CVA Mountain Pistol On the range

[Kentuckywindage]

25 grains Pyrodex P, .015" patches lubed with the new stuff, .490" round ball, 20 yards. I just got it late yesterday evening, so that gives me the excuse of the one flyer.

 

[Don]

Nice looking pistol and a good group too.

Don :bow:

 

[Wes/Tex]

Now you see why they were so popular when new. It was the one pistol everybody had at least one of. Then we got to fiddling with them and everybody took a shot at refinishing into something 'cool'. Pal even checkered the whole grip area. So many "Mountain Fun" and "Mountain Pistols" back them!

 

[Alden]

And if I didn't know any better I'd say that's a HAWKEN pistol!

Looks like a great day on The Back 40.

 

[Renegade Dan]

Nice lookin pistol! :thumbsup: Good shootin too.

 

[Wes/Tex]

And if I didn't know any better I'd say that's a HAWKEN pistol!

Yeah, that's what it is with the optional 'grit grinder' grip! :slap: :wink:

 

[larryp]

I have one of those in .45 that someone finished from a kit. Got it from a sporting goods store second hand for $50 about 20 years ago.

 

[azmntman]

I just built one I had for about 15 years, Bout the same group and a hoot to shoot! Keep playing and you'll tighten that group up. I had one 30 yrs back could shoot a quarter almost every shot at 20 yds, at 30 though was about a 6" group? Coulda been me, was not so clean cut in those days!

 

[zimmerstutzen]

That is a mountain pistol for sure.

The Hawken pistol had more of a saw type handle grip with a flat bottom on the grip.

Here is a page from the 1982 Cat



This shows the brass nose cap and escrutcheons, as well as the Hawken rear sight. Also the Hawken used a different lock plate with a rounded rear curve instead of the point of the earlier Maislin style on the Mtn pistol



this shows the different grip shape of the Hawken pistol



Definitely not a Hawken Pistol

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The factory finished Mtn Pistols had browned barrels. The factory finished Hawken Pistols had blued barrels.

Mtn pistols had that German Silver round nose cap, The Hawken pistol had a brass TC hawken looking nose cap.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The Barrels were actually quite good on both models. Unfortunately the trigger pulls were rarely less than 10 pounds. A friend of mine installed the better CVA lock that has a fly and installed a single set trigger. That made a huge difference.

 

[GaryED50]

Beautiful pistol

I've never owned a single shot BP

Gary

 

[Alden]

Really? Geez, I may have the order wrong but I think my last four were custom-made smoothbore single shot flints including snaphaunces, miquelet, and traditional.

May have been a Dance & Bros. .44 CW revolver in their somewhere though.

They are lotsa fun.

 

[rafterob]

Just got a deer creek kit version from DGW for my son. Looks to have a deer creek made barrel but all the rest is cva stock. Look forward to shooting it with him.

 

[cynthialee]

Yeah that is the Mountain Pistol, not the Hawken Pistol. I have a Hawken Pistol.

 

[necchi]

Unfortunately the trigger pulls were rarely less than 10 pounds.

Your friend didn't notice the screw in the tumbler that adjusts sear engagement?

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The sear adjust screw only does so much

 

[Kentuckywindage]

mines about 1 1/2lbs now that I adjusted it. When it was fully screwed out, maybe 4lbs which was pretty good for a hunting pistol. I have a long time to go before hunting season, so its set up for a light trigger for better load development.

 

[crockett]

I have one too and I really like it. I ended up using 37 grains and a .018 patch- that gave the best accuracy, which is sort of a win-win because the 37 grains is a bit better for hunting.
I just finished mine "as is" so there is a little gap between the under rib and the ramrod and the nose cap is the big monolithic thing.
On a rifle with similar parts I switched to a half nose cap style that uses an entry pipe. It is sort of a scary modification because you remove some wood and are left with two thin fingers that the nose cap goes over and then I used bedding compound to "put something where wood should have been" but the result is good. I then used a new under rib and inlet the pipe.
If I do the same thing on the pistol- I also plan on checkering the grip.
In any event, they are good pistols. I like them a lot. Not a "Hawken" but then again true Hawken pistols in the mountains were rare. Most were something else.
The trigger pull on mine seemed okay, it isn't so heavy as to be noticed.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

Took the CVA Mountain Pistol .50cal out to 20 yards again first with 50 grains Clean Shot 2f. A real fun light recoil load with lots of smoke, not great for accuracy but the recovered patches look great. I have almost a full bottle of it so why not just use that up before switching over to Goex, right?

20 yards
.490 round ball
.015" patches lubed with Mr flintlocks patch lube
50gr Clean Shot

Now Goex, that got my mind to thinking and putting the cold to the side, I went in a grabbed 3 powder tubes with 50 grains Goex 2f and loaded up the same patch n ball combo.

SUPERB Accuracy! Believe it or not, thats THREE Shots. The hole on the left you can tell its smudged out a bit where as the hole on the right is round.

I tell you, this is only my second time out with the pistol since I got it and I can already tell she and I will be real good friends. Just have to drift the rear sight over to get it center and then figure out where exactly I want my max range to be with this pistol for target shooting. I was thinking 30 yards max, but first I will shoot that yardage and see how it groups before doing any filing on the front sight.