Barrel Tenon & Pin

[Cowboy]

A friend of mine gave me an old CVA Kentucy Rifle some years back. It belonged to his father who had passed on. It's pretty old but in excellent condition.

I've shot it quite a bit for the last 10 years or so. Nothing fancy about it, but is an accurate, good ol shooter.

The barrel is held in place by two anchoring points.
1. The tang bolt goes through the tang and anchors into the trigger plate.
2. One of the nose cap screws goes through the nosecap, and through the stock, and lastly anchors into the bottom flat of the barrel.

These two points are the only thing that holds the barrel in the stock.

Doesn't have a barrel tenon installed on the bottom flat, nor does it have a dove tail for one.

Seen other examples of CVA Kentucky Rifles that have them.

I ordered a CVA Kentucky Barrel Tenon with the pin.

Now I have to cut a dovetail in the bottom flat of the barrel and drill holes through the stock for the tenon pin.

I have never made a dovetail nor drilled holes in a stock to except pins or wedges?

I've built beginner level kits before but never had to do any of the above to them.

I've had this muzzleloader a long time and my friends father had it even longer. I Don't Want To Screw This Up!

I need you Gun Builder guy's to help me out here. Please!

If you can, could you explain it in the easiest terms to where even one confused Cowboy could understand it! :haha:

I would appreciate an education and any advice that you would think I should know or be aware of?

Respectfully, Cowboy :hatsoff:

 

[garra]

I guess my first question is just having 2 mounting points causing issues. If the stock is not cracking at the breech area then I would leave well enough alone. After all, it has worked for the last 10 years.

 

[Treestalker]

Cowboy the way I've always done this is measure the narrow width of the dovetail on your tenon, transfer this to the place on the underside of the barrel where the tenon dovetail will fit, then carefully hacksaw a series of parallel grooves across the flat to the depth of the tenon dovetail, within your marks. Use a sharp square file to remove the metal between your marks to depth, then use a triangle file which has one side smoothed (grind the teeth off) to cut the edges of your dovetail. The smooth side goes down, to control depth. However, it seems to help the dovetails by using a regular triangle to finish the cuts. Just go slow and try your tenon often. To locate your pin measure from the top of the barrel to the center of the tenon, transfer this measurement to both sides of the stock and drill your hole straight, on a press if possible. When your bit hits the metal tenon, stop and remove the barrel to make sure your bit is engaging the tenon in the right place. Hope this helps, George.

 

[frogwalking]

Cutting a dovetail under a barrel by hand is not too difficult if you try to be careful. The first thing I do is to measure the thickness of the dovetail on the tennon and record it. Insure the barrel is thick enough for it to have enough barrel left after you have finished the cut. Measure carefully, the width of the narrow part of the tennon's dovetail as this is what you will cut initially. You will make a rectangular cut in the bottom of the barrel first. (Use a hacksaw with a very fine tooth blade to make parallel cuts as close as you can, It is easy to cut too deep so be careful.) If this is too small, you can file it larger. If it is too big....well, you can solder the tennon in the groove, not a disaster. Grind one side off a good, small, three cornered file to cut into the sides of your rectangle to make it a dovetail. I usually taper the cuts a little so the tennon gets tighter as it is driven into the slot frequently trying the tennon to make sure the cut is not too big. Most tennons are sharp on the corners of the dovetail, and cutting one like this in the barrel requires a chisel. If you don't have one, round the sharp corners a little on the tennon. Go slowly and check the fit frequently. If your cut dovetail is very slightly too large, you can center punch the sides of the barrel to make it tighter. If it is a lot too big, soft solder it in place. It does not have to be pretty, just strong. Go slowly and be careful. It may take several hours to cut your first one. Don't hammer on the bottom of your dovetail as you can ding the bore and ruin the barrel.

 

[Cowboy]

That's true, but when I turn the rifle upside down I can feel the barrel shift a little away from the barrel channel.

Just want to better secure it in. Maybe I should leave well enough alone :hmm:

If it is something that could be easy to do, I would like to try. But if the risk might be to great for someone inexperienced like myself? Not sure!

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[Cowboy]

I did a topic about this particular muzzleloader a little over a year ago. Had alot of responses. Learned quite a bit about them from that post.

