CVA Wolf

Tigerzclaw

Tigerzclaw

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In august I went to see a friend, I got to try his .50 muzzle loader. It was an interesting gun to fire, I did not know muzzle loader could be equipped with a breach plug to make cleaning easier. The break action was also an interesting feature, I checked online and found out more about CVA rifles.

It got me thinking, at about 300$ for the model "Wolf" in stainless...it's within my price range. I do not hunt, it would only be for the pleasure to shoot a BP muzzle loader.
I was wondering if you guys had advices...suggestions, thoughts, even if it's to say don't buy that gun :) anything so I would make a better choice, even if the choice end up been not to buy a BP/muzzleloader.

BTW, It's not from my first rifle, I may have only a few posts here, but I've been shooting for several years with a few other type of firearms.

Thanks
 
The rifling in the Wolf is fast twist, probably 1 in 28. That twist is designed for shooting a saboted bullet with a comparatively large charge of powder. This means that it will be expensive to shoot for casual shooting. I am sure that some of the inline muzzle loader shooters here could give you an estimate of cost per shot.

I must admit that I am biased towards the more traditional muzzle loaders and currently own more than a half dozen. I cast my own bullets and round ball, so my primary expense is black powder. I think moden in lines are most popular in the provinces where there are dedicated black powder hunting seasons as those guns can easily accept optics and shoot further and harder than, say a Hawken, shooting a patched roundball.

I suggest you try both styles of guns and research costs and even cleaning methods before making the plunge. If there is a black powder shooting club near you, drop by for one of their shoots and you will discover how much fun traditional bp shooting can be.
 
The wolf is a decent level entry BP gun.... I have the Optima, which is a slight step up, and it also has 1:28 twist....

I have never had an issue shooting a small 100 gr. powder charge with 300 GR. saboted bullets..... I get about a 1.25 - 1.5"" group at 100 yards from a bench rest

BP is indeed a lot of fun to shoot, just remember you have to clean them as soon as you get them home.... Also, when range shooting, you will have to clean the barrel out after every 3 shots or so as it becomes so fouled you won't get the sabot down ......
 
Unless you buy bulk (sabots/bullets) or start casting, Shooting an inline for target shooting can start to add up in $$$
Go traditional with a sidelock - Check the EE there's a few affordable ones on there-
Do a price check on sabot loads, 20 rounds for $20.00 on average and up ^
But unless you have unlimited cash flow like CGN "Caramel" then have at her and blast away.
The CVA Wolf is a decent inline don't get me wrong but a traditional would be cheaper to shoot. You can make your own; lube, patches, round balls or conicals and cleaning solvents.
And believe me this muzzle loading world is addictive. ;)
 
If you want to shoot a muzzle loader, why not go with something more in the spirit of shooting a ML , and all that has to offer. There are a couple of CVA sidelocks in the EE now ay a good price. Don't be fooled about a sidelock being hard to clean, the Hawken style with the easy to remove barrels are a piece of cake to clean. Pop out the wedges, place barrel breach in a can of hot soapy water , and run the patched rod up and down. Rinse clean, and dry patch and oil it . Real BP is very easy to dissolve and clean out , contrary to the popular belief, and sales pitches for substitute powders .
Patched balls are very cheap also. casting your own is even cheaper, with a lee mould costing about 30 bucks. My preference is a flintlock, but I also have several percussion caps.
I do have an inline I never use. It is just a slow to load centerfire in my mind. I can clean the Hawken faster and easier than the inline.

The reality is the inlines are more acurate and shoot longer ranges, and generaly today shoot faster. many will out shoot a 30-30 . Sure they load from the front, and a motorcycle is also similar to a bycicle. We call both "bikes" too , but the differences are there.
 
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Guys, jmop..... But black powder is fun to shoot.... Nothing like the sight and smell....but every time a newb comes in here, someone tries to steer them into patch and ball and antique....

Why not let them cut their teeth easily first?....

OP has enjoyed a BP shoot... Why not start him from there?
 
Tigerzclaw said:
It got me thinking, at about 300$ for the model "Wolf" in stainless...it's within my price range. I do not hunt, it would only be for the pleasure to shoot a BP muzzle loader.
I was wondering if you guys had advices...suggestions, thoughts, even if it's to say don't buy that gun :) anything so I would make a better choice, even if the choice end up been not to buy a BP/muzzleloader.
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Superbrad said:
Guys, jmop..... But black powder is fun to shoot.... Nothing like the sight and smell....but every time a newb comes in here, someone tries to steer them into patch and ball and antique....

