CVA Wolf Accuracy

[PaulF70]

I shot my boy's Wolf with him today. Shooting 50 gr (by volume) 209 under a PowerBelt 245gr HP, it was spraying - 4" groups at 50Y. Ouch.

I didn't expect it to be as accurate as my Accura (which does < 1" at 50Y easily) but come on.

I am thinking (hoping) this is too light a load to seal the bullet maybe. It is 35 gr by weight (I use charge tubes and pre-weigh all charges); right about 50 gr by volume as I said.

Anyone have any experience with this maybe?

 

[deermanok]

That's kind of a light charge. Maybe beef it up 10 grains or so and try some different bullets.

 

[phalanx]

In my wolf's I've found 300 grain-ish bullets over 80 to 100grs of powder to provide the best accuracy. One will shoot the 250gr blood line but it requires 100gr of powder to be accurate.

 

[PaulF70]

Thanks guys. The problem is he's 12 and the gun is very light so loads like that are gonna kick hard and he doesn't like that. But I think we definitely have to go higher.

I gave up on sabots cause I got so tired of how they would fit/work well in some guns and be literally impossible to push down others. I know Powerbelts get lots of hate but I like them. If you keep MV below 1500 or so they perform very well. A 125Y gun is really all I need and they will bring down a deer in a hurry at that range.

 

[deermanok]

Might want to try a patched round ball.
I have a CVA Optima V2 pistol. That gun shoots a round ball surprisingly well.

 

[phalanx]

Could try the 270gr platinum over 70 to 75 grains. That may be okay for him.

 

[PaulF70]

I like the PRB idea. I do have a couple cap guns and a ton of .490 PRBs and supplies. And it's cheap!!

 

[southdakbearfan]

Ditch the power belts and go to a crush rib sabot. They load easy and typically shoot well.

 

[PaulF70]

Ditch the power belts and go to a crush rib sabot. They load easy and typically shoot well.

And what makes you think the Powerbelts are the issue when they shoot extremely well (at higher charges) in my other CVA rifle and my T/C?

This seems like just another "I don't like Powerbelts" comment with nothing to back it up.

 

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

Actually, I sighted in my Wolf today to get ready for the season, 80 grains (v) FFG, and Barnes T-EZ 290 grain bullets. Zeroed at 50…longest shot in these woods, most are closer to 20-30 and very tight groups. In fact, there is a part of me that prefers the Wolf now that I have an Optima as well…Optima is heavier and longer and I am not sure what it is worth it considering that my longest shot will be 120-130 yards max.

 

[PaulF70]

Yeah that sounds good but again it will kick too much for the boy... that's the trick here, light recoil but reasonable accuracy.

Gonna try the PRBs next, with various charges up to no more than 60 grains 209.

(Of course recoil is proportional to momentum, not energy, so light projectiles like PRBs have an advantage there. And they will kill a deer.)

 

[phalanx]

If you are not opposed to trying sabots please check out Ron's test of the 180gr TAC XP. It did very well wth 50grs of BH209. You could substitute with 50 to 60grs of 777 if no BH209. I used it myself a couple of years ago after I had some surgery. It wasn't super accurate in my gun but good enough. If you can't find them, I think i still have some and can send them to you.

https://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/threads/barnes-185g-tac-xp-50g-blackhorn.31693/

 

[southdakbearfan]

And what makes you think the Powerbelts are the issue when they shoot extremely well (at higher charges) in my other CVA rifle and my T/C?

This seems like just another "I don't like Powerbelts" comment with nothing to back it up.

3 varieties of PB wouldn’t shoot less than 4” and mostly 6” groups in my optima. Plus they loaded extremely difficult after a shot.

switched over and tried harvester scorpions, scorpions pt gold and tc shockwaves in various weights 240-300 gr. All shot fairly well, harvesters shot the best and loaded with about 1/3 the effort.

attached is my last 75 yd 3 shot group, 300 gr harvester pt gold, 2 IMR white hot pellets, T7 primer, 1x red dot.

 

[PaulF70]

3 varieties of PB wouldn’t shoot less than 4” and mostly 6” groups in my optima. Plus they loaded extremely difficult after a shot.

switched over and tried harvester scorpions, scorpions pt gold and tc shockwaves in various weights 240-300 gr. All shot fairly well, harvesters shot the best and loaded with about 1/3 the effort.

attached is my last 75 yd 3 shot group, 300 gr harvester pt gold, 2 IMR white hot pellets, T7 primer, 1x red dot.

As I already happened to post in this thread, Powerbelts shoot 1.5" 100Y groups in my CVA Accura and T/C Encore FX.

If you have difficulty loading them I think you have some other issue, or an especially bad bore match. Even their detractors acknowledge part of their appeal is easy loading. The base is plastic.

I know there are many other bullets as accurate or more accurate than Powerbelts, but they are capable of fine performance, and they are well-matched to CVA bores.

 

[southdakbearfan]

Sounds like you got a plan. I was just giving you my experience with them in my CVA Optima V2. They also shot terribly in my nephews CVA Wolf and my buddies 700ML.

We all shared bullets as we bought about 12 different varieties of 3 other bullet types when we were searching for the best performance after we all struck out on the power belts. But every gun is different.

Best of luck to you and your boy.

 

[snapbang]

I had a wolf and like most guns you need to experiment with powder and bullet to see what shoots best in your gun. No short cuts to this solution. My wolf shot well with almost anything. For your situation start with a light bullet and light powder charge. Then add 5 grains at a time to your shooting and see where you get best accuracy. If that doesnt work switch bullet or powder and start over. Eventual you will find what you need.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Im of the opinion, also, that you should first try increasing the powder charge by only 5gr at a time, until you find the limit of what your son can tolerate. You may find a sweet spot before then. If not, there are several good 195-225 gr bullets that are great performers. I personally like Hornady and Barnes options. Also Precision Rifle, out of Canada, makes some great lighter bullets. This might be easier solution than shooting a roundball, although RBs are well proven as killers.
Im just thinking that although PowerBelts are great at lower speeds they may just be going too slow at 50gr and your son may be able to tolerate a little bit more powder.
Btw, maybe a different powder like real black or pyrodex may have a different recoil signature(?) that he can take more easily.
Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[Les Harris]

Light weight powerbelts and 60 grains of powder works in my Wolf and doesn't kick too much and is good for close shots.

 

[deerlessbob]

How about a recoil pad?

https://www.amazon.com/Caldwell-Ambidextrous-Shooting-Shields-Construction/dp/B0009TRNRK?th=1
I’ve never used one but maybe somebody on the forum can comment on the usefulness or lack thereof.

 

[brownisdown]

I have used recoil pads(slip on) for a number of years due to a bad rotator cup.It has allowed me to shoot heavier loads than I normally shoot and be comfortable doing so.Good luck.