Want to cast for CVA Optima V2 inline...

[Curlymaple42]

If you have a lead bullet in a sabot, why would the alloy matter much? The boolit doesn't actually touch the barrel right?

[Vann]

Yep, I like them soft. I add a little tin to make the hold together but that's all I worry about.

[OnHoPr]

When you start putting the heavier charges in the boolit will deform on setback. Pure Pb doesn't handle 150 gr loads very well even if it is in a sabot.

[rsrocket1]

When I got my CVA Optima Pro (used), my first loads were the Lee TL452-230-TC in a T/C 50 cal sabot made for 45 cal bullets. Worked up loads using Blackhorn 209. Got decent 3" groups at 100 yards with the spread probably mostly due to gusty winds. Optimized loads using Alliant Black MZ at 70g by volume. I've also tried the Lee 250g REAL bullet and a Shiloh conical minie. The REAL performs better than the minie so far but the 45ACP sabots with BH209 have been the most accurate to date. The downside of BH209 and the sabots is the cost ($30/10 oz for the powder and $0.10/sabot). For hunting, I would use this combo, but for range plinking I'm still playing with and seeking the best combo with the bare cast bullets and Black MZ. Black MZ grains are about as big and variable as kitty litter but even at normal prices, it's half that of BH209 and I picked up a bunch of bottles at half off ($10/#). So at a penny per shot for the powder, it works good enough for me.

[johnson1942]

go to ramshot.com then when their go to their blog section and read the article on how to paperpatch for the inline muzzle loader along with pictures. it pretty well explains how to paperpatch for your gun and get the results you want.

[newton]

When I got my CVA Optima Pro (used), my first loads were the Lee TL452-230-TC in a T/C 50 cal sabot made for 45 cal bullets. Worked up loads using Blackhorn 209. Got decent 3" groups at 100 yards with the spread probably mostly due to gusty winds. Optimized loads using Alliant Black MZ at 70g by volume. I've also tried the Lee 250g REAL bullet and a Shiloh conical minie. The REAL performs better than the minie so far but the 45ACP sabots with BH209 have been the most accurate to date. The downside of BH209 and the sabots is the cost ($30/10 oz for the powder and $0.10/sabot). For hunting, I would use this combo, but for range plinking I'm still playing with and seeking the best combo with the bare cast bullets and Black MZ. Black MZ grains are about as big and variable as kitty litter but even at normal prices, it's half that of BH209 and I picked up a bunch of bottles at half off ($10/#). So at a penny per shot for the powder, it works good enough for me.

I had/have the same idea. My first go around was with the Lee 515 mold. I would size them down to .510", then made a homemade sizer to .504" to bring them down again. They shot fine, just lubed them with alox. Also, thanks to a generous guy(Johnson) I would knurl them up to hold more lube and such.

Anyways, cheap shooting(minus the cost of the lead) and easy enough to make. They were decent as far as accuracy goes, but they sure do kick like a mule. I have the mold and sizing die up for sale now. lol

[Nobade]

go to ramshot.com then when their go to their blog section and read the article on how to paperpatch for the inline muzzle loader along with pictures. it pretty well explains how to paperpatch for your gun and get the results you want.

I saw your article over there, hopefully that will help spread the word about how to really get some performance out of these inline rifles. We have a lot of customers who have bought those new Rem 700 UML rifles and are so happy they can hit things out to 300 yards. I tell them if they'd use bullets patched to bore they could hit things to 1000 yards if they wanted to, but so far nobody has been adventurous enough to take me up on it. I like to use a .492" 500gr. slick in my Ruger 77/50 patched to bore, and it shoots better than I can see with the peep sights. 200M is just one spot of lead in the middle of the hanging steel, and hitting 4 inch discs at that range is a snap. Torso plates at 600M are no big deal either, once I get the sights set. Don't have enough sight travel to go any further, but the rifle certainly could do it if I had the elevation. The thing is, those pistol bullets everybody wants to use in sabots have such a lousy BC that past 200 yards they're falling of really fast. Full diameter rifle bullets won't have nearly the high muzzle velocity, but it doesn't take them long to catch up and pass the little stubby bullets and will hit so much harder at longer range. Just depends on what you want your rifle to do, I suppose.

-Nobade