CVA .45 Kentucky Rifle Kit

[wirehairman]

My dad found a CVA .45 Kentucky rifle kit at a garage sale for next to nothing and picked it up for me. It is still in the original styrofoam and looks like all the parts and pieces are there minus maybe a screw or two. There are no instructions, but I think I can muck my way through it with the help of this forum. This will be my first build, and I don't have huge expectations as it is a lower grade kit but thought it might be a nice plinker for my wife since it is smaller.

My first questions concern the two piece full stock. The wood in the two pieces looks pretty disimilar. What can I do to make it look halfway decent? A really dark stain?

Also, I want to join the pieces into a single stock as one of the very first steps. Is this the correct aproach.

Anyway, thanks for the help in advance.

 

[MikeChapin]

I built a bunch of these back in the eighties. Most of them were for other people who either got one as a Christmas or birthday present.

The first step on these is make sure you have a flush fit between the stock parts and the brass plate. Just use inletting black or the wife's lipstick to mark high points on the wood. If you want to forego the brass plate and butt the two wooden pieces together be aware that this can cause some problems.

The biggest is that the nosecap is held to the barrel with brass machine screws with the rear one coming up through the nosecap and through the lip on the stock. This is lined up with the idea that the brass plate will be there. If it is removed you are going to be that much short.

The one I built for my wife had a different nosecap. I had cut six inches off the rifle for her and used a standard crescent nose cap on hers. I liked it so much that I replaced the stock nosecaps on two CVA kentucky pistols I did later with crescents.

 

[Desert Ratxx]

A buddy of mine wrapped a piece of rawhide around where the two pieces meet giving it that period correct field repair look. It came out real sharp. Also don't forget Joe Meek's "Sally" had a two peice stock, don't know if it was damaged and then repaired or just came that way.

 

[Charles D. Prokopp]

That was my first muzzle loader, and I still shoot it regularly after some 25-odd years.It may be kinda plain and chunky, but it's a good shooter. I used a darkish red stain to minimise the mismatch on the grain, and did a little (Very little) subtle graining with darker stains across the brass filler to further blend things. Fortunately, the grain is rather straight in that area on mine. You may have to work on the holes for the two pins that hold both ends together. They were too close together on my front end, so I had to use a rat tail file to make them oval. The buttplate will need a filler of some kind on the comb area. Otherwise, there's a huge void between stock and brass and no support for the fastening screw. I used epoxy wood putty.
Have fun with a great little kit!

 

[wirehairman]

The first step on these is make sure you have a flush fit between the stock parts and the brass plate.

Ummm . . . there may be some pieces missing from the kit. I did not see a brass plate that would fit between the two stock pieces. Do you have any pictures that you could post? I can't imagine it would be too hard to make a brass plate to place between the stock pieces.

 

[Charles D. Prokopp]

I'm not at home right now, so I can't actually look at it. That plate is about 1/8 inch thick. I'll measure it later and drop you a note.

 

[Swampman]

I'd leave the brass plate out and glue the stock pieces together. There should be 2 metal pins that keep the stock pieces aligned. A heavy grunge job, using flat black paint can hide anything......

 

[wirehairman]

I called CVA's customer service, and they e-mailed me the instructions and parts list for the kit. CVA no longer makes the kit but gave me the number for Deer Creek Products and said there is a fair chance I can order the brass stock joining piece from them. :thumbsup:

 

[Charles D. Prokopp]

I measured it for you, and it's right at 1/8 inch. :hatsoff:

 

[wirehairman]

I measured it for you, and it's right at 1/8 inch. :hatsoff:

Thanks. That will help if I end up fabricating one myself.

 

[Pork Chop]

As a thought, you could find a piece of wood to replace the brass - that would help with making it look less hollywood...

 

[wirehairman]

As a thought, you could find a piece of wood to replace the brass - that would help with making it look less hollywood...

If I were making the gun for myself, I would definitely consider this as well as the rawhide patch or "grunge job". However, my hope is to make it real shiny and purdy to lure my wife into the blackpowder world. Her current excuse is that my GPR is too long and does not fit her (although she has shot it).