bigtim6656

i was wodnering if anyone has the cva bobcat how does it shoot had a person at a nearby shop tell me the sidelocks seem to like to misfire is this true aslo should i use the pellets or the losse power

cayugad

Sidelocks are every bit as dependable as an inline once you learn how to treat them. Granted when hunting in wet weather you need to take steps to keep moisture away from them but in over 20 years of hunting with them, I had two misfires in sidelocks when hunting. Both of those misfires were my fault, not the rifles.

Because a sidelock uses a #11 igntion cap pellets are not recommended. Pellets require a large flame to hit them suddenly and the #11 cap, although it will fire the pellets, you have a much quicker and better ignition with loose powder.

The use of loose powder is almost always recommended with sidelock rifles. Also the Bobcat is not a magnum rifle. There will be no need to shoot loads over 100 grains that I could think of. The Bobcat has a 1-48 twist and because of that, will shoot roundball, and conical. Some people have even shot sabots from them with luck. You would have to try the rifle to see what it likes to shoot best.

I have a Mountain Stalker which was Bass Pro Shops model of the Bobcat. I can tell you from experience that it will take deer at moderate ranges just fine.

dmurphy317

I agree with Cayugad. I have 2 Bobcats that I bought for my kids to learn on, one 50, one 54. Both shoot well with patched round ball and work well with some conical loads. The sights are very basic but can be upgraded. Both of mine have the plastic stock and are very light. I've added slip on recoil pads so the kids don't get beat up.

I found that 3F powder works best in them, 2F seemed to cause some misfires, possibly due to the larger granules not getting down under the nipple as well. I also use a hot #11 cap to help ensure ignition.

They are a good basic gun that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Besides, they are a lot of fun to shoot.

Finaddict

I also have a Bobcat and it shoots just fine. Definitely use loose powder. I use 2F Goex powder (but am going to try switching to Pyrodex P (equivalent to 3F)) and a .490 roundball. It is a surprisingly nice shooter. I have taken many rabbits (must be a head shot) and just general shooting. If you don't load it to hot it is a pleasure to shoot. It will take up to 100 gr. powder for a big game hunting load and I have tried it and it will kick, but not all that bad. I've never had a problem with ignition with the 2F Goex. It touches off just fine as long as you keep the nipple clean by running a thin wire down the hole after each shot. It is a nice rifle. Enjoy.

cayugad

To take the bite out of my rifle, I took the back plastic butt stock end off by removing the two Phillips head screws. I then stuffed an old rag down to the bottom of the hollow stock and used a wooden spoon to pack it down there so nothing could get through the stock and work its way to the back of the lock. I then took my vacuum sealing machine I use to seal foods with. I measured out a little over a pound of #4 buck shot and put that into a plastic bag. I then vacuum sealed it. My thinking was, no air, maybe the buckshot will take longer to rust. After that I sealed the first bag into another one. Because it was buckshot I could roll that around and form fit that to the hollow of the stock. After pushing that in place, I added another chunk of old rag and replaced the plastic butt stock end.

This added just a little more weight, but it balanced out the rifle real nice and took the bite out of the rifle when I load it heavy. Since mine is a .54 caliber, I shoot 80 grains of Triple Se7en FFg or Goex Black Powder,a wonder wad and then a moose milk patched roundball. The rifle is real accurate. And using good quality Dynamite Noble 1075 caps it goes off all the time.

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