comb, allowing your eye to lineup with the riflescope much easier. The higher comb elevates your head a little more than a standard stock does, so you don’t have to readjust your cheek on the stock to get proper eye alignment when looking through the riflescope. The standard stock is more of a compromise between the open-sight shooter and the hunter who prefers to aim with a riflescope.

Question: How have all these improvements affected the cost of the new Optima?
Hendricks: No, they haven’t greatly affected the cost. Suggested retail for the Optima with a stainless-steel barrel and a black FiberGrip stock is $281.95. If you chose the Realtree HD camo stock, the suggested retail is $331.95. The version with the black FiberGrip thumbhole stock sells for $313.95, and the camo version is $376.95.

Question: How do these prices compare with the older version of the CVA Optima?
Hendricks: The old base price for an Optima nickel gun with a black thumbhole stock was $273. The stainless-steel version with a thumbhole stock sold for $313.

by Mark Hendricks

Editor’s Note: Oftentimes progress is one step back and two steps forward, as is the case with the .35 Whelen and the CVA Apex. There has been a revival of this old caliber, and it’s found a new home in the State of Mississippi during primitive weapons season where the .35 Whelen is writing a new chapter in the story of the return of old calibers. To learn why CVA has begun building barrels for the .35-caliber Whelen cartridge, we’ve talked with Mark Hendricks, vice president of technical development for CVA.

The .35 Whelen is an interesting caliber. It recently has become popular in the State of Mississippi because of its well-known history. In 1922, James Virgil Howe of Griffin & Howe fame designed this caliber cartridge and developed a rifle specifically for Colonel Townsend Whelen, considered by many sportsmen in the early 1900s as the foremost authority on al types of rifles. The cartridge and the rifle were named the .35 Whelen in the Colonel’s honor. Howe designed the cartridge to be the best all-around big-game cartridge of its day. He specifically wanted a cartridge that efficiently would take down moose, bear, elk and other big game. In its heyday, the .35 Whelen was almost as powerful as the .375 H&H Magnum. It was the Big Daddy of calibers at that time, but Howe used a standard action instead of a big magnum action. He had a standard bolt face, rather than the big belted case, so the caliber would fit in a model .70 Hauser or a Springfield. This caliber cartridge delivered 3,400- to 3,500-foot pounds of energy to those big animals.

The State of Mississippi decided to allow hunters during its primitive weapons season to use the .45-70 caliber after Louisiana decided to allow its hunters to use that caliber. The hunters who had the .38-55 type of rifles probably were upset that they might not be able to use their guns that shot older calibers. The Mississippi law was written to include .35 caliber or bigger for the State’s primitive weapons season. The .35 Whelen was the biggest caliber cartridge available in that range, and the hunters embraced this caliber because it was very-well balanced for big game. In this bullet, you shoot a 200- to a 250-grain .35-caliber bullet at the mid to upper 2,000-feet-per-second (fps) range. We see speeds of 2,500 to 2,600 fps. The 200-grain bullets Remington makes will come out of the barrel at about 2,700- to 2,750-foot pounds per second. So, it’s a big bullet with a big diameter traveling really fast, which produces good range and delivers really-strong knock-down power.

In terms of energy, the .35 Whelen ranks with today’s modern magnum models like the 7mm magnum. It compares very favorably with those calibers, without nearly as much recoil. Modern calibers often deliver a sharp, shocking-type recoil, whereas the .35 Whelen has more of a push-type recoil. Connecticut Valley Arms is producing the .35 Whelen barrels for its Optima and Optima Elite rifles. To order one of these calibers from CVA, make sure to tell us the type of rifle you own. Mississippi is unique in that so far, it’s the only state that allows hunters to use the .35 Whelen during its designated primitive weapons season for deer. In other states, the .35 Whelen is just another caliber that can be used during rifle season. In recent years, the .35 Whelen was a dead caliber. It was a wildcat round until about 1986 or 1987, when Remington came out with this caliber in their 700 Classic Series. Remington helped legitimize the caliber, and the .35 Whelen became really popular at that time. However, since then, this caliber of cartridge has been on the decline, until recently when Mississippi began allowing the use of this caliber during its primitive weapons season.

