CVA Optima Pro

[3jimbo3]

My wife and daughter several christmas' back bought me a new Optima Pro Magnum. I have never shot a mag charge in it however I have pushed several 100 grain charges down range with it. I was using loose powder and sabots with Hornady bullets.It was all over the place, sometimes I wouldn't even be on the target. I was disappointed in the performance but since it was a gift from my loving wife and daughter I didn't make much fuss about it. I ask around with no luck as to what I could do, I even called CVA. Their response was to use pellet powder and Powerbelt bullets. Now my response was that they're crazy. I finally broke down and bought both to give a try thinking I just had a bad gun. Well...that thing is now a tack driver. I would never have thought it would make that kind of a difference just changing powder type and projectiles, but it did. Now I have to wonder why this is.

[johnson1942]

i know i sound like a broken record but if you cast bullets, get a 400 grain lee mold in .458 diam. also from mmp sabots get their orange 50 cal sabot that holds a .458 bullet. they ship free. that combo will give you the same accracy as your power belts and be a lot cheaper to shoot. way way cheaper. only use about 100 grains of powder behind this combo. get you anything you want and you will be able to shoot it for fun because it wont cost much to shoot.

[koger]

The rifle you have was designed around the powerbelt bullet, and they shoot them extremely well. Roger is spot on also with his advice.

[odfairfaxsub]

I love my optima!!! Power belts rock w 80 gr loose pyrodex

[Lloyd Smale]

you sure cant give up on or bad mouth a gun that you've only tried one bullet and one powder and one powder charge in. If that was the case I doubt there would be a gun in my safe. Muzzle loaders are no different then a centerfire rifle in that you have to do some work to find a load that they like and the differnces between a small change can be dramatic.