Traditions Vortek Ultra Light LDR

Well she is here!!  I recently wanted to offer the members of my forum more options on muzzle loaders they can choose from. I have done a lot of work with the CVA rifles and Traditions has always had my attention for the past couple years and I was finally able to get the brand new Traditions Ultra Light LDR " Long Distance Rifle"..


As we all can see, a lot of writers just give you the factory Specs on the rifle, I however go through these rifles looking for any obvious flaws, but most importantly, Tune up tips!

Fedex dropped the rifle off while i was measuring out some charges of Blackhorn209. Once I heard that truck pull up I couldn't stop shaking!  Getting the box inside i tore it open and pulled out the other box encasing the Vortek Ultra Light... You talk about eyes popping out of your head! 

 The Buck Reaper camo pattern is extremely well laid out and the over molded grip panels feels great in your hands. The stock also is coated with a rubberized coating called Soft Touch which in my opinion, reduces glare as well as adding some grip to the overall set up. This is one item I love on these stocks.

 Also pictured is the recoil pad. This in my opinion was a bit on the stiff side for a light weight gun, after 5 to 6 shots my shoulder was starting to feel a bit achy. Certainly not a concern during hunting season, but if you are a range junkie like me, you'd certainly appreciate a softer recoil pad.

The trigger pull came out of the box at 48oz with no creep and no grit. The Vortek Ultra Light LDR comes with a Drop Out Trigger which is EASILY removed by simply removing the hammer spur and a Single screw from the trigger guard area. You will be able to clean your trigger and oil it to keep it in safe working condition.

 The Vortek Ultra Light LDR I had ordered came with not only Rings & Mounts, But a 4-12x40mm Traditions Ballistics Reticle Scope! This scope is clear and crisp and the cross hairs are just the right width for both Target shooting and Hunting. 


The LDR also came with more goodies! This 6" to 9" Bipod was a great benefit for this rifle! With the right sand bag under the rear of the stock, you can actually leave your shooting rest at home and have a rock solid set up already on your Muzzle Loader! The Bipod appears to be very well made and does not make any noise while carrying it over your shoulder or if you were stalking up on that Big Game animal you are hunting. An extremely nice piece of equipment!

Working our way to one of the most important parts on any gun.... The Barrel.... The LDR comes with a 30" Chromoly barrel that has a CeraKote Finish which is 50 times more resistant than Stainless Steel. In my opinion if you were to add DynaTeks Ultra Bore Coat to the interior of the bore, you'd have a rust proof barrel and a heck of a lot less worrying while you are in the field, Along with easier cleaning. The barrel also has the muzzle loading industry standard 1:28 rifling twist made for both Conicals and Sabot Projectiles.


The steel Ram Rod Thimbles are nicely snug against the ramrod to prevent ram rod rattle while stalking what ever you are after. The ramrod also has a 2 in 1 kit kind of deal. The end unscrews and you have both a bullet loading jag as well as a cleaning jag if you have to swab your bore clean during a hunt. A very nice item to have and well built. Its important to note that the ramrod is NOT the cheap flexy kind you often find on muzzle loaders these days.

Now we all see the comparison of the Finger removable breech plug that the Big Three have out. One design doesn't work, ext, ext.  Does the Traditions Vortek Ultra Light LDR Accelerator Quick Breech Plug Truly work? Yes, Mine worked flawlessly as advertised even after firing 30 shots in a single trip to the range. How was the blow back into the threads you ask?  No blow back got past the Rubber O ring that seals up the gasses.


The breech plug does turn out very quickly and installation again, as easy as it came out, but with a little more grunt to it as the rubber O Ring has to seal up in the chamber. I highly doubt you will strain your thumb and finger installing it.


Now I am sure you all took notice to the Three visible primers in that breech plug picture.  How is the primer blow by on the LDR? Well, To be quite honest, I did a little Tune Up on this area before I even thought about shooting it.  You see, on the forum Frontier Muzzle loading, a member already had an LDR and he did have a small amount of blow by from the primer with the Fiocchi brand primers. I use CCI 209 Magnum primers which run in the neighborhood of .295" to .297"  These shorter primers can cause more blow by in some rifles. Traditions "And other companies as well" appears to have engineered the breech plug to work with a large variety of primers and so tolerances are a bit loose, mainly on the head spacing " Primer to frame fit".

How did I fix the Blow by issue and how much did it cost?  CHEAP!  $2.85 + Shipping and handling for a 100 pack of the Metric Buna-N O-Ring.

