Inline hunting...CVA Thunderbolt

[Pheoinx]

Deer hunting with a rifle is not allowed here in Ohio. I dont want to get involved with the primitive season debate, but I am looking at the CVA Hunterbolt 209 Magnum in .45 cal to use during gun season. This comes with a starter kit and a 2.5X7 Pine Ridge scope. I have never touched a muzzle loader and am looking to buy one now so that I can be ready for next years season. Does anyone have any experience with this setup or rifle? Is this a good alternative to a shot gun slug (more accurate)?

Thanks

 

[oconnell]

Look around there are many good rifles out there and if you plan to own the rifle a long time stay away from cva traditions though commnon they are made in spain and the quality control on these things is iffy and you run the risk of disapointment stay away from spanish and chinese guns they are junk

 

[MLKeith]

CVA Thunderbolt

There is a lot of talk about the "Spanish barrels" and their lack of decent standards. Most of this is unfounded. The CVA and Traditions rifles offer a decent rifle at an economy level. This means that you are getting less quality in the trigger feel, finish level of the steel, possibly not quite so nice wood and from most of the synthetic stocks I would say they are near as nice as the more expensive rifles. Recoil pads are poor but so are the ones on the T/C Omega. I know as I have one and threw the stock pad away and installed a simms limbsaver. I have a Traditions Pursuit LT which came with a terrible trigger which when fixed (not an easy job) the rifle shoots very well. It does not shoot groups as good as the Omega but it cost less than one third as much. I have seen good reports on the CVA Kodiak Magnum which is what I would be looking at if I wanted a "lower cost Omega". I would recommend getting the rifle from a dealer where you can check the fit and finish and trigger before buying. If you buy a USA made rifle the chance of getting a bad one is less. The warantee on T/C rifles is hard to beat. It is the time of the year to get really good deals on older stock rifles so shop around.

 

[Ohio Annie]

Good experience with CVA

I have a CVA Apollo (from the year after the recall) with a 3-9 Simmons scope which I adjusted to shoot to point of aim with the CCB shot at 100 yards. It gives 1.5 MOA accuracy with a load I worked up of a 180 gr. bullet and 70 gr. Hodgdon Triple Seven. This is for the small "apartment-freezer-sized" does I am after.

The trigger is a little heavy but has no takeup at all.

At the range I use a Past recoil pad for my shoulder. I don't bother with recoil protection when hunting.

I know it's hard sometimes to distinguish between the truth about the differences between products and just snootiness. Example: Lexus/Toyota.

 

[oconnell]

Nef

Nef is often over looked the quality of these rifles is vastly superior to the spanish booby traps and they cost less they even have stainless steel models available wich are still cheeper than cva or traditions they also have anouther model called the side kick these are really nice well made rifles the huntsman series started back in the early 70s H&R NEF were the first company to offer inlines back in 1970 they just about invented them they are all based on the venarable Topper shotgun one of the most trusted and beloved single shotgun ever made and according to Field &Stream Magazine is one of the best guns ever made and The NEF Huntsman and Sidekick muzzle loaders are as good as any inlines made and they are made entirely in the USA