CVA Scout V2 Pistol
An Affordable, Accurate Hunter
The CVA Scout .44 Mag. was fitted with a Weaver 4X scope.
This 100-yard target using Black Hills ammo hovered around
the 2" mark!
I can’t afford a $3K handgun to use once or twice a year like you fancy gunwriters.” It was His Editorship reflecting on a recent article of mine. “How about doing an article on a handgun a mere mortal like me can afford? Eh?” So to show him how versatile I am, I invited Roy and his better half to come over to our farm and hunt deer during Missouri’s Alternative Method season — using an affordable handgun.
The new CVA Scout V2 Pistol is a prime example of the genre, capable of filling the freezer without depleting the bank account. This break-open handgun is characteristically similar to T/C’s Contender or Encore. The one notable exception is the lack of interchangeable barrels. For the shooter or hunter looking to do business with one particular caliber this doesn’t pose a problem.
Currently, the Scout pistol is available in four calibers; .357 Mag., .44 Mag. and .243 Win. (14″ barrels) and .300 Blackout (11.5″ barrel). The Scout is stainless with a black plastic grip and forend. A DuraSight Z2 scope rail is included making mounting a scope easy.
My test gun came in .44 Mag., perfectly suited for deer. A basic but crystal clear Weaver 4X handgun scope was fitted in Weaver rings. A great combo offering value and performance. As deer season quickly approached, I tested a variety of factory 240-gr. loads. Throwing a few of my handloads in the mix, a lengthy range session was in order. Sierra, Nosler and Hornady bullets were all used, all under a recommended load of H 110.
A Benchmade fixed-blade Hunter, CVA's new single-shot
in .44 Magnum and a fixed 4X Weaver translates into a
good day in the field!
This inexpensive single-shot from CVA delivered reliable
accuracy and would make a perfect “first dedicated
hunting handgun” for a new handgun hunter.
A Shooter
The Scout action is easy to open and operates with silky smoothness. Loading and unloading was simple and painless. I started shooting at 25 yards and after a few scope adjustments, moved to 50. The trigger pull was a pleasant surprise, breaking around 3 pounds, with zero creep. Pretty darn good for a gun at this price point.
Under the recoil of factory .44 Mag. ammo, including Buffalo Bore, CorBon and DoubleTap offerings, the Scout was pleasant to shoot, and not abusive whatsoever. Even though I was able to shoot the gun with one hand while the weak hand manipulated a rear bag, a rubber grip would be a welcome option. This would provide a user-friendly feature, especially for extended shooting with heavy loads.
Accuracy averaged a tad over 1″ with most loads at 50 yards. Moving to 100, I took five factory loads to see if groups gave me enough confidence to whack a whitetail at this range. I wouldn’t expect the straight wall .44 Mag. cartridge to group as tight as say a .243 Win., but I was satisfied with the end result. A couple of factory rounds landed inside of 2″ (Black Hills and Hornady) while the others were mostly inside of 3″, all 3-shot groups. That’s plenty of accuracy at this distance for deer, hog or just about whatever. The gun was not picky about loads, and the Weaver 4X scope easily handled recoil.
At first impression, the safety under the hammer appeared to be a solution looking for a problem. The safety engages the hammer and prevents it from being cocked. I contacted Mark Hendricks, VP of Technical Development at BPI Outdoors and asked him about this feature. Mark said, “The BATF requires a manually operated safety in order to approve a pistol for import. The ATF requirement is the only reason for the manual safety.” When you leave the safety in the fire position it operates like most other break-action designs, so ignore it if you like.
The Scout seemed to shoot just about anything well
enough to go deer hunting with it!
Did It Work?
When Roy and I were sitting in a deer blind waiting for something to appear, the Scout was loaded with Black Hills 240-gr. ammo. Early one morning a big doe stepped out in the field at around 100 yards. When the hammer dropped, our morning solitude was shattered with the report of the .44 Mag. The doe flinched and took off, disappearing in to the woods. Thanks to a perfect lung shot, she didn’t go 30 yards. The Scout and Black Hills ammo delivered flawlessly as expected.
Next year we’ll see the addition of .223 Remington to the lineup. If dealers get enough response for a particular caliber, who knows what might happen? I’m pleased Roy punched his tag — and did so with an affordable handgun. The type of handgun you can carry in the woods, on a UTV, tractor, horse or a long hike in the backcountry. It does exactly what it’s designed to do at a price ($406 MSRP) that won’t get you yelled at!
