Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders General muzzleloader questions on open sights and supply sources

Hello all, I'm very new to muzzleloader hunting and could use some advice from some experienced veterans.

I am looking at buying a .50 cal stainless CVA Optima in the non-thumbhole stock. The reason for getting the standard stock is because I plan to only shoot it open sights since that is required in Colorado where I plan to be elk and mule deer hunting. The thumbhole stock seemed like it would be impossible to get down on the stock low enough to look down the barrel. The standard stock doesn't seem optimal for this either, but maybe manageable.

This brings me to my first question. I will need to buy sights since it won't come with any. I am considering the Williams Fire Sights but since I don't know anything about open sights, I don't know if this is a good choice. I would like to be able to shoot 150 yards maybe even 200 if this is at all possible with open sights. Does anyone have experience with this sight system and it's potential for accuracy?

I plan to use blackhorn 209 powder and buy the special breech plug for this powder made my CVA. For bullets I am looking at either Hornady FPB or Powerbelts. Does anyone have a good online source for buying bullets and blackhorn powder and CCI 209 primers?

Thanks for your help as I learn the ropes.

The standard stock Optima comes with open sights in black, and camo.

http://www.cva.com/CVA-Product-View.php?id=40

http://www.cva.com/CVA-Product-View.php?id=34


A better bullet is the Thor.

https://thorbullets.com/

Open sight Optima = Williams Peep sight and Truglo Globe front sight. ....Bullets: 250gr Thor... Powder: Blackhorn209

You are correct, the thumbhole is to high for open sights.

Email Carlos for CCI 209M primers, they have been the best for me and i've shot thousands of them so far.
http://www.frontiermuzzleloading.com/t3375-ed-s-gun-shop-blackhorn209-store

You are going to pay a heck of a lot if you buy the powder and primers on line. I believe they have to be shipped separately and there would be a hazmat fee on both.Even if shipped together, there is a hazmat fee.

You haven't bought from Carlos? He was selling BH 209 for $27. I think it's $29 now, and that is the total price shipped to you. They buy is large quantities, and must get a killer price, because they absorb the HazMat/shipping fees.

Click on the link.

Thanks for the replies. The reason I chose not to mention Thor bullets is because I thought it would be good to stick with something I could buy off the shelf ( at least to get started).

For those of you that have the Williams rear peep and Truglo globe front, could you take a picture of it for so I can see what the sight picture would look like? I've never shot a gun with a peep before so I'm unfamaliar with what it would be like. Are the ghost rings that come with the Globe accurate in comparison to the Williams peep. Also, would the Williams peep need to be shimmed high enough or are there different versions that match up with the Globe.
Thanks for all the help.

Here you go.

Mauser, could you do a picture looking down the sights so I can understand what the sight picture looks like? How much can you see through the peep? Since I have never shot a peeped gun I really have no feel for how large the peep aperature is compared to the pin at the end...
Thanks

Well let me say this. The most of the CVA lines have sights .Now for your other question about the thumb hole u will be surprise on this mine has thumb hole an I love them foe open an scope don't matter
Good luck an shooting these Bargara barrels are great.

I don't have that gun anymore, so I can't. I can tell you that you can see much more of the target than with the stock open sights, because you don't have the rear sight blocking the target. Peep sights are completely different to sight. All you see is the front sight. You never look at the peep sight. Your brain just automatically centers the front sight in the peep.

The peep has a removable aperture. So, you can buy different sizes to use, or you can just leave it removed. That would be called a ghost sight.

I don't know anybody who's tried a peep sight who didn't shoot better than an open sight. That's why the military uses them.

I can get some pictures tomorrow.

One thing is for sure, the thumbhole optima is STRICTLY for a scope. No kind of open sights will work with it because the comb is high.

Tag

Will look something like this...Williams front sight stands out much more than image shows.

If you blow up the above picture to 250% it gives a very good idea of what a peep and FO looks like.

Everybody's a critic...



How's that..?

So so.

Thanks for the pictures. That is certainly a much bigger sight picture through the peep that I expected. How accurately can you center that little pin in that giant circle? That seems to be about the same aspect ration as a 3/16" peep on a bow. Is the ghost ring any smaller for aligning circles?

Therein lies the trick...so I'm told.

You don't really center it per se, you focus on the front sight and put it where you want the bullet to strike. Your sub-conscience is supposed to kick in and center the front post within the peep without trying...

It's a fair comparison to to use a bow with peep and ML with a peep. Neither one is difficult to center.

In addition to being a sub-conscience act I think you could also say it's a natural tendency to want to center the front bead. It's just not right to view something that's off center. When given a chance your mind/eye wants to correct it.

When I first got a peep for my ML I thought it would be more accurate to use a small aperture but I found that wasn't true. Even with a larger aperture or with the aperture removed (a ghost ring) I had no problem centering the front sight.