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I have always loved Kaden's 300 WSM X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Speed rifle. This rifle weighs 8 pounds, is fully equipped for hunting and shoots like a house of fire.
In the fall of 2024 I picked up a well used 300 WSM X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite rifle at our employee sale. The rifle had been shot some by R&D with it showing some fire cracking in the barrel and a pretty rough stock finish but for the price, I thought it would still have some life left in it and be worth getting.
I shot the rifle a few times at my long-range steel range and on paper and the rifle shoots my 200 ELD-X handload sub-MOA just like my son's rifles do. It was smacking steel right down the middle on every shot I took, that being shots out to 822 yards. Yahoo!
The new Varitech stock on the X-Bolt 2 is nice for its adjustability and two grip options. I am running the vertical grip on my rifle. As I shoot more and more at targets from the bench I have become fond of vertical grips.
I was hopeful that the length of pull would be adjustable out to the length I need. Sadly even with the adjustable length of pull the stock has, at max length it is only 1/4" longer than the original X-Bolt length of pull. Because of this I had to add an additional 1/4" spacer in front of the recoil pad. You can learn why I require the extra length and how I use spacers to add the length in this article: Easily Adjust the Length of Pull on a Browning X-Bolt Rifle
For optics, I went with a Vortex Viper 4-16x50 HSLR. I love these scopes for big-game hunting rifles. It is a little heavier with the 50mm tube but I love the capped windage turret and the 24 MOA of adjustment in one revolution in 1/2 MOA per click adjustments. The adjustable comb is also nice but on this rifle I didn't require any height adjustment. So in the end, I have a cool adjustable stock on my X-Bolt 2 but probably would be better suited with a little lighter plain vanilla X-Bolt stock.
I thought that I would need a little height adjustment on the comb because with the 50mm scope tube, I thought I would need medium-height integrated rings. Come to find out low integrated rings had just enough height to clear the barrel with the large 50 mm object lens. With low rings this allowed me to keep the comb in its lowest setting. With this X-Bolt 2 rifle, low rings and the larger turrets of the HSLR scope I have zero issues with shells not ejecting (shells hitting the large windage turret and bouncing back into the ejection port) like you might have with the original X-Bolt. To have flawless ejection on my X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Speed rifle I went with a Leupold scope with a small windage cap to make sure I had flawless ejecting of shells. You can learn more about that here: X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Speed Rifle — Setup Lightweight and Long Range Ready
With the heavy scope and a Browning Warden sling the rifle is weighing in right at 9 pounds. With the heavier scope and stock my rifle while still light is about a pound heavier than Kaden's 300 WSM X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Speed rifle.... but still much lighter than my 28 Nosler X-Bolt.
After years of hunting and experience with different calibers and rifles, I am now of the opinion that the 300 WSM in a lightweight configuration like this is the best all-around mountain rifle for elk. A little of an overkill for deer but maybe the best all-around backcountry big game rifle. This is why I wanted to get this particular rifle. It is light, accurate and shoots 200 grains of pure deadliness.
My 2024 Utah mule deer buck taken with my X-Bolt 2 in 300 WSM with Vortex Viper 4-16x50 HSLR scope.
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Back in the day before the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources decided to go back and forth with optics on muzzleloaders, I used both Vortex 1x and Nikon 1x scopes on my muzzleloaders. With these 1x scopes, I could shoot out to 200 yards but after that, the thick reticles would cover up much of the target making it too difficult for me to be effective.
Vortex 1x24 scope on CVA Accura V2 muzzleloader.
A few years back variable power optics were made legal by the UDWR to help get more people wanting to muzzleloader hunt and less people complaining that they can't get a general rifle deer tag. When this happened I started working toward upgrading my muzzleloading system. I ended up purchasing a CVA Paramount in 45 caliber and a Vortex 4-16x44 HST scope. This system was money for me out to 500 yards. You can learn more about setting this muzzleloader rifle up in this article: Go Long with the CVA Paramount Muzzleloader
For the 2024 hunting season, the UDWR went back to 1x power optics. Oh, how I wish they had never messed with this in the first place. Anyhow, it was time for me to find a new 1x optic for my muzzleloader, Dallen's and Kaden's.
I initially thought that the Leupold Freedom RDS BDC with dialable MOA elevation turret would be the right optic for my Paramount. I purchased one and right off the bat I didn't like the clarity of the advertised "1 MOA" sized red dot. The red dot looks larger than 1 MOA in size to me and is rather fuzzy for my eyes. I also found reflections within the optic to be quite annoying. Because of this, I passed this optic along to Dallen for his CVA Accura V2 muzzleloader. The Leupold Freedom RDS is working great for him and he is dialing up shots out to 250 and drilling the targets.
Hunting mule deer with the Leupold Freedom RDS BDC red dot scope on CVA Accura V2 muzzleloader.
With Utah hunters needing 1x optics Vortex brought back their 1x24 muzzleloader scope. I thought about getting another one of these scopes but having already used one in the past felt there has to be something better.
An EOTECH XPS2 Holographic Sight looked very intriguing. The technology they use on this red dot sight does indeed produce a very fine sub MOA sized red dot. If they were not so expensive and I didn't have to turn them on I might be using one of these optics. A friend of mine has one on an AR rifle and let me look through it. They are nice. Another bonus is that you could mount a magnifier on the rail behind the optic to help with sighting it in, just remove the magnifier for hunting of course.
Ultimately, a Primary Arms SLX 1X MicroPrism with an ACSS reticle is what Kaden and I have went with for our muzzleloaders. This is a true scope with the reticle etched in the glass. You can illuminate the reticle but so far I have preferred to shoot with the illumination turned off. The chevron aiming point is really small and gives me great target holding options out to 300+ yards.
