# CVA Wolf



## mbs0983 (Dec 25, 2011)

Got the CVA Wolf for Christmas this morning. Just looking for any reviews/tips. Any info would be appreciated as I am new to all muzzleloading. 


Merry Christmas!


----------



## RNC (Dec 25, 2011)

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2 U 2 

I know several folks that have them and love them !

If it were me I would start right out using the Blackhorn 209 powder in it ...

A guy at our range was using this same type rifle an was shooting some awsome groups with it using Blackhorn 209 powder and TC Shockwave projectiles ...


----------



## mbs0983 (Dec 25, 2011)

That's exactly what I was looking for. Guy at camp said they weren't as good as the traditions brand but everything I read says differently


----------



## mbs0983 (Dec 25, 2011)

What about a primer? So it needs a primer, the powder, and the bullet. Is this right? Like I said I am veryyy new to this


----------



## hunter63john (Dec 25, 2011)

You will need a 209 shotgun primer.  Some people might say a "muzzleloading" 209 primer may work better but just find out what works best for you.  As for powder I use IMR White hot pellets; however, I have heard nothing but positive reviews for the Blackhorn 209 and probably will switch to it this year.  Bullets- just depends on what you wanna shoot.  I know that powerbelt and TC shockwaves are both great bullets.  Mainly you just have to find what works best out of your rifle.  You will need a bullet started and a range rod is also very handy to have when sighting in and just shooting at the range.  ALSO,  buy some foaming bore cleaner!  It will make your life A LOT easier when cleaning your gun. You can go to the CVA website and find many helpful videos covering various topics that will help you get started.  I wish you the best of luck with your new gun. I hope this helped a little.


----------



## mbs0983 (Dec 25, 2011)

Yeah I watched all of the videos on CVA's website.  More like advertisements but they were very informative, I think I have it down just about.  Except for one thing, I'm not sure how many of the white hot pellets to load the gun with?  I read somewhere use only 2 pellets but in all of the videos they load them with 3 white hot pellets.  Maybe a dumb question but thats my LAST one....I think lol.

Thanks for the help though!


----------



## Hunterrs (Dec 25, 2011)

Most new guns will take three pellets but you need to make sure yours will.  Each pellet is 50 grains and you need to shoot your gun and see if it likes two or three.  Make sure the bullet is snug against the pellets, but don't crush them.


----------



## Hunterrs (Dec 25, 2011)

Just looked at the manual.  It says your gun will take three.  Double check the manual that came with the gun.  It still doesn't mean you have to shoot three though.  Shoot it and see what it likes.


----------



## thomas the redneck (Dec 26, 2011)

i got the boy one about 3 months ago and we use 1-50 and 1-30 grain pill and their pushin a 295 grain projectile and at 75 yards it shoots a 3 inch group 
tried using 2-50's the gun will handle them with ease BUT it kicks worse than anything i have ever shot in my life


----------



## icdedturkes (Dec 26, 2011)

CVA Wolf is an awesome gun for the money.. Have shot one a quite a bit.. 

If you are green as it appears that you are.. I would highly recommend going to the range and learning from someone that has some experience with frontstuffers. 

As for powder.. I am going to switch to the BH209.. But the Triple Seven 7 pellets will serve you well to get your feet wet.. Most guns prefer 2 pellets as opposed to 3 when it comes to accuracy..


----------



## NCHillbilly (Dec 26, 2011)

A friend of mine has one, and loves it. He shoots 90 grains of loose Pyrodex RS with a 350-grain T/C Maxi-hunter bullet, and has killed a pile of deer with it. 
Don't fall into the main traps that most new ML hunters do these days: (_disclaimer-I hunt with traditional mls, not inlines, but the principal is the same, and friends of mine who shoot inlines and have done a lot of hunting with them would agree with most of the following after trying a lot of different stuff over the years._)

A: _My gun will hold 150 grains of powder, so that is how much I need to shoot in it. More powder is better, and if I use a whole bunch of powder, I can shoot deer at 300 yards with my muzzleloader.  _

