fenrick

I just purchased a CVA Wolf from cabelas.This is my first muzzleloader. I've never shot them before, but am really excited about getting out and blowing smoke. I have yet to shoot it because WI weather doesn't allow meto.

I am just looking for tips from other Wolf owners, or anyone else that can give me some advice. I purchased the Wolf with a starter kit so I have the bare essentials.

Is there any equipment that I must have that may not be included in the kit? Any advise on powder, bullets, etc.... I'll take all the help i could get.

cayugad

Fenrick - first off welcome to the forum. It is good to have you here. I have no idea what is included with your starter kit. Si what else you might need is kind of hard to answer.

Powder would be Pyrodex RS or Triple Se7en 2f. I helped a person sight in a Beartooth Magnum by New Frontier a few years ago. They are the same thing as the Wolf. I found that 85 grains of Triple Se7en and a 240 grain XTP or a 245 grain Powerbelt shot real well out of the rifle. Whether that means your rifle will shoot them well is anyone's guess.

Primers - I like the Winchester W209 or the Remington Kleenbore 209 primers. You can get them at almost any Wal Mart.

Short Starter to help set the sabot will be needed. As for projectiles, the XTP's Shockwaves, Gold Dots, Powerbelts, are all good places to start.

Get some patches, cleaning solution, gun oil, and a bottle of Windex for now. Use the windex to swab the barrel between shots. Or you can mix, 50/50 isopropyl alcohol and car windshield washer fluid and use that as a swab solution. You will also need some breech plug grease. Auto Anti Seize also works as breech plug grease as does Slick 50 One grease. Also found at Wal Mart.

Be sure to clean the rifle well before shooting. Make sure the breech plug is greased. Finger tight only on the breech plug. No not crank on that thing. Swab the barrel with some dry patches and then pop a couple primers through the breech plug before loading. This will blow clean the breech plug. Then start with 80 grains of powder and the projectile of your choice. After you shoot, swab the barrel with a slightly damp patch with the windex working that is short strokes. Work slowly down to the breech and then back to the top. Flip that over and do it all again. Now swab the barrel with a couple dry patches. When you have the barrel swabbed and dried, load again as normal.

Have fun with the rifle, and keep us posted as to how it shoots for you.

fenrick

Ok... I've seen and heard a bunch about Bore Butter. Any thoughts about that?

When I have finally shot it and am ready for the season to begin, how do you go about it. I worked with a game warden for a couple years, and he told me that he'll load it up, besides the primer, and thenlet it sit in the garage the night before, that way it get's seasoned to the weather? What's your thought aboutthat?

The Gander Mountain down here is moving so they're trying to get rid of all their inventory, so all black powder supplies are discounted. It's a great time to buy them, and I'm sure they will be marked down even more.

bronko22000

Bore butter has its followers. Some guys swear by it and others don't use it at all. Cayugad doesn't and I'm always picking his brain for info or at least reading his recommendations. I personnaly use it and have had good success with it. Of course I only have sidelocks and all my cleaning is done with hot soap and water, hot water rinse and bore butter. I just have an adversion to mixing any petroleum based products with black powder. I suggest you follow the manufacturer's recommendations for cleaning.

fenrick

Cayugad seems to know his guns. Good brain to pick.

From what I've seen/heard, even though I'm able to shoot 150 grains of powder, it is just overkill huh? Sounds like 80-90 grains is about right with a 245g bullet.

I know I really sound like a rookie at this, but as far as seasoning a barrel goes, does that just come with time? The more you shoot, the more seasoned it will become. Therefore more reliable/accurate it will be?

cayugad

My thoughts on bore butter.. it makes a good conical and patch lube. There is no need to season the barrel. A quality gun oil will protect the barrel between seasons just fine. Leave the bore butter out of the barrel.

There are two thoughts on what to do when season comes.. If the barrel shoots better on a fowled bore then a clean bore. Some times on a clean bore the first shot will be a few inches off of where the rest of the fowled bore shots will hit. So you have to decide if you want to hunt on a clean bore or a fowled bore. I load mine the morning of my hunt, depending on what rifle I use. Some I hunt on a clean barrel and some on a fowled bore. I do know where mine will shoot on a clean bore after numerous trips to the range. I also know where they will hit in relation to a fowled bore.