You can order these O rings by going to the following link: Metric O ring  and type in the code: 9262K611. You can go a head and place your order and when they arrive, Simply take one and push it into the primer pocket of the breech plug. An old primer helps seat the O ring.

How many shots can I get out of this before I must replace the O ring? I have fired over 40 shots on mine so far and have not seen any wear on it! A single O ring will go a long long way. Be sure to remove the O ring with a tooth pick or anything you have handy when you are cleaning. Clean O ring and breech plug, dry and re-install.

I'm betting you all would like to see some more primers. All 23 primers pictured are the shots I took with the rifle the first couple hours I had it.

Blackhorn209!! The Quick breech plug on the Traditions Vortek UL LDR will work perfectly fine with Blackhorn209. The breech plug sports an 1/8" flash channel as well as a .033" " At least mine does anyway" Flash Hole. This is perfect in order to reliably set off Blackhorn209. What primers should you use?? HOT PRIMERS! Blackhorn209 needs a good hot primer such as the CCI 209 Magnum, Federal 209A primer or the Winchester W209 primer. Regular CCI 209 Primers are also great to use. I prefer the CCI 209 Magnum as they have been almost fail proof for me.

Breech plug cleaning: To clean the breech plug after shooting Blackhorn209, I simply used my fingers and an 1/8" drill bit and ran it down the Flash Channel of the breech plug and turned it a few times to "Cut" out all of the carbon build up. It doesn't matter what powder you shoot, Use the drill bit trick to FULLY clean the breech plug. The tool shown is available by Western Powders.

Accuracy: The Traditions Vortek LDR so far has been an excellent shooting muzzle loader with the 250gr Powerbelt Aerolites. A lot of my testing / shooting is done with conical bullets due to Colorado laws limiting us to full bore conical bullets. Powerbelts have been great selling bullets but performance wise, they need an overhaul in order to stop the over expanding/fragmenting in big game animals.

I am a big Powerbelt fan despite the performance issues on big game, but I know they are an accurate bullet and do the job, so I started off with 90 grains Volume, Blackhorn209, 250gr Powerbelt Aerolite, CCI 209 Magnum primers at sighted in at 50 yards. My first Two shots impacted a good 8" low, but almost center. Making my adjustments and getting it right where it needed to be, I packed up and moved to my 100 yard range for some fine tuning.  After getting all sighted in where it was close enough, I took Three shots, allowing a few minutes in between shots to cool down the barrel and produced a 1-1/2" Three shot group! Not to shabby for the first evening with a brand new rifle.

Due to our weather lately, I have not been able to shoot as often as I'd like due to extreme heat or hurricane winds, So once things calm down, I will have my Chronograph out on the range, along with more conicals and sabots to shoot and work loads up for.

 Next up will be the .501" Thor conical, The 260 and 300gr Harvester Scorpion PT Gold, and last the 370gr Maxi ball that I cast my self.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the Traditions Vortek LDR! The muzzle loader as stated, could use some minor tweaks here and there, but these are just some small items to make it just perfect. The O ring tune up is one that I HIGHLY recommend you shooters try out if you buy this model of break action muzzle loader. It will work on the other Traditions Break Actions as well as the CVA Brand Muzzle loaders.

With more time and load development I believe this will be a rifle that is worth every penny!

It is almost important to note that the muzzle loader IS drilled and tapped for Open sights should you need then for states like Colorado. The LDR weighs in at 6.8lbs but with the provided set up you see on mine, including the bi pod, the total weight is 8lbs 6.5oz. Not bad at all! 

The LDR also has Dual safeties. The first safety is a trigger block safety and the other is the Internal hammer block safety. A very wise decision to go with. We will call it a Lawyer safety as there was always a back up system!

Check back for more updates on accuracy and how the Traditions Vortek Ultra Light LDR is holding up!

CVA Headspace Adjustment Shims

Click For larger views

NEW!! CVA has just sent me and a few others some test shims. These Kits will be sold by CVA for a few dollars to anyone who needs to adjust their headspace for a nice snug fit against the primer to prevent blow by. CLICK TO : See our first "How to fix" write up to fully understand.

Hopefully now you look my advise and checked out our first How to fix write up and now fully understand what we will be discussing here today.

This Shim Kit replaces the Teflon tape and now allows you to fully screw down the bushing " Once shims are installed" rather than leaving it loose like we used to do.

Next step as usual, Pick what brand of primer that will be used. I use Blackhorn209 Powder and so I use CCI 209 Magnum primers as they are the hottest and have provided me with the best accuracy I can possibly ever achieve with a muzzle loader.

