CVA
APEX .50 Caliber Muzzleloader
Some measurements:
Weight - 7 lbs 5 oz per digital fish scales
(weighed with sling removed)
Overall length 42”
Barrel length 26 7/8”
(including breech
plug)
Barrel length 26 3/8” without plug
1/4”
easy load inset at muzzle
Barrel effective (rifled) length 25”
Length of pull – 14”
Rifling is extremely well done with 8 lands and grooves that
appear to be equally spaced
As best I have determined at this point, land to land
measure in the bore is very close to .501”. The
groove
to groove has not yet been determined but the depth of the grooves
appears
to be on the shallow side, perhaps .004”.
The crown and easy load section are beautifully done.
The same can be said for the Bergara
barrel in
general. The fluting is nicely sculpted and evenly
done. An attractive
matte finish reduces the reflectivity of the 416R stainless.
Ramrod length 23 3/4” diameter .375” ( 3/8” )
The supplied ramrod is solid anodized aluminum with a nice,
firmly affixed brass jag.
Both ends of the rod are tapped for inserts. A rod extension of 3 5/8”
length in solid brass is provided.
The provided and installed one-piece Durasight scope
base outermost slot spacing 3 3/16”
with
a third slot centered between.
The base is secured with 4 Torx
head screws, wrench provided, and the base is reversible.
Note: lug resting on forearm, notice the checkered panels.
Also view of lug weld.
Action pin diameter .394” -----
length 1 1/4” with beveled ends
Trigger pull digital fish scale measure – 3lbs 2oz as delivered
The hand removable stainless breech plug has a grooved head
and finely
threaded
main body. The nose of the breech plug
has a slightly inset flat face
with
two internal “steps” downward in internal diameter. The total inset
is
~ 1/8” deep with the two steps being half that. The outer
rim
of the top step is quite narrow.
Obviously an attempt on CVA’s part
to
eliminate leakage back into the longer threaded area of the plug body.
There is also an unthreaded section along the forward 5/16”
of the plug’s main body.
Perhaps a picture or two would be worth a thousand words
here:
Per Mark Hendricks of CVA: “The oval slot in the breechplug
is for the breechplug wrench that we
found was completely unnecessary. As you
know, the competitors’ quick breechplugs are really
cool at the sales
counter, but after a few rounds they are as
tight as the old designs. We were
last with our design because we did not do a quickie job at
it. One of our sales reps recently did a
shoot and the Apex was fired 98 times without
removing the breechplug. When cleaning time
came the plug came out with finger pressure only. The
inner ring on the end
of the plug is what does the sealing. The outer ring is
there to protect the inner ring
from minor bumps that might damage it and upset the seal.”
The primer pocket is inset with respect the grooved section
of the plug. An oval-shaped cutout
is
machined alongside the primer. See above
comments from Mark Hendricks.
Note: in the above image, the plug is backed out a bit from
the snugged position.
The rifle includes no extractor, a feature I’ll surely not
miss as I find muzzleloader
209 primer extractors to be generally useless.
Plug shown here fully snugged in
position.
I have an inquiry in to CVA about availability and cost of
extra breech plugs.
Fit and finish are excellent.
Metal work looks superb with near perfect lug-welds. (shown above)
Lock up of the action is very solid. Detected no play of the barrel
when
attempting to move it either in the up-down or side-side direction.
Geometry of the additional fixed pin inside the frame along
with the removable barrel pin, along with
the
very tight tolerances of the machined parts, provides a rigid feel and smooth
action operation.
The action is opened by pulling back the lower tang which
projects down and slightly
rearward
from the trigger guard. The whole of
that assembly rotates backward in an arc
and
releases the internal locking lug. Both release and closure are smooth and
solid.
The action body is also stainless with only the hammer,
hammer extension, trigger shoe,
action
retaining bolt w/washer, forearm screw, and the trigger adjustment screw being
blued steel.
Note: This is a view of the lower rear of the action
assembly. The empty hole behind the
guard assembly
should
be filled with the trigger adjustment screw (easy access). I mistakenly thought that screw might need
be
backed out for butt stock removal… it doesn’t, but no harm done.
The Apex is visually appealing and, more importantly,
handles and shoulders very well. The gun
feels
lighter
than the numbers would indicate due to the nicely balanced design. The
butt
stock and forearm feel solid and their lines compliment the metal. The butt of the rifle is finished
with
what appears to be a solid rubber recoil pad of good thickness. Fitting of the pad to the butt stock
is
very acceptable, unlike many of today’s firearms.
Both the butt stock and forend
have what appear to be checkered panels, on the butt stock to
either
side of the pistol grip while the forend includes a
lower panel in addition to the side panels.
