Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Sighted in with Blackhorn....

Finally shot the CVA stainless Optima I bought a while back. Using 3 different weighed charges; 76gr, 80gr and 84gr(max). 250gr SST in Harvester short sabots with Winchester blue box 209s. Shot 4 or 5 rounds of the 76gr and cleaned the barrel with Montana Bore Cleaner. Did that a couple of times then started just running t-shirt patches down the bore to push out visable grime when loading got sticky. Residue was more than smokeless but less than another loose BP substitute I used in a side-hammer; that being my only experience so far with muzzle loaders. Had a slightly moist consistency and came out easily.

In the end I learned three things. 1) 84gr of Blackhorn209 behind a 250gr bullet in a lightweight rifle is LIVELY. Took me 2 shots (after a dozen or so of the lighter charges) to figure that much was not really fun with fun being the whole point of doing this. 2) Eye relief on the 3200 scope is short enough to bang the bridge of my nose when "letting the rifle surprise me". 3) This rifle likes the bore swabbed and not cleaned.

First went to a pistol pit to get dialed in. At 35yd yards the 76 and 80 loads each shot 3 holes touching. The max load made 2 holes touching. See above. In the end the 76gr load and 80gr load grouped about the same at 100yds. However there at the end I was getting a little recoil shy. Final round count for the afternoon was 12 rounds 76gr, 12 rounds 80gr and 2 rounds 84gr with just a short sleeved shirt between me and the recoil pad. Really focusing on the last 3 shots with 80gr loads, 2 bullets made an oblong hole with the 3d just cutting it about an inch above point of aim at 100 and I called it good. No pics, but it really did happen. Now it looks like it'll be Monday before it hits the woods. First muzzie whitetail can't be far away.