Why not let them cut their teeth easily first?....

OP has enjoyed a BP shoot... Why not start him from there?
Click to expand...

He asked for advice, he does'nt hunt. Advice was given. :popCorn:
 
Superbrad said:
Guys, jmop..... But black powder is fun to shoot.... Nothing like the sight and smell....but every time a newb comes in here, someone tries to steer them into patch and ball and antique....

Why not let them cut their teeth easily first?....

OP has enjoyed a BP shoot... Why not start him from there?
Click to expand...

Why not steer them to the real thing , and there is nothing easier than a Traditional. If you don't like a patched ball , a Mini or Maxi goes down the spout without a sabot or patch, just some lube is needed .

Antique?? Hmmm don't recall reading anything about suggesting an antique?

As to costs , a hundred round balls sell for about 10 to 12 bucks, what does it cost to feed the inline for a days shooting?
 
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Superbrad said:
Most people would tailor the advice to the post..... He said he liked the Breech plug setup and the break action.....

Anyways, all good..... Whatever op decides, at least he is shooting.... And BP in any form is fun as hell......
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Its addictive- Op you've been warned!!!

One of the CGN sponsors has one of these at great price! I don't need another TC inline but the price is hard to beat.

http://frontierfirearms.ca/firearms/black-powder/tca-encore-bp-rifle-209x50-syn.html
 
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My first was a wolf .very easy to learn on and a ton if fun .I shot a deer with mine the first year .and mine would shot great group s Dutch
 
Thanks for the answers, it gives me useful information, I was not aware of the fast twist, I'll consider that.
As for the price, I may not have a unlimited disposable income, but I already accept that shooting can get expensive.
For the modern look vs traditional, I might have a slight preference for a modern look, I was looking to buy one with a stainless barrel. What would be the cons of a stainless barrel ?
 
OK, I use to shoot quite a bit of BP with a side lock. Now I find my eyes won't play and I have to use a scope for most everything. So, if I wanted to still use a side lock how difficult is it to mount a scope. I know it'll look stupid but at least I can enjoy it. I was also thinking about getting an inline just because of the scope mounting issue. That and every inline I've seen has shot exceptionally well, even the cheapest one.
 
You can get mounts for side locks, but I always took my barrel off and put it in a bucket of water for cleaning. I didn't want to have to take a scope off every time I cleaned it, so I went for an inline. I couldn't beleave how quick clean up is with the break open barrel and twist out breach plug.i just upgraded to a traditions vortek with a stainless barrel, and have a Burris 2-7 scope on it.
 
big boar said:
OK, I use to shoot quite a bit of BP with a side lock. Now I find my eyes won't play and I have to use a scope for most everything. So, if I wanted to still use a side lock how difficult is it to mount a scope. I know it'll look stupid but at least I can enjoy it. I was also thinking about getting an inline just because of the scope mounting issue. That and every inline I've seen has shot exceptionally well, even the cheapest one.
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I use a peep on the sidelocks for the same reasons . The TC Tang peeps are hard to find, but work great. Sight in with the small aperture, and switch to the large one for hunting.
 
petew said:
I use a peep on the sidelocks for the same reasons . The TC Tang peeps are hard to find, but work great. Sight in with the small aperture, and switch to the large one for hunting.
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I tried the peep sight when my eyes started to go south, but found that it only worked in good light. Most of the deer I have shot were early in the morning or last light in the evening, so the peep was a poor choice for me. After a couple of seasons I gave up on the peep.
 
snowshoe said:
I tried the peep sight when my eyes started to go south, but found that it only worked in good light. Most of the deer I have shot were early in the morning or last light in the evening, so the peep was a poor choice for me. After a couple of seasons I gave up on the peep.
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Just use the large aperture, by unscrewing the small one from the sight body. This lets lots of light thru.
 
I have a wolf and use it on deer and paper. I shoot hornady xtp 240gr bullets in mmp sabots. i buy the pistol bullets for reloading i find it cheaper to by the bullets and sabots seperate than in the kits. I used 2 pellets of triple 7, but will be trying blackhorn 209. One thing i have found is that when using the 777 pellets it is better to use a muzzle loading 209 primer as you will get more shots before a crud ring forms in the barrel preventing proper bullet seating.
 
Just to give a follow up, I end up buying a Thompson Center Impact, blued steel with open sight.
It was on discount, and TC was recommended by several folks I know IRL.
I'll try it later this spring :)
 
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