When it comes to the outdoors in this day in age, everyone is an expert. From social media social media forums, blogs, vlogs, and YouTube, many seem to know everything there is to know about everything. The issue with that is that everyone disagrees because their expert opinion doesn’t align with another expert's opinion. Where does that leave you the consumer? Lost? Confused? Bewildered? More than likely you have had an experience with the experts and have been taken down winding roads that have more hairpin curves than a mountainside in West Virginia.

From my personal experience, the best expert you can have is yourself. That doesn’t mean you can’t listen to others and gain information, but when it comes down to picking the right CVA Muzzleloader and bullet combination, you and your gun have the final say. Unlike bows, you cannot go out and test different models, but you can go out feel the gun itself. Not every gun will fit you the way you like. You may hold and shoulder an Accura PR and not like how it feels in comparison to the Optima. A high price tag and the cream of the crop doesn’t always mean it’s the best for you.

Once you hold a few models in your hands and pick the right one for you, the work begins. It’s now time to select a propellant and a bullet. Again, there are many experts out there, but when it comes down to it, your gun will be the best expert you have. All guns, no matter the brand or model, will perform differently. An Optima V2 with a 100 grains of Blackhorn 209 and a 250-grain Powerbelt Aerolite could shoot differently than the same model gun with same propellant and bullet combination made during the same production run. I have three Optima’s, all different years, and each of them shoots a different bullet the best. One of them would not pattern with a 245-grain Powerbelt Aerotip but drove tacks with a 295-grain Powerbelt Aerotip. One shot the best with a 250-grain Aerolite and the other shoots best with a 245-grain Aerotip (All three guns use 100 grains of 777 pellets). All are the same or similar style gun, but all shot differently.

When you’re looking to purchase a new muzzleloader do your research; take notes and gather information from the “experts.” Go to your local firearms dealer and feel the way each gun fits your shoulder and cheek. CVA has a make and model for everyone, and we are sure that you will find one that fits you perfectly with a little time and effort. Once you purchase that new CVA, hit the range and find the right bullet and propellant combination that fits your gun the best. When that’s done, you will have a freezer filling machine on your hands.

Y’all shoot straight and get your kids outdoors!