Optima pistol

[UPtrapper]

Thinking of getting an optima pistol for more of a play thing than anything useful. I think it would be fun to hunt with, if I got good enough. I don't have any interest in turning it into a shorty rifle at all, nor do I need anymore safe queens. You guys that have one are they worth it? Are they fun to shoot? What kind of groups can I expext at 50 yards? Any thing else I need to know about them?

Thanks

Mike

 

[deermanok]

My own pistol shoots great out to 50 yards. When I started off with it, I had a set of Durasights, which worked fine. I then found a long eye relief scope and it shot better for me.
I've since pimped it out with the Farrowtech adapter and AR style stock. It's my favorite treestand gun.

 

[UPtrapper]

My own pistol shoots great out to 50 yards. When I started off with it, I had a set of Durasights, which worked fine. I then found a long eye relief scope and it shot better for me.
I've since pimped it out with the Farrowtech adapter and AR style stock. It's my favorite treestand gun.

Yea I could see how it would be a nice to have a shorty tree stand gun. All my tree stands skip the tree and are supported with 4x4's and have stairs, and heaters, longer barrel isn't much of a drawback for me.

 

[MrTom]

I've had Optiima pistols since they first were available and love them. I have two of the V2 models, both scoped, one never seen powder or a primer. The other I hunt religiously each year. I've taken more deer in the last three years with the pistol than the rifle. I'm sighted to 50 yards but know I can hit right where I want at 100 if the occasion should arise. There's no end to loads that kill deer very effectively. And there's all sorts of cheaper bullet/sabot combos that will allow you to play without breaking the bank. One thing I would urge is to get the BH209 compatible plug and shoot BH209 in the field. T7 works very well at the range or out just plinking, but the bh209 is a super field powder and is impervious to the elements for further confidence..

 

[UPtrapper]

I've had Optiima pistols since they first were available and love them. I have two of the V2 models, both scoped, one never seen powder or a primer. The other I hunt religiously each year. I've taken more deer in the last three years with the pistol than the rifle. I'm sighted to 50 yards but know I can hit right where I want at 100 if the occasion should arise. There's no end to loads that kill deer very effectively. And there's all sorts of cheaper bullet/sabot combos that will allow you to play without breaking the bank. One thing I would urge is to get the BH209 compatible plug and shoot BH209 in the field. T7 works very well at the range or out just plinking, but the bh209 is a super field powder and is impervious to the elements for further confidence..

Thanks mrTom, that was all push I needed, will be ordering one tomorrow. I've never used 777 in an inline, just the BH209. I used pyrodex in the few muzzleloaders I've had in the past, but when I got back into muzzloading a few years ago I went straight to BH209, it's so much better than pyrodex its not even the same game. That being said I'm down to my last 3 bottles and at the cost it's at now, I'll probably start using 777 at the range and keeping the BH209 for hunting and working on loads. Hopefully the price comes back down at some point. Cant wait to get it now. I got a whole pile (hundreds) of these 240gr traditions saboted bullets on clearance one year, I can play with those for awhile. I have some 250gr xtps I'll be trying too. Ever tried the 300 gr XTP in the pistol? My optima rifle likes them quite well. Any other bullet you would recommend me trying?

 

[MrTom]

I load a 225 grain, .44 cal, Barnes XPB in a plain green sabot ahead of 63 weighed grains of BH209, Winchester shotshell reloading primer. Absolutely deadly. Hornady 240 grain, .44 cal XTPs shot exactly to the same point of aim with the identical powder charge, sabot and primer and, again, are deadly. Recoil is substantial but tolerable for maybe 10-12 shots. Loading 90 grains by volume of T7 fffg with both bullets and same other components gives identical results at the range and I'd have zero issues about hunting it.

 

[GBG]

Thinking of getting an optima pistol for more of a play thing than anything useful. I think it would be fun to hunt with,

I've owned the V2 pistol over 7 years and it is my all-around favorite ML. It is a lot of fun, with scope or fixed sights it's the most accurate BP pistol I ever picked up. I've shot loads from .45 RBs in sabots with light powder charges for plinking, all the way to 400 grn .50 cal slugs over powder charges I won't mention here (but all within CVA's printed max limits).