Editor’s Note: Rick Wood of Buford, Georgia, a CVA pro staffer, consistently takes deer and other game every season and has been shooting muzzleloading rifles for over 25 years. Wood isn’t satisfied with just shooting a good group of three shots at 100 yards with his CVA rifle. To consistently take game, Wood believes he needs to formulate a powder charge and select a bullet that will deliver the most accuracy from each of his CVA rifles.

Speed of bullet, knockdown power and other ballistic ingredients are not nearly as important as being able to place the bullet accurately

Wood says. This week, Wood will show us how to formulate a powder charge and choose a bullet that will deliver the most accuracy for your CVA deer rifle.

Every muzzleloader is different, even if they’re the same caliber and model from the same manufacturer. So, to deliver the most accuracy possible from each of your CVA muzzleloading rifles, you have to formulate a powder charge and select a bullet that can deliver the best accuracy possible. I begin by shooting a fouling shot to remove any oil or residue that may be in the barrel. After you clean your muzzleloader, you coat the inside of the barrel with oil to prevent the inside of the barrel from rusting. To get the oil and the grease out of the barrel, I shoot the fouling shot. You don’t even need a bullet in the gun. Just load the gun, and shoot the powder to burn the oil out of the barrel. Some people use a primer to accomplish the same goal, but shooting a primer won’t remove all the oil from the barrel.

After the fouling shot, I load my rifle with two, 50-grain Pyrodex or White Hots pellets and either a 250- or a 300-grain bullet. I prefer PowerBelt bullets because they’re easy to load and extremely accurate. I’ve been very successful using them. My favorite bullet is a 295-grain copper-plated, hollow-point PowerBelt bullet. I shoot three shots without cleaning the barrel to see how well the gun groups. I may be shooting a 1-1/2-inch group at 100 yards off the bench. Next, I’ll run a dry patch down the barrel between each of the next three shots to see how it affects my three-shot group. Then I’ll use this same load and clean the barrel with a wet patch (often called a spit patch) between each of the three shots to see how this will impact my three-shot group. I’m trying to learn if the gun groups best with a dirty barrel, using a dry patch or using a wet patch between each shot. Some rifles shoot best with a dirty barrel, while others group best with either a dry patch or a wet patch between each shot. If I discover that the particular gun I’m sighting-in shoots best with a dirty barrel, then I know that to deliver the best accuracy, I don’t need to clean the barrel after every shot.

I’ll also start testing different-sized bullets. I may drop down to a 295-grain bullet from a 300-grain bullet to see which bullet shoots the most tight pattern. Then, I’ll drop down from a 295-grain bullet to a 245-grain bullet and shoot a group of three shots to see if I can get the group any tighter. Now, if coming down in bullet size results in not shooting a tighter group each time, I’ll go up in bullet size. I’ll shoot a 338-grain bullet to see if the bigger bullet will deliver a more-tight pattern. After I know which bullet shoots the most-tight pattern with two, 50-grain pellets, I make a note. Then I’ll know the right bullet to shoot to deliver the best pattern with 100 grains of pellets. I’m still not satisfied that I’m getting the most accuracy possible. For instance, if I’m shooting in dense woods, 100 grains of powder may be sufficient. But if I’m hunting on a green field or a power line where I may have an opportunity for a 200-yard shot, more than likely I’ll shoot 150 grains of powder. So, I’ll go through the entire process of cleaning the gun with spit patches, dry patches and no patches between each shot, and I’ll test each bullet to see what-size bullet delivers the most accuracy at 200 yards with 150 grains. I’ve learned that with most CVA muzzleloaders shooting three pellets – 150 grains of powder – generally bigger bullets shoot more accurately than smaller bullets.

Once I’ve determined the bullet and the powder charge that consistently delivers the best group at 100 and 200 yards, then I’m ready to start fine-tuning my powder charge. So, I’ll start shooting loose powder. You’ll be surprised at how much difference 5 TO 10 grains of powder can make in the accuracy your CVA rifle can deliver. For instance, if I’m shooting 100 grains of powder and shooting 1-1/2-inch groups, I’ve learned that I often can change from two, 50-grain pellets to 80 grains of loose powder and bring my group of three shots to within 1 inch. Being able to increase your accuracy by 1/2-inch at 100 yards may help you shoot much-more accurately when you have the buck of a lifetime in your sights.

