Conicals in CVA Optima

[larry ipock]

I asked CVA, they've never gotten back. Can you shoot conicals in the Optima safely? Just bought one, have not shot it yet. I gotten good performance with Hornady XTP's in 240 and 300 gr. in my Knight. Would like to shoot conicals, because of bullet being same as bore, and no plastic fouling. Never shot them in my Knight , cause according to the manual , conicals could move slightly in the barrel and leave gap between powder and projectile. Not good.

 

[GMB54]

Do you imagine lead leaves less fouling than a modern sabot?...doubtful. The sabot fouling myth is terribly over blown by companies like CVA that want to sell overpriced Powerbelts. Sabots leave very little fouling unless you blow one or if your bore is as rough as a cob.

Conicals are fine in either as long as they are properly sized. Just dont push them too fast. Use a tight fitting wad between powder and conical. Its a good idea to try a fiber wad and wool just to see what yours prefers. When using wool use the next larger caliber.

 

[CHRIS WILSON]

Haven't shot conicals in a long time but had an early model optima back in 2006 that I shot 410 gr Great Plains conical out of. I believe I was using either 85 or 90 gr of Triple 7. They shot surprisingly well. Killed several deer and a couple of hogs with that rifle and load. Never recovered a bullet. Always went in one side and out the other. Exits wounds were impressive.

 

[GMB54]

Great Pains 410gr was a excellent bullet. Lot better than the 385gr they still offer. They kept the wrong one.

 

[CHRIS WILSON]

Great Pains 410gr was a excellent bullet. Lot better than the 385gr they still offer. They kept the wrong one.

I agree. Never could get the 385 gr. to shoot as well as the 410 gr.