CVA Navy 1851

[Kentuckywindage]

Got one in trade for a stock dip! Cool little revolver in 36cal. This is a kit revolver and has to be finished, the booklet has it listed as being made in 1983 so shes an oldie. Super sweet trigger, I'd say 1lb pull or under.

A ton of brass buffing to do though, not sure how fun that will be.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

 

[Poor Private]

Purty gun. Use it well and have fun with it.

 

[Adui]

I have the 1861 brother to that kit. Good firing gun, though min is steel frame.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Little elbow-grease will make a beauty of it. Just keep the powder charges light, the brass frames won't take repeated heavy loads without getting out of time from metal stretching. Those guns are fun shooters.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

10-4 on that. The manual has a 16gr 3f charge as minimum so thats most likely where i will keep it.

Got the back strap all polished. Only went as smooth as 400 grit. I used birchwood casey brass black and got it to look like blued steel. Will let that wear with use for sme patina.

Also found a holster for it from the last 44 i had.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Something in the 16 to 20 grain area will certainly work fine. You might think about using a little corn meal or corn biscuit mix on top of the powder charge to get the ball closer to the cylinder face. This makes loading easier since you don't have to push the ball so deep add lessens the 'jump' from where the ball's seated to the forcing cone in the barrel breach. When I shot a lot more percussion revolver, I used two flasks...one brass and the other silvered. Saved on some dumb mix-ups! :wink:

 

[M. De Land]

Nice little gun! I'd leave it yellow though and forget about shining it up if the grip frame and trigger guard are fit up well with no miss matched corners.
Shinny brass is for crows and cheechocos not shooters! :rotf: Mike D.

 

[cynthialee]

I spent my required 10 years in the lands of AK, I have my Sourdough designation and I think brass should always be shiny. :grin:

 

[inlikeflint]

I have a cva 51 I bought used last spring. There are a few parts of the brass that need smoothing up and I noticed the patina gets gone when you file or sand but I was reading about how to take burned bp residue and water making a paste that will age it, so that's what I will do. The shiney goes away quick in the area in front of the trigger and below the cyl. so I would rather have it all match than bright and shiney. john

 

[M. De Land]

Ah, just having some fun! :rotf: MD
Cheechoco- person who has not spent a winter in Alaska.You can always tell them by the gear they carry into the brush, hunting knives long enough to be short swords, biggest,shinny-est rifle they can find and lousy camping gear.
Sourdough- person who has soured on Alaska and doesn't have the "doe" to get out! :rotf:
Actually it just means old time Alaskan! MD
P.S. I still don't care for shiny brass though! :wink:

 

[Kentuckywindage]

ideers on ball size for the 36? I keep finding .375" but others have said smaller.

 

[M. De Land]

I use .350 diameter with .018 shirt felt patches in both my target pistols and did use .375 in a cap-n-ball model 62 pocket but just opened the cylinder throats to .375 so ordered a .380 Lee mold which should be just about right for the evened up chamber mouths in the little gun.
Plan on casting up some fresh balls tonight with the new mold. Mike D.