New Muzzleloader

[VolHunter]

For an early Christmas/college graduation present my dad got me a new muzzleloader. It's the CVA Apex. Now I grew up using Knights and loved them (minus the cleaning), and recently have shot/used TC's Omega and Encore. I have never thought much of CVAs but after using this gun, I don't think I will ever go back. This is one of the most solid built, easy to clean guns I have ever used or even seen. It has no rattle or lose parts, and you can even adjust the trigger pull from a screw on the back side of the trigger (no taking apart trigger systems or replacing springs, etc). It has almost NO felt recoil. I can't say enough good things about this gun!

Opening afternoon of muzzleloader here in TN I took my first deer of the year. I hit a doe about 50 yards away. The Powerbelt bullets I am using easily smoked the doe. So even though I lost my deer the day before with bow, I still killed a deer with my new bow and muzzleloader on back to back days!

[Crawdaddy]

Congrats on the deer and ML...

[turner]

Congrats on the harvest AND the new rifle as well. Where abouts in Tennessee were you hunting?

[co8ffemt829]

congrats on the deer.

[timberghost]

Great job VH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hunting Man]

congrats on the harvest. Congrats on the schooling and new ML!

[frontiergander]

Congrats on the doe!! What kind of powder charge, bullet - weight, were you using?

Lightened up your picture for you as well.

Mods, if you'd like to paste my pic into his post thats perfectly fine.

[VolHunter]

Turner,
I grew up in Benton Co. and have a 80 farm I hunt there.

Frontier,
I'm still trying to dial in the Muzzleloader. First used the 250 grain shockwaves but after reading about the muzzleloader, I found you are only suppose to use specialy saboted bullets....this explains why I broke my ramrod trying to get the shockwave in it. Switched to the knight 240/250 grain dove tails and shot a few. Then a friend with the same gun said the powerbelts or slick (something) CVA bullets.

Finally settled on 245gr powerbelts, 120 grains of 777 powder. Read that the powerbelts aren't suppose to have more than 100grs pyrodex behind them. Could explain why I couldn't get a real consistent grouping......

[turner]

Originally Posted by VolHunter

Turner,
I grew up in Benton Co. and have a 80 farm I hunt there.

Frontier,
I'm still trying to dial in the Muzzleloader. First used the 250 grain shockwaves but after reading about the muzzleloader, I found you are only suppose to use specialy saboted bullets....this explains why I broke my ramrod trying to get the shockwave in it. Switched to the knight 240/250 grain dove tails and shot a few. Then a friend with the same gun said the powerbelts or slick (something) CVA bullets.

Finally settled on 245gr powerbelts, 120 grains of 777 powder. Read that the powerbelts aren't suppose to have more than 100grs pyrodex behind them. Could explain why I couldn't get a real consistent grouping......

I have a CVA Optima and it shoots the h*ll out of 295gr Powerbelts! I've killed several deer in the last 4-5 years with that combo; 4 bucks, all good sized 8 pnts and a doe that dressed at 148 lbs. No pass-thrus, but good terminal performance with 2 of the bucks dropping in place and the doe dropping after maybe 20 yards and last 2 bucks going 60 and 100 yards respectively. All, one shot kills.

[VolHunter]

Turner,

I was going for a shoulder shot but pulled just an inch toward the neck. However, I did get a full pass through with the exit wound being LARGE. A blood "trail" is not the right term for what I had when tracking. It was more like a blood freeway