Any opinions of the CVA Optima .50 cal would be appreciated. I'm currently shooting a T/C Triumph and am considering another ML as a backup. Local Cabela's has them on sale for $219.99 (Synthetic/Stainless).

Damn good rifle...I have the Stainless camo TH. Mine is a sub MOA rifle.

Can't beat them for the money. I have the stainless black TH stock. This was my first BP gun and took 3 nice does (1 @ 130yds.)during our early season in Oct.Spend time at the range and you will be greatly rewarded-mine will also shoot MOA with 250 SST and 100gr 777.Put decent glass on it and I'm sure you can duplicate my results.I have a friend with an Encore that cost 3X more and can't come close to my Optima.

I'll be using one for deer and elk next season. It shoots MOA to 200yds.

edit I'll be using a PRB for deer with an old sidelock. Optima for elk..maybe.

CVA=JUNK

CVA makes a great gun for the money. Lifetime warranty, Bergara barrels.

You don't need a high priced gun in order to shoot great groups.

I could be wrong but I think the Optima have regular barrels and the Bergara barrels are on the Accura/Apex.

According to the info in Cabela's latest hard bound catalog, you're 100% correct.

All CVA barrels these days are made at the Bergara plant. They dont mark them as true Bergara quality as they skip the multi honing process that the true Bergara barrels get.

Yep. CVA has been turning out GREAT stuff for years.......

http://www.cvaguncases.com/Case___Information_Page.html

http://www.cvaguncases.com/Photographs_Page.html

Interesting, but I don't put a whole lot of stock in those reports. Probably at least that many lawsuits in various court's over "faulty" Remington 700 safeties and AD's, but I've never had a bad one.

Those are not "reports", they are actual lawsuits. Complete with pics of injured CVA users.......

Yep, and I'm sure if one took the time they could find pictures of people injured or killed by Remington 700's. FWIW, I've pretty much talked myself out of buying another ML, because I simply don't have the $$$ right now.

Has one case been won that was the guns fault, and not the shooters? Other than the one model in the 90's that was recalled?

In other words. Has a Bergara barrel blown up that was the barrels fault?

Its apparent that you are a spammer who posts nothing but trouble.

I shoot these guns almost daily, 5,000 shots last year in fact, and i will come close to that number again with the same rifles. A recalled gun doesnt make the entire company unsafe, if that were the case, S&W, TC,Remington and many other businesses would be out of business.

+1, GW I recently purchased a CVA Apex, here is my pics.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...15214/CVA_Apex_range_results#Post5715214

Yep I'm a spammer. That's me. The whole website with the 60+ lawsuits is fake also.

Comparing CVAs track record to the others you mentioned is a joke.

Amazing how some refuse to see the writing on the wall once they make a purchase.

More amazing is how they are unable to recognize a POS when they see it.

Do some more research on CVA and get back to me. There is no bigger POS made, and they have been proving that regularly for many years. Personally, I like my barrels proof tested

only 60 lawsuits while wakeman says hundreds happen ever year LOL

Dont be a complete fool, its bad enough you are a Lions fan.

You still didn't answer my question.

I guess there's not too many believing the lawsuits. Other than you and Randy. CVA is still the best selling ML right now.

And IMO, Wakeman has about as much credibility as a late-night infomercial salesman; whatever product he's hawking at the time is the best.

I've been rippin' on CVAs for over 15yrs now. Up until last year, never even heard of Wakeman. Still don't know much about him, but that doesn't matter. CVA is still pure crap no matter how you slice it....

I guess that settles it. The King has spoken.

Does CVA or Bergara pressure test any of there barrels?

they test a limited number of them from each batch they make

No muzzleloader company tests every single barrel. Only savage ML but thats a low production # deal. Plus they shoot smokless powder.

thanks!

AMEN

i have hunted and killed several upon several deer with cva's

they all have shot fine some more particular than others my my cva optima pro was deadly 300 gn sst 105 loose 777 and also with a 350 hndy fpb and 100 loose 777

best ml for the money

i do shoot a smokeless savage cause i like the convenience of smokeless

+1, CVA is making the best ML on the market right now IMO. Mike Belm (Custom ML 'builder/smith)who is considered one of the best in the industry even agrees. Can't go wrong buying a Optima or Apex.

http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=572

i would not hesitate buying any cva product. i've owned 5-6 of there ml's that were very accurate. wakeman is a payed salesman.

There you go. Impressive bona fides, I must say! I guess we should all bow down to your greater rippinatude!

Seriously, 2muchgun: if you don't like CVA, more power to you. But if you want to gain any credibility for your assertions regarding CVA, you're gonna have to come up with more evidence than an internet list of lawsuits brought against the company. Any idiot can search a list of "cases" against any manufacturer and compile a list like that. It costs next to nothing to file a lawsuit in America. It costs real money to prosecute one though, and that's why so many are filed and then dropped.

