Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA) has only been around for 41 years and has been America’s best-selling muzzleloader manufacturer for almost a decade. While the key to its success has been providing reliable muzzleloaders that are easy to load, shoot and clean, it is the accuracy of CVA’s rifles, with Bergara barrels, that keeps customers satisfied.
Like most rifle manufacturers, CVA has strived to come up with new and better technologies to improve the entire muzzleloader experience, from shooting to cleaning, and the ACCURAV2 boasts about the company’s attention to detail. At the same time, CVA has kept its guns economically priced when compared to the rest of the market, making them a key consideration for any buyer on a budget.
All of CVA’s guns are designed and assembled in a state-of-the-art production facility located in the little town of Bergara in northern Spain — a region that has been famous for gun making for hundreds of years. Every barrel CVA uses today is still made in the Bergara Barrels factory.
The Bergara barrels, all made of the highest quality 416 grade stainless steel, have long been recognized as very accurate production barrels. Many centerfire rifle manufacturers use Bergara barrels on their guns, but only CVA offers them in a muzzleloader. It is these Bergara barrels that enable CVA to guarantee the ACCURA series rifles to be the “The Most Accurate Muzzleloader You’ve Ever Shot — Or Your Money Back.” The 27-inch barrel has 1:28 twist rifling, offering great bullet stability and plenty of bore to burn all the powder efficiently. I checked the lands and grooves with a bore scope, and it’s easy to tell why these barrels provide great accuracy. They were clean-cut with well-defined edges. The barrels also come with an external treatment to help prevent corrosion, ensuring easy maintenance.
The ACCURA V2 is designed as a full-length rifle, providing an excellent combination of balance and maneuverability for a wide range of shooting and hunting applications. The rifle is easy to shoulder and allows you to acquire the target immediately. The recoil is modest, and with the soft recoil pad built right in, this gun could be used by anyone big enough to use a full-length rifle.
Action And Appearance
The stock is where hunters will really notice the attention to detail. The butt and forestock have a soft coating that is comfortable to hold, especially in cold or wet weather. The composite design and coating make the stock completely weatherproof. There are rubber grip panels for the palm of your hand on the butt and on the sides of the forearm. Your hands hold tightly onto the gun without having to grip it hard, allowing you to relax and squeeze the trigger, maintaining a solid anchor point on target. An ambidextrous cheek piece will permit both left- and right-handed shooters to use the same gun. The stock is available in standard or thumbhole versions.
With the breeching lever built right into the trigger guard, the ACCURA is very simple to operate, making it one of the easiest-opening break-actions to be operated with a single finger. The Quick-Release Breech Plug requires no tools and can be easily removed with your fingers. I shot this gun close to one hundred times at the range and could still remove the breech with slight finger pressure. The plug is simple to clean with a short soak in a solvent bath. The breech plug threads make it easy to screw in or out and also work as a safety system, as the gun will not close if the plug isn’t screwed in all the way. A 209 primer fits securely in the breech, and I had no problems removing spent caps after several shots.
The rifle looks rugged and modern. The overall appearance is pleasing, and the barrel, receiver and stock look well-finished. There are no loose pieces — everything feels tight. It is available in a black fiber or in several different patterns of Realtree camouflage. The thumbhole option provides a unique appearance with the raised stock and extended grip. The gun looks and feels rugged and durable, providing confidence that it will last a lifetime. With the crisp lines and available accessories, this rifle will show well on any store’s gun shelf.
Accuracy And Loading
If you like the overall look of the gun, you’ll really like the appearance of your shot groupings on a target. The trigger plays a big role in the accuracy of this rifle and has a neutral center of gravity, allowing it to break cleanly and smoothly. The trigger pull tests averaged 2 lbs., 1.3 oz., confirming that it was light and built for hunting. The ACCURA V2 has an excellent hunting trigger with no creep and just a minor backlash. The V2 shot very well off the bench, producing a sub-2-inch group at 100 yards off a Lead Sled.
This muzzleloader is extremely easy to load. Even after several shots and no cleaning, it could be loaded with little pressure on the ramrod. CVA does recommend the use of PowerBelt bullets with their guns, and PowerBelts proved easy to load in a clean or fouled barrel. The PowerBelt bullets also grouped the best out of this gun when compared to other sabot options. The ramrod comes with a palm saver on it to aid in the loading process without having a single pressure point in the palm of your hand. With a bullet-guiding muzzle, there is no need for a starter.
Safety And Cleaning
Safety tests were also conducted on the V2, and it passed all the challenges without an accidental discharge. This gun does not have an external safety, so the shooter must control the rifle’s ability to fire by using the cocking lever. However, even with the gun cocked, I could not get it to fire without actually pulling the trigger. This gun is safe for any individual competent and comfortable using the cocking lever to get ready to fire or uncock the firearm.
With the composite, coated stock and treated stainless-steel barrel, this firearm is weather- and corrosion-resistant. It could be used from areas with extreme heat to biting cold. Being completely waterproof is a big bonus for any muzzleloader hunter that knows moisture can and will creep to the powder if there is a way. 
The entire gun can be disassembled by removing just one screw, making a complete cleaning a breeze. While the breech plug is soaking in solvent you can swab the barrel with your favorite cleaner until the patches come through clean. Cleaning only takes a couple of minutes unless you’ve really put the gun to the test and fired dozens of rounds. Even then, the gun can be broken down for a complete cleaning that doesn’t take any more time than it would for your favorite centerfire that has been used hard or in bad weather.
This is an excellent rifle with lots of technical advancements and features at a fair price. It is a well-thought-out and well-constructed rifle from one end to the other. The opening system for the breech is quick, easy and intuitive, making it one of the easiest on the market to clean and maintain. Anyone comparing rifles in the store will notice the V2 has a very solid “feel” when closing the break action.
There are few differences between the original ACCURA and the ACCURA V2. The new breech plug CVA has incorporated, removable with just your index finger and thumb, helps make an already great rifle even better. The V2 comes with a lifetime guarantee, which speaks volumes in the confidence of the manufacturer. CVA enthusiasts will want to watch for the new ACCURA Mountain Rifle (MR) this year, which is the newest model in the ACCURA lineup. It is shorter and lighter and comes with even more advancements and protection than the V2. The desire to keep improving on an already great product is evident in the evolution of the ACCURA to the V2 and MR. The original ACCURA was introduced in 2008, and in just four years CVA has already made two noticeable advancements.
I’ve used this muzzleloader in the field to hunt everything from deer to Dall sheep, and it worked flawlessly when I needed it to. Any hardcore hunter could put it to the test and would be happy with the results.
Spec Sheet
- Manufacturer: CVA, www.cva.com
- Model: ACCURA V2
- Caliber: .50 caliber
- Action: Hinged break-action
- Twist rate: 1:28 inch
- Barrel: 27-inch, treated stainless steel
- Ignition: 209 primer
- Trigger: Fully adjustable with neutral gravity, and under a 3-pound pull
- Sights: DuraSight DEAD ON one-piece scope mount or fiber optic sights
- Stock Options: Ambidextrous standard or thumbhole stock available in combinations of black fiber, Realtree APG or Max 1 HD
- Overall Length: 42 inches (14.5-inch length of pull)
- Weight (unloaded): 8 lbs., 9 ozs. with supplied scope; bare rifle 7.3 lbs.
- Other Features: solid aluminum ramrod, extendable jag, soft recoil pad, Quake Claw sling, drilled and tapped for scope mounts.
- MSRP: $547
