CVA Hawken Shooting High

[YoungGunner]

I have a .54 CVA hawken that I built from a kit recently and I absolutely love it. Its a nice shooter, The only problem with the CVA is that although horizontal shooting is fine, i get about 3 inch groups, no matter where I move the adjustable sight, I'm 3" high at 30 yards, 5" high at 50 yards, and 9" high at 100 yards. Its not that I'm flinching and its not that the recoil is too hard for me I have videotaped it and ( I have an encore 460 S&W and 3 shots and I'm done let alone my dad who shoots a .338 win mag regularly) so I cant figure out what's wrong with my gun especially since my private property season starts in one month! It would be nice for any help from you guys

 

[Semisane]

Offhand, I'd say you're gonna need a higher front sight. If you have room on the adjustable rear sight to do a little filing, you may be able to lower it. Can you post a close-up picture of the rear sight?

 

[paulvallandigham]

I don't know the problem from what you have written either.

Ask someone else to shoot the gun and see if they get the same "rise" at these 3 ranges. It is likely( but I can't say at this point) that you are not getting the top of the front sight down into the notch in the rear sight correctly.

It may also be that the rear sight notch is too small, and you need to widen it to allow more " daylight" to be seen on both sides of the front sight, to get a better view of the front sight against the targets, and a lower POI.

Let us know what you find. If you are planning on using this gun to hunt in a month, you need to be shooting it every day, if possible, so that you get to know the gun, and make habits out of your loading procedures. :thumbsup:

 

[YoungGunner]

Thanks Paul, I'm shooting the gun every day for the exact same reason. I'll try having a friend shoot it. I'm pretty familiar with iron sights on centerfire rifles because thats mainly all I shoot. I cannot for the life of me figure out whats going on, and I'd hate to retire the gun before I get at least one season through it. but I dont know what else I can do. The front sight has a round bead on it so I cannot exactly file it down without removing the bead, and the rear sight is a POS that takes a rocket scientist to figure out how to use :cursing: if nothing else, I'll just meke sure I dont take any shots farther than 25 yards and Try to break the shoulder. Its only a doe tag and i think that 25 yards is manageable and aceptable with the .54 roundball. and If i CANT get anything else to work I guess I'll just switch to one of my tried and true CFR THanks for the help though...

 

[paulvallandigham]

Do you shoot any centerfire rifle that puts a 235 grains bullet out the barrel, at deer?????

You underestimate the power of your MLer, and then some. It will kill deer Dead-Right-There(DRT) at much longer yardage than 25 yds! That huge round ball expands even at low velocities, and will be the size of a quarter by the time it exits the off-side of your deer. The primary wound channel is HUGE. I know of NO CFR that can produce that kind of expansion on deer.

From what you now write, it seems that the rear sight IS your problem. Use a fine jeweler's file, or a cutting disc on a dremel tool, to open that rear sight notch. I make mine so that they show as much "daylight" on both sides of the front sight, as the front sight post is wide. With a Bead front sight, you want half the width of the bead in daylight on both sides of the front sight when viewed through the rear sight notch. Your eye will center the bead into the notch, if there is enough daylight to do this. :hatsoff:

 

[YoungGunner]

I was by no means implying that I have an underpowered gun, I am fairly certain that the .530 roundball with 80 grains 777 would be quite a contender with my 460 S&W with 300 Grain bullets. I was mearly saying that if I cant solve the problem with where the bullet hits then i will make sure that I'm close enough where the 3-4 inch high difference is not THAT MUCH of a difference.

 

[BrownBear]

It's relatively cheap and easy to change sights in a gun with dovetails, which the CVA has IIRC. There's quite a selection here. Just remember that the sights drive out from left to right (as you look down the barrel) and drive back in from the right to the left.

You adjust windage by moving the front and/or rear sights left or right, and you adjust elevation by filing on the front sight if it's a blade-style. Not a big deal. TOW ships quick, and you should have plenty of time to install new sights and get it sighted in before the season.

 

[longcruise]

Your front sight is just way too high. At 30 yards you should be almost dead on. Just a hair high. At 50 you should be about 2" high and that will put you very close to dead on at 100.