My CVA Paramount muzzleloader with a Primary Arms 1x microprism scope.
Kaden initially went with an old Bushnell HOLOSight (same technology as EOTECH sights). After missing a buck during the 2024 muzzleloader deer season we decided to upgrade to a Primary Arms SLX 1X MicroPrism like mine, except he went with the FDE color while mine is black.
At the range, I have been dead on out to 300 yards with the Primary Arms 1x microprism on my Paramount muzzleloader.
Check out my holdover aiming points from Strelok. The chevron tip is 100 yards, the top corner of the bottom of the chevron is 200 yards and across the bottom edge is 300 yards as you can see in the images below.
Primary Arms 1x microprism scope holdovers on a mule deer from Strelok Pro for 100, 200 and 300 yards with my CVA Paramount muzzleloader.
All three of us are hoping to have some luck finding elk in the Unita mountains this fall with our muzzleloaders.
Kaden's Primary Arms 1x Microprism Scope on his CVA MR-X muzzleloader while elk hunting in the Uinta mountains.
My Primary Arms 1x Microprism Scope on my CVA Paramount muzzleloader while elk hunting in the Uinta mountains.
Some related articles using 1x scopes from the past
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Let me start with saying that I just love this muzzleloader. The system is absolutely amazing. Here are a few things I have done with the setup of my muzzleloader.
Deer hunting with my CVA Paramount muzzleloader.
Rifle Scope
I went with a Vortex Viper 4-16x44 HST with MOA reticle. I'm happy with this choice. Dialing for wind at range is nice to have on a scope with ballistics much less than my 28 Nosler I am used to shooting at distance. A Viper HS-LR would also be a great choice as well, maybe even better with 24 MOA in a single rotation of the turret. I put a 20 MOA rail on the muzzleloader but honestly, it really doesn't need it. With a 100 yard zero, at elevations I shoot at, a 450-yard shot is only a 12 MOA adjustment. With a 0 MOA rail, I could likely still dial-up shots out to 800 yards maxing out my Vortex Viper HST with 34 MOA adjustment for this distance. This is incredible for a muzzleloader.
Ballistic Coefficient
Using a 0.33 G1 BC in my Strelok Pro app I have been able to easily and correctly dial-up long shots. It just blew me away when on my first shot past 100 yards I drilled a 382-yard target... with a muzzleloader. That's insane!
Adjustable Stock
I added an extra 4th shim to the stock to get more length of pull and keep the scope off my forehead. To do this I only needed to get some longer screws from the hardware store. Being really tall and having a long neck I have to add length to all my rifles and it was easy to add the extra length with this system.
Powder Funnel
The funnel that comes with the Paramount is built well and looks nice but the pan is a little too small for my liking. I wanted something a little larger to make sure that I don't spill powder. What I found is a white gas funnel from the camping section at Walmart. It works great.
Powder
Blackhorn 209 says to times the weight by volume of powder by 0.7 to get the charge by weight in grains. 150 grains by volume then equals 105 grains by weight. This works great and my velocity average is 2470 fps with 105 grains of powder. What I found and others I know have the same experience is that 105 grains by weight is showing about 135 grains by volume in the powder charge tubes.
I bought a 20 pack of standard charging tubes that come with a nice molded transparent case to hold the tubes in. These tubes only hold 120 grains by volume of powder so I ordered two 10 packs of the magnum 150 grains by volume tubes and I place them in the molded case I got with the smaller tubes. The case makes it nice to carry 20 premeasured charges in my pack with me hunting. I also carry a couple of loose powder tubes in my bino pack on my chest along with bullets and Variflame primers.
Collapsible Ramrods
The collapsible aluminum ramrod that comes with the Paramount is easy to break. I broke my collapsible ramrod on the second bullet I seated. I was seating a bullet from a seated position at the bench and the last section of the ramrod easily bent and snapped over the muzzle of the barrel. I cleaned up the edge of the broken section and reassembled the ramrod now with one shorted section. The overall length of the ramrod is now only sticking out an inch from the muzzle when I seat bullets making it so I can't snap the ramrod over the end of the barrel like I did the first time.
On social media, I have heard of many people breaking their ramrods as well. One thing I now do when seating bullets is grab the shaft of the ramrod near the bottom (close to the muzzle) when I start to seat the bullet. As I press the bullet in further I move my hand up the shaft and push until I have the bullet seating halfway or so down the barrel then I place my palm on top of the ramrod and finish seating the bullet.
I was afraid the pouch that holds the collapsible aluminum ramrod could fall off by getting snagged on some brush while hunting so I sewed the pouch to my sling.
To be extra safe I bought a backup collapsible ramrod that I keep in my pack. On this ramrod, I have wrapped the section that sticks out of the barrel when seating bullets with a spiral twist of Gorilla Tape to help strengthen it to keep it from snapping. I also only load from a standing position so as to be able to compress the load pushing perfectly straight down on the ramrod.
White gas camping funnel I use as a powder funnel and the magnetic Variflame capping tool.
Capping Tool
Get the magnetic Variflame priming tool if you didn't get one with your muzzleloader. They work great and are much better than the tool that comes with the muzzleloader and is stored in the magazine well.
Cleaning
With muzzleloaders of the past, I used to use water in the sink to clean them. Now that I am using Blackhorn 209 powder I clean the muzzleloader using special Blackhorn 209 cleaning solvent and then run a patch of oil down the barrel and wipe down all the parts with oil.
November 2024 Update:
Now that Utah flip-flopped on variable power optics I had to find a new 1x optic for my Paramount. As I tested and researched 1x optics you can learn more about what I believe the best 1x muzzleloader scope is.