The biggest change I’ve ever made when I went from pellets to loose powder was when I moved to an elk load from 100 grains of powder (two pellets) to 120 grains of loose powder shooting a 300-grain bullet. The group I was shooting didn’t change much when I increased the powder at 100 yards, and I couldn’t see a significant difference. However, when I started shooting at 150 and 200 yards, the 120 grains of powder enabled me to shoot a much-tighter group than when I was using 100 grains of powder. For instance, at 150 yards, I was able to group three shots in a 2-1/2-inch circle shooting two, 50 grain pellets. When I started shooting 120 grains of loose powder, I was able to tighten my group to a 1-1/2-inch circle. This is the system I use to formulate any load for any type of game. I primarily concentrate on:

• what type of game I’ll be hunting
• what distance I want to be able to shoot to take that game
• what’s the best powder charge to deliver the most accuracy at the maximum range I plan to shoot
• what bullet combined with what powder charge will deliver the most accuracy.

I shoot both .45 and .50 caliber blackpowder rifles. If I’m shooting a .45-caliber bullet, more than likely I’ll want a .225-grain bullet.

Typically with a smaller bullet, I’ll shoot less powder. I like a 100-grain load most of the time when I’m shooting a .225-grain bullet in a .45-caliber rifle. At 100 yards with a .45-caliber rifle, I can shoot 1-1/2-inch groups.

Editor’s Note: Although Dudley McGarity has only been chief executive officer (CEO) for Blackpowder Products, Inc. (BPI), the owner of the CVA brand, for 3 years, he’s been a part of CVA/BPI for many years, starting out as the national sales manager for CVA and then moving through the ranks to his current position of CEO.

Question: Dudley, I’ve been hunting for several years, and I really enjoy blackpowder hunting. I’m ready to step-up my game and purchase a quality blackpowder rifle. What CVA muzzleloading rifle do you suggest?

McGarity: The Accura is our top-of-the-line muzzleloader. If you’re looking for a pure muzzleloading rifle, the Accura is equipped with a Bergara Barrel, which is a very-high-quality, very-refined barrel that has the quality of a custom barrel, even though it’s built in a high-production environment. The Accura has clean rifling, and there’s no essential difference in barrel diameter, which relates to more-improved barrel accuracy. We guarantee the accuracy of the Bergara Barrel to be better than any other blackpowder barrel on the market. The fluted Bergara Barrel in either stainless steel or matte blue features finished stocks with an ambidextrous solid-composite stock that comes in standard or thumbhole designs. The hammer spur can be used from the right to the left side, so the gun is exactly the same for a left- or a right-handed shooter. The gun also comes equipped with a Quake Claw Sling, another important and added value with this particular rifle. If you want a quality gun that functions as a muzzleloader only, the Accura is our top-of-the-line choice. But, if you want a gun that can convert from a muzzleloader to a conventional rifle, consider the CVA Apex.

Question: We’ve seen blackpowder rifles before that convert into conventional rifles. What makes the CVA Apex better than the other rifles that can perform this same function?
McGarity: Once you have an Apex frame, we have a wide variety of barrels from which to choose – a .45- or a .50-caliber muzzleloader, a .22 long-rifle rimfire, a .22 or a .50 centerfire caliber or a .300 Win mag. The only difference between the centerfire rifles and the muzzleloaders is they use different forearms. So, if you buy the muzzleloader first and then buy a centerfire rifle barrel, you’ll have to only buy one centerfire forestock. Any additional centerfire barrels you purchase will fit that forestock.

Question: How much does an additional forestock cost?
McGarity: Depending on the store and whether the forestock’s camo or black, it can cost from $30 to $50.

