CVA Scouts

A

Anthropas

Active member
Hi all,

I picked up a couple of new CVA Scout V2's from buds recently. I nabbed the 6.5cm and the 44 mag. Both are meant to be deer hunting options this fall in the south western MN slug zone. I grew up in a family that loved contendors and took my very first deer ever with a 15" colt .45 barrel made from the TC custom shop. Deer was quartering too me at around 25 yards and it practically back flipped. Had some 250gr XTP's loaded over a semi-hot load of 296. I sold the barrel long ago and the frame was my fathers who sold that as well. Since that time I have wanted to get back into the single shot pistol word, but TC prices have gone through the roof and for $375 the CVA's make a compelling alternative. Anyone here have any experience with them?
 
Anthropas

Welcome from Central Florida. I have one that was chambered for 45-70 that I rechambered to 45-90, not to steal anything from New England firearms, but it's a handy little rifle.

I had to use epoxy or I'm fixing to have to use epoxy to hold the new scope rail down😡

We've got another member who goes by Les and he did the exact same thing with the 45-70 as I did. He was so impressed he just purchased one in 35 Whelen. I'll leave the rest for Les to tell his own story.

Speed kills

💥🚀🔨☠️
 
Thanks Joe, everything I have seen on the rifles has been very complimentary. WhoTeeWho probably has the most content on the Pistol versions on youtube, but I've yet to see him say anything critical about anything so I put his content in the "entertainment" category rather than a critical review.

As far as I can tell, there is only 1 .429 hammer pistol bullet and it is not designed to shed petals. Is that correct? The hollow point opens a bit, but it seems like it's designed to be a deep driver. Given I'm planning on hunting whitetails from close distances in a blind, is there anything expanding in the hammer line for pistol bullets?
 
If I still had my Marlin 44 Magnum, I don't know if I would change the loads that I shot in it. I used the 240 xtp on top of a compressed load of h110, devastating on Florida size deer and pigs.
 
Yep, I can't complain about my experience with the XTP bullet. I'd prefer to get away from lead in my meat, but the only real alternatives I've seen that interest me are the Barnes XPB and TAC. For some reason the Barnes load data for those is very anemic. Not sure if that's out of an abundance of caution or if there is a legitimate reason (like hitting pressure early) why they can't be loaded hotter. Their top load for their 225gr bullet is 22.1 grains of H110 and Hodgon has a load for the Speer 225 JHP with 25 grains.

I understand this is not the reloading forum, but is there an risk of hitting pressure earlier in copper bullets (non-hammer) since they are less forgiving if you have a tight bore?
 
There's this...
hammerbullets.com

.429 Cal-200gr Shock Hammer™ - Hammer Bullets

Designed for the 444 Marlin, this 200gr pure copper Shock Hammer™ will perform well in the lever action and get plenty of velocity for great range and terminal performance.
hammerbullets.com hammerbullets.com

But I did some tests with the 205 Jack hammer 7.25" barrel. Its in this pistol forum. It will run even better at rifle length speeds and it would be fine for me to at least 80 yards in a revolver(farther than I can do with open sights).

Edit to add:

Testing with handgun calibers?

No, not the rifle calibers some of us shoot in handguns but actual handgun rounds from actual handguns. For example, has anyone tested the 205 grain .429s from a .44 magnum on a decent testing media, ballistic gel, pork shoulder, live critter? The weight alone screams high velocity (i.e. a...
hammerbullets.com
 
They lied! The spec sheet says that the 35 Whelen should weigh 5.6 pounds. It weighs 8 pounds just like the 45/70 that was made into a 45/90. The second lie is the barrel is really 23.35 inches long not 25. You can't count the brake! I was hopeful, but not really surprised that it weighs about the same. That said, I am still happy with my purchase and gun. The CVA Scout is not a Handi-Rifle or even the Henry Single Shot. The build quality is much better. The fore end hanger system really works and doesn't affect barrel harmonics like other single shots. It can easily be broke down and put in your pack. I'm still trying to understand why these guns are so heavy. With the weight, I might just shoot it without the brake.