Not all Primer lengths are the same, The CCI 209M primer for example can range from .295" to .297" in length. Winchester W209 primers range from .299" to .301" length. Chose your primer wisely, Especially if shooting Blackhorn209. It requires a HOT primer and the CCI 209 Magnums are all I ever recommend.

Now I am counting on you to have read the first How to Write up as I am not going through the entire write up again!

Once you've picked the powder type, Breech plug " Flat faced CVA Plug or the Aftermarket Blackhorn209 breech plug" You will now pick the primer that you plan on using for the powder you have chosen.

Install thinnest Shim FIRST
Following the directions in Write up one, You've figured out exactly how much headspace needs to be added for a nice snug fit up against the primer.

Left is the new CVA Headspace Shim Kit that will be available to everyone! This kit contains .002" - .005" - .010" And .020" Shims for the shooter to adjust his headspace perfectly for a blowby free fit. No more scorched finishes or messy carbon/soot inside the frame! And most importantly, No more worries about that loose firing pin bushing wiggling loose over time.

Adjusted .016" with .032" Worth of shims
Now that you know how much headspace needs adjusting, .014" - .016" adjustment is common for all CVA break actions when using CCI 209M primers. Remove the firing pin bushing, clean and degrease it and carefully pry the rubber O Ring off with a tiny screw driver or even just a tooth pick.

Naturally I thought, Perfect! My headspace needs .016" worth of shims and I will be set! Well, not so, that didn't work out due to the fact that we leave the rubber O ring on and it compresses when we snug it down.

Example, if your CVA is like my Wolf and Accura V2 and needs .016" headspace adjustment, You will in fact need .032" worth of shims to get the bushing to move outward .016".

This threw me off as I am sure it will throw you off, so lets keep things standard and any time you go to install this kit, start right off with installing the .020" shim and see how that does for you. If it does not provide enough adjustment to where you need to be, add the .010" shim and test fit again.

After shims are installed, Re-install rubber O ring.

When properly adjusted you should have a minimum of .005" crush fit on your primer. Measure your primers and after you firmly snap the action shut, remove and measure that primer to see if you have come close to that .005" compression mark.

Tips:
When installing the bushing with the proper amount of shims for your set up, Do not over torque it! Use your index finger and thumb to torque down the bushing with a screw driver and it will be just right.

Also watch closely as you screw in the bushing, the thinner .002" - .005" tend to shimmy out to the side and get caught up on the frame, bending them. Just go slow and maybe use a toothpick or small flat head screw driver to press them in around the edges as you go along.

The Three primers picture above were shot with 100 grains Blackhorn209, 300 grain Powerbelt Aerolite and the CCI 209 Magnum primers. They are how yours should look as well! The Blackhorn209 breech plug pictured is shown as well.





Shim Kit Installation Video coming soon!

Birchwood Casey Brass Black

A couple weeks ago I had decided to order some new supplies that I would be needing to refinish a couple rifles in the arsenal. I love brass, but the Kentucky styled muzzle loader I had bought last month, just looked extremely cheap with all of its shiny brass and pale stained stock. It just makes me shake my head thinking why companies make a good looking rifle and make it look so damn cheap by skimping out on a good finish!

Once my supplies arrived I stripped the entire Long rifle down and started the fun process of taking pure ugly and turning it into something half way decent looking.

My goal for this long rifle was an Antique Theme, A nice rich color stain "MinWax American Walnut stain & Birchwood Casey Walnut stain blended together" with low gloss finish "Tru Oil buffed lightly with 0000 steel wool that was soaked in Boiled Linseed Oil" and to top it off, I would Antique all of the brass "And it has a lot!" with Birchwood Casey Brass Black.
This product does have a bit of a learning curve to it.

First off what you will want to do is the following:

Buff all brass parts with 0000 steel wool and try to avoid getting finger prints " Which contain oil" Use rubber gloves when possible! Use a soft clean cloth and set the parts down while you go get some cotton balls.

With your rubber gloves still on, soak a cotton ball with Birchwood Casey Brass Black and swab all of the parts down. Don't worry if the solution doesn't "stick" right off the bat. Give the parts a good 5 minutes to dry and again, soak the cotton ball and this time, work the parts over roughly and press the cotton ball/solution into the parts. Re-soak the Cotton swab when it shows signs on becoming dry.


Once you have achieved the pitch black color " Some may prefer to go lighter" Let them sit for at least 30 minutes to completely dry. After that time, take the parts to the sink and run then under Cold water and wash them, gently rubbing the parts down with your thumb/fingers. Pat dry with a clean dry cloth and they are ready for the next step.

