CVA Optima V2 Ramrod help...

[oldfrank]

I bought an Optima pistol 5 or 6 years ago and killed two deer with it but for some unknown reason I sold it.
When I saw they were available again I bought a new one. (Twice the price! Lesson learned).
The problem is, according to CVA, in 2022 they stopped putting the threaded insert on the end of the ram rod opposite the palm saver. You are supposed to use the open end as a bullet starter.
I have not shot it yet but I question if it is even long enough to seat a bullet?
The jag under the palm saver has a threaded hole that would allow the included extension jag to work but you would be pushing on that open end of the ram rod.
Anyone have a work around? Anyone with the same problem?
Anyway to get an insert for that open end?
Thanks!

 

[MrTom]

While that palm saver is easy on the hands, it creates a dilemma with pushing a bullet down the bore. My early V2 is threaded at the narrow end but carrying a jag for loading simply isn't in the books for me. I carry a short stater to get the bullet/sabot into the barrel a ways then just use the rod as is to finishing pushing the bullet down. To me, it seems getting things started creates the most resistance and once the bullet/sabot are down the bore 3" the rest of the way goes fairly smooth. There's resistance just not hard resistance.

I shot a 63 weighed grain charge of BH209 [90 grains by volume] under a green sabot carrying a 225 grain, .44 cal Barnes XPB bullet and there is sufficient rod for firmly seating the bullet.

My concern initially was harming the end of the bullet with the end on the rod without a loading jag in place. Before cleaning the gun after a range session I tried loading several different bullets, including XTPs and the Barnes XPBs, uncharged using the short starter then pushing the bullets down with a range rod. When they bottomed out I pulled the plug and finished pushing the bullet thru. Not a bit of damage to the face end of either bullet. Snice these are the only bullets I shoot in the pistol I didn't have any plastic tipped bullets to try so I can't answer to them.

Hope this helps.

 

[oldfrank]

That is some great information and I appreciate it, it helps me a lot.
I figured if that is what CVA went with it must work but they have made some wonky decisions in the past.
I hope to get it to the range in the next week or so and I will see what happens. Thank You!

 

[MrTom]

They're a great pistol to hunt with. What I listed above with the Barnes bullet in the green sabot is my hunting load. Very potent deer load. For general paper punch and plinking I use the same green sabot with a 240 grain, .44 cal XTP ahead of a 90 grain by volume charge of T7 fffg. The two loads shoot so close to identical that I need do nothing to go from the XTP at the range one day to the Barnes in the deer woods the next, except swap powders. The BH209 is a super good field powder that allows multiple reloads without the need to swab the barrel after each shot. The BH209 is far less corrosive and can be fired, reloaded and let loaded for a couple weeks before cleaning while the T7 should be cleaned within a day or so after shooting. High humidity and moisture will not affect the BH209 in the field while the T7 might not offer that, so in spite of the added expense and often times being hard to find, I'd go out of my way to have at least a bottle to use for hunting and use the T7 at the range or for casual messing around.

 

[oldfrank]

That is good to know.
I am a big fan of the XTP in many center fire pistols but I have heard so many good things about the Barnes I want to give them a try.
The fact that they will shoot close to the same is a big bonus.
Thanks!

 

[deermanok]

Wow, I wonder how much money CVA saved by not threading the end of the ramrod? Jeez, really?
You could fashion a palm saver from a little piece of wood or pick up a cheap plastic bullet starter. They almost always have a hole on one side of the ball that you can slip over the ramrod as a palm saver.
I recently picked up this one at Walmart. It was marked down to one dollar.

 

[oldfrank]

Yes, as was suggested to me earlier, I will just use a short starter and finish up with the Ramrod.
The funny thing is they could have just left it alone and you could gave used the included extended jag for cleaning.
Instead the drilled and threaded the jag under the palm saver, for the extension I guess.

 

[bronko220002]

CVA makes a universal ramrod. I've found that you don't really need the palm saver. I just drilled a 3/8" hole about 3/8" deep on the side of my short starter and use that if I need it.

 

[oldfrank]

That is a good idea!

 

[bronko220002]

That is good to know.
I am a big fan of the XTP in many center fire pistols but I have heard so many good things about the Barnes I want to give them a try.
The fact that they will shoot close to the same is a big bonus.
Thanks!

