CVA Optima loads

[Neot]

The wife was nice enough to buy me the CVA Optima package that comes with the Konus scope. Does anyone out there have one and found a particular load works better than others? I've heard the Powerbelt bullets were trash. Also heard that its worth getting the Blackhorn breech plug.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[engineerbrian]

I'll be keeping track of this thread for sure. I have the same set up and i cant get it to group past 50 yards. I've tried so many bullet/powder/cleaning procedures and have had no luck

 

[outrider58]

I'll be keeping track of this thread for sure. I have the same set up and i cant get it to group past 50 yards. I've tried so many bullet/powder/cleaning procedures and have had no luck

Did Santa bring you that? There a lot of folks with that rifle here and should be chiming in soon, hopefully. I shoot a T/C and I've noticed through past threads that the two prefer different offerings.

 

[Pablopac]

Barrel is similar to my Thompson. ( I have 2). Never needed more thatn 100 grains of black powder. I usually use the pyrodex pellets or white hots. Have had great luck with the hornady 240 gr pistol bullets and with the Thompson shock waves. The easy glide version loads a little easier. You may also want to experiment with the sabots themselves. Several manufacturers offer slightly different external diameters for easier loading vs better seal. I clean, then leave thompsons bore butter in barrel until ready to shoot. Then dry patch and off to the races. I clean with hot soapy water and dry with a rubbing alcohol patch, then bore butter to store.

 

[Neot]

Hoping that I don't have any of those issues. If nothing seems to group, I wonder if it is a bad barrel.

 

[Pablopac]

Power belts sucked for me. Poor accuracy past 75 yards and no expansion, just straight pass through. Only used them to break a shoulder and lose meat as a result.

 

[Neot]

Barrel is similar to my Thompson. ( I have 2). Never needed more thatn 100 grains of black powder. I usually use the pyrodex pellets or white hots. Have had great luck with the hornady 240 gr pistol bullets and with the Thompson shock waves. The easy glide version loads a little easier. You may also want to experiment with the sabots themselves. Several manufacturers offer slightly different external diameters for easier loading vs better seal. I clean, then leave thompsons bore butter in barrel until ready to shoot. Then dry patch and off to the races. I clean with hot soapy water and dry with a rubbing alcohol patch, then bore butter to store.

Thanks for the tips! I was looking at the White Hots and was curious how well they worked. Do you find that one burns cleaner than the other?

 

[outrider58]

Thanks for the tips! I was looking at the White Hots and was curious how well they worked. Do you find that one burns cleaner than the other?

They are supposed to. I use H-777 @150 gn.(three pellets). The difference between 2 pellets and three in my set-up is about 4'' Mine shoots 1'' groups @ 100 yds. As most people agree, Power Belt bullets kinda suck.

 

[Melnic]

My friend has an Optima and I helped him sight in his original Konus scope and then the one he replaced it with (moved the Konus to his shotgun).
Both scopes were fine and shot great.
He had used 3 777 Magnum pellets under a Thomson Shockwave 250gr Sabot
He was touching holes at 50 and 1" groups @ 100yards from a bag.
1 wet and 1 dry patch between shots and let it cool a few mins.

I use 100gr BH209 with Traditions SST 250gr which I've found to be same sabot performance. Is BH209 worth it? Maybe. I switched to it from White Hots and it is pretty close except shot to shot is more consistent wtih BH209 vs White Hots.
But with White Hots clean cold barrel shot was just as consistent so just means white hots you gotta clean and cool between shots when sighting in @ 100 yards.

If you plan to take it out in the coming weeks, I'd say just get pellets and use 2 pellets and some TC SST sabots and sight it in 1" high @ 50 yards and your good to go up to 100. Shoot at 100 if you can though to try it out.
White hots are a little more power IMO than say regular 777 or pyrodex. So is 100gr of BH209. Not as much as 777 magnum pellets.
I recall White hots says 2 max.

 

[engineerbrian]

Did Santa bring you that? There a lot of folks with that rifle here and should be chiming in soon, hopefully. I shoot a T/C and I've noticed through past threads that the two prefer different offerings.

yes, but it was from 2 years ago

 

[HogCommander]

I have a CVA Optima V2 with the Konus scope. Have only tried 2 bullets and one powder because I got great results with what I tried (1 to 2 inch groups at 100 yards).

For powder, I use 100 grains of Blackhorn 209. I fired it probably 10-12 times with the factory breech plug with zero problems, then switched to the BH209 plug just for good measure.

I've tried saboted 250 grain Shockwave bullets and 240 grain XTPs from Hornady. Both of these bullets grouped well at 100 yards and I settled on the Shockwave. The only deer I've taken with it so far was a good size spike buck during this year's early ML season. Was about a 40 yard shot with the deer quartering away slightly. The vitals were devastated by the Shockwave bullet and the deer only made it 20 yards or so before crashing.

If I had access to a range where I could practice at longer distances, I would try this combo at 150-200 yards because I think it would be effective out that far.

Enjoy getting to know your Optima OP...I like mine so much I hunt with it now during firearms season rather than my rifled slug gun. Love the weight, balance, trigger and stainless steel of the Optima.

 

[Inigoes]

Hoping that I don't have any of those issues. If nothing seems to group, I wonder if it is a bad barrel.

More than likely its the scope.

The konus muzzleloader scopes are beginner level scopes, and sometimes lose zero. Upgrade to the Bushnell DOA muzzleloader scope.

 

[Inigoes]

Thanks for the tips! I was looking at the White Hots and was curious how well they worked. Do you find that one burns cleaner than the other?

They work fine. That is what I shoot.