CVA Mountain Rifle questions

[Freezer]

A co-worker saw the TC Hawken rifle kit I built for another co-worker and asked if I could repair his. It was his uncle's and has seen some wear.

My research has left me confused. It is a CVA 54 cal Mountain rifle but from learned they only came as kits, didn't have a patch box and were hard wood stocks. This has a patch box and what appears to be a maple stock. The butt plate, end cap, trigger guard, rib and thimbles to have a spray on pewter finish. The ram rod is synthetic. These appear to be different from the pictures I've seen. Most are plumb blue, but some have dark bluing on some of the attached parts. The exterior of the barrel has some rust and pitting, and I'm pondering cleaning it and removing the rust, so I can refinish the barrel. The other parts can be spray-painted after stripping if that is the correct thing for this rifle. I have experience using semi cold bluing but think it will look as strange as the pewter. The last option is to strip and blue the entire rifle. Lastly he has experienced soe sparking issues but judging from the use condition m guess would be a new flint is in order.

What is the age of the rifle and opinion on how to proceed with its restoration are appreciated.

The barrel has no marking other than : Connecticut Valley Arms
Black Powder Only 54 Cal

Serial Number: 00083XX

 

[COTNTOP]

I just finished one for a friend and I took all the metal down to a real slick finish then blued. Looks really great except I left the nose the pewter color. This rifle had a really curly maple stock like yours but in 50 cal.

 

[tenngun]

I just finished one for a friend and I took all the metal down to a real slick finish then blued. Looks really great except I left the nose the pewter color. This rifle had a really curly maple stock like yours but in 50 cal.

I think some ml supplies made replacement stocks for these

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Clean up the barrel and see what you have. You could plum brown the barrel, trigger guard and butt plate. The nose cap is basically pewter. That’s the color it is.
Give the stock a little TLC. That may be all it needs.

 

[fishmusic]

Wow, that stock is amazing. Some things don't add up so I'll let the experts chime it. My CVA Mountain Rifle does not have a side plate, just bushings for the lock screws. It looks like the builder or a previous owner added the side plate because it looks kind of clumsy. If it were mine I would rust brown the trigger guard and butt plate and just polish the pewter forearm cap. The patch box looks a lot different from the originals. The only ones I am familiar with are the four screw and the one in the picture attached.

So, here is what I see as the things that don't add up:
1. The side plate is an obvious addition
2. The highly figured stock makes me think made in USA
3. The patch box ??? I have never seen one like that but it is obviously made for this gun.
4. The barrel looks like a Spanish made barrel since I don't see the made in USA stamp.

All the same it is probably a good gun after all the restoration is made. This is probably an early Spanish kit gun but I couldn't put a date on it.

 

[Freezer]

Can I rust blue the rib?

 

[Freezer]

This is the Hawken. I had 80 hours into this one, but it looks great. Will a Hawken trigger guard, end cap and butt plate fit a Mountain Gun?

 

[Hawk54]

1) CVA .54 mountain rifles do not have a patch box but the patch box on your rifle does not appear to be CVA. It is definitely a different pattern.
2) The barrel looks like it is a barrel from an early CVA mountain rifle. The first couple of years (79 to early 80) of the .54 mountain rifle the barrels did not have Made in Spain on them. From about 1980 on they had Made in Spain stamped on them.
3) Flintlock mountain rifles came out in 1980.
5) The hardware (trigger guard, ram rod thimbles, and butt plate) on the stock do not look like pure steel. The CVA mountain rifles is steel. The toe caps are pewter and wedge plates are German silver.
5) Your rifle has a heel plate and inlaid hardware which the mountain rifles did not have.
6) Your rifle has a side plate which the CVA rifles do not have.
7) The rib also looks like it may a different type of metal. Should be plain steel.
8) CVA mountain rifles could be bought as a factory complete rifle or kit.
It is a nice rifle that cleaned up would look nice. Don't know what you can finish the trigger guard, ram rod thimbles, and butt plate with. If they are an alloy metal, bluing or browning may not apply well or at all. Same goes for the barrel rib.

Deer Creek Products has and sells most all the parts for the CVA mountain rifle.

I have an all original 76-77 Made in USA CVA .50 Mountain rifle and a 78-79 .54 CVA Mountain Rifle.

 

[Freezer]

Are the parts painted Pewter? do you have a pic?

 

[Hawk54]

This is the Hawken. I had 80 hours into this one, but it looks great. Will a Hawken trigger guard, end cap and butt plate fit a Mountain Gun?

View attachment 283307

I just looked on the Deer Creek Products website and they have all the parts you would need to bring your mountain rifle back to more of a CVA rifle. The steel trigger guard, steel butt plate, steel ram rod thimbles, and steel barrel rib came to $52. You can then blue or brown those pieces. Either way would look great.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I’d soda blast the painted metal parts, then blue or brown them, I’d also do the barrel to match, assemble it and shoot the hell out of it. I have 2 mountain rifle, they are great guns. Your stock is a Diamond in the rough, that wood will be beautiful when properly finished.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I am inclined to agree with @fishmusic.