I think Anthropas bought pistols. It is the same action as the rifle. Welcome from Idaho
 
I have one, the take down model in 35 Whelen. I bought it because I was interested in the 35 Whelen and it was all I could find at the time. I now also have a Winchester model 70 I re-barreled to 35 Whelen. That being said I really like the CVA. Its very accurate and compact. Overall length of the rifle is 7 inches shorter than my M70 in 35 Whelen with a 22 in barrel. Take down option is way cool. I travel to hunts and get sick of the full size hard cases. I've practiced with it quite a bit, with rounds on the stock I can reload almost as fast as I can with a bolt gun. I posted a load I worked up for the 35 Whelen with the 245gr Shock Hammer in the reloading section. That load was worked up with the CVA.
 
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Hi guys, thanks for all the feedback. Yes, I bought a pair of the pistol versions of the scout. They were supposedly discontinued, but I heard they make runs from time to time. In the MN Slug zone you can't use a centerfire cartridge in a rifle. But you can use one in a pistol. It makes no sense, but that's the DNR for ya. So I kept my eye out and Bud's got a new batch in the other day. It was my first time ordering anything online, but it was very straightforward and they were delivered to my LGS in less than a week. I paid $50 for a transfer fee for both pistols and done.

I put a 2-7x scope on the 6.5cm and am thinking red dot for the 44 mag. Just can't settle on which one. Seems like you can't find anything that doesn't have QC issues these days unless you are willing to buy an aimpoint, which would cost more than the pistol.
 
I got a vortex crossfire II red dot to put on my 30-30 for my wife to use and we both like it 👍 I know the crossfire’s are pretty much a set it and forget it option, basically no good for dialing but we never do that with it, just confirm zero and go hunt.
 
Well I'm 46, so I'll let you decide :) Thanks for your feedback on the Vortex, I have been looking at that one as well as the Sig Romeo5 and a few others. I hear Vortex stands behind their warranty very well, but hopefully I won't have to find out.
 
Just got to shoot a CVA Scout that a guy had at the range on Tuesday. It was in 6.5 Grendel. Pretty swank!
 
Nice! I haven't had a chance to take mine to the range yet, I'm still gathering up the reloading components. Out of curiosity, how was the accuracy?
 
I was shooting off a sandbag at 50 yards. I’m not a super duper pistol shot, but I think that group was about 3/4 inch. From what he told me, both him and his brother were able to get 1.5 groups at 200 yards with it. He didn’t seem to be full of baloney, so I don’t have a reason to doubt him. He hand loads for it.
 
les said:
They lied! The spec sheet says that the 35 Whelen should weigh 5.6 pounds. It weighs 8 pounds just like the 45/70 that was made into a 45/90. The second lie is the barrel is really 23.35 inches long not 25. You can't count the brake! I was hopeful, but not really surprised that it weighs about the same. That said, I am still happy with my purchase and gun. The CVA Scout is not a Handi-Rifle or even the Henry Single Shot. The build quality is much better. The fore end hanger system really works and doesn't affect barrel harmonics like other single shots. It can easily be broke down and put in your pack. I'm still trying to understand why these guns are so heavy. With the weight, I might just shoot it without the brake.

I think Anthropas bought pistols. It is the same action as the rifle. Welcome from Idaho
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I was suspicious about the barrel length claim. Their catalog has the weight listed as 8.8 pounds, so they’re chunks. I was thinking you could get away without the brake since the whelen has manageable recoil and I know CVAs to handle magnum charges in their MZs pretty well with similarly designed stocks and identical pads.

I’d love to know how the 35 cal hammers compare to their smaller cousins in terms of terminal performance. Farleg seems to be a staunch proponent of fatter bullets killing better, but most of what I’ve seen from him for 30 cal. No idea if he has the kills racked up with the 33/35/375 calibers to say if they’re that much more devastating.
 
After running close to 100 rounds through my Whelen, it is a fun gun to shoot with very little felt recoil using the brake. It sounds like you are concerned about recoil. The overall length being short because it is a single shot makes up for some of the weight. It feels comfortable in the hand, and has good balance. I'll be hunting bear in April with it.
 
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