Editor’s Note: Mark Hendricks, vice president of technical developments for Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA), spends time researching and studying new materials to develop better ways to improve Muzzleloader rifles, barrels and component parts for CVA products. This week, Hendricks will tell us why a gun that wouldn’t shoot accurately now can shoot dead-on.

Question: Mark, why did CVA and DuraSight develop the DEAD-ON base-ring system?

Hendricks: Several years ago, we seemed to be receiving a number of guns with accuracy problems in our customer-service department. But when we took the guns out to the range to shoot them, we couldn’t find any accuracy problems. We’d return the guns to the customer, and because the customer still would have accuracy problems, we’d be called everything from a “dirty dog” to a “liar.” The customer would put the rings and the base back on the rifle and have the same poor results he’d had before sending it to the customer-service department. Our customer-service department told our customers with accuracy problems to send the guns but remove the sling, the scope and the scope mount before shipping it to CVA. We finally decided that the problem wasn’t with the gun or the barrel. We began to ask our customers to send their guns with their slings, scope mounts and the scopes still attached. We wanted to see exactly what the customer was using and find out why when we shot the gun, it would shoot accurately, but when we returned it to the customer, he had the same problem as before.

We’ve learned that a number of muzzleloading customers have a common problem. Since many muzzleloading hunters buy muzzleloaders to only hunt with during the first 2 weeks of the season, they don’t want to spend a lot of money on the gun or the accessories. So, they buy the least-expensive and least-well-built scope mounts and bases they can. They don’t believe they’re buying inferior products; they’re just buying less-expensive rings and bases. When we started getting these guns into the factory and shooting them with the scopes, the rings, the base and the slings, we realized there were some problems. CVA’s CEO, Dudley McGarity, and I looked at the scope mounts and mounted the guns with a dial indicator, which measured the movement of the base and the rings. We found that with only light finger pressure on some of the scope mounts, we could move the base.

Question: How does a dial indicator work?

Hendricks: The dial indicator is kind of telescopic, so when you push-in with it, it turns a dial that looks like a stopwatch. The dial indicator measures movements in 1/1,000th of an inch. We could put the dial indicator against the rings and the base the customer sent-in with their guns and determine how much the rings and the base moved. I’d put the dial indicator on the front of the scope and then push the scope in various places. With cheap mounts, the scope would move a lot. To make matters worst, when I stopped pushing the scope, the rings and the base wouldn’t return to their original positions. So, we now understood why consumers thought CVA rifles weren’t accurate. However, not the rifle but the base was actually causing the consumer not to be able to sight-in consistently. Even the slightest movement in the base that attaches the scope to the rifle can have a dramatic affect on accuracy.

For instance, the slightest movement of the base can make several inches difference in where the bullet strikes at 100 yards. So, from this investigation, CVA decided that we needed to develop a scope mount that would hold the scope securely to the rifle and allow the consumer to shoot more accurately. When a rifle doesn’t shoot accurately, most consumers assume something’s wrong with the rifle. But oftentimes the problem is the sighting system, which includes the riflescope, the rings and the base and how securely the rings and the base attach to the rifle barrel. We wanted a base-and-ring set that was strong and durable and would lock the scope in place on the barrel and not allow it to move. We also knew that to be competitive, we had to have a lower price range for our system. Then the consumers who bought inexpensive mounts would be willing to spend an extra $3 to $5 to have a first-rate base-ring system. We developed the one-piece DuraSight Z2 Alloy DEAD-ON One-Piece Base/Ring System for CVA rifles, but it fits other blackpowder guns too.

Editor’s Note: Allen Treadwell of Seligman, Missouri, is on CVA’s Professional Hunt Team and Hunter’s Specialties’ Professional Hunt Team and is the co-host of Bass Pro Shops’ “100% Real Hunting” TV show and Winchester’s “Whitetail Revolution” TV show, both airing on the Versus Network. 

