bp rifle season

[ldlfh7]

I am considering getting a bp rifle for this year's alternative black powder season. I am not looking to invest a lot of money but want something that will be ok for OCCASIONAL shooting. My wal-mart has a cva wolf for $160. Is this ok for a few shots a year? I hunt in areas where I will never shoot over 50 yards.
Option 2: I have a NEF single barrel shotgun I can send to the factory and have a 50 cal bp barrel fit for about the same price.
What should I do?

 

[rodwha]

I like functionality. Were it me I'd buy a barrel.

However I'm not certain you'll be ready to use it this year.

First off you'll have a lot of testing to do to find an accurate load. There's 2 and 3F powders of various makers, as well as sabots or patches and lubes, along with various projectiles.

And then you may also need to either break it in (mine took ~200 shots) or polish it to smooth the rifling.

I'm assuming the barrel you'd get for your rifle would be designed for use with sabots/conicals with the shallow rifling and faster twists.

 

[birdshot8's]

I bought a flint lock when I wanted to hunt the muzzle loader season. I really enjoy getting out with my Kentucky rifle, in fact I will not go out with a modern rifle this year.
And to answer your question that CVA Wolf rifle you are looking at is an excellent rifle/deal. I have the CVA Optima V-II, which is a super easy to use rifle for anyone wanting to extend their season.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I LOVE my flinter (but it's not a beginner's rifle), and the additional barrel on a Handi-rifle is also a good idea. The CVA price is also good. Sorry that doesn't narrow down your options.... IF you have, as pointed out, the time to go to the range and develope a good load will be the key

ONE thing though, most inline rifles MUST have a scope to be even moderately accurate. I have a CVA inline (the model name escapes me at the moment) and it, like so many others, came from the factory with big honkin' iron sights with dots.... So unless the deer is around 30 yards from you when you shoot, the sights are so crude it's pretty hard to place your shot at anything at 50 yards and beyond...but with a scope the inlines, even the low cost ones, shoot very well with the proper load.

So figure about another $100 for a scope plus rings if you don't have one already you can use on that inline.

LD

 

[ldlfh7]

I found a deal online from a local private party selling a CVA Wolf, 100 powder discs, 100 sabots, all cleaning supplies, 100 #209 primers and a scope already mounted for $200.
This sounds pretty good no?

 

[birdshot8's]

You would need to win a raffle to do any better. Looks like you will be hunting the muzzleloader season.

 

[Zeke/PA]

The CVA should do you well.
It's my guess that the twist rate is 1 in 48 which would accomadate both patched balls and conicals which I prefer for hunting.
My favorite hunting load in my .50 is 90 grains of FFg behind a home cast 370 grain Maxi-Ball.
Have Fun !

 

[ldlfh7]

Would a patched ball yield the same knowckdown power that the sabots do?

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Get the Wolf.
Great little guns. They're light and short and are a dream to carry around. They stomp the crap out of you because of that, but hey, it's not a range toy.

My dad has one. I have the CVA Optima Elite that you can switch barrels on. I've never gotten around to getting a barrel for it though. Go figure.
If I had it to do again, I'd get the Wolf for half the cash.

 

[WestKentucky]

We're it me, I would look for a deal on a budget caplock percussion gun. For the range your talking it will certainly do the job and you get more of the traditional look and feel. This late in the game though you realistically won't be proficient with a new gun, and fitting a barrel won't be quick enough. At this point either beg to borrow a rifle or get in a hurry buying one.

 

[rodwha]

A patched ball can easily give you a complete passthrough on deer out past 125 yds. They are very lethal.

When I first began looking at a rifle I noticed the poor BC value of a ball along with the light weight. I ran it through a ballistics calculator and was dismayed. But being a member of a couple of traditional muzzleloader forums I continually read of people getting quick kills and getting passthroughs or finding the ball under the skin on the offside.

Some people will even use a patched ball on elk out to 50 yds or so.