CVA Bobcat .50

[Blackfoot]

Well I couldn't pass this one up only 59.00

I thought that it would look cool if I made a full stock for it and maybe convert it to a flint.

But my questions are this:

Are they still made? I just bought it today at Wally World but on the CVA web site they don't list it.

Is it any good? do they shoot?

Can you find other barrels for it like a .32 ?

I know that the barrel is a button hook style so how hard would it be to fit a .32 barrel for it?

I think that I might go and pick up the other one that they have (just because of the price) and dress it up for the boy.


What do you all know of this Bobcat?

Thanks

 

[Blackpowder Injun]

I've replaced the synthetic stock with a wooden one on my bobcat and converted the no. 11 cap to musket caps. With 70 gr. goex 2f and a prb, I'm deadly at 50-70 yards...never a missfire since I switched from pyrodex.... The bobcat is, in my opinion, a quality weapon at a cheap price. Of course it's not gonna compare to a hawken or some other high priced weapon, but it's the best 54 bucks I ever spent....

 

[Pork Chop]

BI,

Have you got pictures of the restocked Bobcat? Care to help with a similar project? :grin:

 

[Blackpowder Injun]

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h190/blackpowderbilliot/DSCF1108.jpg[url] http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h190/blackpowderbilliot/bobcat.jpg[/url]
see if this works...me and my bobcat...

 

[bwhoffman]

I am t understand that cva quit production/marketing of these.
You got a good price on a great entry level gun.
Yes, go get the other one!
dont know about other barrels, might contact green mountain???
hot shot nip, why not!

If I could find 1 that cheap in my area, I'd but it in a heartbeat just to have a spare, a loaner, toget someone starting in this fun hobby ect!!

Brett

 

[Pork Chop]

Did you carve the stock, or is it a wood replacement from CVA? I have a chunk of cherry, and want to make a stock out of it. I will change the forend a little to make it more like the CVA Squirrel rifle (similar profile to the TC Renegade) rather than the blunt end it currently has. Either way, looks good!! Much better than the plastic fantastic it came with!!

 

[Blackfoot]

Thanks guys
I will go back and buy the other one and I replace the plastic with a full stock just for fun

 

[Blackpowder Injun]

bought the wooden stock off of ebay for 25.00....great price....it came off of a cva plainsman i think....

 

[scott adair]

That looks great B.I.! I just got a traditions .32 and am thinking about re-stocking it.


Scott

 

[Pittsburghunter]

Yeh they did stop making it so it seems but for some strange reason the worlds largest retailer has them on the shelves again this season :hmm:

Can't figure that one out.

I love mine haven't shot it since last fall but with 80gFFF and a round ball I hit black all day. Quite a bit of gun for the $54 indeed.

 

[Tall Bear]

After seeing two bob cats at Wal Mart I called CVA and asked them if they were making them again , they said no.
I don't know where they came from.

 

[Pork Chop]

Wal Mart buys in BULK!! They buy more than is reasonable!!! That being the case, they probably have a vast warehouse somewhere full of all kinds of good stuff...

 

[Blackfoot]

Well I went back to Wally World and bought the last one that they had there. They are going to see if they can get me another one.....(For parts or whatever) :grin:

I will convert one over to flint and have a full stock made for it. it should be a fun little project.

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

Wal Mart buys in BULK!! They buy more than is reasonable!!! That being the case, they probably have a vast warehouse somewhere full of all kinds of good stuff...

I noticed at a local Wal-Mart that they had a CVA Bobcat (priced at $54.87) on their muzzleloading rack of guns... Seems odd that they still have any since CVA has (supposedly) discontinued production of ALL of their sidelock guns... but I think you might be right about there being a Wal-Mart warehouse full of all kinds of out of production and discontinued items.

I figure the markup on the Bobcat is about 300-400%. Their actual buying price is most likely around 10-12 dollars. And remember how many thousands of these that they buy, and the volume discounts they receive... If I could come up with an item that I could sell at +300% profit, I'd sure find a way to keep doing it.

Still, they are a terrific buy and great for a novice, or a seasoned muzzlestuffer who wants a truck gun, a loaner, or a beater. All of the ones I've ever had (or shot) worked perfectly, and were plenty accurate out to 100yds for whitetail deer.

Does anyone know if there is a way to decode the serial numbers on the CVA Bobcat to determine when (what year) it was actually manufactured?

I guess I'm going to have to keep a close watch on the local Wal-Mart just to see if they have more than one Bobcat...

Regards, and shoot safely!
WV_Hillbilly

 

[Pork Chop]

Well, the one I have in the box was received by WalMart in August of 2003. I bought it in 2005. I would bet that they still have stock that was bought in 2004 floating around the inventory.

Sort of explains why CVA quit making them if they hang around that long...

 

[Blackfoot]

Well, the one I have in the box was received by WalMart in August of 2003. I bought it in 2005. I would bet that they still have stock that was bought in 2004 floating around the inventory.

Sort of explains why CVA quit making them if they hang around that long...

Thats not right because they would first have sales orders for them about 6 months out so that they only made what was sold and maybe have a small stock available for other sales.

They are not like farmers which produce product (Grain) without orders for it and hope that they get them sold before the elevator price goes down. They like most other businesses have sales forcast and orders that are way ahead of production so that most of the product is shipped as soon as they get produced.

 

[Tall Bear]

I noticed Blackfoot asked if you could get a .32 cal. barrel for a Bob Cat.
Anybody know ?

 

[Blackfoot]

As far as I can see I would have to get Green mountain to make it for me or at least get the barrel from them and finish the rest myself.

 

[Slamfire]

I noticed Blackfoot asked if you could get a .32 cal. barrel for a Bob Cat.
Anybody know ?

I believe they made a .36 caliber version, I think Mid South was selling them, although for a much higher price. Mine likes Buffalo Ballets almost as much as the PRBs. You can see a sample target in the Pardner Shoot Contest posts. :thumbsup:

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

As far as I can see I would have to get Green mountain to make it for me or at least get the barrel from them and finish the rest myself.

The biggest problem is that most .32cal barrels are 13/16 or 7/8 across flats and are scaled down for smaller stocked guns. It is possible to find a used barrel and make a breech plug up to mate it with your hardware--plus you'll have to bed the barrel to take up the extra space left in the larger barrel channel. (It's really not feasible to have a 2 caliber, 2 barrel, "swap gun", by starting out with one of these synthetic stocked Bobcats)

If you start buying a wooden replacement stock and a GM .32cal barrel, you're going to rapidly escalate the costs invested in your project. You may be better off just finding a CVA .32cal squirrel rifle to begin with (or maybe a .36cal Bobcat--which Deer Creek used to have for sale).

That 54 dollars plus tax is going to turn into $200 really quickly. I'm speaking from first-hand experience too. Been there, tried that, wasn't satisfied... went out and bought a separate small caliber rifle. Just trying to save a fellow some of the grief (and headaches) that I had.

Regards, and good luck on whatever you choose to do...

WV_Hillbilly