Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Is the CVA Optima V2s a good choice for a beginner?

Asking because Cabela's has the stainless rifle with a scope mount on sale for $229 and I know a couple of guys who want to start shooting black powder.

Worked for me. That's exactly what I bought in 2014 when I started hunting an area here in NC that had a 2 week muzzy season starting the first Saturday in November. The next year I picked up a nitrided model and gave the stainless to my son. We've shot 6 bucks with them since. A couple of his were over 100 yds. Bro n law was already using an older version and advised me to shoot Blackhorn 209. Excellent advice. CVA sells a 209 breechplug that moves the powder charge right down on top of the spark. Blackhorn shoots a while before you have to clean and cleaning is easy. Add some Harvester sabots and Hornady SST 250 gr and go shoot something.

Thank you!

Do you think that $229 is a good price?

Very good price since it includes shipping. My base model T/C IMPACT was only around $7 cheaper shipped.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/home...ainless-steel-black/1601958.uts?slotId=0

What earl said. It's a good price on a good rifle. Some folks bad talk CVA but our experience has been all good. The V2s of ours even have dang good triggers and group well with the above components. When I checked zero this year the stainless put 3 shots in a ragged hole about an inch high at 50 yds with 80 gr weighed charges of Blackhorn. Max charge is 84 weighed. With a 250 gr bullet plus sabot the max load in that little rifle kicks like a blue eyed mule. Thus the download.

I have an Optima V2 stainless with the Blackhorn 209 breech plug and it is very accurate with about any bullet/sabot combination. That price is very good. Like shootem says, some people rag on CVA as being poor quality, but that seems to go back to one run of models from the mid '902 that had bad steel. CVA voluntarily recalled all those guns, but the rep seems to hang on. Today's guns are first rate.

I have that exact rifle with the BH209 BP. Mounted a Bushnell 4200 and have really enjoyed it. Trigger is excellent. Prints VERY impressive groups at 100 yards.

100 grains of BH209 (volume)
300 grain Harvester Scorpion Gold with crushed rib sabot.
209 Magnum primer

There is an even better deal on the CVA Optima V2 and Wolf stainless rifles at the local WM, $250 a camo/stainless Optima V2 with a Konus 3-9x scope or $184 for black/stainless Wolf with the same scope. I'm really tempted to buy the Optima V2.

The local W-Ms are closing out their muzzle loaders, camo/stainless OptimaV2 with the Konus 3-9x scope is $184 and the black/stainless Wolf is $124.

A year ago the Dayton, TN Walmart closed out the last two Wolf black/blue muzzleloaders for $84 each. I missed out, but the price was still on the shelf. In the past Walmart would drastically mark down all its muzzleloading stuff shortly after the muzzleloading season ended. I used to buy next years bullets and powder at less than half price. This year all the bullets and most everything were gone before the season opened.

Two of my local Walmart's aren't selling guns off the shelf anymore, the 3rd that is still selling guns, is only carrying centerfire rifles and shotguns. They will order stuff for you, but they aren't selling muzzleloaders or muzzleloading components at all anymore.

In another couple years, all the Wallys' will stop muzzleloading.
Only (1) of four stores nearby-me carried muzzleloader equipment this season. A few years ago all four had muzzleloader products.