Editor’s Note: Tony Smotherman known as the Travelin’ Hunter & is the Editor & publisher of Tennessee Outdoor News lives outside of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and has hunted only with muzzleloader since 1994. Tony explains why he is now shooting a CVA Apex with a 300 Win. Mag.
Today is the first time in 14 years that I have been behind a center-fire rifle at my shooting range. Years ago I adopted muzzleloaders as my main hunting weapon, mainly because of the great seasons they allow me to participate in, but also I like the mechanics of building my own hunting load by picking the powder and bullet to make my next hunt a success. But now that the CVA Apex has been introduced in to the hunting world, I am going take the wrath of the 300 Winchester single shot to the Wyoming mountains for an elk hunt that in years past I have hunted only with a muzzleloader. The elk up in those mountains know my pretty well but they also know that they needed to stay only 250 yards away from me and my crew to stay safe. I got one thing to say to them starting next Monday…..Surprise boys! That 250 yard finishing point I had with my .50 caliber CVA’s has now turned into my starting point with my 300 Win. Apex.
One of my biggest fears when the guys at CVA and I talked at SHOT Show about this hunt and gun combo was the fact that I did not want to have my retinas knocked loose when I lit up the 300 Win. The response that I got from that was that CVA can now put on a custom muzzle break right in the CVA factory. “I’ll take one”, was my immediate response and I am glad I did. I put 25 rounds through it today with NO problem other than I wanted to shoot more but ran out of daylight.
I now have a killn’ machine that does not kick and I don’t have to swab after every shot like I have been doing for 14 years……… I might just be turning a new leaf.