I get as big a thrill when I harvest a big, mature doe with my CVA Muzzloader rifle as I do when I harvest a big, mature buck. If you take a 4-1/2- or a 5-1/2-year-old doe, she’s just as smart as a 4-1/2- or a 5-1/2-year-old buck, and maybe even smarter. Remember, mature does teach the fawns how to avoid danger. They’ve lived longer than most other deer in the herd and are much more keen at detecting human odor, noises and the silhouettes of hunters, even if they’re dressed in camo. That doe has survived as long, if not longer, than a buck with 160 inches of antler on the top of his head. Those does have been in the field where there were hunters and know all the games hunters play. Hunting old, mature does also will make you a better deer hunter. That old doe won’t let you make a mistake and get away with it. Just because she doesn’t have horns on top of her head doesn’t mean she’s not still a trophy, and you shouldn’t be proud of her.

Also, you have an opportunity to use your muzzleloader more often when taking does than you do when harvesting bucks. In many states, you can take more does than bucks. In states like Alabama, you can take a doe a day, and at certain times of year, on specific lands, you even can take more does in a day. Another thing about hunting does with your CVA muzzleloader rifle, is you can see how your loads, bullets and powder charges perform on an animal instead of a piece of paper. To be honest, I won’t be nearly as upset about missing a doe as I’ll be about missing a buck. Early in the season, before the rut arrives, and you seriously start hunting bucks, is the best time to take does. Taking a good number of does every year, especially in the early season, also helps you to calm your nerves, learn how to hold your breath as you take the shot and hold your rifle steady. Whether I’m hunting does or bucks, I always take Caldwell Shooting Sticks with me. This way, I can make sure I have a good, solid rest. Whether you’re shooting a CVA Accura, like I do, or any other type of muzzleloader rifle, a quality rest will make you more accurate and more successful.

I try to make the best shot to produce the quickest and the cleanest kill I can. I’ve learned over the years that having a good rest is one of the major keys to accomplishing this goal. Any time you get a new gun, you first need to spend time on the range learning how your bullet, powder, cap and scope perform on paper. Then before you begin seriously hunting a big buck, I suggest you start taking does. Taking does in the early part of the season will help you build confidence in your blackpowder rifle. Also, you’re helping the landowner to control his herd and helping the herd to keep its numbers in check to prevent overpopulation. You also are reducing the number of mouths eating the browse on that property; therefore, older-age-class bucks will have more to eat and will live longer and be able to grow to full maturity. Most landowners will allow you to come-in and take does and cull bucks. Let’s face it. Taking several does and a cull buck or two can be 1 or 2 day’s work – time to find the deer, take the deer and then field dress it, skin it, quarter it, cut it up, package it and take it home. One of the best ways to prepare mentally for a hunt like this is to decide before you leave home, “I’m not going to take a big buck. I’m going to help out the landowner and only shoot does and cull bucks, if that’s what the landowner wants.”

Editor’s Note: Allen Treadwell of Seligman, Missouri, is the co-host of Bass Pro Shops’ “100% Real Hunting” TV show and Winchester’s “Whitetail Revolution” TV show, both airing on the Versus Network. Besides being on CVA’s Professional Hunt Team, he’s also a member of Hunter’s Specialties Professional Hunt Team.

Question: Allen, what are you doing in the summer with your CVA rifle?

Treadwell: As a professional hunter, I’m preparing for hunting season right now. I’m sighting-in my rifle, shooting my bow and preparing myself to hunt. One of the most-critical keys in shooting accurately with a Muzzleloading rifle is to know how your rifle will perform at different ranges with various bullets and powder charges. When I see a buck and range him, I want to know how I should aim to be able to drop him. You don’t learn that by shooting at deer. You learn that by shooting paper targets at various ranges. I try different grains of my powerbelt bullets various powder charges and caps. I want to know that I’m shooting the best bullet with the right powder charge and primer to shoot accurately. I want to know that the bullet, the charge and the cap I choose will perform consistently, regardless of where I’m hunting or the weather conditions under which I’m hunting. If there’s a better bullet, powder or primer, I want to prove to myself that they’re better than what I’m currently using. So far, I haven’t found any powder, primer or bullet that outperforms 150 grains of Pyrodex pellets, a 245-grain PowerBelt bullet and Winchester primers. When I shoot, I can put every bullet at every range inside a clay target. I shoot the CVA Accura with this load. I also use a Leupold UltimateSlam riflescope that allows me to shoot from 50 to 250 yards.

