CVA Wolf Help!

[Rich M]

A little background - liked the CVA Wolf so I got one. Been trying to get it zeroed in at 100 yds with minimal success. Here's my adventures to date:

I have a Leupold VX-II scope and was shooting off a solid rest with the forearm of the gun on a rolled up towel and the but on the bench...not much movement there.
Powder is Pyrodex ffg measured in Volume.
Winchester 777 primers.

120 gr - 300 gr Shockwave slick glide - 4 to 6 inches for 3 shots
120 gr - 300 gr Red Hot EZ load - 4 to 6 inches for 3 shots

100 gr - 300 gr Shockwave - 5 inches for 3 shots
100 gr - 300 gr Red Hot 4 to 5 inches for 3 shots
100 gr - 300 gr SST (ez load sabot) - 4 to 5 inches for 3 shots

90 gr - 300 SST - 4 inches for 3 shots
90 gr - 300 Red Hot - 4 to 5 inches for 3 shots
90 gr - 350 Maxi Hunter - 8 inches for 3 shots (had an unexplained flier - other two were about 2 inches apart) Later shots weren't too bad but not at the bullseye so no grouping measured due to not having a steady point of aim.
90 gr - 295 Powerbelt - 3 inches for 3 shots (4th shot dropped 6 inches!)
90 gr - 348 Powerbelt - dead nuts for crosshairs but only 1 shot fired - ran out of time!

All bullet holes were nice & round - no tumbling.

Most of the time the first bullet hits close to the bull and the next two are elsewhere and close to eachother....

I started cleaning the gun every 5 shots and then went to every 10 and there is no real difference in accuracy, just loading being a little tougher. The powder/primer combo burns pretty clean.

Oh Yeah - THANKS!!!! to everyone who suggested the windshield washer & alcohol mix. It works awesome! Better than Hoppes and better than non-chlorinated break cleaner. Cut my end of day cleaning time in half as well.

It is getting frustrating. I'm going broke buying all these bullets. All things being equal, you'd think the bullets would group better...

Any suggestions? I'm open to them - gonna try again next week. (4 weeks to my ML hunt.)

Rich

 

[Bucker]

My wilf

Great gun, Mao mart 250 grain shockwaves over 85 grains T7. Shot it all day, cleaned in between shots swab alchy/hydrogen peroxide, both sides then both sides dry patch. I love that wolf

 

[Rich M]

Thanks!

That's the second post saying 85 gr on the Wolf.

I was thinking of doing 3 things
- lighter bullets (250 gr SSTs/Shockwaves),
-777 instead of Pyrodex,
-and/or dropping from 90 to 85 gr.

I'm hesitant on dropping to 85 gr...would rather go back up to 100 gr...just seems like a light load.

 

[dalberg]

I too have a wolf and found good results with T7 Pellets. Two 50g pellets and the 250 grain SST with the Red Low Drag Sabot or 250g T/C Shockwaves,with the yellow super glides. I have since swithced to BH 209 powder and tried the harvester Short Black Sabots with the same bullets and at 75 yards I am shooting just a touch over 1" groups, I'm pretty sure I can improve that. With the pellets I was swabbing between everyshot, I think that will make a big difference in itself. I am very new to muzzleloading but have learned alot from this site, everyone is usually right on the money here! Just for note the 300g SST's didnt group quite as well for me, not bad, but just not as good. I have yet to shoot 100 yards (yard is too small). Hope tis helps.
Doug

 

[Bucker]

Wolf

I'd start at 80 and climb. I beleive you iwll have the best betqeen 80-85 grains and it will kill any deer you can shoot. If these others get onto this =thye can probably give you some speeds and more scietific speculation. I copied the sight in shooting from someones posy here and consistently use it to sight in now. Start 80, then 85 (which was best at 25 yards for best target consistency then moved to 50, then 100 and it just got better and better, Goos luck on a nice gun, it started me on this ML junkydom and has got some fun back in hunting for me. CF still fun but this really makes you slow down and think more.