This part really depends on how dark you went. I wanted a pretty good antique color, so I went pitch black with the solution and then used 0000 steel wool and LIGHTLY touched it to the brass and a circular motion to lightly remove the Brass Black. I did make a few mistakes where I removed to much of the product, but it was easily repaired with a single swab of the Brass Black and then carefully buffing off with the 0000 steel wool.

After a little work and a little learning of how to use the product, Brass Black is an amazing tool to keep on the shelf if you deal with Muzzle Loaders outfitted with brass! The antique finish I achieved was perfect in my eye and gave me exactly what I was looking for and enhanced the rifles beauty.

Now the next step, What am I going to do with that blued barrel? I think I'll see just how good she shoots before moving on to the next round.

Thor Bullets and a new set of sights

Guys, Let me start out first by telling you a little about the Muzzle Loader I used for this shooting test.

The Muzzle loader is a gorgeous custom built .50cal Tennesse Mountain Rifle styled Half stock. It has a 28" barrel with a deep groove 1:48 twist which loves everything from the 250 R.E.A.L to Patched balls and as I found out today, The 250gr Thor conical. The double set triggers are set at 15oz and the Siler lock is beautifully made and easy to clean and work on.

The biggest issue I had with this rifle from the beginning was the buckhorn style rear sight and the horrible glare from the German silver front sight. Very Traditional and romantic looking set up certainly, but not good for my eyes for even 50 yard target shooting, let alone, 100-150 yard shots in the field at living creatures.

In the market for new sights, I was going to break the traditional sight look and get something that is actually accuracy and useful in the field.

Digging my Midway USA magazine out of the junk box, I searched through it and found a couple front/rear sight combos and then i ran across the Hi Viz Shooting system sights! Very interesting sight set up and the front sight comes with 6 interchangeable Fiber Optics of Red, Green and Orange. The rear sight has standard Green optics.

Obviously if you are shooting at an orange bulls eye, you'll want to off set that to prevent the optics and bulls eye color from blending together, causing unsure shots. I went with the Green front sight fiber optic and that sucker just glows all day long! Very easy sight picture on the 3" bulls eye out to 100 yards.

One of the hardest parts however was trying to figure out what height my front sight should be. I measured some other rifles of mine which were in the .250 to .450" Height range. I decided on the .380" front sight and after getting everything sighted in, I could have gone with the lowest sight they offer, the .315" front sight. Live and learn!

These sights easily installed into the rifle with just a little bit of tapping from the hammer to the punch. Normally I have to file to fit into the dovetail, but this one fit like a glove, thankfully.


So to make a long story short, She shoots beautifully with my hand cast 250gr REAL conicals, but those Thor's I shot today, will have me ordering more come hunting season!

Loading up 90gr Volume Goex 2f, A 250 grain .500" Thor and a CCI 209 Magnum #11 percussion cap, I headed over to the range and set up a target at 75 yards and the shot nails the top of the diamond dead center!

Only having Three bullets left in this size, I decided to back the target out to 100 yards and take my remaining Two shots and see how Ol "Thumper "6-1/2 Lbs Loaded!" Did with the Thor bullets at that range.

I took my next shot, looked through my Binos and just smiled from ear to ear! Clipping directly above my first shot perfectly!

Now keep in mind, I am using Goex black powder and so I decided to swab the bore free of fouling after each shot and give it a good squirt of Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber to make sure that ALL moisture was removed from the barrel and Bolster.

I took my Third and final shot at 100 yards and again, checked the target through the binos, Just about fell over! No BS guys! My two shots at 100 yards were right on top of each other! No gimmicks, just find a good starting load, a good accurate conical, good sights, a darn good solid rest, and patience with swabbing between shots.

The targets I use are made by Birchwood Casey and are 12" diameter with a 3" bulls eye. Perfect for both the scoped shooters and the half blind Open sight shooters like myself.

Final Step Cover Scents Strikes again!

By John Valdez
I am writing about another successful hunting trip while using FINAL STEP Cover Scent. This stuff is tough to beat!

It was a cool Saturday morning and I decided to go calling before my wife and I went outta town for a shopping trip. I called a place we call "Mud Hill" with no luck as my first set up. I decided then to go call a area that I have been calling for the last 25 yrs.

I parked my vehicle and did the ritual of spraying all my equipment and clothing. I made a point to get under the soles of my boots to cover the walk out to my set up. I made sure and got my shooting sticks and call bag too. I walked about 300 yards from the road and set up under a tree with a large lava rock as a back rest. I was calling about Five minutes when a lone coyote appeared to my right.

