what bullet/sabot for cva optima?

I found hornady bullets on sale in 44-/429.430 and 45cal and also 450 bushmaster bullets. I shot tc shockwaves last year in 200gr and they didn't perform well on a large buck i shot but only gave about 2inch groups at 100yards. Im looking for a bullet/sabot combo either running bh209 or 777 pellets or loose as i haven't decided yet.

Welcome to the site.

I have an Accura and I shoot the bh209 powder at 77 grains weighed, which converts to 110 grains in volume [measured]. I shoot the .429/.430 300 grain XTP Hornady in a green sabot. Very accurate and consistent. You don't mention bullets weight for either the .44 or the .45 bullets you mentioned but in the Optima I don't think I'd drop below the 240 grain mark....maybe even the 250 grain mark depending on how the gun handles the bullets and powder loads.

i tried a 200gr shockwave last year and didn't like the performance so i was thinking something a little heavier. i hit a 180lbs field dressed buck at 50yards with 120gr 777 right in the lungs and no blood, no exit, no bullet found. it didn't look like the bullet expanded either so ill probably go with something 240gr and larger. i shoot 44mag in a carbine so if i can use the 44mag bullets that would be great. i can get any weight in the hornadys for a good price. i just broke down and ordered a breach plug for 209 for my gun as i hate swabbing the barrel every few shots.

ohiohunter2017 said:

I found hornady bullets on sale in 44-/429.430 and 45cal and also 450 bushmaster bullets. I shot tc shockwaves last year in 200gr and they didn't perform well on a large buck i shot but only gave about 2inch groups at 100yards. Im looking for a bullet/sabot combo either running bh209 or 777 pellets or loose as i haven't decided yet.

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If you are looking for a really effective deer bullet - take a hard look at the new offerings from Lehigh... the one that I am really fond of is the new 451x230 CF. I tried it out a month or so ago from an old 1-48 twist Renegade. If it will shoot in a Rene it is a sure bet in a FT ML This is a 75 yard target with the old open sight sidehammer



This is a ballistic sheet for the bullet - but it was shot from a Knight Ultra Lite with 120 grains of BH



Lehigh is actually making 3 different all copper ML bullets anyone of the three are excellent options...

https://www.lehighdefense.com/collectio ... er-bullets

Sabots - I would expect with a tight bore of the CVA's you would need a MMP HPH-3PEZ load or a Harvester Crush Rib

Crush rib sabot are too loose in my Optima.

ronlaughlin said:

Crush rib sabot are too loose in my Optima.

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I agree. I have a CVA Optima, Accura V2 and Accura MR. The bores of all 3 are very consistent in what they like and the crush ribs are too loose in all of them with most bullets I have tried. The CVA rifles will shoot a variety of bullet/sabots well and aren't real picky. One I will throw out is the Hornady .44 cal 265 gn FTX with a smooth green Harvester sabot and 100-110 gn BH209. Extremely accurate in all my rifles. My only experience with terminal performance was a large doe I shot last year at 94 yds. I had a quartering away shot which I put right through her lungs and she dropped dead in her tracks.

weell upon doing a lot of reading and asking this same question on several other forums it looks like the 300gr .430 xtp and the bushmaster 250gr ftx bullet gets the most likes. going to order some sabot sample packs and see what happens. also from what ive read the optima's don't really like the crush rib sabots so ill try smooth sabots too.

ohiohunter2017 said:

i tried a 200gr shockwave last year and didn't like the performance so i was thinking something a little heavier. i hit a 180lbs field dressed buck at 50yards with 120gr 777 right in the lungs and no blood, no exit, no bullet found. it didn't look like the bullet expanded

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If this is the 40cal Shockwave (and I'm not aware of any other in 200gr) that seems to be an anomaly. I've killed at least 10 deer with this bullet and never had a bullet stay in a deer but plenty of blood trails. It's easy to lose a bullet in the middle of a deer and many times lung hits, especially high ones, won't bleed very well. I can't blame you for wanting a pass-through and down here in FL I'm lucky to shoot a 180 live-weight buck much less one that dresses that large but it's a tough bullet to beat. There are bullets that will do what you are looking for, however, they just may not carry the same ballistic benefits. Ultimately you have to be confident in what you're shooting.

ohiohunter2017 said:

weell upon doing a lot of reading and asking this same question on several other forums it looks like the 300gr .430 xtp and the bushmaster 250gr ftx bullet gets the most likes. going to order some sabot sample packs and see what happens. also from what ive read the optima's don't really like the crush rib sabots so ill try smooth sabots too.

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I personally think the .44 cal 265 gn FTX is a much better bullet than the .45 cal 250 gn FTX bullet. The .45 cal 250 gn FTX is basically the same bullet as as the old .45 cal 250 gn SST Hornady used to sell in 50 packs. It now has a soft tip instead of the hard plastic tip they used to have. It is the same bullet Hornady now includes in their 250 gn SST muzzleloader packs with sabots. It's not a bad bullet, I just like the .44 cal 265 cal FTX better. It has a better ballistic coefficient, better sectional density, is a bit heavier so it carries more energy downrange, has the interlock ring which is supposed to keep the jacket from separating from the bullet and has just been more accurate in my rifles.

I shoot the 44 cal 265 grn ftx out of Knight Vision. Very good bullet. I shoot the 300 grn Thor in the Optima.

ronlaughlin said:

Crush rib sabot are too loose in my Optima.

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Crushribs shoot very good in my Optima V2's (rifle/pistol) bore is .500, just tight enough an no short starter required. I may have some smooth sabots still somewhere, might give them a try someday to compare the two..

I would certainly try the Harvester smooths in either 50x44 or 50x45. My NULA bore is spot on .500 and the Smooth Black for 300gr and under is dynamite in that rifle with .452 bullets. Smaller OD bullets such as Barnes i prefer the MMPs but they are really tight.

I will be trying out the Lehigh 230gr this year since i know my NULA loves the Barnes 225gr XPB.