# CVA Deerslayer bullets?



## GAHUNTER60 (Jan 15, 2020)

I've got an old, cheap, .50 caliber Knight in-line that shoots lights out with 300-grain CVA Deerslayer bullets over 100 grains of Triple 7.  The problem is, that bullet was discontinued several years ago, and I'm out!  

Now, the Deerslayer (sometimes labeled "Buckslayer") was a mini-ball type, pure lead, hollow base, full-bore bullet sold by CVA.  I am now going to try and find a replacement that shoots, and kills, as well as they did.  

Any suggestions as to where I should start my search?


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## Mr Bya Lungshot (Jan 15, 2020)

I mould maxi-balls from sheet pure lead.
Not sure I can ever run out.
But I mould enough to last a year then re-mould more.


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## snuffy (Jan 16, 2020)

https://www.muzzleloading-bullets.com/

AS Hank said. You can thank me later.


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## GAHUNTER60 (Jan 17, 2020)

Went to to the range today.  Took a bunch of different bullets to try. Turns out the Knight rifle loves 295-grain power belts at 50 yards.  At 100, not so much!  Same story with all the full-bore bullets I tried, including both Maxi Balls and Maxi Hunters.  

BUT, I found that both 240-grain Cheap Shot sabots, and 300-grain Hornady SST Sabots shot exceptionally well at both 50, and 100 yards in front of 100 grains of Triple 7.  I've settled on the 300-trainers as a hunting load.

As an aside, I also took my old TC Hawken.  Some years back, I replaced the original barrel with a Green Mountain, drop-in replacement barrel when the original quit grouping well.  I knew from my research that the new barrel was a faster twist than my original, but the advertising claimed the new barrel would shoot either full-bore conicles, or sabots.  The advertising lied!

Try as I might, I could not get the new barrel to shoot any full-bore bullet accurately.  After each range session, my target would look like I had been shooting at it with a Brown Bess smooth bore musket.  I never tried sabots for the simple reason that I believe that it's just plain wrong to shoot modern sabots out of a period reproduction firearm.  Well, today I gave in and tried the 300-grain  SST sabots.  Dang, those things shoot good out of that Green Mountain barrel!  

I guess I'll just have to accept that the 1-28" Green Mountain barrel is not a true reproduction of of an original Hawken rifle, and shoot the bullet it likes!


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## Buckman18 (Jan 18, 2020)

I shoot the 240gr TC cheap sabots in my Encore and they do very well on paper and on game. Powerbelts are junk in my Encore.


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## Mr Bya Lungshot (Jan 18, 2020)

My experience is they all fly the same if the same bullet. Different on different bullets so as long as Im sighted in to what i’m shooting my couple Tc muzzleloaders love any load I put in it.
Deadly accurate. Big fan of older TC’s


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 18, 2020)

With lead conicals, I have always had good luck with 350-grain T/C Maxi-hunters. They've always shot good for me, and are the hammer of Thor on deer. I refuse to shoot a plastic bullet in a muzzleloader.


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