I stopped calling and adjusted my position for a better shot. He was out about 240 yards coming in at a steady pace. He stopped about 180 yards out and I let one go. It was a good hit and he was down before he hit the ground.

I attribute a large part of these successful hunting trips to this cover scent as I have yet to have a Coyote lift his nose and turn inside out to run away after winding me with this stuff. Needless to say the shopping trip out of town was a bearable one after a successful hunting trip

CELESTRON 15-45x 50mm Zoom Refractor Spotting Scope

By Marty Jalonski
With the accuracy and precision achievable now-a-days with modern in-line muzzleloaders, I find myself squinting more and more through the rifle scope at a group trying to see if I might have a cloverleaf in the works. While I do have an older spotting scope I use during my range sessions, the optics quality on it are minimally acceptable, and it is not the most user-friendly in focusing and locating downrange targets.

As detail and clarity will diminish the farther you view, the cost of a spotting scope increases proportionately for the technology needed to obtain the necessary resolution required at higher power magnifications. However, absent a necessity to determine whether it’s a Downy Woodpecker or a Hairy Woodpecker at 200 yards, I can get away with a lower power spotting scope…as well as forgoing to invest in more optics than I really need.

Although my aging eyes probably contribute to the clarity issue, I thought I’d look around for another spotting scope since my eyesight isn’t going to get any better as the years pass. As I surfed the internet and flipped-though the catalogs I found that spotting scopes can possess the same sticker shock as new cars. So my goal here was to search for an inexpensive upgrade that would satisfy my viewing needs to 100 yards… but also with still enough optical clarity to allow for rifle scope adjustments from the bench . Here’s what I found to keep me from squinting and having to walk back and forth to my 100 yard target.

It’s a CELESTRON 15-45x 50mm Zoom Refractor Spotting Scope. During a trip to the shooting range I found this spotting scope much easier to focus than my older one. Rather than trying to focus using the eyepiece itself as before, this spotter has a small Focus Knob on the top-right of the scope which rotates easily with one finger. With my barely 20/25ish vision wearing contact lens, I also found this spotter to have enough clarity at the mid-power 30x setting to visually quantify these simulated single and touching bullet holes on a one-inch grid target at 100 yards. For comparison purposes, the single larger holes were drawn around a .45 caliber bullet base, and the single smaller holes drawn around the rim of a .22 caliber rimfire casing.
TOP LEFT quadrant of target has a pair each of .45 and .22;
TOP RIGHT quadrant of target has a .45 pair;
BOTTOM LEFT quadrant of target has a pair of .45, a single .22 and a .22 cloverleaf.;
BOTTOM RIGHT quadrant of target has 2 single .45’s and a pair of .22’s.\

For complete Review, click on the Bold text to go to the full review! Celestron 15-45x50 Spotting Scope Review.

VANGUARD MZ-61225 Zoom Monocular

By Marty Janlonski
Since I prefer still-hunting over tree standing I never go out hunting without some kind a hand-held optic. When I want to grab-n-go or pack-light for a quick evening hunt I carry a monocular rather than a pair of binoculars with me. If you like to use hand-held optics when you are hunting and are looking for a compact model, then check out this monocular by VANGUARD. Unlike the fixed 8x power monocular I used last season, this compact monocular is unique because it is has a 6x-12x variable power Zoom feature. I had reservations at first whether a compact zoom monocular could provide both usable optical quality and ease of use while hunting. Here’s what I found to be the case with the VANGUARD MZ.

OPTICS QUALITY –

No question here. Optics quality is better than expected and very good with clear imaging. For those with steady hands, I was surprised that even on 12x magnification I was able to easily focus a clear view and keep an object in sight without it shaking away from me. Unlike my other fixed 8x monocular, I really like the MZ’s option to be able to dial-down to a lower 6x power which gives me a bigger field of view for quick scanning. As most compact optics have a 21mm objective lens, the VANGUARD MZ has a larger 25mm objective providing increased light gathering ability which is important during those prime dawn and dusk outings.


FUNCTIONALITY –

As with any monocular it takes two hands to focus. My current monocular has the focusing mechanism ( knob) around the eyepiece itself which I must hold in order to focus. What I like about the MZ monocular is that its primary focusing knob (see * below) is located off the eyepiece itself and a full inch further away from my face. It may not sound like much, but when you have hunting gloves on that extra inch makes it less crowded and easier to focus.......