 

[vabowhntr]

At 85 gr of t7 2f, the chart I have says about 1700 fps for the 250 gr SST or SW. This is really close to 100 gr of Pyrodex RS as far as velocity (within 10 fps or so). At that speed, if sighted dead on at 100, you should be 1" high at 50 and 2" low at 125. You should still have over 1000 ft/lbs of energy at 125 yards. At 175 you would be about 10" low with 850 ft/lbs. It is enough.

 

[frontier gander]

Use a black MMP-12 sabot. My cva shot almost the same as yours until i went to the MMP-12

 

[bumshot]

You say the but is on the bench. Is the buck of the rifle resting on the wood. If it is, that could be some of your problems. You need to rest the but on a rest that it can slide on under recoil. Preferably a sand bag.

 

[frontier gander]

Im betting if you went to pyrodex and used a 777 or remington kleanbore primer. things would work out better.


t7 never was a good powder for me. Especially with conicals.

 

[cayuga]

I helped a fellow years ago sight in a New Frontier Beartooth Magnum which is the CVA Wolf in sheep's clothing.

I found that 85 grains of Pyrodex RS and a 240 grain XTP in a harvester sabot shot really well out of HIS rifle. That is no guarantee that it will shoot well out of yours.

I personally would try some Pyrodex RS. I would start at 85 grains. If you want to shoot a XTP get some of the .44 caliber .430 diameter in 240 & 300 grain and try them with a Harvester crushed rib sabot.

That's the problem with these rifles. We all try different things and some work some don't. So it is hard to tell you want to try. All I can do is tell you want worked for other rifles, what works in my CVA Staghorn Magnum, and after that is nothing but a good guess.

 

[big6x6]

I agree with the others....250gr SST/Shockwave is all you should need...I'd probably use 90-100gr Blackhorn 209/ffg Triple Se7en or 90-110gr Pyrodex RS....

 

[vabowhntr]

Im betting if you went to pyrodex and used a 777 or remington kleanbore primer. things would work out better.


t7 never was a good powder for me. Especially with conicals.

I think he was using pyrodex and 777 primers :? . Must have been a long week FG!

 

[rambored]

nother recipe

two Pyrodex pellets and T/C 235 grain jacketed HP shoots clover leafs at 100 yards in my Wolf and Tasco 3x9. I did buy some 275 grain T/C full bore lubricated to try with both loose RS and pellets. My previous experience with ML is that 80 grains RS and light bullet is very accurate and very deadly.

 

[dalberg]

I forgot to put in my post above when I switched to BH powder, I used both 80 & 90g of powder both with very good results with the 250 SST.
Doug

 

[Reese]

Thanks!

I'm hesitant on dropping to 85 gr...would rather go back up to 100 gr...just seems like a light load.

+1 on 85 gr w/ 250 gr bullet being plenty for whitetail deer under 150 yards.

 

[Rich M]

I hit the range this morning.

Pyrodex RS powder measured in VOLUME
777 209 Primers
100 yards
Measured groups to outer edge of bullet holes
Shot off a rolled up blanket/towel and butt rested on a folded towel - pretty steady but some wiggle with the Leupold VX-II on 9x at 100 yds.

The target was 3-inch orange sticker targets placed on a 3ft x3ft white paper - easier to see the holes!!

I swabbed the barrel every 6 shots - whether it needed it or not. LOL! I started with every 3 shots and got lazy. 2 windhsield fluid/alcohol swabs, inside & out and then 2 dry patches inside & out.

I had 2 Powerbelt shots fall either dead nuts inside the previous hole or totally off the paper - I don't think I threw them that far off with my shooting - maybe seating issues???

My point of impact shanged dramatically between last Friday and today - last Fri I was shooting groups 2 inches low at 5 O'clock. Today everything was 5 inches or more inches high at 12 O'clock. I shot with the groups being high and then zeroed the 250 SSTs into the bull after decided they are "it".

