I haven' t personally shot one, but I just got back from Gander Mountain where I was looking at a few different muzzleloaders. I' ve been toying with the idea of getting either a T/C Encore or Omega. Well, I was looking at the Encore, and the guy at the counter suggested I also look at the CVA Optima which is an Encore clone without the interchangeable barrels. It looked like a fairly nice rifle for the price, it held and pointed well. and CVA' s are known to be pretty accurate. The only thing I didn' t care for was the cheap looking composite stock, and the trigger could use some work. It broke cleanly with minimal creep and overtravel, but it was definately a product of lawyer-proofing. The pull weight was pretty high.
But, all things considered, for $189 it seems to be a good deal. If I were looking for a muzzleloader on a budget, it would be high on the list. If this is your first muzzleloader, then what you save on the rifle can be put toward good accessories.

My first inline was (and I' ve still got it) a Traditions Buckhunter Pro in stainless/black composite. The finish wasn' t very nice, and the machineing of the receiver was kindof rough, but it is a shooter for sure. It loves heavy Hornady conicals and will shoot <2" groups at 100 yards and will kill a deer as well as any of its nicer cousins. I picked it up on clearance at Wally World for $150.

Mike