ORIGINAL: Bigtimer
If you guys would PLEASE go back to the post entitled "Accuracy Problems" (july) and read the contents. I had my CVA Optima Pro shooting like a dream. Our season opens this Saturday so I decided to go to the range one more time to make sure that everything is still OK. I shot a few caps through it. Loaded her up, good rest, everything on go. I sqeezed the trigger and at the drop of the hammer, the primer went off but the charge didn't go off immediately. The target is a 14" x 18" target. NEVER TOUCHED IT[:@] Is this a hang fire? Anyhow, I let it cool and tried again. 6 inches high and 8 inches left. Shot #3 was 3 inches low and 6 inched left. The rest is history. The more I shot the worse it got. Now, I'm a reasonable man but what the???????. Somebody's gonna get a good gun REAL cheap. I've checked the scope and mounts ect, but this continues to be a problem for me and I wind up buying the newer and better gun that I'm sure that I don't need. How could it have shot soo well in july and this bad in Oct with NO change in bullet, sabbot, powder and primer. PLEASE HELP!!!
YES, that was a hang-fire. There was something in the flash channel that impeded the ignition of your first charge. Of course, it missed!! Because your rifle was way off target by the time it went bang! I suspect you may have flinched a little anticipating the recoil, which didn't come when you expected it.
As for the poor shooting afterward, I am not use or the cause, but since the rifle worked well previously, I believe it is your fault, and not the gun's, that the grouping was so poor. Not knowing any better, I suspect there my have been a build-up of Bore Butter or some ohersimilar lubricant or bullet grease in the bore, possibly from previous shooting of bullets with that stuff on them, or you didn't do a good job of getting the lube and/or fouling out of the bore, thebreechblock flash-channel, and nipple the last time you cleaned the gun.
I recommend a thorough bore cleaning using boiling water, and a good scrubbing of the breechblock, flashchannel, and nipple using hot, soapy water. Soak these parts, then scrub them until they
shine. Now dry everytyhing off, and wipe them down with Birchwood-Casey
SHEATH (Barrier).
The next time you go to the range, when you pop your caps to clear the flash channel & nipple, hold the muzzle down near a blade of grass or a leaf on the ground. The cap gases should make the grass move or blow the leaf an few inches. If this does NOT happen, then your flash channel is NOT clear, and you need to take the breechblock out and clear the flash chgannel. (BUT, if you cleaned and preserved your gun according to my instructions above, the systyem will be clear!!)
Now load up and shoot, using the load that proved good previously. MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING FRESH POWDER!! Some substitutes can go bad pretty fast if stored in a humid environment. This does not make for consistent shooting!
I suppose it is nevcessary to use some kind of anti-seize grease on those breech plugs. I have a couple of inlines, but most of my ML don't have removable breech plugs, so I am not sure. But if it is necessary, just put a ittle dab of the stuff on the threads, at least 1/4" back from the front face of the plug!
Watch out for flinching!