sharpshooter - I owned an Optima before and I liked it. Honestly I do not believe there is a better gun out there than a CVA - for the money. More expensive, definately. I refuse to pay $600+ for a ML. And as much as I like T/C sidelocks, I won't shell out the money for the overpriced Triumph or Encore. The CVA will shoot right along side them and likely outshoot them for a lot less money. I had an Encore when they first came out and it sucked in the accuracy dept.