CVA 12 gauge

[F.G. Ford]

Hi guys,
I am looking at an older 12 ga. CVA.Ihope you can give a good evaluation on a CVA 12 gauge.
I have had two CVA products before and they were not very good, barrels were ok, but very poor locks. These were not shot guns.
Are they all the same?
Old Ford

 

[Rifleman1776]

Historically, CVA locks are not good at all. There are replacement locks on the market for a very good reason.
What exactly are you looking for?

 

[Grandpa Ron]

I have shot mine a lot. I use it regularly to shoot muzzleloading skeet at the Nationals in Friendship IN.

Initially it had two problems; first, the left hammer did not strike the nipple properly so it had to be heated and bent so it struck the nipple in the center of the hammer. Second, the right lock spring seemed a bit week so I wedged a piece of leather into to Vee.

I bought it used for $125.00 over five years ago and have been shooting it since. The original owner move on to a Pedersoli.

Another annoying feature was the barrel wedge pin was loose and would sometimes fall out, so I added a thin strip of foam tape between the forearm and barrel and it holds it quite nicely now.

I would say, check it over carefully and if the price is right buy it.

Good luck

 

[BrownBear]

I have shot mine a lot. I use it regularly to shoot muzzleloading skeet at the Nationals in Friendship IN.

Initially it had two problems; first, the left hammer did not strike the nipple properly so it had to be heated and bent so it struck the nipple in the center of the hammer. Second, the right lock spring seemed a bit week so I wedged a piece of leather into to Vee.

I bought it used for $125.00 over five years ago and have been shooting it since. The original owner move on to a Pedersoli.

Another annoying feature was the barrel wedge pin was loose and would sometimes fall out, so I added a thin strip of foam tape between the forearm and barrel and it holds it quite nicely now.

I would say, check it over carefully and if the price is right buy it.

Good luck

That's a pretty good summary of the kinds of adjustments a hunting pard had to make to his. But once tweeked, the gun is a dandy. I shoot a Navy Arms Pietta alongside him, and have had lots of opportunities to compare the two. The fit and finish of the Pietta is better, along the lines of the Pedersoli. As Grandpa Ron sezz, look it over, and if the price is right, buy it. You might have to fiddle a bit, but in the end you'll be quite happy with it.

 

[mark/wi]

Is this the double barrel? Mark

 

[SgtSchutzen]

I made a trade for one of their 12ga doubles last winter, and have been happy with it so far. The only issue I`ve seen with it (if you can call it an issue)is the mainspring in the right hand lock is alot weaker than the left hand one. It still fires the cap everytime though. I did pick up an extra spring just in case.

I know alot of folks say they`ve had nothing but problems with CVA guns, but that hasn`t been my experience. I currently have three other CVA guns and have had no major issues with any of them. Two of them I`ve been shooting for over 25 years and they are still accurate and reliable guns.

I wouldn`t pay alot of money for a CVA gun, but if the price is right and you like it, pick it up.

I don`t know about all of them, but the bores on mine are actually closer to 13ga than 12, so if you get it you might want to mic your bores befor you buy any wads. I use 13ga wads for the overpowder and 12ga wads for the overshot cards.

 

[F.G. Ford]

Thank you all for your input.
I guess I will hang on to my good old Pedersoli 12, and my original Bond 12 s X s.
I had a lot of trouble with the older CVA guns.
I'm too miserable to start another problem.
Old Ford

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Old Ford,

If you are not into diddling then you probably should pass.

I have tweaked a few CVA and other guns for my grandkids and I can say you do get what you pay for.

Unbridled tumblers and locks that rub the bottom of the lock mortis or cheap sights mean little to a pre-teen, as long as it shoots.

It is when you get older and start to shoot a lot that these things start to matter; mostly because you want to shoot not diddle.

That said, my grandkids have had a lot of fun with some “$100.00 wonders” once I work out the kinks.

 

[Zonie]

For what it's worth, both locks on this CVA Double barrel 12 guage have fully supported tumblers with rather hefty looking bridles supporting them.

This leads me to think that not all CVA's have poor locks without bridles.

This shotgun was a kit gun that (I think) originally sold in the 1980's.

It was probably the first "kit" the original builder ever tried to build and it took some effort on my part to get it fixed up but I think it is now presentable.

 

[SgtSchutzen]

You are correct Zonie, not all CVA`s have locks without bridles. I have the same type CVA shotgun as you and mine also has bridles supporting the lock tumblers. In fact so does my CVA Squirrel rifle and Mountain rifle. The only CVA guns I`ve ever owned with unbridled lock tumblers are my Kentucky rifle and an old Colonial pistol I used to have.

 

[Leatherbark]

Another indication that these were closer to 13 gauge is that CVA used to sell brown plastic wads to be used in these. These wads I'll swear looked like a Federal 12S3 wad used in a 12 gauge modern shotshell. So maybe they intentionally made these guns in 13 gauge in order to use their CVA plastic wad?

Bob