90 gr powder
250 gr SSTs - 4 shots in a vertical line, 3 inch line
300 Shockwave - 3 shot group of 5 inches
295 Powerbelt hp - 3 shot group of 4.5 inches

85 gr powder
250 SSTs - 3 shot group - 2-1/4 inches
250 SSTs - 3 shot group - 2-1/2 inches

80 gr powder
250 SSTs - 5 shot group - 3-1/2 inch group
(1-7/8 inch group for 4 shots - 3 touching - shot #3 was the "flier")
250 SSTs - 3 shot group - 3-inch horizontal line
345 or 295 gr Powerbelt hp - 3 shot group - 4-3/4 inch group

I now have my bullet & load. The 250 SST in the ez load sabot and 85 gr of powder!!! (seems like I read this somewhere before)

The 85 gr load seems to be the sweet spot for this one - the bullets were in triangular pattern and when I got it zeroed on the 3-inch bull, 2 were in and one was on the edge. They hit within 1-3/4 inch of center (measured to inner edge of hole) at 100 yards - that's gotta be good enough for a deer!

The 80 gr load shoots nice. The 80 gr load grouped great but there was 1 flier that opened the group up. The second 80 gr group was more of a line.

The 90 gr load was all about elevation - they did not march up but was up, down, up, down in the shooting. I didn't have enough bullets to do a second 90 gr group.

I have one more trip to the range. Just to verify that the gun & scope are on.

This whole process will has taken 3 trips to the range, 1 pound of powder, 7 different bullets (PB hps in 295 & 348, Maxi hunters in 350, 300 gr Red Hots, 300 gr Shockwaves, 300 gr SSTs, and 250 gr SSTs), and 80 primers!

I still have to go and get another box of 250 gr SSTs! I have 20 primers and hopefully 20-85 gr loads left in powder.

3 weeks to go!

Everyone - THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!!

 

[Bucker]

Wolf

Yahoo!

 

[dalberg]

I have found the most consistant groups with 80-90 grains of BH 209, 250 SST and the Harvester short black sabot. My flier problem was gone when I swithed from the supplied low drag sabot, which someone here stated might happen. Anyway glad youfound something that works for you.
Doug

 

[Rich M]

I wasn't able to get the SST's locally (Bass Pro & Gander) and I couldn't find any Hornady XTP's so I went with Knight XTP's with the green sabot.

Thankfully I found some Hornady "Mag Express Sabots (black) with Hornady XTP's in 240 at Gander this morning....bought them on a whim.

Started with the Knights - 240 gr hollow point and green sabot.
85 gr Pyrodex RS by volume Winchester 777 Primer

About a 4-5 inch group some 3 or 4 inches high and a little right.

90 gr and took 2 shots - they were 12 inches low and 3 inches apart

Took out my .243 and it was 4 inches high (2-inch line acropss the top of the target), then 2 inches low (2 shots 1 inch apart) (figured out - 1/2 inch clicks on an old 4X Leupold...) then put the next two side by side in the X at 100 yards. Ready to rifle hunt... That's what I'm used to - I shot 10 shots for fun, could have done this with 4.

Shoot 295 gr Powerbelts 85 gr of powder again and getting the 4 inch groups - a little high but good enough - I like it better than the Knight sabots. The PB's will likley be my follow-up shot - if necessary.

Gave the Knight sabots to an older guy down the range - he was breaking in a new ML. Also gave him a handful of 295 gr PB's.

This was when I remembered the Hornady sabots and decided to shoot them.

85 gr of powder
first 4 shots into a 1.5 inch group at 3 o'clock on & off the edge of the 3" orange sticker target. Shots 1 & 2 were touching. Happy me.

Thought to try 2 on a dirty barrel and they hit 2 and 3 inches low and to the right 1 inch apart at 5 o'clock.

Clean gun again and try 90 gr of powder - 2 shots, both about 6 inches low. Go back to 85 gr.

Clean, shoot, clean, shoot, clean, shoot less than 2 inch group at 4:30 o'clock 1.5 inches off the 3" orange sticker.

Run out of Pyrodex. 4 weeks - 110 shots total. 10 different bullets. (wife said I spent $450 doing this!! ) 2 bullets shot "good enough" - Hornady 250 gr SST and Hornady 240 gr XTP with black sabot.

I'm done. The gun is "good enough" for a lung shot out to 125 yards and I'm out of time. 9 busy days before the hunt.

For whatever reason, my CVA Wolf is being very, very picky.

Next year I will try the regular 250 gr SST's - without the ez load sabot. Maybe that will be the ticket ?

 

[frontier gander]

Try switching primers?