CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I really need some good advice hear,I was going to purchase an optima nickel/black fleck for $209 or I can purchase a T/C Z5 omega with a rosewood laminate stock for $319 from a local dealer,both dealers are both telling me to go with the omega,they both told me the omega would outshoot the cva anyday,performance and dependability,I'm kind of getting some mixed feelings about these two guns because some of the guys hear were really bragging up the optima,there is a big price difference,and I know that is a real good price on the T/C with laminate any advice would be very appreciated.......Ted

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

ok i have a cva kodiak which is the optima's younger brother, but if you have the money for the T/C go for but if you dont the optima is a good gun. either way just see which one feels better to you, they both shoot good.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Put them both to your shoulder and see what feels the best. Remember, it's your money and your decision.

Just like our opinions here, it's their opinions as well. It's also more money that they will be making off of you too. ;)

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

The cva is nickel plated and will possibly flake off in future if it wasn't 100% prepped/applied properly leaving bare steel exposed to elements and I've had MANY cva rifles in shop for repair due to the fact that cva customer service leaves something to be desired. Stainless steel has no coating or plating to potentionally fail.
TC stands behind their products and is way better than cva anyway-JUST MY OPINION.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I have a Knight Master Hunter II and an Omega. I like the Omega better and it costs half as much.

Tom

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I have a blued .50 optima. I absolutely love it. It out shoots me evertime. I didnt see the need to spend more on a better name. My optima outshoots my buddys omega everytime.
Nathan

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Footofthehills-it's not just the name that is better. I'll let yall in on a secret on how to determine a product's quality. Check around major local gun stores for used models and compare percentage lost from new price to used. If you have had to repair as many guns as I have,you would be pretty opinionated(like me),and have good solid basis for those opinions(like me). The bottom line is a skilled hunter can kill a deer with anything but I grow weary of offering my opinions based from experience when people don't wanna listen. Is it possible that when you outshoot your buddies that skill or lack of attention has something to do with it? I recently traded about 300 barrels off to be made into damascus steel for knives when doing some cleanup.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I understand you get what you pay for but, come on people. Its funny at my local gunshop there are a lto of used omegas. I have had my muzzleloader for 2+ years and not a single hiccup. I have quite a few friends that have "better" name guns and they seem to have problems( esp the disc guns). Not sayin that tc does not make a great product, just tryin to be reasonable and realistic you dont NEED to spend $$$ to get a good bp rifle.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I have the Z5, love it. Funny thing is the Z5 isnot sold with the rosewood laminateas far as I know, and the rosewood laminate is a special model as well (only sold on stainless omegas), so they must've putit on the Z5 barreledaction after it was purchased... Still I cannot see any reason why it wouldn't shoot as great as any Omega out there. I vote omega.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

The rosewood laminate is from last years gun and I can still purchase one for $319.99 which is a sweet buy,and the Z5 is the exact same as the rest of the omegas as far as barrel and the mechanics of the gun,the only thing the Z5 don't offer is the stainless barrel,all they offer in the Z5 is blued and weather shield,I've made up my mind I just purchased a zeiss conqeust 3.5x10x50 that will look mighty fine sitting on top of the Z5 laminate,stalkingbears been a gunsmith for almost 27yrs. and he says the same thing that two local gun shops here said to me,these are not sporting good stores that told me this,they are two gun shops that have very knowledgable gun smiths there,not that the optima's a bad gun because I also had two of them and they shot fine but I know longer have them either,to me shooting strait and being rough around the edges are two different things,this time I'm gonna have to go American Made Steel,the Z5..........Ted and this is just my opinion

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I think your opinion is what matters. Either way, you are gonna get a decent gun and will be happy shooting it. Bottom line - it's only your decision in the long run. We can only offer our input. ;)

Post some pics when you get it. I've never seen a rosewood laminate.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

it should be here on monday,but I'm only putting a deposit on it I should have it paid of middle of october,this rosewood is not available in stores only by one vendor,but as soon as it comes in I will take my camera and post a picture,one of the owners told me it is one of the prettiest laminates that he hasever seen.............Ted

