Hi Just wondering how many of you guys shoot one of these? I owned a cva Optima years ago it shot ok. I know how they make the barrels on the Optima. Are the barrels on the Sidekick better, are they made in Spain ?? Also a plus to me on the sidekick is the wood stock. I dont like the idea of a piece of plastic around the primer however, but I guess thats no big problem.

Seeing that you stated.. "I owned a cva Optima" I am guessing that you no longer do. The issue of the barrels while it bothers some do not seem to concern others, so it is all a matter of choice.

All I have "read" from Sidekick owners are, they are good shooters out of the box, excellent triggers, but the ramrods stink. Are the barrels better then the BPI? Some might say yes, some will say no, I will say, I really do not have the expertise to say one way or the other.

I personally do like the looks of the Sidekick. Of course I was raised with a H&R single shot shotgun which looks identical to the Sidekick. It was fast to the shoulder, easy to carry all day, and just a nice little gun. If I were inclined to purchase a low cost break open muzzleloader, I would probably go that route or the Omega Z5.

No Cayugad, I dont own the Optima anymore.I dont like or trust the Spanish made barrels.It shot ok.I just like a solid wood stock, not synthetic. I dont see many of the Omegas with a solid wood stock, I see they have a Laminated version. Whats under the lamination?? Excuse my spelling.Also a little spendy, they do have a good barrel onthem. I was mostly wondering if anyone knew who made the barrels on the Sidekick?? I like there price tag

The New England Firearms Company is out of Gardner, Massachusetts. NEF is part of the Harrington & Richardson Arms Company line of rifles. In fact H&R makes the Huntsman which is a version of the Sidekick. Sometimes the Sidekick is listed as a H&R while other times it is a NEF. Harrington & Richardson Arms is owned by Marlin Firearms Company. So when you purchase a NEF you are really purchasinga Marlin firearms. All of them are a subsidiary of the parent company. Just like the Optima you owned, itwas made by CVA which is a subsidiary of BPI. They also make Winchester, New Frontier, and a few other brands of rifle. But technically they are all BPI rifles.

The Thompson Center Omega is now a part of Smith & Wesson Firearms. Smith & Wesson just bought Thompson Center Arms. Their laminated stock is a mix of a lot of things. Just what I could not tell you. I am guessing it is glue, wood fibers, maybe some fiberglass, who really knows. I have a laminated stock on my White Ultra Mag. I like it. I waxed it and it has been water proof, very sturdy, a little on the heavy side, but when the recoil of a rifle is factored in, that is not always a bad thing, and they look very nice. The Omega X7 is a nice looking rifle.

The Omega Z5 has a plastic/ryanite stock I believe it is. Some of the Z5 owners, help me out here. My Black Diamond XR has that black ryanite stock, and I actually used to hate them, but have grown to like them a lot. They are water proof, sturdy, and require little care other then to wipe them out of fowling.

I have handled a Sidekick and it really shouldered well. Also the fiber optic sights it had were OUTSTANDING!! They were made by Tru Glow Fiber Optics. Like I said, when I was a kid I hunted with a single shot H&R 20 gauge. Wish I had not sold that rifle. It was a deadly little grouse gun. Maybe that's why the Sidekick fits me. Now I have read some posts of people that did not like the Sidekick. Maybe they will chime in here and tell you why they disliked them. All I have heard bad about them is the ramrod. Ramrods are cheap to replace.

I owned both the huntsman and sidekick they are both excellent sabot and conical shooters easy to clean and very reliable. i did not like the disc systen so I switched to 25acp ctg. The only reason i donot own them yet is I got a great deal on a TC encore in stainless and I wannted to get some magmum barrel. You cannot do that with H&R. They are a better shooter gor the money than most and they are made in th USA. I would recommend them highly.

Hey John Thanks for the reply. Do u know if the barrel is made in the usa?? I cant find any one here in Bismarck, ND. that stocks them.I do see that Cabelas has them.

Does it matter if its made in the USA? i know ive bought stuff made in USA that was total junk. Douglas barrels are made in the USA and TC stopped using them because they had an exploding problem. TC also has had quite few encores let go. Savage also. Dont fool yourself and think because its stamped made in USA that its good.

Austin and Helleck. Made in spain.

Yes, frontier gander it does matter to me. Sorry and I wont buy a Toyota either. Dont go and get all pissy about it. Im just looking for some info about some rifles. I found another one I may be interested in. Any body shoot or know much about a LYMANMUSTANG. Any help will be apreciated . Im not trying to insult the Traditions and Cva shooters here. There fine if thats what u want and I know they probable shoot good. I want something diffrent

lyman mustang, made in italy.

I have a Lyman Mustang and really like it, even though I've yet to find a "tack driving" 100 yard load.

However,it will consistently shoot just about any bulletinto 3-inch groups at 100 yards with anything from 80 to 110 grains of either Triple 7 or Pyrodex. This includes 250 & 300 grain Speer Gold Dots, 240 and 300 grain Hornady XTPs, 300 grain Sierra Sports Masters, 245 grain Barnes Spitfires, and 385 and 410 grain Hornady Great Plains.

Two things I really like about the gun - the hammerless designand the sliding tang safety. Great features!

The only thing I didn't like was the trigger. It was pretty badnew out of the box. Ithad a long "crunchy" creep. The break after the creep waslight and crisp at about 3 pounds with no overtravel. I got into the habit of treating it as a two stage process - take it up to the end of the creep, then stop, then squeeze off the shot. It has improved withwear and continues to improve each time I shoot.