Add Iron Sights To Your CVA Paramount Pro

Back in ’23, I had the good fortune to draw a muzzleloader bull elk tag in a very desirable unit, in a very desirable state. I did not own a muzzleloader at the time, which did not stop visions of 600-yard shots with iron sights from dancing in my head. Therefore, the only off-the-shelf smokepole that would be up to the challenge would be the CVA Paramount Pro. I purchased one, and about $300 worth of Blackhorn 209, and set about getting squared away to make it happen.

Like most other muzzleloader hunts throughout the West, usage of iron sights was mandatory. If I was smart, I would have just ordered the Paramount Pro Colorado, which comes set up exactly the way that I would want it. Unforunately, due to it being a Colorado-spec rifle, it only comes in .50 cal (the minimum caliber for hunting elk with a muzzleloader in that state). The .40 and .45 calibers to have superior ballistics to the .50 cals of old, and I just had to have one. I picked up a standard Paramount Pro .45 and began my journey down a long and unexpectedly-confusing rabbit hole.

While this article is specifically geared towards shooters of the original Paramount the basic principles should work with any other muzzleloader.

The Problems

Here are the problems I encountered when attempting to get the gun squared away with iron sights:

No provision for front sights from the factory
Cheek riser on the OEM Grayboe stock too high for iron sights; intended for scoped-only use

Well, I guess those are really the only two problems. Here’s how you get around them.

The Fixes

First, you’ll need to attach the picatinny scope bases that came with your Paramount, if you haven’t already. If you don’t have these, a set of generic pic rail bases for a Remington 700 action will do. They aren’t spendy.

Then, you need to give William’s Gun Sights a call. You will need to ask them what height attaching base you need to purchase for your specific firearm. They will be able to tell you specifically as well as give you a part number; their customer service is excellent. Getting the correct height for the attaching base is incredibly important, because if it is too tall or not-too-tall-enough you won’t be able to zero the gun, or will run out of adjustment when shooting at longer ranges.

Take your attaching base and pay a visit to your friendly neighborhood gunsmith, where they’ll drill and tap your barrel for the two screws needed. I used Wild West Guns in Las Vegas for this service; I had my gun back in under two weeks and it was less than $100.

Note that this will, unfortunately, void your factory warranty.

You’ll also need to purchase a front sight; I chose a Williams front globe sight, which is a popular option.

While Williams makes a great product and their globe sight comes with its own selection of crosshairs to choose from, the Lee Shaver sight card is non-negotiable if you plan on shooting long-range with your fancy muzzleloader. They are cut much finer than the Williams crosshairs. Some people hit them with some high-vis spray paint or nail polish. What you want to order for the Williams Globe is the “Lyman 20 and Anshutz Front Sight Insert Card” (part number LS004).

I purchased the NECG N- 106G rear sight. It mounts on to the pic rails you installed earlier and works well. I like this unit and would buy it again. The Williams rear is decent too, but the NECG unit is better.

If you have an extra grand burning a hole in your pocket, the Arrowhead Rifles Revic peep is apparently the best money can get at this point in time. You will be able to dial your irons and, from what I’ve seen of others who have this Lamborghini of sights, make confident and repeatable hits on target to well past 500 yards.

Stocks

Finally, you’ll find that the cheek riser on the factory stock is too high to allow a comfortable and consistent cheek weld with iron sights, rather than a scope. This isn’t unique to the Paramount; I’ve seen this firsthand on the Accura, too. When I went through this several years ago, I ordered a Grayboe Outlander straight-comb stock. This worked perfectly and solved my problems.

Unfortunately, the Outlander is no longer produced, and when I reached out to Grayboe for this article, they let me know that they are only now making stocks with inlets for the new Paramount Pro 2, which is different to the original Paramount and not compatible.

This means that if you find yourself in this position at press time, you have a few option that I can see, and none of them are really excellent or expedient. You could sand down and repaint the raised cheek riser on the OEM Paramount stock, or attempt to find a used straight-comb stock on the internet… somewhere… I do not think there are any other stock makers at this point making a straight-comb stock for the original Paramount.

If you have a Paramount 2, they ship with an adjustable cheek riser so this should not be an issue.

Other Upgrades

I also upgraded right off the bat to the Arrowhead breech plug and primer modules, due to many concerns online about the suitability of the OEM Variflame system. I don’t really have anything at all to say about this upgrade, which is exactly what I would want out of a breech plug. Recommended.

Conclusion

In the end, I did all of this work to kill my bull at about five yards anyway.

Again, the basics here should apply to most muzzleloaders; the most important part is getting the correct height attaching base for whichever gun you have.