Get a new front sight and do as suggested above.

 

[nchawkeye]

I'm assuming the gun is grouping well, just shooting too high...

Look at the dovetails the sights are in, remove them and measure...Then get online and order new ones...

Lower the rear sight to lower groups...Raise the front sight to lower the groups...

 

[rafterob]

There should be a screw on the top of the sight and one on the side. If your side to side alignment is good then don't mess with the side screw. The top screw is your adjustment for up and down. Start your sight-in proceedure at 15 to 25 yards. Start with a load equal to your caliber, i.e. 55 grains ffg. shoot a few shots (off a rest) to see if it groups well. Move up 5 grains at a time and when you have reached the highest point of impact with your test loads stop at that load, it should be your "best" load. Then work your rear sight to try to get zeroed in. If you can't get the point of impact lowered by screwing the top screw down (clockwise)you may try filing the notch a little deeper with a small V file.If you can not get that rear sight to work then time to try to get a replacement that does.What load are you shooting? If you are getting a steady rise out to 100 yards maybe you are shooting too stout a load. I do not use the adjustable option on my sight, I use Kentucky windage. Since in hunting you really don't know what range you will end up shooting, you need to have a good idea what sight picture is needed for different distances. That deer isn't going to wait around until you set your adjustable sight.

 

[E Poffinbarger]

Heh guys, "think", don't steer the him wrong:

If you shoot high, lower the rear sight or get a taller front sight.

If you shoot low, raise the rear sight or file off the front sight.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Is that reverse "sightcology"?

 

[E Poffinbarger]

Zimmerstutzen:

If I understand your statement correctly, you're kidding aren't you?

Osage

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Well yes it was a stupid pun/joke, but it is true. If it shoots low, raise the rear sight. If it shoots high, lower the rear sight. It is the rear sight that is moved the reverse of where it shoots. Hence it is indeed, reverse sight cology.

 

[rawhide]

hey youngunner I have the same gun. is your rear sight movable like mine? I had to move mine down to get it to come in. my sights have 1 screw for elevation 1 for windige. original sights. try lowering the rear sight. if it has screws to do so. (turn to the right.) or your sight picthure is off. I set the bead all the way down to the bottem of the notch on rear wich works for me hope this helps.

 

[YoungGunner]

I have the same sights as you, and I have the rear sight ALL the way down, AND the front sight is same old same old, so I dont know what to do afterwards. I guess I'm really going to just have to buy another sight.

 

[Old Salt]

I'm not familiar with your sights but in some cases you can file down the top edge of the rear sight to lower the point of impact. You might have to cut the notch deeper too. Make sure the rear sight is all the way down before starting this procedure.

Then if the POI drops too low you can use the adjustment screw to raise it back up or file more off the front.

Leo

 

[longcruise]

I have the same sights as you, and I have the rear sight ALL the way down, AND the front sight is same old same old, so I dont know what to do afterwards. I guess I'm really going to just have to buy another sight.

Yup, but not a rear sight. Get a new front sight. With an adjustable rear there is no reason to file away at the rear.

Here's the procedure I use with the Lyman GPRs that come with a notoriously high front sight. If using the adjustable rear, I set it halfway between the high and low point and then start shooting at about 50 yards with a prefered powder charge. Keep filing the front sight down till you are dead on.

If a non adjustable rear, then don't do anything till the gun is broke in and you have settled on the load you will shoot. Then, put a taller front on and shoot and file, shoot and file till you have it hitting where you want it to. Just a little bit at a time!

 

[Bill Hall]

I agree with Marmotslayer, if you think the rear sight is bottomed out, you should get a taller front sight. When installed, you can crank the rear sight halfway up and file the front sight if you need to, and you probably will, to get it dead on at whatever range you prefer. Now you have some adjustment in the rear sight to fine tune for different ranges, or if the point of impact changes after break in. If you simply file the notch deeper in the rear sight, you may get it to work for a certain range, but if you ever want to adjust it, you can only adjust up, which will have you shooting high again. Bill

 

[Kentuckywindage]

80 grains 777 would

Theres your problem T7 sucks.

Get a can of Pyrodex RS. Measure out 80gr and use a .018 pillow tick patch.