To view the COMPLETE Review, please go here and read up! No sign up necessary.
" Complete Review"

RedField 3x9 Revolution

By Marty Jalonski
For this Review a brief blast from the past with a little touch of history is practically unavoidable. I recall growing-up in Pennsylvania when hunting camps were parking lots to paint-faded 4 x 4’s displaying rifles on rear-window gun racks. The camp racks would advertise Weavers as the fixed-power of choice… while the Leupold variables would adorn those beautiful, glassy-finished rifles that were simply too nice to hunt with. And then there were the Redfields that were firmly anchored on those classic, high-powdered .30 caliber rifles that had all the dings, scratches and wear-marks on them. Those Redfields were right at home in the vise-grips of brawny bushwackers that gently threw their guns on the wall rack after a tiring day of tag-less deer drives. That’s how I remember the good ol’ days of deer huntin’ 40 years ago.

Back then I put Redfield scopes on all my centerfires. For sentimental reasons I still have my 1970’s, purple-black 3x9 Redfield Widefield scope that was bumped-around hard a few times on my hunts, and jolted by my powder-crunched .30-06 re-loads. As a failed scope will never get a second chance to see the light of day again on my carefully planned hunting trips, I have no reason not to keep my Widefield. That Widefield is now atop my dedicated, foul-weather hunting smokegun.

"In ice for 36 Hours, completely functional and intact. I was then satisfied it would survive any hunting condition New England (or that dream whitetail hunt to Saskatchewan) could dish out."

It’s not the fanciest setup I own, but one that I know will perform on those coldest of rainy 32 degrees days. With our growing trend towards skimpier products and limited warranties, it never dawned on me that a legendary brand could actually return and reclaim a niche it once occupied over 12 years ago. Having experienced first-hand the dependability of REDFIELD scopes, I was disappointed when they closed their Denver, CO doors back in 1998. Thereafter for ten years the Redfield name changed hands several times with unsuccessful attempts to retain their patrons…present company included. However, in 2008 the highly reputable Leupold & Stevens, Inc. purchased the brand name REDFIELD with a goal to restore the legacy of Redfield quality.

They also decided to make them on USA soil as before…which told me the REDFIELD I once knew would eventually find its way back onto many-a-hunting rifles. Well that’s exactly what happened with me here... my primary deer hunting rifle will now have a new, home-grown Redfield on it. Not something I’d do with any scope, but I decided to put the REVOLUTION through a little QA/QC test of my own. I wanted to make absolutely sure it would hold-up to Redfield’s claim to be 100% waterproof and fog proof…. even without the adjustment caps on. So with the wi ndage & elevation cover caps removed, I submerged the REVOLUTION in a water bath then placed it under frozen venison in my freezer.

Here are some out-of-the-icebox observations I’ve made with the REVOLUTION Scope:

RAPID TARGET ACQUISITION – I’ll start with this one since it’s my favorite and most unique feature found on this scope. As with most scopes you need to properly align and distance your eye from the scope in order to find that full optimal picture view. This scope however has been painstakingly designed in such a way that allows you to find that sweet spot significantly quicker, with the perception to me that you are looking more through a round window rather than through a tube. I’ve hunted whitetails long enough to know that seconds matter, so I can’t say enough about any feature that improves my ability to locate and lock-onto game quicker.

OPTICS QUALITY – I have not owned nor will ever see a $1,000 scope atop any of my hunting rifles. But compared to other scopes I have used, I don’t think I could visualize a scope having better clarity than seen through the REVOLUTION.

The duplex reticle bars 3x at about 55 yards (Note: I took this picture using a Canon Digital Camera.)

are nicely sized being neither too thick nor too thin, with just the right length of fine centerline crosshairs. I also viewed the scope outdoors in low light conditions, and found the objective lens ( called the “ILLUMINATOR LENS SYSTEM" ) to have excellent light-gathering attributes… as looking through the scope is noticeably brighter than not.

WINDAGE & ELEVATION ADJUSTMENTS - Resettable stainless steel finger-click adjustments have the “feel” of being precision-made, and REDFIELD states these adjustments can actually be made in the field with ultimate repeatability and reliability… (something I would not feel comfortable doing at all while hunting with other scopes). Both adjustments each have an independent “Adjustment Indicator Ring” to mark Original Zero or other starting point. Unlike some indicator rings on other scopes, I found these rings to move freely, but also remain stationary in place at Zero when making windage and elevation changes. The dial numbers and increments are also easy to read with their silver on black contrast.

SCOPE APPEARANCE – While I usually don’t pay much attention to appearance detail, the REVOLUTION in Matt-finish has a true, non-glare quality appearance to it. Again, the power indicator numbers are easy to read with their silver numbers on black contrast.