I’ve been in the professional outdoor-hunting business for many years, and I’ve shot other Muzzleloading rifles, including rifles from Knight, Thompson/Center and Traditions. I’ve found that the CVA Accura, with these loads I’ve mentioned, outperforms them all. I participated in shooting competitions when I was younger, and I’ve never seen a blackpowder rifle shoot better than the CVA Accura. It’s the only muzzleloader I’ve ever held in my hands that if I have to take a shot at 250 yards, there’s no doubt in my mind that my bullet will hit its mark when I squeeze the trigger. I have as much confidence in the CVA Accura as I do in any bolt-action rifle I own.

Question: So, you feel confident taking a 250-yard shot at a deer with this rifle?

Treadwell: Yes, but that’s because of the work I’m doing right now to make sure I know what my bullet will do when I squeeze the trigger, and the animal is at 250 yards. Most people believe that the bow and the arrow have a range of about 40 yards, a muzzleloader is a 200-yard weapon, and a rifle is a 400-yard weapon. For 99% of people, those standards are probably correct. However, if you spend time shooting your bow like some tournament archers and serious bowhunters do, you’ll have no problem making 50-, 60- or even 70-yard shots. If you spend time on the range with your muzzleloader, working with the combination of your bullet, your powder and your primers, you can be effective at 250 yards, providing you have a very-accurate scope with a sighting device that allows you to sight at those ranges. With a rifle, there are plenty of predator hunters and quite a few deer hunters who can shoot accurately past 400 yards, but these men and women spend time during the offseason tuning their equipment and building their skills and confidence for shooting at longer distances.

I’ve had muzzleloaders in the past that I wouldn’t shoot more than 150 yards, because I knew that was the range at which I could be accurate and produce a quick, clean kill with that gun. But with the CVA Accura, I know I’ll have no problem taking game at 250 yards, if necessary. I’m 100% confident that this gun will deliver the bullet where I aim at that range. If you want to be a better blackpowder hunter, you not only need to test your powder charge, your bullet, your percussion cap, your scope and your range finder before the season, but just as importantly, you need to shoot enough to build your confidence. Then if you see a deer at 150 yards, there’s no doubt that you can hold that rifle still or brace it and make that shot.

Question: What type of range finder do you use, and why?

Treadwell: My range finder is as essential to my hunting as my rifle, because without knowing the range, you can’t shoot as accurately as you can, if you know the range. Regardless of whether I’m hunting with a bow, a rifle or a muzzleloader, knowing the range before I pull the trigger is a very-important element in taking game and putting that game down as quickly and efficiently as possible. The muzzleloader bullet changes a lot in 50-yard increments. To shoot accurately, you need a range finder on which you can rely. Over the years, I’ve tested many range finders and have found that some vary as much as 2 to 3 yards. So, sight-in your rifle with the rangefinder you’ll be using on your hunt. I like the Leupold RX-1000 compact range finder, because whether I’m shooting up or down a hill, it corrects for the angle. I recommend you buy the best-quality range finder you can afford.

You may ask, “Why do some muzzleloader shooters take more game and consistently shoot more accurately?” The answer is simple; in the hot months, they’re on the range shooting as accurately as they can and building confidence in their rifles, loads and range finders. Then when they have the opportunity to take game, they know they can make the shots. And, when the time comes, they do make their shots.

To be a more-efficient Muzzloader deer hunter, spend your time in the sections of woods that you have to hunt where you’re most likely to see the bucks you intend to take. Although this advice may seem like a very-simple solution to taking bucks every season, you’ll have to work hard now to be effective when hunting season arrives. Using trail cameras, deer attractants, deer food and mineral licks, survey the land you have to hunt, and get pictures of the deer on your property. As the deer grow their antlers during the summer, you can get to know these deer by the names you give them. Then identify the bucks as cull bucks that you want to take out of the herd if possible and mature shooter bucks. Also note the 2- to 3-year-old bucks that you want to leave to grow another year or two.

