I'll go out on a moderately thick branch and speculate he's talking about Randy Wakeman, a self-promoted Expert & CVA Hater.

I have no financial interest in CVA - and I know that owners of rifles can be bad judges of their relative merits, since there might be the tempation to justify one's purchase - but I'm very satisfied with the CVA Buckhorn I've got (2nd CVA owned). Like Cayagud, I've owned a Staghorn, and found it to be as he reports - a capable though not very pretty rifle. After using it for four years... I was thinking about getting an Omega. Went to the store to buy one- I held it, dry-fired it, thought hard about it - then saw the CVA Buckhorn for seventy-odd dollars. Looked at it... and it seemed to correct everything that wasn't quite right on the Staghorn. IT BALANCED BETTER, and definitely had a better trigger. That it cost a hundred bucks less, sold me, so I bought it... and what a deal. Under a hundred bucks, great trigger, silent safety (easier to use than Staghorn's), well-designed & comfortable stock, substantial ramrod, and and ACCURATE (as accurate as me, anyways...) - what's not to like? Everytime I kill a deer with it - or shoot a good group with cheap bullets - I'm satisfied, and become ever more convinced that Mr. Wakeman isn't nearly as smart as he thinks he.

Cayagud said, of his old Staghorn Magnum - "It is an entry level low cost rifle. " - and this is absolutely true. The GOOD NEWS is... that the 80/20 rule definitely applies in buying a ML for hunting. You certainly buy a better/nicer rifle than a low-end CVA - but you probably won't kill more deer with it. Note: I follow the manufacturer's recommendation for max loads, and feel absolutely safe in doing so. Since the title of this thread was is Good cheap ML, I feel compelled to add something for newbies: don't buy the 150gr, 200-yard hype. A 100gr powder load is a 99% solution for hunting whitetail, at least for me.

One of these days I'll get a Savage ML, just because I like Savages - I've owned two of their rifles - but I doubt I'll kill more deer.