THREADED RINGS – The REVOLUTION comes with both the objective and eyepiece rings threaded inside for lens covers and Leupold Alumina accessories. No need to worry here about lens covers moving around or falling off.

WATER SEAL – The REVOLUTION has an internal mechanism to prevent the eyepiece from being removed which protects the integrity of the water seal.

To sum it all up, I’m confident my Widefield’s reliability will repeat itself in the REVOLUTION with its FULL life-time warranty backed by Leupold. Their warranty states that any Redfield Riflescope found to have defects in material or workmanship, will at their option, either replace it or repair it FREE. Even if you are not the original owner, with no warranty card required and no time limit applies. Can’t beat that deal for wanting to stand behind their product.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE REFIELD REVOLUTION SCOPE AND OTHER REDFIELD PRODUCTS, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT:

http://www.redfield.com/

CVA Accura V2 - Harvester Scorpion PT Gold Bullets

Needing to work up some new loads for my CVA Accura V2, I loaded up my shooting box with some Pre-measured charges of 100 grains Blackhorn209, Along with the CCI 209 Magnum Primers, MMP HPH-24 sabots "CVA bores love these!" and the 260gr Harvester Scorpion PT Gold.
I was forced to shoot from my 160 yard bench due to the all of the mud from the melting snow and had worried about being way off target. Luckily my point of impact only drifted Aprox 3" to the right, But as close to center as you can ask for!

After taking my Three shots I knew I was going to have to change something as the group was a horrible spread!

Not wanting to wait any more loads, I headed back home " Range is in my back yard" and reloaded some tubes with 110 grains Blackhorn209 and gave it another try. Talk about a HUGE improvement in group size!

My group shrunk down to 7/8" center to center for a Three shot group at 160 yards! I can't ask for much more to be honest. Well, now that I think of it, that's an outstanding group considering i left the Lead Sled at home and just used the Caldwell Tack Driver bag rest with a sock filled with pinto beans to rest the rear stock section on. With the Lead Sled FCX I just might get Three shots to touch. But lets not push my luck!


On this target, it is pretty obvious which group was shot with the 100 grain load and the 110 grain load! It still amazes me at how much a tiny 10 grain +/- in your charge can make on the target!

If you guys are Interested in trying out the 260gr Harvester Scorpion PT Gold bullets, contact Carlos from Ed's Gun Shop **Here** as he just ordered 25,000 of them and will sell them for only 38 cents each.
Bulk orders are always welcome!

Thompson Center Renegade Re-Finish

I recently received this TC Renegade Stock from an online buddy who had stored it and the bore ended up rusting up badly. This was a kit Renegade back from the late 1980's and so rather than bother with a new barrel, he sent it to me as long as i paid for the shipping.. No problem!

I found a barrel for a great deal of $65 shipped and so i was all set for this Restoration!

The stock wasn't that bad to begin with, but there were issues like improper wood to metal fit. To much wood over lapping the Buttplate, Lock, as well as some slight over hang around the trigger guard.

I took my time stripping it and once finished I went to a new technique I use. Steam! Steaming a stock is just as it says... You take an Iron, heat it up and then use a damp wash cloth, place it over the area that needs the grain raised and put the hot iron on and work the area. I did a lot of steaming on this stock get make dent & scratch removal very easy.

After the steaming was finished i hit the stock with some 220 grit sand paper, clean the stock off with a damp rag, let it dry and then used 0000 to buff the grain down for a smooth finish.

This Renegade has some beautiful wood grain and is fairly dark in color. I decided then to NOT use any kind of stain PERIOD! I wanted natural wood beauty to show.

i ended up using 15 hand rubbed coats of Truoil, 10 coats of spray on Truoil and then i finished it off Three days later "cure time" with Oiled 0000 steel wool for a nice satin finish that looks great on the rifle.

The rifle was originally a beautiful dark blue, but this is just to common and gets boring to look at. A little to modern in my eye. I decided to use Birchwood Casey Plum Brown solution and brown all the metal, trigger guard, buttplate,wedge pin, Everything!

I heated up the parts and soaked a rag with the solution and did Two coats of this for a nice Plum Brown finish. I again used Oiled 0000 steel wool and lightly buffed to parts to a slightly higher sheen. Came out perfect, the way I thought I might like it. The Plum Brown on the steel just really sets the rifles looks off.

Getting the Renegade together last night I loaded up a few Powder Tubes with 80gr Pyrodex RS, 250gr Powerbelt Aerolites, CCI #11 Magnum Caps and headed out to the 60 yard range where i pulled off an excellent group for the first time out with this rifle! I didn't even have to touch the sights, it was dead on and ready for use!