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Another thing I forgot to post in eariler posts is both cva and traditions ane make outside U S A and thus are NOT proofed for standard UB S proofs. Whereas TC,knight,etc ARE american made and proofed in U S.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/firearmDetails.php?ID=8883

This isn't a Z5 but it has a T-hole rosewood laminate stock.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

prove it stalkingbear, Show me what a tc is proof tested at. show us all. cva is the #1 selling brand muzzleloader and they wouldnt have gotten there by poorly made products.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

All american made products are proof tested at factory. If I remember correctly it's 25,000 psi. I didn't say cva is junk,they are good. I do know for a fact they are imported,or at least was as of a few years ago. Just because you or other people like them doesn't change anything. As to popularity,a lot of it is due to lower price. Cva is good guns but is and always will be a wanna be compared to tc and knight. It's people like you that buy all imported stuff without a thought that make it hard on american companys and their employees. I have been in the gun business approching 30 years and have learned a few things along the way.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I don't know much about muzzleloaders but if i can buy an imported gun that shoots just as good as an american made gun for 1/3 the price, i'm going to buy the import. Codemn me to h e l l but i sure as heck don't have a ton of money to throw around, just my 2 cents.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

HEY THANKS FOR THE PIC,I'm going to put some money on it tomorrow he called and said it came in today that's the same stock they were offering for $319.99 on the Z5 and there all sold now I have to get the regular stock in rosewood,but thanks for the pic.I will see if he will let me take a pic of it while I'm there.........Ted

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

if everyone wants to see a review of the optima pro and the Z5 omega go to your url and punch in,muzzleloader black powder reviews when page comes up go to, no. 3 which will say MUZZELOADER information page go to Gun articles and reviews and look at CVA optima pro rifle by randy wakeman and then go to thompson omega Z5 by randy wakeman,stunning reviews.........Ted

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

:D:D american guy like me who buys a rifle made in spain because american muzzleloaders dont offer me what i want.

Buy american autos and keep americans in work!


OOoooops wait, chevy, ford, dodge are canadian/ mexico made these days.

Buy a toyota, honda, hyundai and keep america working!

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Hi,

I beleave that the cva guns are great! I have two optima's one nickel black fleck stock and the other is the optima pro its mossyoak with blue barrell, and there sweet shooting guns. For the price you cannot beat them honestly. I would highly recommend these guns they are very accurate and well built.....Shaun
[align=left] [/align]

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I'm in the market for a M/L myself and there is no comparison in reviews as to whether the Cva or the Omega is the better choice. I've rarely read reveiws for any gun that are more positive than those for the omega and now that the new "triumph" has beeen introduced, a person can really find some good deals on the Omega.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Hey frank,I don't have the gun yet probally sat,I paid the scope off today anyway if you want to see what the gun looks like go to,EXCLUSIVE THOMPSON OMEGA,and click on Z5 rose should be the second one you scroll to.As soon as I get the gun here with scope I will post some pics,but if you click on that site you can see the gun.........Ted

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

The quality of materials is not close. Spain vs usa. Also if you need work T/C cannot be beat. Example: Iwas hunting in the rain with my T/C and came home to an emergency. I forgot about the rifle(yea I know) well when I tried to free the trigger and cleanthe block I broke the trigger assy. I called the factory they said send it in. I ups'ed it on Mon Recived a note saying they had it on thursday and they tried to deliver it on Sat. You will NOT get that service from CVA

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

And you know this how?

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Oh yeah T/C did it for free. And I know it because I used to sell both of them.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

My optima has never had to be fixed!

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

So if you buy a tc, dont take it out in the rain or snow because it will "freeze" up and break? Sounds like real quality there!

I borrowed this off another forum:

"T/C repair/tech services is "absolutely" swamped. T/C has removed the desk phones from the "techs" desks so they can focus
on repairing rifles and less time talking to the customer."

