CVA Optima Elite Compact vs. Wolverine youth

[buckeye hunter]

I am looking to outfit my 10 year old son with a muzzleloading rifle I was wondering if anyone had any opinions/experience with
the Knight Wolverine Youth or the CVA Optima Elite Compact Rifle?  Any info would be appreciated.

[smoky]

I have a knight wolverine that will drive tacks.  It shoots a ragged hole at 100 yards with 80 grains of 777 fffg and a 220 grain Dead Center sabot.  I still use the #11 primers with it.  It will outshoot my encore (by a little).

For your application, I especially like the double safety for a young hunter.

I have also found that Knight has very good customer service.  I don't have any personal experience with CVA, but I have heard that their customer service is not that great.

You may can find a good deal on a used (or new) wolverine with the adult stock and then purchase the youth stock for about $75 I think.

Hope this helps,

Smoky

[manofthe45]

My experience with CVA sucked the big one.  I had one of the original optima's.  the first ones had no way to get at the firing pin to clean it.  I didn't relise this was a problem until the opening day of our early muzzleloader season here in pa last year.  thats when the gun went off during loading because the firing pin was stuck in the fire position so when i closed the gun bang f$^# hole at my feet.  Called CVA when i got home and after I changed my pants they said my only choose was to send it back well our season is only a week long so I took it to my gunsmith they wouldn't even send him a diagram.  when he finished fixing it I sold it immediatly, but not at his shop because he will no longer sell or even special order a cva anymore.  which is fine by me because I will never buy another one.  you only get to piss me off once.  they have since changed their design but customer service sucks.
I had a knight LK-93 before the CVA but sold it rather than convert it to 209 big mistake should have spent the 75 dollars and been done with it.  now I shoot an encore and love it.  T/C makes a youth stock for their guns buy him a G-2 or encore and he is set for life

[gt2003]

I've had the same experience as Smoky with the exact same load.  I dropped down to 80 grains of 777 and a 220 grain dead center last year.  My knight also drives tacks and you won't find a better bullet than the dead center.  Good luck, Greg