The ram rod is a replacement.
The rifle is probably a kit and the side plate was an attempt to customize the rifle.
The under rib can be browned. These rifles look good with brown barrels and trim. The nose plate should be left in the pewter color.
It's probably an early Spanish kit made when it was not required to submit kit barrels for proofing.

You have the potential for a nice rifle.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Check the trigger guard, butt plate and ramrod thimbles with a magnet or just clean a spot n the but plate and apply some browning or bluing solution. That should let you know if the parts are steel.
The parts from the TC Hawken won’t readily fit if at all.

 

[Hawk54]

Are the parts painted Pewter? do you have a pic?

On the early CVA Made in the USA mountain rifles (76-78) (.45 and .50 cal only) the only part that was pewter is the nose cap. The patch box and barrel wedge plates are German silver. The rest of the parts including the barrel are browned steel (barrel, rib. sights, trigger guard, trigger, ram rod thimbles, and butt plate. When the CVA .54 mountain rifles came out 1979 they were all blued except for the pewter nose cap and wedge plates.

 

[1971fx]

A co-worker saw the TC Hawken rifle kit I built for another co-worker and asked if I could repair his. It was his uncle's and has seen some wear.

My research has left me confused. It is a CVA 54 cal Mountain rifle but from learned they only came as kits, didn't have a patch box and were hard wood stocks. This has a patch box and what appears to be a maple stock. The butt plate, end cap, trigger guard, rib and thimbles to have a spray on pewter finish. The ram rod is synthetic. These appear to be different from the pictures I've seen. Most are plumb blue, but some have dark bluing on some of the attached parts. The exterior of the barrel has some rust and pitting, and I'm pondering cleaning it and removing the rust, so I can refinish the barrel. The other parts can be spray-painted after stripping if that is the correct thing for this rifle. I have experience using semi cold bluing but think it will look as strange as the pewter. The last option is to strip and blue the entire rifle. Lastly he has experienced soe sparking issues but judging from the use condition m guess would be a new flint is in order.

What is the age of the rifle and opinion on how to proceed with its restoration are appreciated.View attachment 283243View attachment 283244View attachment 283246View attachment 283247View attachment 283249View attachment 283250View attachment 283251View attachment 283243View attachment 283244View attachment 283246View attachment 283247View attachment 283249View attachment 283250View attachment 283251

The barrel has no marking other than : Connecticut Valley Arms
Black Powder Only 54 Cal

Serial Number: 00083XX

I believe this is factory made .54 mountain rifle #0003773

 

[flconch53]

This is the Hawken. I had 80 hours into this one, but it looks great. Will a Hawken trigger guard, end cap and butt plate fit a Mountain Gun?

View attachment 283307

Not all mountain rifles were kits. It would be nice to know when that gun was purchased new. Curly maple barrel was definitely an add on. CVA used beech or birch. TC parts would have to be retro fitted and wood modified. If it doesn't say made in Spain on the barrel it might be one of the older guns.

 

[sturmkatze]

A co-worker saw the TC Hawken rifle kit I built for another co-worker and asked if I could repair his. It was his uncle's and has seen some wear.

My research has left me confused. It is a CVA 54 cal Mountain rifle but from learned they only came as kits, didn't have a patch box and were hard wood stocks. This has a patch box and what appears to be a maple stock. The butt plate, end cap, trigger guard, rib and thimbles to have a spray on pewter finish. The ram rod is synthetic. These appear to be different from the pictures I've seen. Most are plumb blue, but some have dark bluing on some of the attached parts. The exterior of the barrel has some rust and pitting, and I'm pondering cleaning it and removing the rust, so I can refinish the barrel. The other parts can be spray-painted after stripping if that is the correct thing for this rifle. I have experience using semi cold bluing but think it will look as strange as the pewter. The last option is to strip and blue the entire rifle. Lastly he has experienced soe sparking issues but judging from the use condition m guess would be a new flint is in order.

What is the age of the rifle and opinion on how to proceed with its restoration are appreciated.View attachment 283243View attachment 283244View attachment 283246View attachment 283247View attachment 283249View attachment 283250View attachment 283251View attachment 283243View attachment 283244View attachment 283246View attachment 283247View attachment 283249View attachment 283250View attachment 283251

The barrel has no marking other than : Connecticut Valley Arms
Black Powder Only 54 Cal

Serial Number: 00083XX

“Big bore” mountain rifle, I think they called it. I have a 58 that my dad’s friend built. No patch box

 

[Hawk54]

I believe this is factory made .54 mountain rifle #0003773

My factory .54 mountain rifle is #0003114. My guess would be it is a 1979 rifle.

 

[Kabulrocks]

Not all mountain rifles were kits. It would be nice to know when that gun was purchased new. Curly maple barrel was definitely an add on. CVA used beech or birch. TC parts would have to be retro fitted and wood modified. If it doesn't say made in Spain on the barrel it might be one of the older guns.

I believe that maple was the standard on the mountain rifle and pistol, both kit and factory assembled.

 

[flconch53]

I believe that maple was the standard on the mountain rifle and pistol, both kit and factory assembled.

This has to be a very early one. All the ones I worked on were beech or birch. I used to get the factory blemishes from them when the moved to Atlanta and fix them up. Sometimes it was reblueing to sanding out a big scratch. Never saw anything with figure. Back in those days. I paid $75.00 apiece for them