Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders CVA optima v2

Saved up Basspro gift cards from my birthday and Christmas and have enough to order my new muzzle loader. Decided on a stainless/black synthetic cva optima v2 50 cal. Intend to use blackhorn powder. I know to order the BH cva breech plug. In my county I can only use shotgun/ML during gun season so my 243 is out. Would like to use the cva for gun and ML season. What sabot/projectile combo would you guys recommend knowing its intended purpose? Read a lot of people having success with shock waves and Barnes bullets. Kind of over whelmed with options and would like to narrow the field.

try the 300gr harvester scorpion pt gold, 110gr blackhorn209 and harvester crush rib sabot. Go to the link below and look for eds gun shop, theres a number in there, call and ask for carlos, tell him what gun and powder you have, he will have EVERYTHING you possibly could need. Just tell him FG sent you.

Thanks dude. What's the BC of that beast?

BC. is around .250 for the 300 pt gold

What other projectiles should I buy for load development? High BC, blackhorn powder, deer only setting.

once you try the pt gold, i dont think you'll want to try anything else lol. There are more expensive bullets like barnes, lehigh that will do the job but at a much higher price. I'd shy away from the sst/shockwave bullets, some love them, some hate them, they are kind of the powerbelt of sabots, you love them or you hate them.

Nosler has a new and very affordable called the ballistic tip MZ, they are anywhere from $11 to $13 per package but for the cva barrel, you may have to swap out the sabot as they are impossible to load without my range rod. My ramrod just looks at it and bends itself over LOL.

The 260 Harvester PT golds in the black crush rib sabots shoot great out of my Optima V2!

Thanks guys I hadn't played with muzzle loaders yet and have a lot to learn.

Just ordered some of these sabots. I am curious to see if my T/C Shockwaves or Barnes TEZs will load more easily once the mercury dips. I have had many in-lines but only my last Encore and current Omega seam to give me fits loading bullets when the temp drops to the teens or below. I am thinking the only sabot that I have not had this issue with is the yellow T/C easy glide.

Anybody have a clue if these sabots are good for smokeless guns at moderate velocities?

BTW, I handled a CVA Optima V2 Camo/SS/Thumbhole last night at our local GM. The gun has a nice feel to it.

Is the optimas bore considered "large" or "small"?

Should I go with the 260 or 300 grain Harvesters? Deer only and less then 200 yards.

Hi woodson-see your in my neck of the woods. I bought an Optima v2 3 years ago and have found that mine likes the 260 grain PTs with 90 to 100 grains of BH209 and the SMOOTH black sabot.Have taken 6 whitetails using this combo all with pass throughs at ranges between 80 to 150 yards.Testing is all part of the fun as every gun is different.BigBlock455 has given you good info and Carlos at Ed's Gun Shop in Vass, NC. is the man to buy from.

Understood. I'll call him when I'm ready to place an order. I kinda figured the 260 would be sufficient assuming the intended ranges.

If you need help Carlos is the man. He has shim kits and Scorpion PT gold 260. Ask him what was his longest shot he took a deer with the PT Gold.

260 or 300 will do the job, we used the 260 last year on a buck and that sucker just dropped him.