Single Shot Muzzleloading Rifles Blog

“You missed,” said Dale Yonkin, owner of Central Montana Outfitters. But I knew I’d seen the puff of smoke right at the base of the big mule deer’s shoulder. “I can’t believe that,” I whispered. “I held dead-on, I squeezed the trigger, I didn’t jerk it – well, I can’t believe I missed that deer.” “Forget it,” Yonkin explained. “Reload, and take a second shot.” The mule deer hadn’t budged. Because he was on one side of a canyon, and we were on the other, he didn’t know from where the report of my CVA muzzleloader had come. Using a CVA speed loader, I quickly reloaded with Pyrodex pellets and a PowerBelt bullet, rammed the charge home, put-on another primer and readied for the shot again. “Aim about 3-inches above the deer’s back, right on top of the shoulder,” Yonkin suggested. “The deer’s at 150 yards, the gun’s sighted-in for 150 yards. I’m sure you’ll get him this time.” I took my time, I had a steady rest, and I was sure of where I was aiming. I squeezed the trigger, but the big mule deer never moved.

“Reload,” Yonkin told me and asked, “How many speed loaders did you bring?” This time he was frowning more than smiling. Once again, I quickly used another speed loader, rammed the charge home and readied for the shot. “Aim about 6-inches over his back this time,” Yonkin coached. I thought to myself, “6-inches over the deer’s back is Never Never Land. How do you know what 6-inches really is at distance of 150 yards?” But I sighted-in on the deer’s shoulder, moved my reticule 6-inches above his back and fired again. The deer went down. “You’ve got him,” Yonkin announced. “But, go ahead, reload, give me your gun, and start walking out. When you reach the truck, the keys are behind the back front wheel. Drive to camp, get your gear packed-up, and be ready to go to the airport. Once you’ve got your gear and the other hunters’ gear loaded in the truck, come pick me up. I’ll have your deer out of the mountains and waiting beside the road.” Embarrassed at missing the deer twice, I simply answered, “Okay,” and followed Yonkin’s instructions.

I couldn’t understand how I’d missed so badly. The first thing you think about is hunter error, but I knew I hadn’t made any mistakes. The second thing you think about is, “I’ll just blame it on the gun.” But I couldn’t do that either, because this was Chad Schearer’s personal CVA rifle that he’d loaned me for the hunt. Schearer had sighted it in, and I had shot it and knew that it would drive tacks out to 200 yards. Schearer is the host of “Shoot Straight with Chad Schearer”. I was embarrassed and frustrated over my poor shooting demonstration. However, a week later, I got a call from Schearer, who said “Well, we figured-out why you missed that mule deer twice. The gun was 12 inches low at 150 yards. Apparently, the scope got jostled, either when y’all were riding around in the truck looking for a mule deer to hunt, or when you were walking and climbing. But we re-sighted the rifle in, and it’s shooting just as good as it did before you took it hunting.”

This time wasn’t the first time I’d missed a deer due to the scope’s moving from the time I sighted it in until the time I took the shot. On another hunt, several years earlier, I had had two back-to-back hunts. On the first hunt, I dropped a deer within 10 yards of where he stood with my CVA muzzleloader. After the hunt, I cleaned the gun, put it in my case, drove home, took the gun out of the case and put it in my gun safe. That weekend, I packed-up and went on a second hunt. The gun had been dead-on during the first hunt. So, on the second hunt, I didn’t bother to sight it in but concentrated on arriving at camp, since I was a little late for the afternoon hunt. My guide said, “If your gun was on last week, it should be okay now. We’ll sight it in tomorrow to make sure. We’ve got to get you in a stand quickly.” I climbed into the stand immediately, but I missed the white-tailed buck of a lifetime. The moral of the story is, regardless of how accurately your blackpowder gun has shot in the past, sight it in before every hunt. And one tip I’ve learned that’s critically important, almost as critically important as sighting-in before the hunt, is to sight your rifle in after the hunt. Many times, your scope can be off after you’ve made the shot, because you’ve climbed down a tree or come out of a ground blind, gone to your downed deer, loaded the deer up, put your gun in the vehicle and ridden back to camp.

