Naw, Swampman has a point if you stay with the period correct part of the equation, or if you compare the wood TC used to use to the wood CVA used. On things like that, CVA does not stand up to some others. On the shooting end, there he is dead wrong. I would guess that the Lyman GPR, the TC Hawken and the CVA Mountain rifle have won more traditional matches than any other production gun in history. The guns shoot very well and are relatively problem free once lined out. They sometimes come with rough edges that need a little TLC, but that is almost all guns.
I just invited a group of folks to do a squirrel hunt/gathering/get to know each other hunt at my place. I have a 36 and a shotgun. I can cover one newcomer. The way things stand today, there is only one gun out there for less than 200$ for a beginner. That is the Tradition's 32 on sale thru their website. It has a plastic stock. The next one is the Crockett that runs right at 300$ The Bobcat 36 is pretty much gone. If you do find one, like the ones a guy here in Mo. has, they want over 200$ for one. That is rediculous. Next is 435$ for a Traditions. If they want a shotgun, it is even more grim. The only traditional production gun I know of is the Pedersoli double. There is no traditional single at theis time that I know of. That makes the starting point way too high for our side to grow at all. Newcomers don't order a TVM fowler in the white to see if they like it. Hopefully some others that have traditional small game guns will step up for the hunt and we can get around six folks together and introduce some new folks to small game muzzleloading.
For anyone that loves our sport to be glad CVA is gone would seem to indicate that they have enough money to buy whatever they want, and that they don't want any newcomers to ever show up at any gathering they are at. That they are happyu if there are no young people at the events. To my way of thinking, that is simply wrong!