Now that you have your bucks identified, the next step is to learn where the shooter bucks bed and often feed, and what times they leave their beds to go to food and return to the bed. This information can be gathered with your trail cameras, especially the ones with date and time stamps on the photographs. More than likely, you’ll locate some places where cull bucks and mature bucks both frequent. You’ll know if you set-up a tree stand there you’ll have the option of either taking a cull buck or a mature buck.

Another way to spend most of your time during hunting season in places where your odds are the best for taking either a cull or a mature buck is to identify the trails that the deer are taking in the summer months to go to your food plots. You can use deer attractants like C’Mere Deer, deer feeders and mineral licks. Or, put-out bait close to the spot where you’re planning to plant your fall green fields to help establish the trails the deer will use to come to your fall green fields. Once you have the deer coming to the green fields, and you see the trails that they’re using, follow those trails 100- to 150-yards or further away from the green fields. Set-up your trail cameras there. You can identify the bucks that should be coming to your green fields during hunting season and begin to work out a timetable that will help you determine at what time in the afternoon the bucks start heading toward the green fields, and at what time in the morning the bucks you want to take begin moving-away from the green fields. Using this system of trail cameras, deer attractants, deer feeders and mineral licks, you can develop a hit list of the bucks you want to take on the property you hunt. Too, you can get a really-good idea of what time of day these bucks may be frequenting your fall green fields.

If you’re a member of a hunting club, once you or the huntmaster identify the bucks to harvest and the bucks you want to leave to grow another season or two, the photographs of the bucks you want to take can be posted in your clubhouse or at your gathering point. All the members of your club easily can identify the bucks on the hit list and the bucks on the “let-them-grow-another-year-or-two” list. Many times you’ll only have a few seconds to determine whether a buck is a shooter or a non-shooter. By preparing a deer hit list like this, you can make those determinations much quicker and get off your shot faster, than if you don’t have photos of the deer you want to take and the deer you want to leave. Deer-hunting season begins now. Deer-taking season will come in this fall. If you hunt now, you can find and plan where to take the bucks on your hit list with your Muzzloader rifle.

Editor’s Note: Carlos Vilorio is the long-gun salesman specialist at Ed’s Gun Shop in Vass, North Carolina. Vilorio meticulously works with every gun until he can determine its best powder charge, primer and bullet combination that delivers the best accuracy at varying distances. Vilorio realizes he needs to shoot accurately on the range to shoot more accurately when hunting.

Question: Carlos, you test different guns in various calibers and components for blackpowder rifles. What’s another CVA rifle you’ve recently tested, and what were the results?

Vilorio: Over the last few years, CVA has really been touting the Bergara .45-caliber barrel, so I purchased a CVA .45-caliber Bergara barrel and put it on my Thompson/Center blackpowder rifle. I took it to the range, and I was really impressed with the accuracy of the Bergara barrel. After I saw how accurately the .45-caliber Bergara barrel could shoot, I thought, “If the .45-caliber Bergara barrel shoots this good on a Thompson/Center frame, I wonder how it will shoot on a CVA Optima Elite?” I noticed that the .45-caliber barrel had less recoil than the .50-caliber barrel. I was using 110 grains of Blackhorn 209 powder, the Fiocchi 616 209 shotshell primer and the Harvester polymer-tipped bullet. When I went downrange to check my target, I noticed that the .45-caliber barrel was a much-flatter shooting caliber than the .50-caliber barrel.

Question: What types of groups did you shoot with the CVA Optima Elite with the .45-caliber barrel?

Vilorio: One group was .4390, and another group was .246. The difference in the variation in these two groups happened when I changed bullets to see if I could get tighter groups. The bullet that shot the best was the Harvester Funnel Point polymer-tipped 200 grain. I was shooting Blackhorn powder and the Fiocchi 209 primer.