I shoot the 300 gr .452" XTPs in a black Harvester CR sabot in a couple of my rifles. I also shoot the Barnes 290 gr TEZ in my Accura V2. Both are excellent hunting bullets at least for deer and black bear size critters.
Lately though I've been shooting a lot of cast bullets in my .45s with good success. One is and Accurate 355 gr paper patch bullet and the other is a 340 gr I-bullet. That being said, I killed my biggest whitetail, a 200+ lb 10 pt with a 200 gr 10 mm XTP in a light blue CR sabot.

 

[MrTom]

I went down the 300 grain pill road in the Optima pistol when I first got one and actually my first deer taken with it was using a 300 grain XTP. I have since come to my senses and shoot the much lighter Barnes 225 grain XPB to not only help mitigate the recoil but to also get lead out of the hunting equation a little bit. I shoot a 250 grain XPB in my Accura V2 with great success too. In recent years the pistol has killed more deer than the Accura. In my opinion the Optima V2 pistol is the finest hunting BP pistol there is or has been. Nothing comes even close to the accuracy and adaptability that these pistols offer. Nothing!

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I went down the 300 grain pill road in the Optima pistol when I first got one and actually my first deer taken with it was using a 300 grain XTP. I have since come to my senses and shoot the much lighter Barnes 225 grain XPB to not only help mitigate the recoil but to also get lead out of the hunting equation a little bit. I shoot a 250 grain XPB in my Accura V2 with great success too. In recent years the pistol has killed more deer than the Accura. In my opinion the Optima V2 pistol is the finest hunting BP pistol there is or has been. Nothing comes even close to the accuracy and adaptability that these pistols offer. Nothing!

Whats your best load with the 225s?

 

[MrTom]

In my gun I shoot 63 weighed grains, 90 by volume, of BH209 with a green sabot. Very, very accurate. Deer hate it. I use the same weigh of T7 fffg at the range with no change to anything including the accuracy. I've tried 66.5 grains and 70 grains by weight [95 and 100 grains respectively] but the accuracy pulled off with the higher velocities.

I am actually going to try the 225 grain .44 cal XPB's in my Accura with similar charges of BH to see how they shoot from a longer barrel. The 250 grain XPBs are tough to find and if the .44, 225 grain numbers shoot well I'll just switch the Accura to them so I only need by one bullet size for my .50 inlines.

 

[biggamehunter78]

Another genius decision by CVA. The old ramrod you could just grab it by the palmsaver and use it as is or thread a loading jag on the other end. Now you have to pull it out, thread the palm saver off, thread in your loading jag on the same end, flip it around and use the now unattachable palm saver on the blank end of the rod to push on. Real nice in a quick reload hunting scenario.

America’s #1 hunting muzzleloader!

 

[anonymouscowherd]

Hrm... My CVA Palm saver isn't attachable, but it will fit on any ramrod ya got... No threading or anything, just slip on/slip off

Wow, I wonder how much money CVA saved by not threading the end of the ramrod? Jeez, really?
You could fashion a palm saver from a little piece of wood or pick up a cheap plastic bullet starter. They almost always have a hole on one side of the ball that you can slip over the ramrod as a palm saver.
I recently picked up this one at Walmart. It was marked down to one dollar. View attachment 33112

Warning, I had one of those and it snapped off at the ball the first time I tried to use it. Strongly recommend thick brass and wood -

 

[No Second Place]

Custom fitted stainless rods for each gun works best for me. Base stainless rods can be found at many ML specialty dealers

 

[bronko220002]

In recent years the pistol has killed more deer than the Accura. In my opinion the Optima V2 pistol is the finest hunting BP pistol there is or has been. Nothing comes even close to the accuracy and adaptability that these pistols offer. Nothing!

I'm not so sure about that. The Optima pistol is pretty good but I converted a 209x50 Encore barrel to pistol length and put a pistol grip on the frame. Installed a Burris 2-7 pistol scope and dang that thing can flat out shoot. I'm using a 240 gr Hornady .430" XTP.

 

[MrTom]

Mine came out of a box. You had to lop and chop. And the Optima pistol too just flat out shoots.

 

[bronko220002]

Mine came out of a box. You had to lop and chop. And the Optima pistol too just flat out shoots.

Oh I believe you. I'm pretty sure it has to do with how rigid the shorter barrels are. And yes I did have to lop the barrel and recrown it but I'm sure its every bit as good as your production pistol.
I put a thread on the process on this on another site. Semisane did something similar with a rifle barrel.
Actually cutting down a barrel isn't hard even with simple hand tools if you take your time.