From these lessons, I’ve learned to never assume that my gun will be as accurate as it can be, until I sight it in just before the hunt and just after the hunt. Even then, maybe it’s on, or perhaps it’s not. But at least you’ve done everything you know to do to make sure that you can shoot as accurately as possible with your muzzleloader. If you hunt long enough, sooner or later you will miss, either from operator error, equipment failure or the deer doesn’t do what he’s supposed to do when he’s supposed to do it. Misses happen – they’re part of hunting. Our job as ethical hunters is to try to keep those misses to a minimum. For more information on hunting mule deer in Montana, visit www.centralmontanaoutfitters.com, or contact Dale Yonkin at 406-781-9061 or info@centralmontanaoutfitters.com.

Editor’s Note: Outdoor TV personality Chad Schearer of Great Falls, Montana, has guided clients to mule deer and elk each season as well as hunted on his own. Today, he’s the 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, you hunt all over the West. When you owned Central Montana Outfitters, you guided hunters to elk, as well as mule deer. What gun and powder charge do you recommend for taking elk?

Schearer: I suggest using either the CVA Accura V2 or the CVA Apex. But if you’re looking for a less-expensive Muzzleloaders, you can take elk with a CVA Optima or even a CVA Wolf. One of the advantages CVA has over many other Muzzleloading-rifle companies is CVA has quality, accurate rifles to accommodate every hunter. The load I suggest for elk is 150 grains of powder. However, I once took a moose with only…

Like what you’re reading, click here to read the rest of the artilce.

http://elkhuntingblog.com/

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….

Like what you’re reading, click here to read the rest of the artilce.

http://muzzleloadinghunter.com/

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: Dudley McGarity is the chief executive officer (CEO) for Blackpowder Products, Inc., that owns the CVA brand. Although he’s only been the CEO for 3 years, McGarity has been a part of CVA/BPI for many years.

Question: I bought a CVA muzzleloading rifle a few years ago, and now I’m ready to step-up to the next level. What’s the next level of muzzleloading gun up from a beginner’s rifle? I don’t want to buy the top of-the-line gun yet, but what’s a good in-between model?
McGarity: I’d suggest the CVA Optima. This gun will be different from the Wolf in several ways. It will have a few-more deluxe features than the Wolf. For example, the Wolf’s barrel is 2-inches longer, and the stock is more of a deluxe-type stock. Also, the Optima is considered more comfortable for most users to shoot and is available with a thumb hole in the stock, which many shooters prefer. But I can’t say that the Optima will be any more accurate to shoot than the Wolf. The Optima features a long stock with a cheek piece and a more modern-looking design to it. But the Wolf and the Optima are both great-performing guns. Where you really see a difference between guns is when you move up from the Optima to the Accura. The Accura has a Bergara barrel, which is made in Bergara, Spain, and is known for its quality workmanship that makes it perform as though it’s handmade.

Question: What will CVA’s Optima cost?
McGarity: The Optima, only about $50 more than the Wolf costs, has a starting price of about $200. You may be able to find the Wolf for about $150. So, for that extra $50, you’re getting 2-more inches of barrel length, which will increase your muzzle velocity somewhat, a more-deluxe stock and the possibility of getting a thumb-hole stock.

Question: Does the Optima come in a package like the Wolf, with everything except the percussion caps and the powder that I will need to start hunting?
McGarity: Yes, it does, and you can get the package with or without a scope. To receive the most-complete offering, the riflescope package probably is what you’ll want. This package will have all other cleaning equipment, bullets and loading equipment that you’ll find in the other CVA packages.

Question: With the scope kit, what kind of scope do I get, and does it come with the rings and the bases?
McGarity: Absolutely. You will have to set the scope up yourself, but it’s so simple to do that you won‘t have a problem. The base is very easy to use too. It has the DuraSight ring system, which is made out of Z2 alloy, making it appear to be aluminum. In these packaged guns, we put some of our best high-quality products, not just inexpensive materials. The scope is a Bushnell Sharpshooter, which is one of Bushnell’s less-expensive scopes, but it’s still a very high-quality scope for the dollars you spend. The Bushnell Sharpshooter riflescope is 3-9X. With this scope, you can shoot 1-1/2- to 2-inch groups at 100 yards.  If you move up to our Accura equipped with a Bergara barrel, then your groups will tighten-up quite a bit. And, your 200-yard groupings will be superior to what you’ll get with the Wolf or the Optima.

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!