As I said, if you want to get some cred here for your position, you might start with an internet list of lawsuits that CVA has settled or lost. It shouldn't be hard, if there are any.

I recall the highly publicized situation that showed up here on the Campfire and on other internet hunting forums a couple years ago about that guide/outfitter in AZ/Mexico who ripped off a bunch of clients. There was some bleating from his defenders for a time, but within a year there were 4 judgments against the guide granted by an Arizona court. WITHIN A YEAR.

Now, if as you say you've been "rippin' on CVA" for FIFTEEN YEARS, surely you can come up with at least 4 successful judgments against the company, with links to the judgments as published by the courts. Is that too much to ask?

Now that we've got that one-trick pony back in its track, I'd like to respond to the OP.

I've had a CVA Optima Pro rifle for 4 or 5 years and my about-to-be-son-in-law has one as well. Between us we've fired easily 1000+ rounds, which for a muzzleloader, is a LOT of shooting. My Optima "died" when it fell out of a tower stand (the rope I was lowering it with broke) and broke the stock. I ordered and put on a new stock, and it continued to shoot very well. It's a very accurate rifle with my preferred load, a 295 gr Powerbelt bullet loaded over 2 pellets of Jim Shockey's Gold powder. Using that load I put 5 consecutive rounds into a 0.73" group off the bench at 100 yards in my first year using the rifle. Last fall I put 3 rounds into a similar size group just to be sure it still worked. Between shooting those two groups I put 5 whitetail does and one spike buck on the ground at ranges from 40 yards to 225 yards, with one miss that was entirely my fault due to underestimating range. My ATBSIL has put two whitetails down with two shots this fall.

It is easily the best muzzleloader I've ever hunted with. I have to admit I've only hunted with 3 other muzzleloaders, and this was my first in-line. But I've worked with a couple of my friend's Knight rifles, and the CVA is easily its match in terms of accuracy and ergonomics, at less than half the price.

I've shot CVAs for years. Used to have a .54 cal CVA big bore mtn. rifle. Killed deer hogs and antelope with it. Currently My son and I have a pair of Wolfs. We have both shot deer with them and they are very accurate. I also bought a CVA scout 44 mag, to use for deer, here in Indiana. It shoots a helluva lot better than the Marlin 1894 44 mag, I had.


maddog

I just pick up a stainless over black thumb hole stock optima except for the barrel getting a few hundred stokes with J@B bore paste I do not have any thing bad to say about the gun.
My sons has the Acurra V1 and it shoots outstanding.I did 2 range trips with the new cva optima.I had problems setting off the BH209 but did but the new Breech plug and no hang fires with it tested the other day at the range.I will say it no t/c of Knight rifle but it shoots and that all that counts.
headspace the firing pin bushing :clean action NO BLOW-BACK
I loaded 95 Gr.BH209
Hornady 45 cal. 240 XTP and got outstanding results

By lonewolfrock at 2011-12-03
50 yards at the bench

I've not owned a new generation Optima with the Bergara barrel and much improved design, but I do own a V1 Accura that I've had for a few years. First group after initial cleaning wasn't bad.



and the groups that have followed have been extremely good as well. Best trigger I've ever encountered on an inline. It's as accurate and reliable today as it was that first session.

And it explodes every time I load it and the trigger is pulled.

I liked it so well I decided to risk buying an Apex and just recently acquired my second Apex.



I'll say that anyone that thinks CVA is still making "pure crap" is completely full of hot air and certainly not capable of offering anything of worth in a muzzleloader forum.

I've got one of the first Optimas that were made. Goes bang everytime and holds a 3" group at 100 yards. Yeah i've heard they can do better but it works.

I had the first optima with the 29" barrel gun shot outstanding but the weight was real heavy to deer hunt:The New optima at 6 1/2 lbs is a dream to carry all day

I just purchased a new Optima with the camo non-TH stock. It shoots great, but the sling studs molded into the stock are too wide for my Uncle Mike's swivels. Are there swivels available with a longer pin or wider throat? Or should a just grind away at the existing studs?

Dennis53

CVA sells swivels that will fit https://www.bpishopping.com/cva/sling-seats/hush-stalker-ii-sling-swivels.html

I don't much care for them though.

Thanks for the link- I went ahead and ordered a set. I wasn't sure if my rifle was a fluke, or if they all came through that way. I read a review of those swivels on another site, and a guy said they fit his conventional studs very loose.

Dennis53

I forced a normal sling on mine. It doesn't swivel, but it holds.

I may look into the sling mounts linked above.. they look like they are wider.