• Help Support TNDeer:

Smokeless CVA Scout conversion

Smokeless

philsanchez76

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
1,972
Location
Middle TN
Got my barrel back from Jeff Hankins. Went with the Direct Ignition system. Thx to all that helped inform my decision. I've already put over 100 shots through it (crazy I know given the scarcity of components) but it's just so fun to shoot compared to my old black powder muzzleloader or my 12 gauge slug gun. Been playing with full bore 45s as well as saboted 40s. Sightron STAC on top. I'm getting close to 2800 fps out of this sucker with less recoil than the 12 gauge slug loads going at 1200 fps. Life is good. But it won't be good for deer next season.

5611EE34-6E4A-4FA1-AB76-183CEE7C6EB7.png
 
If anyone has any solid bullet/powder combos they've been using lemme know. I'm trying as much as I can. So far the 40 cal Pittman Accumax is shooting best (sub 1 inches at 100 yards). Got some 45 cal Barnes solids to test out and so far haven't been able to get them under 3 inch groups. If anyone has some experience with copper lemme know too. Annealing maybe in my future????
 
 
My apex will shoot 290gr Barnes tez's into the same hole with 60 grains of h4198. This has 209 ignition so please account for DI. I was blessed in that these bullets do not have to be sized to fit my barrel. I do use a veggie wad.

I can't remember velocity off hand but recoil is noticeable.
Nice! Yes I do download 15 % from a 209 load and slowly work up. DI seems to produce quite a bit more pressure.
 
My apex will shoot 290gr Barnes tez's into the same hole with 60 grains of h4198. This has 209 ignition so please account for DI. I was blessed in that these bullets do not have to be sized to fit my barrel. I do use a veggie wad.

I can't remember velocity off hand but recoil is noticeable.
I have an apex conversion that I've yet to shoot. I think mine uses rifle primers in the brass things. I'd be happy if it shoots that well and need to shoot it.
 
I have an apex conversion that I've yet to shoot. I think mine uses rifle primers in the brass things. I'd be happy if it shoots that well and need to shoot it.
Who did your conversion?
Ignition type is HUGELY important in cross-referencing others loads. A lot of great people here to answer questions for you.
 
Nice setup, I tote a CVA Scout V2 that LOOKS just like yours, but is not direct ignition. Bestill Creations (Jeff Fisk) did my conversion, ASG 209 breech plug with carbide bushing. I use 60 grains H4198, harvester light blue sabots and .40 cal SSTs. Right at 2600 fps and a dream to tote and kill deer with.
 
Nice setup, I tote a CVA Scout V2 that LOOKS just like yours, but is not direct ignition. Bestill Creations (Jeff Fisk) did my conversion, ASG 209 breech plug with carbide bushing. I use 60 grains H4198, harvester light blue sabots and .40 cal SSTs. Right at 2600 fps and a dream to tote and kill deer with.
Yessir I remember. You were instrumental in my decision to go with the scout. Loving it so far. I managed to snag about 40 of those .40 cal sst's to test. Man those things are hard to find right now!
 
Make sure you make double lung shots with those 40 cal sst's because they are explosive. No shoulder shots, etc.

Kyle Pittman of Pittman Bullets is an awesome guy. Meet him in person or talk with him on the phone and you will agree. Kyle lives about 45 minutes from me. When we started building 40 cal sml's with real magnum rifle twist rates and bore diameters (1:13.2 to 1:16 Rock Creek .408 Cheytac barrels), there weren't any good bullets out there. I went so far as to anneal, swage down some .411 Barnes bullets and then full form them. They shot pretty good though.
Kyle engineered the Accumax 225, 250, 275, and 300gr bullets, had dies made and had a test batch ran. I ran some loads with various powders in Quickload. He brought 12 of each weight bullets 225, 250, 275gr and I brought the never before fired loads and my rifle to the Norris rifle range. What transpired that day was nothing short of amazing. Here is one of the targets.
20170910_213504.jpg
THIS LOAD IS NOT FOR USE IN A BREAK ACTION.
A 225gr Accumax was propelled 3383fps into a .210" group at 120 yards by an untuned never before fired load. I have other groups from that day that are nearly this good with other powders and bullet weights. We also tested the 225gr saboted in Kyle's Krieger barreled 45 sml that day and saw right then that it would stabilize from a sabot and shoot accurately.
I can run a load for the saboted 225gr Accumax in a 45 break action with DI ignition. You could also use the 250gr 45 cal Accumax sabotless. If you're shooting sub moa with the 40 cal Accumax I'd say you have your load. Also, if you're getting 2800fps out of the 225gr bullet, you need to hunt with the hard core version that Kyle sells.

This target is a 250gr Varget load from that same session. 250gr bullet at 3401fps at 1/2 moa untuned load.
Screenshot_20220208-013203_Gallery.jpg
 
Last edited:
Yessir I remember. You were instrumental in my decision to go with the scout. Loving it so far. I managed to snag about 40 of those .40 cal sst's to test. Man those things are hard to find right now!
Some may frown on this, but nowadays I mainly hunt with these "factory seconds" bullets from Midway. Mine are yellow tipped, so likely Hornady factory second SSTs that were produced for Thompson Center. These are just the bullets, no sabots. They "look" perfect to me, I cannot see any blemishes so to speak. All of my shots are under 200, and 98% of them are under 100 yards, and I have been satisfied to date. I bought a box of these and will be set for life for "woods hunting", the way I hunt 99% of the time. I rarely ever hunt open fields with an opportunity to stretch it out, but occasionally do in the evenings.

.40 cal 200 grain SST
 

Latest posts

Back
Top