More isn't always better. And often, your most accurate load isn't gonna be a really hot one. Bazillions of deer have been killed with loads of black powder of 50-60 grains. 80-90 grains is more than plenty to put a bullet through any deer in the state. In big powder charges, a lot of it is wasted and don't even burn efficiently enough to make a difference. And the more powder you use, the harder the gun kicks, and the more it costs per shot to shoot it. I don't hunt with inlines, but have deer hunted almost exclusively with traditional muzzleloader for many years. I shoot 90 grains of powder in one of mine, and 75 grains in the other. I have killed a *lot* of deer with these loads, and 99 percent of the time have two big holes and most deer fall in sight or right where they're at. A pure lung shot will result in two holes, and a short blood trail that Stevie Wonder could follow with a very dead deer at the end of it. I don't hunt fields, mostly hunt woods, but I've killed deer at over a hundred yards with these loads with good results. A muzzleloader isn't a long-range weapon to begin with. You can kill deer at 200 yards with one, but it's a better hundred-yard weapon, really. You will be happiest with it if you enjoy it for what it is, don't try to make it into what it ain't, and save the 300-yard field shots for the rifle season. 

B: _I have to use pellet powder in my inline because the professh-nul man on the TV does, and my buddy Bubba does, and my brother-in-law says it's better and he has a Bone Collector sticker on his truck window and he killed a deer with a muzzleloader once, so he has to know what he's talking about._

Actually, loose powder is usually a lot more effective and faster burning than pellets. Most people shoot pellets because they're too lazy to take three seconds to measure a charge of powder, and/or they've been brainwashed by the tv man into thinking that they're somehow "better" because they're new and modern and groovy. Plus, with loose powder, you can customize loads to find the most accurate load for your rifle. Pellets only come in nice round numbers.

C: _I need to shoot those fancy bullets that are half plastic. Lead bullets are so 17th century. Newer is better better better. And lighter bullets go faster, so that's better better better. The tv commercial told me so, so it must be true._

I have shot deer with a lot of bullets over the years, and few things are more effective or devastating to a deer than a big 'ol , heavy chunk of solid lead. The main advantage of having a gun with a great big hole in the barrel, such as a .50 caliber muzzleloader, is that you can shoot a big, heavy bullet out of it. The 350-grain TC maxihunters or something similar are good if they shoot well in your gun. They're not new, trendy, or in tv ads, but I wouldn't trade a box of them for every sabot and powerbelt you can tote, for my own use. 

I've come to these conclusions by spending a lot of time shooting muzzleloaders and shooting right many deer with them, and they're just my opinions. Your mileage may vary, and you may have reached different conclusions by doing the same thing.


----------



## FrontierGander (Dec 27, 2011)

well first pick a powder you want to use, after that i can help with the bullet, primer, powder charge. I shoot a new design Wolf as well and love it.

My preferred powder is Blackhorn209, a CCI 209 Magnum primer and either the 250 or 300gr Powerbelt Aerolite.


----------



## drewpatt (Jan 16, 2012)

I have a wolf & it gets the job done. I shoot the 245 grn powerbelt bullet & 100 grn of shockeys gold powder. It will hold 150 grn of powder but I got a lot better groups with 100 grn. Just try a couple different options & see what works best in your gun. Good luck


----------



## miles58 (Jan 16, 2012)

I have 3 CVAs, a wolf, a Kodiak and an Optima.  I didn't start out wanting three and I didn't particularly want a CVA.  Things just sort of worked that way.  As it turns out I am happy with them.

All three like 66 grains by weight of Black Horn 209 and I use regular shotshell 209 primers with it.  I have tried other powders and worked up and down in charges.  With 250 grain saboted bullets I get really nice accuracy and enough velocity to handle a little better than 100 yards decently.  It kills deer fine.

I don't know what 66 grains by weight works out to in terms of grains by volume.  I do know it works out to seven CCs or seven milliliters of powder.  I would not use pellets for any reason other than to burn them off if I got them free.  Accuracy is easy to control and work out just by trying a little more or a little less powder.

I use little plastic medical sample tubes that hold 12 ccs and they work great to keep a few powder charges in my pocket and a couple extra bullets and primers.

I buy Pistol bullets in 500 bullet packs to use for practice and load work.  

I shoot Barnes T-EZ 250 grain bullets for hunting because they are just incredible when they hit deer, but I use the sabots that came with the Barnes for target practice and use TC sabots for hunting because they load better.

I put windshield washer solvent in a nose spray size squeeze bottle to use when I need to swab the barrel

I do not like 777 powder.  It gets sticky in the bore after one or two shots and then you have no choice but to swab between shots.


----------



## flatheadpatrol (Jan 18, 2012)

mbs0983, 
I got my first ML a 3-4 years ago, a CVA Optima Mag. I contacted CVA directly through their toll free # with questions and they were always extremely helpful. Actually called them from the range at the farm one day to walk me through and verify, loading, cleaning, etc...


----------