Question: How much does an additional barrel cost?
McGarity: The barrels start at around $250 each, which is a reasonable price if you consider the quality of these barrels. We’re getting bolt-action-type groups out of break-action rifles because of the exceptional quality of the barrels, the stocks and the forearms. We expect to get 1-inch groups at 100 yards from each barrel. Now that doesn’t mean you can take any ammunition off the shelf and always get 1-inch groups. As with any other type of rifle, certain barrels shoot specific types of ammunition made by particular manufacturers, better than they do other ammunition. Or, a barrel may like a certain style of bullet and a specific grain weight. So, you always have to experiment with different loads to obtain the maximum accuracy in performance that you can expect out of any rifle, and it’s no different with the Apex or the Accura rifles than any other bolt-action rifles.

Question: How much trouble is involved in changing from a muzzleloading to a centerfire barrel?
McGarity: Changing out the barrels is very simple. First, remove the forestock, which requires taking out one screw on the muzzleloader and two screws on the centerfire rifle. Then, remove the hinge pin on the frame that holds the barrel to the frame. Tap out the pin with a punch. The barrel easily will come out. Put your other barrel in the frame and replace the hinge pin and the forestock, and you’re ready to hunt. I can go through this process in about 3-1/2-minutes. Once I’ve got my muzzleloader sighted-in with a particular bullet powder and ignition system, and my centerfire barrel sighted-in with the right bullet, my rifle will deliver maximum accuracy.

Question: When I take the muzzleloader barrel off the frame and replace it with the centerfire barrel, I expect the same type of accuracy I’ve had when I’ve initially sighted-in the centerfire rifle barrel, if I use the right ammunition. Is that correct?
McGarity: Yes. Once you have a barrel sighted-in, moving that barrel on and off the frame won’t change your point of impact. The scope is always aligned to the barrel. You can breakdown these barrels for travel and carry your gun in a smaller case than you’ll use if you don’t break them down and have to carry them as one-piece rifles. So, the breakdown capability is really important. Too, with the DuraSight rings and bases quick-detach capability, you can take your scopes off and reattach them. Then they will return to zero and be dead-on. One of the big problems hunters have in traveling with single-piece rifles is they have their scopes mounted permanently to their rifles. The scopes often will get bumped or knocked out of alignment. Then the hunter has to re-sight them. By being able to remove the scope and putting it with your carry-on luggage, when you arrive at your hunting camp, you can reattach your scope to the barrel and reattach the barrel to the stock and the forearm, and your rifle still will be accurate.

Question: How much does the CVA Apex cost?
McGarity: The suggested retail is around $500. If you compare that price to other interchangeable-barrel muzzleloaders, you’ll see that the CVA Apex is much-more affordable than our competitors, and the Apex is a better gun than competitive brands. We’ve made the Apex to not only be a better gun, but to enable our customers to purchase a better-quality gun at an affordable price. There isn’t a better blackpowder centerfire interchangeable rifle on the market than the CVA Apex, and we’re not afraid to say it.

Question: What’s the price of the Accura?

McGarity: The starting price will be around $299. So, if you don’t want the interchangeable barrels and just want the best blackpowder rifle you can buy, I suggest the Accura. If you want the interchangeable-barrel feature to be able to shoot the same rifle during any season and use the same rifle for plinking or taking squirrels, deer or elk, the Apex probably will be a better choice.

Question: Do all the CVA rifles come with an instructional video?
McGarity: No, the instructional video only comes with the rifles that are purchased as a part of the package kits. However, if you want the videos, you can purchase them separately from CVA or your dealer through our customer-service department. Too, you can go online and watch the video for free on our website at www.cva.com.

Question: How much does the video cost?
McGarity: They’re only about $5.99. If you’ve already purchased an Optima or an Accura and you’ve been hunting for a while, you already may own many of the accessories you’ll get in the kit. So, you may not need to buy one of the rifles in the kits. Most of the guns we sell in kits are most likely for first-time muzzleloading customers.

You’ve found your way to the Single Shot & Muzzleloading Rifles blog – congratulations! This blog is brought to you by CVA, the makers of the Apex line of muzzleloaders. Here we will be discussing the ins and outs of all single shot & blackpowder rifles. You can expect posts for both beginners and experts here, but be warned, even if a post is for beginners the experts may learn a thing or two!

Make sure to leave us any suggestions in the comments, especially if you have any questions about CVA muzzleloaders (or any other brand, really). We would love to take some of your questions and turn them into full blown blog posts, so ask anything your muzzleloading heart desires!