You can definitely hunt with it. Some of my older post explain why I specifically chose it for hunting and a BP backup gun. There are only 3 changes I'd like on the V2: A soft rubber grip, a threaded muzzle, and return the unlocking lever to the front of the trigger guard. With my "backup loads" the trigger guard spur as I call it can be a real knuckle buster, but with normal loads you'll never know it's there.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I've owned the V2 pistol over 7 years and it is my all-around favorite ML. It is a lot of fun, with scope or fixed sights it's the most accurate BP pistol I ever picked up. I've shot loads from .45 RBs in sabots with light powder charges for plinking, all the way to 400 grn .50 cal slugs over powder charges I won't mention here (but all within CVA's printed max limits).

You can definitely hunt with it. Some of my older post explain why I specifically chose it for hunting and a BP backup gun. There are only 3 changes I'd like on the V2: A soft rubber grip, a threaded muzzle, and return the unlocking lever to the front of the trigger guard. With my "backup loads" the trigger guard spur as I call it can be a real knuckle buster, but with normal loads you'll never know it's there.

Ive got one of the V1s for sale. On my V2 i put one of the Hogue HandAll grip sleeves. Love it!
https://www.hogueinc.com/grips/handall-grip-sleeves

 

[UPtrapper]

Thanks for the info, I ordered it from the blind this morning, can't wait to get it and try some loads out. By chance does anyone know how shooting the 500 S&W compares to the optima? Seems close to what MrTom said I can shoot 10 or 15 times before it starts to get uncomfortable. It's not the recoil that gets me on the 500, it just wears on my hands. A glove helps but it still wears on my hands and I didn't like shooting with them on.

 

[UPtrapper]

Got the pistol delivered today, shot it a few times off the rail on my deck, definitely need to find a better rest. It is a fun gun to shoot. I'm going to weigh out some charges tomorrow and start working up some loads. 63 grains weighed of blackhorn with a 250 gr xtp was very manageable, much less recoil than my 500 mag. Winchester 209 primers were nice and clean like my other rifles. Going to place an order for some new bullets and sabots soon to play with. think I found my new go to deer gun for the woods. Probably bring rifle and pistol when I hunt the farm fields. Thanks for answering the questions, and helping me make the decision. If I do end up switching to 777, can I still use the BH209 breech plug or do I need to switch back to the std plug? How bad will it be if I shoot the regular Winchester 209's I have 1400 of them so I really don't want to buy the reduced power primers if I don't have to.

 

[deermanok]

Those Winchester primers would be fine to use.
I don't see why you can't use the BH 209 plug for Triple 7.

 

[Harley469]

I own an Optima V2 and love it. I have a Burris Fastfire 3 red dot on it, and use 100grs of 777 (two 50gr pellets), with a Powerbelt 270gr Platinium bullet. I have owned it for about 3 years and carry it during ML seasons, but have never actually shot a deer with it yet. The one time I "attempted" a shot, I had forgotten to put my primer in. The recoil is stiff, but not even close to my 500 S & W, depending on what kind of charge I load (which for hunting is a stiff load). I love hunting with big bore pistols. I do prefer CCI and Federal primers for my 209 ignition systems, with CCI being my favorite. Federal and CCI seem to have more pop, but Federal can dirty the breech plug a bit more for whatever reason. I also prefer CCI caps for my side locks.

 

[MrTom]

Seems close to what MrTom said I can shoot 10 or 15 times before it starts to get uncomfortable. It's not the recoil that gets me on the 500, it just wears on my hands. A glove helps but it still wears on my hands and I didn't like shooting with them on.

Everyone is a little different on how they'll hold a pistol and of course every load is different. When I got my first Optima pistol the first load was the full 100 grains [v] of BH209 under a 300 grain XTP. Mid summer, quite warm that day. It took about 12 shots to get the scoped pulled into a reasonable 50 yard group and that was a good plenty of shooting it for the day. The 63 weighed grain charge of BH and a .44 cal 225 grain XPB is far more accurate and tamer than the first dozen loads. A 240 grain XTP ahead of the same charge is a super deer dropper too.

I take the pistol to any shooting session I have and shoot at least the ten rounds thru it just to stay practiced in holding, aiming and trigger pull, which is relatively light and "right" there.

You'll love hunting that pistol UP.

 

[UPtrapper]

I ordered some 240 44 cal, xtp's along with some green smooth and ribbed sabots to try out. I tried to order a box of the xpb's but they were out of stock, maybe I'll try and pick some up next time I get down state, going down there next month. By then I'll know how the xtp's shoot.