any tips on muzzleloader ammo for CVA users

[apoallo]

Just to point out that this thread is unrelated to the other one about the CVA wolf.....

     I decided that I am going to purchase  my first muzzleloader, a CVA wolf 209 Magnum. and use .50 cal sabots. I wanted to get a consensis from people as to what powder/sabot gives the best groupings/ accuracy (which combimnation the gun "likes" the best). I will be deer hunting with it mainly and I think the pellets will suit my needs better in the field. Any suggestions on this and also a grain weight for the sabot? I will be shooting up to 100 yards max. I was alos thinki9ng of just using the fiber optics sights instead of mounting a scope. IDK why just to change it up I guess. I can always add the scope on later.

[sits in trees]

Blackhorn 209 powder, easy, easy, easy to clean and none corrosive, that's something no other black powder can say. And hornady 250 grn sabot bullets. An easy and deadly combo......

[apoallo]

Blackhorn 209 powder, easy, easy, easy to clean and none corrosive, that's something no other black powder can say. And hornady 250 grn sabot bullets. An easy and deadly combo......

is the blackhorn 209 in loose powder or pellet form?

Edited May 28, 2013 by apoallo

[Jeremy K]

BH209 is a loose powder and i also use it , it is very clean clean burning . I use 100G of BH209 ,

300g shockwave and a federal 209 shot primer to get things going.

[phade]

BH209 BH209 BH209...as mentioned by others above. Pellets are a farce IMO compared to BH209 even with it being loose.

 

Hornady SST 250 gr. or XTPs...or Harvester selections.

[apoallo]

BH209 I guess is a fan fav. With the hornady"s thanks for the help. One more question thou after first loading everything and in the field and don't get to shoot a deer can you unload the powder and sabot or do u have to shoot it? Can I just take out the breech plug and empty?

[PREDATE]

I'm swithcing to loose powder this year too and I just wanted to mention another option by checking out the FBP(full bore projectiles). They eliminate the need for a plastic sabot. I might try them and I think Hornady came out with some.

 Not sure about the CVA but you should be able to remove the breech plug to unload. I do this but only reuse the bullet/sabot.

My gun(Rem.700ML) loves the shockwave bullets.

[Jeremy K]

i empty my CVA apex by removing the breech plug and just reusing the projectile .

[Zag]

I've always used powerbelts. havent lost a deer with em yet!!

[sbuff]

Bh209 is nice and I have used it before , but its $$ compared to T7. If you do choose to shoot BH209 give Carlos at Ed's Gun shop a call. He has a way to waive the hazmat fee.

 

Some people don't like pellets as you can't tweak your load in increments but some get great accuracy with them as I do. If you shoot T7 a simple windex water blend on a patch will clean it up very nice. You may get what's called a crud ring after a few shots and will need to swab the barrel.

 

For bullets , .452 XTP in 250 or 300gr would be a good round to start with. Many buy bulk sabots like the crush rib from harvester or MMP sabots from Del Ramsey. Its much cheaper to buy bullets and sabots separate rather then the pre-packaged ones. I too like the FPB from Hornady but some say it won't load in a tight CVA bore.

 

You can remove the breach and push the pellets then bullet out no problem, I have tested both the removed sabot and bullet and have seen no difference in POI from new to removed ones.

Edited May 29, 2013 by sbuff

[WNYBuckHunter]

BH209 in whatever amount works for your rifle, and a Hornady SST in 250 grains with a Federal shotgun shell primer. Bang, flop.

[loworange88]

I use 777 pellets and 777 primers.  I have also used the White Hot pellets, they burn cleaner than the 777. 

 

Hornady XTP .44 cal sabots.  Devastating round.  I switched to those bullets last season, and I had the opportunity to take a buck during the ML season.  I was amazed at how much damage that bullet did to that deer.

[gfdeputy2]

when I had my CVA Hunter Mag. I used powerbelts & T7 pellets it is what CVA recommended & shot very well

[Five Seasons]

i have a CVA optima. I use the pellets and shockwave polmer tipped. Triple se7even but I'm considering going loose as I hear better things about that then using 2 pellets, although I've heard you can buy larger pellets now too? idk, but I do know the shockwaves shoot much better than the powerbelts that came with the gun's starter kit

[phade]

Shockwaves are rebadged SSTs I believe. I think Hornady makes them on contract for TC.

[Elmo]

I use 777 pellets, CCI primers, and TC Shockwaves.  I'm a completely novice when it comes to muzzleloaders and this is the only setup I've tried so take my comments with a grain of salt.  I've been getting 1" groups out at 100 yards with this setup so I never felt a need to change it up.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Shockwaves are rebadged SSTs I believe. I think Hornady makes them on contract for TC.

 

Yep, different color polymer tip. I shot both last year at the range, hit exactly the same. If you buy them with the sabot, those are different between the two.

[apoallo]

thanks for all the info. cant wait to get started!!!

[Ford]

Another thumbs up for the BH 209.

 

 

[sits in trees]

I really didn't want to go to loose powder just because of the convenience of pellets but I was sold on the Black Horn 209 by a guy on a MZ hunting site. The stuff is great. I used to hunt with a Savage M10-11 just for the easiness of being able to use smokeless but now I hunt with my CVA using the Blackhorn and its pretty much the same thing as using smokeless. I gave my M10-11 to my son and don't miss it a bit. These new CVA rifles are so simple and easy to clean, basically a rifled pipe with a threaded cap on the end, I like simple.

Oh and im doing 1.8MOA @100yds with 80grns of BH209, and the Hornady 250grn SSTs. Optima rifle

[PREDATE]

I found the 777 "magnum" pellets were too hot and gave erratic groupings. I then saw optimal results with the "regular" pellets.

 I have heard more than enough good stuff about the BH209 in the past few years to ignore it any longer. Now just gotta find some.

One tip I'll share that I got from a buddy on another site is to use teflon tape on the breech plug and nipple threads instead of the messy paste. It works great!

[WNYBuckHunter]

Predate, if you are near the new Beikirch's in PA, they sell it.

[PREDATE]

Predate, if you are near the new Beikirch's in PA, they sell it.

Thanks for the tip, though they're about a 2 hour drive west for me.. I'll ask around or even order offline if I have to. My local Home Central usually carries powder/pellets.

Edited May 30, 2013 by PREDATE

[Five Seasons]

Shockwaves are rebadged SSTs I believe. I think Hornady makes them on contract for TC.

 

any price difference? if they're cheaper then shockwaves I'd just as soon pick them up instead.

[Five Seasons]

I really didn't want to go to loose powder just because of the convenience of pellets but I was sold on the Black Horn 209 by a guy on a MZ hunting site. The stuff is great. I used to hunt with a Savage M10-11 just for the easiness of being able to use smokeless but now I hunt with my CVA using the Blackhorn and its pretty much the same thing as using smokeless. I gave my M10-11 to my son and don't miss it a bit. These new CVA rifles are so simple and easy to clean, basically a rifled pipe with a threaded cap on the end, I like simple.

Oh and im doing 1.8MOA @100yds with 80grns of BH209, and the Hornady 250grn SSTs. Optima rifle

 

just be sure to apply the thread lube or anti-seize stuff. I knew a guy who didn't think this was necessary and it cost him some money. It's hard enough even when it is applied. I like the glue stick mine came with.