New Rifle to try
- Thread starter cayuga
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i know that these were being made when i purchased my first muzzleloading rifle, a CVA tracker carbine. that was in either 1995 or 96. the tracker carbine is similar to the stalker, in that it has the same lock, trigger, and 21 inch barrel. however, the tracker has a straight stock, as opposed to the pistol grip of the stalker.
i have had good times and bad times with the tracker carbine. it's very handy, and has good accuracy. i always had to make sure to rap the breech area after pouring the powder down the barrel to make sure that some powder made its way into the bolster (otherwise i'd get a slow fire). the trigger was too stiff, and im still not sure how to fix that. oh yeah, and the ramrod was a POS, it broke the first time i cleaned the rifle.
alas, the tracker fell victim to my own negligence in my first few years of muzzleloading. yes, pyrodex is very corrosive! especially if you accidentally double charge the rifle (about 160 grains pyrodex i believe it was . . .), and then soak it in water to kill the powder charge, and then dont get the bullet pulled in a timely fashion . . .
it's sitting in a gun cabinet right now, flawless on the outside, ruined bore on the inside. not sure what to do with it, i dont know if the bore is salvagable or not.
i have had good times and bad times with the tracker carbine. it's very handy, and has good accuracy. i always had to make sure to rap the breech area after pouring the powder down the barrel to make sure that some powder made its way into the bolster (otherwise i'd get a slow fire). the trigger was too stiff, and im still not sure how to fix that. oh yeah, and the ramrod was a POS, it broke the first time i cleaned the rifle.
alas, the tracker fell victim to my own negligence in my first few years of muzzleloading. yes, pyrodex is very corrosive! especially if you accidentally double charge the rifle (about 160 grains pyrodex i believe it was . . .), and then soak it in water to kill the powder charge, and then dont get the bullet pulled in a timely fashion . . .
it's sitting in a gun cabinet right now, flawless on the outside, ruined bore on the inside. not sure what to do with it, i dont know if the bore is salvagable or not.
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As I remember n8dawg6 is in the ball park for the year they were made. People liked them because they made excellent tree rifles and heavy woods rifles for stalking. I will know more when the rifle gets here.
I have seen them shoot before. A person in a group (I hate the idea of the word - club) of friends I used to shoot with had one. It was an excellent conical shooter. In fact for such a short barrel he could do some very impressive shooting with it. n8dawg6 perhaps you remember some of the loads you used. As I remember my friend used 300+ grain conicals and about 80 grains of powder.
I have seen them shoot before. A person in a group (I hate the idea of the word - club) of friends I used to shoot with had one. It was an excellent conical shooter. In fact for such a short barrel he could do some very impressive shooting with it. n8dawg6 perhaps you remember some of the loads you used. As I remember my friend used 300+ grain conicals and about 80 grains of powder.
cayuga, i actually do remember the loads i used. might not be what you want, though. for hunting, i used 90 grains of pyrodex RS w/ a 210 grain .429 sierra hollowpoint in a T/C break-o-way sabot. for plinking, i used 70 grains RS w/ a .490 speer roundball. accuracy was similar with both of those loads, i dont remember exact group sizes, but i only tested the rifle out to 50 yds. at that range, i was keeping all of the shots in the black, which, if i remember correctly, would have been 2-3" groups (open sights, of course).
i also tried some black canyon powder in that rifle, and it worked ok. remember that stuff? you had to "pack" it. i still have that bottle. it has one solid mass of powder in it. the powder attracted moisture, clumped together, and became one giant, rock-hard granule.
although i never killed a deer with the tracker, i later killed an 8 point with the same break-o-way sabot load in my T/C thunderhawk carbine. in the thunderhawk, with a 21" barrel, the load chronographed at about 1650 fps. if you moved up to 100 grains, it would break 1700. i expect velocities would be similar in your rifle.
i would suggest blackpowder, though, in that CVA, cause i had some pyrodex ignition problems with my tracker carbine. just seems to be the way that bolster guns are.
before i ramble on any further, i wanted to note that i do miss the days of the 21" barreled carbine muzzleloaders. i thought about it this last huntin season when i was bonking the 26" tube of my disc elite on everything in the woods. for short-range hunting, that 21" barrel can't be beat!
i also tried some black canyon powder in that rifle, and it worked ok. remember that stuff? you had to "pack" it. i still have that bottle. it has one solid mass of powder in it. the powder attracted moisture, clumped together, and became one giant, rock-hard granule.
although i never killed a deer with the tracker, i later killed an 8 point with the same break-o-way sabot load in my T/C thunderhawk carbine. in the thunderhawk, with a 21" barrel, the load chronographed at about 1650 fps. if you moved up to 100 grains, it would break 1700. i expect velocities would be similar in your rifle.
i would suggest blackpowder, though, in that CVA, cause i had some pyrodex ignition problems with my tracker carbine. just seems to be the way that bolster guns are.
before i ramble on any further, i wanted to note that i do miss the days of the 21" barreled carbine muzzleloaders. i thought about it this last huntin season when i was bonking the 26" tube of my disc elite on everything in the woods. for short-range hunting, that 21" barrel can't be beat!
