Just saw cabelas has 30 dollars off any orders over 150.00 expires tom night I have been thinking about getting into muzzleloaders and might order one tommorrow. I was wondering if anyone had the one. I am looking at it is a cva wolf 50 cal from the reviews I have read it sounds good just wondering what any of you guys think. Next I was wondering what the difference in recoil compared to a 12 gauge shotgun. Next what amount of powder do you guys recommend for deer most shots would be less than 100yds. I see you can get this model with a nickel barrel I was wondering is it worth the extra money. The really only bad thing I have read is the ram rod is not to good but I am shure that can be replaced. Thanks

I don't own the Wolf, but I do own another CVA model. I've heard pretty much only positive things about the Wolf, and it should be a good ML to get started with if you are new to muzzleloading.

As far as recoil goes, it depends a lot on how heavy a bullet you shoot and how much powder you use. But in general it is going to be a lot less than a 12 gauge shotgun shooting slugs. I would compare the recoil of most common ML loads to that of a 20 gauge shotgun. For your purposes, I would suggest 80 -100 grains of powder and a 250 - 300 grain bullet. That should get the job done and recoil won't be too much.

I agree with everything Oldsmellhound said. Personally, I wouldn't bother with the nickel barrel, but there's certainly nothing wrong with it if you want that.

Nothing wrong with a blued/black rifle. Nickel might give you some advantages for getting away from corrosion, but you should be cleaning your rifle well enough to stop this anyways. So, the real advantage is for looks, but IMO the wolf is as ugly as they come

I've heard good things about how well this little rifle functions. For CVA I personally would go with it's big brother the Optima, or even better a T/C "Starter rifles" get replaced or stuffed in a corner. I would get the best I could afford the first time.

Loads...hell, for 100 yards you could be killing deer fine with 80gr charges and a bore-sized bullet.

Extra-important for muzzleloaders, be sure the rifle you intend to buy is legal to use in your state.

I'm not sure about Nickel barrels but I do know after owning both a stainless one and a blued one I much prefer the stainless. Just less to worry about.

That being said I shoot 295 Grain Powerbelt Hollow Points with 100 grains of Pyrodex in the pellet form and it kicks a lot and I mean a lot less than my 12 gauge with buckshot in it. I'm not sure compared to bird shot.
I will say I shot it back to back with my Browning BAR 30-06 which isn't supposed to be bad recoil wise for a 30-06 and the muzzle loader was a lot easier on the shoulder however it also had a rubber butt pad and the BAR didn't.

I don't think you need to go over 100 grains of powder for 100 yards or less shots. 80-90 would probably be fine. I shot a deer last year at around 136 or so yards with the same setup I mentioned earlier and it didn't make it more than 15-20 yards.

I have a Wolf and it shoots pretty darn good for the little it costs. I was shooting my uncles Encore at the same time a couple of weeks ago and this cheap little gun shot just as good. It has a very soft rubber recoil pad which absorbs the little recoil that this gun produces with 100 grains of pellets I shot out of it. It surely isn't an Encore in finish and looks, but shooting wise I don't see much difference. It weighs next to nothing compared to the excessively heavy Encore also which is amazing. You would think the more expensive gun should be the lighter one.

I have the Wolf also! I have the blued/ black one. I wish I would have gotten the nickle/camo one, but have no scientific reason, other then the looks. I shoot a 295 grain powerbelt, (either a Hollow point, or the aerotip, my Wolf likes them both) with 80 grains of 777 loose powder. Hardly any recoil at all. I love this little gun. You cant go wrong with it. Good Luck, and welcomoe to the madness. My first year hunting with a ML was last year, and I now have 3 of them.

A friend of mine has one and it is a shooter for sure.
I like the nickle/Camo but the Blue/Black is great for groundblinds where you want BLACK

Might wait My buddy just told me that wal mart puts that gun on clearance for like 100 dollars or so and I wouldnt have to pay shipping and if bass pro ever puts them on sale I could just pick it up shipping is like 17 bucks so in the end I am saving only 15 bucks the total would be 145.00 anyone ever see them on sale or clearance at wal mart or bass pro I dont plan on using it until next season anyway might be able to get a better deal if I wait but I defintely want the gun Thanks for the replies keep them coming

Call me dumb but I wouldn't take $400 for my $100 CVA Wolf. This is what she shot last week. Shots 1,3,and 5 (cleaned barrel) at the top and 2,4, and 6 (follow up shots no cleaning) in the center at 100 yards using a 300gr Barnes Expander MZ with a black Crushed Rib sabot, 2 50gr Pyrodex pellets, W209 primer. And I have a Nikon 2x7x32 Pro Staff scope. She'll shoot 1 inch groups at 100 yards all day long.