CVA Mountain Rifle refinish

[RhinoDave]

I just picked this up for a Winter project and would like a little input on redoing it. It's been a few years since I did another project and it looks like I'll have the time over the Winter to hopefully improve the looks of this one. It has a very clean bore and shoots well. In addition to re-browning all the main bits, I want to add a toe plate and do a little decoration along the lines of wire inlay and simple inlays. Some other thoughts include replacing the pewter nosecap with a smaller cap and entry pipe similar to a Browning or GPR. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[don hepler]

I think you have some good ideas. I'd get rid of the brass sling thimble and if possible make the toe plate long enough to cover the sling swivel stud hole. Minwax makes a sealer that you put on wood like that (Mystery Wood) that will allow you to stain over the sealer, and not have splotches.

I'm a big fan of taking in orphan guns and turning them into something worthy of looking somewhat traditional.

 

[swathdiver]

Nice find! I second losing the sling mounts.

While not tiger maple, it still is maple with some nice figure, take your time to enhance it and bring out the beauty in that fine instrument.

I like the nose cap and would leave it, but that's my opinion and it's your rifle! :wink:

 

[Wes/Tex]

Like your ideas, but would keep the pewter (?) nose cap mostly becasue they all had it adn it's part of my memory of them! :wink:

 

[RhinoDave]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I am planning on replacing the brass pipe with an original one and removing the sling stud in the toe plate area. Additional plans to this point are to add a silver wire deer head behind the cheek, small silver stars in front of and behind the trigger guard, a silver hunters star on the cheek, small silver wings to the lock plate bolt washers, and possibly a small silver wire eagle in front of the patchbox. I still can't decide on whether to use silver or iron for the toeplate. Iron to match the buttplate, triggerguard and barrel or silver to match all the inlays and wire. I am leaning towards the silver and probably making my own out of flatstock. As always, any thoughts or suggestions are most welcome and requested.

 

[don hepler]

With all due respect, I looked at your photo bucket enlarged pictures and I see no evidence of maple. If it does have evidence of stripes then conventional staining will work, but if it is some other wood, and you don't use a sealer, you will wind up with a splotchy finish. I have refinished many guns, and I don't believe that is maple.

If you click on the small pic of OP, it will allow you to go the photo bucket.

 

[RhinoDave]

I've got the rifle stripped down and there are a few things I have to repair before I get started on the actual refinish. I agree that I don''t really know what kind of wood this stock is made of and hopefully, someone with more knowledge of these mountain rifles will chime in. It looks like there is a little birdseye in the wrist area and some very slight grain striping on top of the comb. There are also some wide grain patterns that I've never seen in the cheaper beech stocks like a St Lewis Hawken. On another issue, has anyone ever added a strip of wood under the barrel channel to fill in the gap between the barrel and ramrod? I'm not sure I care for how this area is milled out instead of drilled for the ramrod. It seems to make for a very weak fore end.

 

[swathdiver]

It's maple. The open area is plenty strong too.

 

[GANGGREEN]

I've got the rifle stripped down and there are a few things I have to repair before I get started on the actual refinish. I agree that I don''t really know what kind of wood this stock is made of and hopefully, someone with more knowledge of these mountain rifles will chime in. It looks like there is a little birdseye in the wrist area and some very slight grain striping on top of the comb. There are also some wide grain patterns that I've never seen in the cheaper beech stocks like a St Lewis Hawken. On another issue, has anyone ever added a strip of wood under the barrel channel to fill in the gap between the barrel and ramrod? I'm not sure I care for how this area is milled out instead of drilled for the ramrod. It seems to make for a very weak fore end.

I also doubt that you'll have any issues with the ramrod area being too weak. That said, I'm more than halfway through a halfstock rifle that I'm building for my 19 year old son and I'm leaning towards a wooden under-rib (which I've never done before), so I'll be thrilled if anyone posts photos or thoughts regarding that.

 

[RhinoDave]

After stripping the rifle down, I've found some pretty shoddy work. I'm not sure if it was done after market but it doesn't look like it. Has anyone else ever run across this lack of quality in their CVAs? Partial shims under most of the inletting which is too deep just about everywhere and a real butcher job on the tang bolt hole. Triggerguard is inletted way too deep and is through to the ramrod channel.



In the process of repairing this now but it was disappointing to find.

 

[swathdiver]

It looks to me that someone did the butchering. CVA however, was known to have cut the trigger group inlet too deep and one of the easy fixes was to use shims to get the triggers to work right again.

Some of mine are fine, some were cut too deep.

 

[vulture]

Are you sure it wasn't originally a kit? I've seen some kit guns that came with inletting too deep or off a bit, almost like they took parts that didn't meet production rifle specks and made them into kits. I owned a CVA mountain rifle that was a really good quality rifle that shot well, traded it off to move on to other projects, also have a friend that has owned and hunted with one for years and has never had an issue with it, taken quite a few deer in it's life.

 

[jferguson]

Has anyone else ever run across this lack of quality in their CVAs? In the process of repairing this now but it was disappointing to find.

My used CVA MR .50 I got this year has two "shoddy" issues. The nose cap is not inletted deep enough down the forestock to set in full contact with the wood---half the screw threads are exposed, not into the wood, seen when you remove the barrel. And, the front wedge holes are drilled not-in-line with each other, causing the wedge head to sit cocked on right side of forestock. I was disappointed to see those details poorly executed by CVA. Of course, neither issue affects the shooting.

 

[don hepler]

I don't know about CVA, but I have seen fillers, that looked like hot glue, and other fillers, in several different rifles, including TC's. Proper glassing, would not bother me, if it was done correctly. In production guns, manufacturers, are not going to throw away a stock, if the fix can be hidden, and allows for the gun to function properly.

 

[doug smith]

I am also refinishing one I found at a local pawn/gun shop that I haunt looking for rescue mutts. Mine was defiantly a kit gun that was assembled quickly. The browning was thin and spotty, the double set triggers didn't work, it was missing the ram rod spring, and someone had varnished the stock getting varnish all over the patch box, butt plate, and trigger guard. The bore had been taken care of and was lean as a whistle thank goodness. Zonie and Necchi helped me figure out the trigger problem, and then I stripped it down and re browned all of the furniture and barrel. I sanded the stock down and refinished with hand rubbed boiled linseed oil. I am waiting on a ram rod spring that I ordered online, and then will reassemble the old gal and take her to the range. Does anyone have a old CVA catalog that give options on the grades of wood stocks on these? or was it just the luck of the draw? I have seen them with curly maple, birds eye maple, and plain as a table leg straight grain. Mine has some good curl on the fore arm.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Certainly not a welcomed find, but one that can easily be repaired with ease.

 

[RhinoDave]

Sorry to resurect an old thread but I am back to working on this after a long delay. Looking for opinions on this inlay in front of the patchbox. Yay or nay, tastful or tacky? Would appreciate any input.

[/url]DSCF3190 by Dave, on Flickr[/img]

 

[coloradoclyde]

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and it's yours to behold.....But I think it doesn't work there.....looks more like a fore end inlay.....I have issues with the stock color too.....Should be much darker... :2

 

[bubba.50]

on the fore-end as clyde suggested or maybe on the cheekrest.

 

[bubba.50]

and that stock needs to be much darker.