Question: Tony, you mentioned earlier that two of the biggest differences between hunting in the East and the West are that you may have to shoot at long ranges, and you have to deal with thinner air, which will change the ballistic coefficient of your bullet. Once you’ve sighted-in your rifle in the East, how do you know where the bullet will hit while shooting in the West?

Smotherman: I use a Bullet Drop Compensating (BDC) reticle on my CVA rifle to view my sight-in spot at different ranges. Then I make a chart that tells me how-much bullet drop I have at different ranges with the load I shoot. I print-out that chart and cover it with clear packaging tape to waterproof it, and I tape that ballistic chart to my rifle stock. Having this reference on my stock enables me to range an animal and, based on the chart, know exactly where I need to aim. When I hunt in the West, I use the Leupold UltimateSlam riflescope with its BDC reticle on my CVA rifle, because I may have to take a long shot.

Question: How accurate is your BDC reticle, once it’s set?

Smotherman: Generally, most BDC reticles are set-up for 150 grains of powder and a 250-grain bullet, which is the most-common load for muzzleloading hunters. But, I use a 300-grain bullet with 150 grains of powder. So, the BDC reticle doesn’t match-up to the load I use. I have to shoot a lot before I go hunting out West to better understand how those dots in the scope translate to the charge I’m shooting. When making my chart, I make sure I know the hold-over and the hold-under, as it relates to my particular gun and those BDC reticle dots. Taking a ballistic chart when I’m hunting out West is important, because when I see a big bull elk, a monstrous mule deer or a long-pronged antelope, usually I’m much further-away from that animal than I will be from a white-tailed deer. Therefore, I have time to check my ballistic chart before I take the shot. When I range this animal and prepare to take the shot, I don’t have to guess at what dot in the scope I should shoot, or how much hold-over I need, if I need any. That information is right on my stock in black and white.

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: 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.

By Dudley McGarity

If you found this article while surfing the web or in a Google Search, you may have also noticed some other articles that present an extremely negative picture of both Blackpowder Products, Inc. and our CVA muzzleloading brand.  Unfortunately, this is nothing new to us, as most of it relates to Connecticut Valley Arms, Inc.’s Voluntary Recall — which was initiated way back in 1997.  Most of these negative “articles” are actually several years old, but it seems that every so often they resurface and cause a rash of new internet chatter.  As the CEO of BPI, I’d like to provide you with a little background information that will give you some insight as to why these persons would practice this “internet terrorism” against our company.

 You’ll notice that all of these “hit pieces” originate from one of two individuals.   One of them has been engaged in an internet smear campaign against BPI and our CVA brand for several years now.  Interestingly, the last time we checked, he works part-time for one of our competitors, Savage Arms Company.  As for the other, he is a private investigator employed by a law firm that specializes in product liability lawsuits. Over the past several years, both of these men have essentially been working together for this law firm, apparently in the pursuit of clients for whom the firm can potentially file gun accident lawsuits against BPI.   As a part of this effort, the private investigator has recently set up a website on which he publishes, for the most part, information from the various court filings that were made in relation to accidents that occurred during the use of these recalled CVA guns – guns that were made in 1995 and 1996.  Needless to say, neither of these “gentlemen” could be considered unbiased commentators on CVA products.  To the contrary, both have a financial interest in publicizing only the information — be it selected, partial, distorted, and/or blatantly false — that would provide some sort of advantage to their law firm and/or publicly damage the reputation and business of BPI/CVA.    

 As for the recall, it is certainly no secret that, way back in 1997, Connecticut Valley Arms, Inc. did in fact initiate a voluntary recall of one design of an in-line gun that was made in 1995 and 1996.  And, it is also no secret that a number of people were injured with these guns.  However, Connecticut Valley Arms, Inc. took responsibility at that time by issuing the recall, and BPI (the current owner of the CVA brand) is continuing the recall effort in an attempt to find all of these guns.  So far, about 96% of the approximately 55,000 recalled guns have been accounted for.  The CVA Voluntary Recall is still in effect, and BPI continues to mention this in our CVA catalogs and on our CVA web page, and will be until every recall gun is found.  Other than the voluntary recall of these 1995 and 1996 guns, no other CVA gun model has ever been recalled for any reason.   

 Now, in regard to the present rather than the past, the guns that are marketed under the CVA brand today bear little if any design similarity to those that were recalled in 1997.  In fact, none of the barrels we use today are sourced from outside vendors.  Rather, they are all made in the Bergara Barrels factory, a facility that is wholly owned by our parent company.  In addition to building the barrels for all CVA guns, Bergara Barrels also makes some of the most respected after market barrels available today, as well as providing barrels to many other highly reputed gun manufacturers throughout the world.  Because of our direct control over the barrel making processes, today’s CVA guns, when used as instructed, are as safe as any muzzleloader on the market.  Also, in terms of materials and construction, they are of equal, if not superior, quality to those of any of our competitors.  This fact has been illustrated by the success that the CVA brand has enjoyed for the better part of a decade now – as the # 1 selling muzzleloader brand in the world.   

 As a potential or present CVA owner, it is essential that you are able to use our guns with total confidence.  And, certainly, reading the ramblings of characters like those I mention above can understandably shake that confidence.  While there is nothing we can ever do that will erase the history of a product recall from 15 years ago, I do hope that I have provided you with a balancing perspective that will counter the misinformation that you may read about our company on the internet.

If you’d like to learn more about today’s CVA guns, and why they are now taking the market by storm, please check out our website at www.cva.com.