I just purchased my first inline muzzleloader a CVA optima v2 camo with a scope. Ive been doing a bunch of researching and ive owned another CVA in the past and been happy with it so I decided that the optima met my needs and price range. Imagine my delight when I happened upon one at walmart on clearance for $249, I thought it was almost too good to be true. I knew that was a great price so I told them to box it up. I got home with my new gun and started playing with it, ive never seen the nitride finish before but the finish on this one seemed like the finish on my old cva. I ran a patch down the barrel and rust came out along with a bunch of greese. I took a magnet to the barrel and it stuck just like regular steel, checked a ss AR barrel and my 500 S&W the magnet stuck but with not much force. I searched the model number on the box and didnt find anything. I now know something isnt right, this is a regular steel gun without a nitride finish. According to CVA's web site all CVA optima v2's have SS barrels. Went back to Walmart to return it but they will not allow firearm returns so Im stuck with it.
I called CVA customer service, and told them my findings. They asked for pictures of the gun and of the serial number. After sending that information a few minutes later I got a call back from the same guy explaing that I did indeed have a blued regular steel model. He told me that Walmart Optimas arent necessarily made to the same specs as Optimas from other sources. So I'm thinking I stuck with it again.
From there on CVA was a delight to work with They sent me out a prepaid shipping label for me to send the walmart gun back and a tracking number for a new camo nitride treated optima. So everything worked out in the end. I've not had to deal with many customer service departments in the past, but have heard horror stories from other people, definitely have to give a thanks to CVA for really standing up and making this right, Ill definitely be looking for another CVA when the time comes to get another one. I will be getting my next one from a more reliable source though.
I called CVA customer service, and told them my findings. They asked for pictures of the gun and of the serial number. After sending that information a few minutes later I got a call back from the same guy explaing that I did indeed have a blued regular steel model. He told me that Walmart Optimas arent necessarily made to the same specs as Optimas from other sources. So I'm thinking I stuck with it again.
From there on CVA was a delight to work with They sent me out a prepaid shipping label for me to send the walmart gun back and a tracking number for a new camo nitride treated optima. So everything worked out in the end. I've not had to deal with many customer service departments in the past, but have heard horror stories from other people, definitely have to give a thanks to CVA for really standing up and making this right, Ill definitely be looking for another CVA when the time comes to get another one. I will be getting my next one from a more reliable source though.