The balance of the stock set is finished in a smooth, matte
black (camo available). As noted
by
“Busta” the black stocks will show up oils and grease
easily. A wipe-down with a clean cloth
will
alleviate that problem.
The checkered panels yield a positive grip and feel slightly
rubbery.
The comb is high and correct for scope use.
The ambidextrous cheek pad design of the butt stock is not
obtrusive to the eye and
actually
blends quite well in the stock’s overall appearance. Many will find that design to be of
advantage.
There are no iron sights installed nor included, however the
barrel
is
tapped fore and aft with a single, filled screw hole. The filler screw matches the stainless
finish.
CVA will likely (if not already) sell optional iron sights
for the rifle.
My eyes dictate the use of optics, so iron sights
will
not be required.
Tapped hole for rear
sight, similar one near muzzle (no sights included)
Removing
the butt stock from the action requires a Phillips head screwdriver to remove
the grip cap, then a
6mm
hex head wrench to loosen the retaining bolt.
The Apex uses the same arrangement in this regard as does
CVA’s
muzzleloader-only Accura model.
Loosening that bolt allows it to be withdrawn along with its
washer. The action may then be worked
out
of
the butt stock with a bit of forward, wiggling movement.
The above shows the action along with its retaining bolt and
washer in the foreground.
The corresponding area of the butt stock is partially shown
below:
This appears to be a simple, solid solution as evidenced by
my Accura rifles
which
use the same system. Take note of the
discolored areas, those are due
to
grease and oils… easily wiped off.
Of course the ramrod slips out of its holders, then the forearm can be removed
after
loosening the single, slotted screw.
Notice in the above picture, the somewhat unusual spring
retainers for the ramrod – very
effective
at holding the ramrod in position.
The forearm retainer is identical to that used on the CVA Accura rifles… the standoff is wedged
into
a dovetail on the lower radius of the barrel and secured by tension.
I noticed no instruction for removal/replacement of the
firing pin for cleaning
but
the system looks intuitive enough. A
small Allen wrench is used to loosen the
retaining
screw then the spring-loaded firing pin would be carefully removed to the rear.
Update: Mark
Hendricks of CVA indicates this is covered in current literature
provided
with the rifle… “After
shooting blackpowder or blackpowder
substitutes
the firing pin and firing
pin hole should be carefully cleaned. Using a 2.5mm Allen wrench,
remove the screw visible
above the hammer. The firing pin and spring will come out to the rear.
Clean the firing pin,
firing pin spring and the hole in the frame with solvent and oil. Reassemble in
reverse order. Push on the
firing pin to make sure it travels fully and smoothly. Verify that the pin
retracts properly into the
frame after being struck by the hammer. A FIRING PIN THAT IS
NOT PROPERLY
MAINTAINED CAN FAIL TO RETRACT AFTER FIRING RESULTING
IN A "SLAM
FIRE" CONDITION WHEREIN THE GUN FIRES INVOLUNTARILY THE
NEXT TIME IT IS
LOADED AND CLOSED.”
Update 2: Having now
performed a firing pin cleaning, I must say it is doable but
a
little tedious. I located a properly
fitting Allen wrench and found the clearances involved
to
be very tight and turning the screw a little difficult. Perhaps repeats of that procedure
will
become routine. The small Allen wrench
that is provided is too small for the screw
so
I am now unsure for what purpose that wrench is intended.
Again, from Mark Hendricks: The small allen wrench is for the open
sights that do not
come with the gun. The torx is for the
scope mount. The pin is easy to service if you use a
“Ball end” allen wrench.
Hammer travel is smooth with only a slight click when the
sear engages and the rifle is cocked.
Anyone that knows the old sidelock
trick can completely avoid any sound from that
cocking
action.
Action closed with hammer cocked. The breech plug being absent allows easy
retrieval
of
cleaning patches should one be so inclined.
Accessories included: owner’s brochure and other literature, sling,
hammer extension installed,
a
priming/depriming tool, some extra scope base hole
filler screws,
ramrod
extension and two wrenches (a tiny Allen wrench
and
the base screw Torx wrench).
I’ll give this rifle high marks
with regard to fit and finish, smoothness of operation and overall build
quality.
I find CVA’s recommended load maximum of 110 grains loose
powder
to be somewhat confusing as this rifle is obviously of the highest
quality. The rifle is also
rated
for 3-pellet loads if the user chooses that route. Perhaps, like me, CVA believes
loads
beyond 110 grains of loose to be a waste of powder and a form of
self-abuse.
ps: Failed to notice the Delrin
inserts in the ramrod ferrules and Mark Hendricks accurately
pointed
those out to me. Per Mark: “These dampen the
noise that comes from the ramrod rattling
against steel and
protect the finish of the rod so it doesn’t look 10 years old after the first
range trip.”