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n8dawg6 that is a good starting point for the rifle. I figured to start out shooting some roundball just to break the barrel in a little, have some fun, and get used to the trigger. After that I have a wide selection of Hornady Great Plains, No Excuse, Maxiball, CVA BuckSlayers and REALs I want to try. Plus I have some Lyman Shockers to waste out of it. If you ever see a deal on them, save your money. I have yet to find a rifle that will shoot the Lyman Shocker. Not even my Lyman will.
The other thing I figured that would shoot good out of it, is some ball-ets. I am really impressed with the expansion of a ball-et. Also the accuracy. Since they are a little heavier then a roundball you get the better flight and thump at the end of the trip. I have some 270 grain that I think will be made for that rifle.
I hear what you're saying about the shorter barrels. When I tree hunt I take my 22" Wolverine LK-II. It seems to be a perfect rifle for hunting from trees or short blinds. This one should do as well..
Thanks for the input everyone.
The other thing I figured that would shoot good out of it, is some ball-ets. I am really impressed with the expansion of a ball-et. Also the accuracy. Since they are a little heavier then a roundball you get the better flight and thump at the end of the trip. I have some 270 grain that I think will be made for that rifle.
I hear what you're saying about the shorter barrels. When I tree hunt I take my 22" Wolverine LK-II. It seems to be a perfect rifle for hunting from trees or short blinds. This one should do as well..
Thanks for the input everyone.
I have been through 8 CVA's; it is a long and entertaining story but I shan't write it here. ALL the ramrods were POS's. Suggest you get a new ramrod now to save yourself the trouble.
Most CVA's I've known have decently accurate barrels but unreliable ignition. There is evidently some question as to the barrel's safety with heavier powder loads, so I would keep the powder charge on the low side, absolutely not over 90 grains.
I shot maxiballs, roundballs, and sabots with mine; I was most impressed with the maxiballs. With lighter powder loads, you can get complete penetration but minimal meat damage. I used pyrodex exclusively, but clean shot was not available at the time, nor 777. If you can get some Black Canyon, don't buy it. I likewise have a couple of canisters, one of which has turned into a large clump.
Most CVA's I've known have decently accurate barrels but unreliable ignition. There is evidently some question as to the barrel's safety with heavier powder loads, so I would keep the powder charge on the low side, absolutely not over 90 grains.
I shot maxiballs, roundballs, and sabots with mine; I was most impressed with the maxiballs. With lighter powder loads, you can get complete penetration but minimal meat damage. I used pyrodex exclusively, but clean shot was not available at the time, nor 777. If you can get some Black Canyon, don't buy it. I likewise have a couple of canisters, one of which has turned into a large clump.
one other thing i remembered about that tracker carbine. it purportedly has "deep groove rifling," .010 i believe. makes it a little better for roundballs, except for the fast twist. makes it a little worse for conicals, though (theoretically speaking), despite the fast twist. oh well, i dont know what they were thinking.
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I am still waiting for the rifle to get here. That's the problem when the person I bought it from wanted a bank check sent in the mail.. I can't blame him for not sending it off before the check arrives, but if he only knew how many times I have checked my email looking for that one email that says.. IT IS ON THE WAY TO YOUR HOME . I am sure he would take pity on me..
There really is some good information people. I appreciate it. It will be the first 1-32 twist rifle for me. I have other CVA's of course, and the first thing I do with any of them is change the nipple to a hot shot nipple and change the ramrod.
There really is some good information people. I appreciate it. It will be the first 1-32 twist rifle for me. I have other CVA's of course, and the first thing I do with any of them is change the nipple to a hot shot nipple and change the ramrod.