I dont know about you guys, but ive been shooting a winchester x-150 for close to 5 years and its never had any warranty service or any kind of break down. TC seems pretty famous for breaking down. And im getting darn close to 2000 shots through it on the original breech plug.
Maybe if they'd improved the parts that they know are prone to problems, they wouldnt be swamped with repair work.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

As I stated the break down was all my fault not the gun . The gun was badly abused and for that I'm ashamed, My point is They took care of thier product at no charge. The reason I know about cva is i spent pleanty of time with one of thier reps. He was much happier selling kyacks than fielding ? about cva's

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

So you only READ that-heresay I say unless you see or hear 1st hand,it's just another rumor. I have 10 cva come in my shop for every tc for work of any kind. I can back this up directly from my repair orders.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Not my fault others dont know how to put their warranty to use. I perfer the winchester brand, but cva does/ did make an awesome percussion sidelock.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I'd go with the T/C omega. These are some very accurate muzzleloaders. Despite the claim by one of the previous posters I have never heard of any problems with the Omegas breaking easily or needing more repairs than other muzzleloaders. In fact my experiences and what I have been told is just the opposite. My friend runs a sporting goods store and he has less toubles by far with T/C muzzleloaders thanany other brand he sells. I have also noted that Omegas tend (on average) to be more accurate than cheaper CVA muzzeoaders.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

In the area I hunt in NY the only way I am allowed to shoot a doe is either with a bow or muzzleloader. I have very little confidence with a bow so I decided to get a muzzleloader. I bought the cheap CVA Wolf through the mail never having handled one. I must say that I am quite impressed with what I got for the little money I spent. I have not fired it yet, but if I get a 4 inch group at 100 yards I will be more than satisfied since any shot will probably be a good deal closer than that. It just didn't make sense to me spending more money for a gun that can only be used during a one week season of which I probably won't be able to hunt more than 2 or 3 days. For this reason I think the CVA's are one of the best deals one can find in hunting.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

I have a CVA Kodiak and also a T/C BMMAG and Omega. I do hunt with both T/C and CVA and I do like theCVA. It shoots great and has been reliable in all weahter that I have exposed it to. T/C is a better made firearm undoubtly, but I would be getting along just fine with only a CVA. CS is good at CVA, they will get back to you quickly, T/C does not have the best customer service - they will talk to you, but to get what you need seems to take more tries than are needed. This is something that big-brother is re-engineering at T/C now and I hope they can do it.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Steve863, I bought a Wolf just to see if I'd enjoy hunting with a muzzleloader. You'll like the Wolf. Picture below is a 3 shot group at 50yards 250gr Knight Red Hots with Crushed Rib Sabots, 2 50gr Pyrodex pellets, 209 Remington Kleen bore primers. I tend not to get into the TC/CVA debates. I spent way less for my CVA and I'm happy. I only had one issue that I needed to call customer service and got taken care so I'm satisfied. Everyone has their "pet" firearms as do I.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

And heres a group at 100 yards. Note the target is 6 inches in diameter so the 50yd shot is about 3 inches high. On the 100 yard shot I started with a clean barrel with no swabbing between shots. 1 2 and 3 are in the center and then the others started to open up. Thats a dead deer no matter how you want to slice it

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

That looks like a mighty fine group! If I can do anything close to that with my gun I will be more than delighted. What is even MORE important than the size of the group is that a deer will be just as dead as if we were shooting something costing a lot more!

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Thanks for the second photo, also! You are darn right that would be one dead deer. I have some 250 grain shockwaves and some 250 Hornady sabots I will be trying. I got some 50 grain 777 pellets since those were the only thing the store carried and plan to use a 100grain charge . I also got Remington primers as you do. I plan to shoot it in another week. I put an older spare 4x redfield scope on it with Durasight scope mounts. The gun is also nice and light. I bought the gun from Cabelas and had over $100 in members points along with a gift card that my wife had given me for my birthday. I honestly didn't pay one red cent for this gun which makes the whole package even sweeter!!

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

Winchester X-150, 300 grain XTP @ 50 yards. Open sights.


X-150 with a 410 grain hornady great plains conical, 100 yards, open sights


CVA Staghorn, "2" shots in the black" 410 grain great plains conical, 75 yards open sight.

RE: CVA OPTIMA OR T/C OMEGA OPINIONS ?
 

T/C Omega 3 shot group with 240 grain Hornady XTP mags at 100 yards. Each square is one inch by one inch. That's not just accurate enough that's sub 1 inch accurate at 100 yards. To each his own but I like having a muzzleloader that is every bit as accurate asmy centerfire rifles.