What your friend is talking about is leaving the rifle loaded after hunting. If you were to bring the rifle inside from the Wisconsin Winter, the barrel might form condensation and that could effect the powder charge. Leaving it unprimed and in a room where the temperatures stay the same is a way to leave the rifle loaded and have a higher probability of it going off the next day. I personally shoot mine off each night and then clean the rifle.

I've done the rifle in the shed trick and discovered that the next day the rifle still did not fire. Have you noticed in the winter how humid it is in the garage and sheds around here? All of that has to be taken into consideration. For instance in my back wood room it is common to see moisture all over the back door glassin the morning, the frost on the door knob, so what is in your barrel? That is why I shoot mine off at the end of the day. If you like a fowled bore, then swab the barrel with the windex and dry the bore, a light coat of oil, and then load as normal the next day. The total break down is a matter of choice on your part.

A lot of this you will find is trial and error. That is one of the things that make a muzzleloader so appealing to me. They are not like a center fire. As for a Gander Mountain, if the stuff is on sale, then this is the time to buy. They even discount the rifles sometimes.. Where I live, we have no Gander Mountain.

sjsfire

Hey fenrick, I've owned my Wolf for a little over a year. It's a good shooter. Get some loose powder and a volume measure. I started with Pyrodex RS and haven't used any other loose powder. I've shot Powerbelts, Sabertooths, 250 and 300gr XTP's, and 250 and 300gr Barnes Expander MZ's. All shot well with powder between 80-100gr. My hunting load is 2 Pyrodex pellets and the 300gr Barnes with a Crushed Rib sabot. Read the manual, keep it clean, and have fun trying out different bullets and powder charges.

Also go to cva.com and check out the blackpowder 101 video informational course.

fenrick

I've read the manual and cleaned it up all nice, now just have to take it to the range and experiment a bit. Loose powder you say though huh? Any reason why over the pellets?

I've heard from different people that the ramrod you get with the Wolf is pretty marginal at best. sjsfire.. any comment on that?Even when I just cleaned it up a bit, i noticed that it was starting to scratch up quite a bit.

Pawildman

You are indeed correct about the ramrod on the Wolf"s. They leave a lot to be desired.....screw out--screw in....a little flimsy too, I feel. You may notice a bit of a tight spot in the barrel somewhere around 3-4" above the powder charge when seating the bullet. Mine had it, and others I've talked to experienced the same thing with theirs. I was about to try some JB bore paste on it, when it suddenly disappeared this year.....go figure.. Mine likes two 50 gr. Pyrodex pills under 245 gr. Powebelts. Seems to shoot nice with that combo. However guns are individuals, and it will tell you what to feed it soone or later.
Go out and have fun with it........

sjsfire

Fenrick, I use both the loose and pellet powder. One thing I've learned reading others experiences here is no two muzzleloaders are the same. The loose is cheaper to shoot and everyone tells you to start at 80gr and increase your charge until your groups start to open up then backoff a little. I was lucky enough that my Wolf shot the listed bullets in my post with about any volume of powder up to 100gr loose. I've never tried anymore. I choose to use pellets although they are more expensive while hunting. My reason being, if I'm in the stand and need a follow up shot, I pour my loose down the barrel and spill some of it what do I have? A unknown powder charge. So I use the pellets, if I drop one I know all I need to do is drop another down my barrel for my 100gr of pellets. Thats just my preference. On the ramrod, yes the CVA ramrod is not the best. I bought a brass 3 piece ramrod to use and the range. I used my CVA ramrod only to reload while hunting and dropping 2 pellets and my Barnes Expander down the barrel I didn't need to screw it out to full lenght. My short starter has a hole designed into it aid as a handle on the ramrod also to help protect your hand while pushing the bullet down. I highly suggest you go to the CVA.com site and look at the muzzleloading 101 videos. I viewed them when I first got my muzzloader and think they are very helpful to watch.