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Is that rifle a hooked breech? When I started out shooting muzzleloaders (late 70's) CVA's were still using the drums. I knew a bunch of people that misfired on deer with those rifles. Just curious.
yeah, its a hooked breech. it's not really a "hook," though, like the t/c's. rather, it's kind of like a plug. also, cayuga reminded me of another thing, the factory nipple is TERRIBLE. mine wasn't going off reliably AND it was blowing the hammer back to half-cock. hot shot nipple solved the problem.
p.s. i see you bidding on that super 91, cayuga. :wink:
p.s. i see you bidding on that super 91, cayuga. :wink:
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n8dawg6 said:
I always called then a knob type breech. More of a square button breech. I just got a email telling me he will UPS it Monday :lol:
and yes, it was me bidding but someone bought it out right I believe. I guess I should have just bought the darn thing..
that was me. i was going to wait and mull it over a little longer, but tootall came in and bid $300. at that point i figured i was in danger of someone else buyitnowing, so i went ahead and did so myself. anyway . . . still waiting to hear back from doc, but i finally went ahead and bit the bullet and bought a white.
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cayuga,
CVA calls them a "button." When i went to order a replacement they asked me if it was a button or a hook...
CVA calls them a "button." When i went to order a replacement they asked me if it was a button or a hook...
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Well the little Brown Truck finally found his way back into the woods to my place. I have been waiting for my new rifle. New as in new in the box, but according to the serial number on the rifle it was made in 1992. According to the Manual with the rifle it was shipped in 1994.
This is a CVA (made in Spain) Stalker Carbine. The rifle has a 24 inch blue octagon barrel and is a .50 caliber. They also came in .54 caliber which would have been a real trip to get. It even surprised me. With a 1-32 twist I believe this will be a real conical and sabot shooter. In fact in the manual for loads they offer different conical and sabot suggestions.
I also most wonder if this was not an attempt by CVA to bridge a traditional rifle with some inline qualities. This rifle does not lock down with a wedge pin. Instead there is a locking lug through the bottom of the stock, like my other inline rifles. Also the excellent sights on the rifle, a real trip from the old fashion CVA standard field sights. And this rifle is drilled and tapped for a scope mount. Perhaps a nice red dot scope would be in order on this since I have one laying around.
My impressions of the rifle are very impressive. It is the first time I came across this model, but a lot of nice features were put on this rifle. The rifle comes with a very high quality wood stock with the Monte Carlo cheek piece on it. The stock is a very thick wood pistol grip and a wide base for the stock. The barrel to stock fit is excellent. Nice and tight with little gap. It has a button locking breech.
In my inspection of the barrel, I note it still full of packing grease with no sign of any rust. The only thing I found that needs to be fixed is the ramrod. The groove through the wood stock needs some sanding as it is still very ruff. It looks like a machine routered it in and then nothing was done to smooth the surface. The ramrod fits very tight.
Later tonight I will clean the barrel and check it again further. I will then shoot it in the near future as soon as I am able. I have some ballets (which are suggested in the manual... that kind of threw me) to try and some different conicals...
I also need to build another gun wall rack as I have all the others full to the brim. Lets hope I don't win a bid on another rifle I have been after this week...
This is a CVA (made in Spain) Stalker Carbine. The rifle has a 24 inch blue octagon barrel and is a .50 caliber. They also came in .54 caliber which would have been a real trip to get. It even surprised me. With a 1-32 twist I believe this will be a real conical and sabot shooter. In fact in the manual for loads they offer different conical and sabot suggestions.
I also most wonder if this was not an attempt by CVA to bridge a traditional rifle with some inline qualities. This rifle does not lock down with a wedge pin. Instead there is a locking lug through the bottom of the stock, like my other inline rifles. Also the excellent sights on the rifle, a real trip from the old fashion CVA standard field sights. And this rifle is drilled and tapped for a scope mount. Perhaps a nice red dot scope would be in order on this since I have one laying around.
My impressions of the rifle are very impressive. It is the first time I came across this model, but a lot of nice features were put on this rifle. The rifle comes with a very high quality wood stock with the Monte Carlo cheek piece on it. The stock is a very thick wood pistol grip and a wide base for the stock. The barrel to stock fit is excellent. Nice and tight with little gap. It has a button locking breech.
In my inspection of the barrel, I note it still full of packing grease with no sign of any rust. The only thing I found that needs to be fixed is the ramrod. The groove through the wood stock needs some sanding as it is still very ruff. It looks like a machine routered it in and then nothing was done to smooth the surface. The ramrod fits very tight.
Later tonight I will clean the barrel and check it again further. I will then shoot it in the near future as soon as I am able. I have some ballets (which are suggested in the manual... that kind of threw me) to try and some different conicals...
I also need to build another gun wall rack as I have all the others full to the brim. Lets hope I don't win a bid on another rifle I have been after this week...