Question: How else does the .45-caliber Bergara barrel compare with the .50-caliber Bergara barrel?

Vilorio: The .45-caliber barrel has a faster muzzle velocity than the .50-caliber barrel. I shot two strings one day, and the total velocity of the first string was 6413 foot pounds per second (fps) with an average velocity of 2138 fps. The second string total velocity was 6551 fps with an average velocity of 2184 fps pushing a 180-grain bullet. I mentioned this fact to some folks and they said, “Oh, yeah, you’re comparing a 180-grain bullet to a 260-grain bullet. Naturally, you’d expect the muzzle velocity to be faster with a .45-caliber, because it’s pushing a lighter grain bullet.” I felt this was a fair criticism. So, I purchased 260-grain .45-caliber bullets to make a better head-to-head comparison. I learned that the .45-caliber barrel, even pushing a 260-grain bullet, still had a faster muzzle velocity than the .50-caliber barrel pushing the same-sized bullet.

Actually, the .45 caliber was still producing 215 pounds per square inch more muzzle velocity than the .50-caliber pushing the same-grain bullet, which told me that the .45-caliber barrel not only shot flatter than the .50-caliber barrel, but it also had a faster muzzle velocity. There was only 97 fps difference between the .45 caliber and the .50 caliber pushing the same-sized bullet using the same powder charge. So, I’d rather give up 97 fps to increase accuracy, because I wouldn’t be losing that much knockdown power. Shooting the same caliber bullet, the muzzle velocity of the .45-caliber barrel averaged 2033 fps, and the .50-caliber barrel averaged 1892 fps. This comparison was made not only with the same caliber bullet, but also with the same powder charge.

Also, the .45-caliber barrel completely changed my Bushnell DOA 250 scope. This scope has lines inside of it that lets you adjust upward for bullet drops at different distances. I had this scope set-up for my .50-caliber rifle. I shot the .45-caliber barrel with a 200-grain bullet. I learned that you had less bullet drop at 200 yards with a .45-caliber barrel than with a .50-caliber barrel. As a matter of fact, the first time I shot the CVA Optima Elite with a .45-caliber barrel at 200 yards with my Bushnell DOA scope, I completely missed the target. I used the same 200-yard line inside the scope that I used to aim the .50-caliber barrel, and when I went to check my target, there wasn’t a bullet hole in the target. When I saw that target, I said, “Carlos, there’s something wrong here. You don’t shoot this poorly.” So, I loaded-up the .45-caliber barrel again and used the 150-yard line on my Bushnell scope to aim at the 200-yard target. That CVA Optima Elite with a .45-caliber Bergara barrel was dead-on then. That was how I learned for certain that there was less bullet drop at distances greater than 100 yards with a .45-caliber barrel than with a .50-caliber barrel.

Question: Carlos, if I came into your store and said I wanted a blackpowder rifle I could hunt deer with and that would shoot as accurately as possible, what would you recommend?

Vilorio: First, I’d ask if you wanted a Plain-Jane blackpowder rifle or a blackpowder rifle with interchangeable barrels that could take blackpowder barrels as well as conventional barrels. If you told me you wanted a Plain-Jane blackpowder rifle, I’d show you the CVA Optima and then the CVA Accura. Finally, I’d show you the CVA Apex, with its interchangeable barrels. I know CVA guarantees 1-inch groups at 100 yards, but with my customers, if they use the components I recommend, I guarantee a 1/2-inch group at 100 yards, if the customer can shoot accurately off the bench.

Question: Which caliber would you recommend?

Vilorio: I’d highly recommend the .45 caliber, because it’s much flatter shooting than the .50 caliber, still has good knockdown power and has better velocity at the end of the barrel. Some people might say, “Well, bullets and powder for the .45 caliber are hard to find.” But that’s not true. CVA makes .45-caliber bullets and so does Thompson/Center, Harvester, Lehigh and Precision Rifle. I recommend Blackhorn Powder over any other powder on the market. For a deer rifle, the .45 caliber is a much-more accurate deer rifle than the .50 caliber, even at ranges past 200 yards.