It was determined that this one was probably one of the earlier ones made, around 1971.

Maybe they didn't have barrel tenon's when they first came out? :idunno:

On one hand I would like to try to put a tenon on it, but on the other hand I am unsure of myself and my abilities!

Still is an accurate shooter, as long as I'm holding it upright! :haha:

I think I might want to kick this around in my head a little more before I go Rambo on it!

What's funny is that I wouldn't give it a second thought to try this on some of my muzzleloader's that are alot more exspensive as this one is!

Just something about this old cheap CVA Kentucky Rifle!

Respectfully, Cowboy :hatsoff:

 

[vfisher93]

You can google up duelist 1954 and he has videos on building a flint lock rifle.He shows you how to do this operation.Its a little easier seeing someone do this than having someone trying to tell you how to do it.Then get you some scrap material and practice doing it.

 

[54ball]

Check it again. Some of these screw the barrel onto the the stock through the pipes. The pipes will have a hole, the screw goes through the top of the pipe into the ramrod channel and into the bottom flat of the barrel.

The Armi Sport Kentuckians used a screw through the ramrod channel. The nosecap was fixed to the barrel. To dismount the barrel the tang screw was removed, as was the ramrod channel screw the the whole barrel assembly slid forward and the barrel and nosecap came off as a unit.

The classic CVAs should have a pin. These rifles have been made for several decades and marketed by Jukar,CVA and Traditions. Also there's appears to be clones by different manufacturers or no name models made with somewhat different features. It may have a pin covered by finish. Since these were kit guns the dove tail may already be cut but the lug was never installed.

Cutting dovetails is tedious but it's not hard. It just requires care. As said transfer the little part of the dove tail to the barrel flat. Measure and mark carefully. The wide part of the dovetail is cut with a safe sided triangle file.
I find it's best for me to mark out the dove tail and tape the barrel revealing only whats to be removed. I cut a groove with a triangle file this creates a valley for the hacksaw blade and minimizes slippage. It will slip at least once when you start.....that's what the tape is for.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Take the barrel out of the stock and see if it has dovetails cut in the bottom of the barrel.
More than one person built a cva kit and didn't put the barrel tenons in because they were afraid to drill the holes....myself included...

If the barrel has dovetails slots, all you have to do is get some tenons and pins from deer creek or traditions and install them. there are some videos on youtube showing how to do it.

 

[Iceberg]

you might want to see if you can find a scrap piece of barrel and practice cutting a few before doing it to your rifle.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I missed the part about no dovetail slots.....
Think I would try stake-ins instead.... :hmm:

They look a lot easier than cutting dovetails...

 

[Cowboy]

Take the barrel out of the stock and see if it has dovetails cut in the bottom of the barrel.
More than one person built a cva kit and didn't put the barrel tenons in because they were afraid to drill the holes..

Now I'm going to humiliate myself and eat alot of crow!

YES! There is indeed dovetails!! Now I feel so low and stupid at the same time!

No barrel tenons or pins, but the dovetails are already cut and are waiting for them to be installed! I'm sorry about that gentlemen.

Now that I wasted everyone's time that they'll never get back, I can handle installing the tennons.

Now I have to drill holes in the tennons and the stock! :shocked2:

How do I measure that? Also how would I go about it?

Again, I am sorry about missing the dovetails. I finally pulled my head out of my @%*&@# .

I would appreciate any advice that anyone would still want to give me at this point!

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[Ames]

Measure from the top of the barrel down while it is in the stock.
Lift the barrel and mark the center.
DO NOT hit the ramrod channel. Easy.

 

[kaintuck]

Measure from the top of the barrel down while it is in the stock.
Lift the barrel and mark the center.
DO NOT hit the ramrod channel. Easy.

and.....drill from both sides, after a careful measuring course!
just drill level up to the installed tennon...then drill the tennon while the barrel is OUT of the stock, needle file until it's a nice little slot, so the wood can expand and contract laterally~
marc n tomtom

 

[coloradoclyde]

Make yourself a centering jig for a drill press
Then watch this video.

[youtube]/_D5ES5WqQzE[/youtube]

or this one...
[youtube]/PTrArUJAA_M?t=6m7s[/youtube]