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Exploding CVA barrel

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Next time you want to know if there is a blockage first use the rammer to measure depth. Then put a patch on a rod or rammer. Then pop a cap. Then remove patch and observe scorching and or smell burning.
Oh, and read and understand loading practices and charge weights or measures around the use of black powder substitutes.
 
As my old friend from the foundry would say, "No law against bein' stupid". Next time you want to try for that Darwin Award load it with smokeless.
 
I built a CVA flintlock kit in 1977. It worked just ok, but ate flints fast. Later I read that some of these Spanish built CVA rifles had poorly threaded breach plugs. So with a potentially badly thread breach plug I quit using the rifle.
I still have it I just won’t shoot it any more.
I believe the OP was intentionally trying to kaboom his rifle, and he succeeded perfectly. Job well done bravo.
 
I had a bad experiance with my cva 44 cal kentucky kit BP rifle
I bought it in 1975 at kittery trading post
I used to shoot at (turkey target) shoots for many years.
My work life took over so it was stored for last 30 years
I decided to clean it up and take it to the range and for safety sake decided to do a test shot with 120 gr 3 f black powder
first I dropped 50 grains down the barrel and tamped it a bit with the rod then placed a cap and BANG all is good with no old load left in
then I loaded 120 gr with one round ball with no patch which slipped down the barrel easy
I strapped it to the shooting stand placed a cap had string on the trigger paced back 30 ft and pulled BIG bang blew gun in two
I also noticed a crack full length of the barrel

Never shoot a lose ball in a rifle.

And a 120 grains of 3F in a 45 caliber? Are you nuts ?
 
Very lucky indeed that that sliver of barrel didn’t wind up in the head.
 
Nothing strange I tested with 60g black first with no ball to make sure no blockage after long storage and flashed it iff with a cap to ensure it was clear
Soling,
With all respect to you and your intentions to make sure your gun was safe: I was always told that a test is good, but the barrel metal and breech plug need to be examined and or tested by a metallurgist to verify the integrity of the tested items was not compromised. Just because a barrel withstands a certain higher charge does not proove that it is safe for another at an even lower charge. A higher charge can weaken the barrel, but not necessarily make it fail on that discharge.
I leave the testing to the manufacturer. Again happy to hear you are OK.
Larry
 
Several people have referenced the OP as using "Triple 7". He didn't say that. He said "triple f", another way of saying fff. He says he used regular Goex black. Personally, if I had used a gun in turkey shoots a number of times I wouldn't see any need to proof test it, and I don't quite understand his procedure for checking to see if it was loaded. However, I have seen many muzzleloader shooters do things that I would not necessarily do. Seems maybe just not a lot of experience, rather than a troll.
 
I had a bad experiance with my cva 44 cal kentucky kit BP rifle
I bought it in 1975 at kittery trading post
I used to shoot at (turkey target) shoots for many years.
My work life took over so it was stored for last 30 years
I decided to clean it up and take it to the range and for safety sake decided to do a test shot with 120 gr 3 f black powder
first I dropped 50 grains down the barrel and tamped it a bit with the rod then placed a cap and BANG all is good with no old load left in
then I loaded 120 gr with one round ball with no patch which slipped down the barrel easy
I strapped it to the shooting stand placed a cap had string on the trigger paced back 30 ft and pulled BIG bang blew gun in two
I also noticed a crack full length of the barrel
Proof loads are usually maximum published (from a recognized source), load + 10%, fired 3 times. That is what I have always done. It’s not really that hard to make one come apart. Is there a chance the ball moved away from the charge before you touched it off? Save the schrapnel and splinters, they may fit somewhere some day.
 
I built a CVA flintlock kit in 1977. It worked just ok, but ate flints fast. Later I read that some of these Spanish built CVA rifles had poorly threaded breach plugs. So with a potentially badly thread breach plug I quit using the rifle.
I still have it I just won’t shoot it any more.
I believe the OP was intentionally trying to kaboom his rifle, and he succeeded perfectly. Job well done bravo.
See that's the problem. You followed the black sheep off a cliff lol. Their breech plug issue was one ONE model and that was the 1995-96 cva Apollo.

The cva sidelocks have one of the strongest breech plugs ever designed.
 
Proof loads are usually maximum published (from a recognized source), load + 10%, fired 3 times. That is what I have always done. It’s not really that hard to make one come apart. Is there a chance the ball moved away from the charge before you touched it off? Save the schrapnel and splinters, they may fit somewhere some day.
Really? I think you will find a proof load is about double the standard charge.

Saying a 45 with a service charge of 60gn is proofed with just 66gn is crazy!
 
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