Hard at work: Final Step Cover Scents

By John Valdez

On January 3 of this year I got up around 4 am and I stared at the ceiling and debated whether I wanted to go coyote calling. After some thought I decided to get up and get my gear together and head out the door. It was a cold morning and a few days earlier we were hit with a really bad snow storm but I knew that could be the right mix to get some dogs coming to my calls. Well I made the 35 minute drive over to Capulin where there was still a good deal of snow on the ground.

I lined up all my gear and did a once over of Final Step Cedar cover scent. I sprayed my shooting sticks, shooting bag and all my clothing. I hiked about a 1/4 mile off the road and set up on a flat with some trees for cover. I had a slight breeze coming out of the north but it was definitely under 10 mph. I set up facing north as I figured that's where any potential dogs would come from due to the wind.

I hit the call for about 8 minutes and I glanced behind me to the south. Movement caught my eye and I slowly slid over for a better look. It was a coyote was looking at me at about 90 yards. I was a little surprised as the wind was blowing right towards him. I leveled my rifle and centered him in the scope.

I took the shot as I figured if I tried to go prone for a steadier shot I would surely spook him. The rifle went off and down he went, gone before he hit the ground.

As I made my way over to him I kept thinking about the wind blowing directly to him and the fact that he was a mature male coyote made me a believer in Final Step Cover Scent. Its easy to burn a young coyote as I have in the past but the adults are really tough to fool. From here on out I will be looking down wind when I use this product as it does exactly what it says.

BloodLine Bullets

A while back I was sent some new bullets to try out. These bullets are made by Lehigh Defense but sold strictly through Knight Rifles.

The BloodLine is a Solid Brass bullet with 2 to 3% Lead that adds a bit of weight to it. California Hunters will sadly have to rule this bullet out if you are hunting in the Condor region of the state.
Due to them being brass, they of course are very long. The length of the 300 grain version measured 1.140" which is pretty long but due to the light weight of the brass, this is pretty typical. With the overall length of the bullets, you may find that you have to push them with 110 to 120 grains of Powder to get them to stabilize in your rifle. However, Never jump to such a high charge right off the bat. You will see below that I achieved excellent accuracy with just 100 grains of Blackhorn209.

The sabots provided are made by MMP Sabots. The CVA bores love the MMP sabots and Accuracy is excellent. Knight shooters may find that Harvester Sabots offer better consistency and accuracy. Try both sabots in your Knight with an assortment of powder charges and document them down on a note pad just in case you have to go back to a charge you shot earlier that seemed to do the best.


Using my CVA Optima .50cal, 26" stainless barrel with a 1:28 twist, I started off at 100 yards with the 250gr BloodLine "Pictured Left" and 110 grains Blackhorn209. I had a very good group and well under 1 1/2" for 3 shots.

While that was a good group for the first time out with the bullet and certainly would kill anything it was aiming at, I do have a standard with my muzzleloaders and always like to try adjusting my loads up or down 10 grains and take another Three shots to see how the group reacts.

In this case, I went from 110 grains Blackhorn209, to 100 grains Blackhorn209 and my group shrunk a great deal. The first shot on a cold barrel is normally off a bit and you'll see it in the target picture on the Right.

That was a great improvement by decreasing my charge by just 10 grains! I was very happy with BloodLine and 100gr Blackhorn209. A good solid accurate combo built for any animal in North America.

The pedals on the BloodLines are intended to sheer off and allow the Pedals themselves to act as projectiles and penetrate multiple organs and not hold the bullet back. This is mainly intended in my opinion to get rid of the mushroom which acts like a parachute "Barnes bullet mushroom for example" and allow the bullet to punch through the opposite side of the animal, allowing for a better blood trail.

As I said before, Barnes bullets, Nosler Bullets, Powerbelt bullets, these bullets Either Mushroom a great deal leaving a nice looking flower as I call it when i shoot the Barnes bullet. When a bullet expands this well going through an animal, it acts sort of like a Parachute and holds the bullet back and may not exit. Example Pictured Left.

The BloodLine pedals do in fact bend back somewhat like a Barnes, it allows some shock to build deep in the body cavity before breaking off and sending the fragmented pedals into the organs and allowing the main bullet to exit, offering a good blood trail, should you need it.

This is a very new bullet to me and I have limited experience with it. It appears to stand up to its hype and is Accurate and Deadly. A very interesting bullet that I hope to try out more and do a lot more Testing with.

***Check out the BloodLine Bullets here to place your order!***

I hope to shoot more of these and do some Tests on Video as well later down the road.