CVA Plainsman

[bwiggins1985]

So I picked this up today. A CVA Plainsman. It has a 26” barrel and I am not sure what twist rate…

It looked a little rough so I said $60 was all I would take for it. Glad I did because I think it’s not salvageable…

This is my area of concern…. It looks like the clean out screw is frozen and the bolster is frozen.

The bore was questionable also… I was hoping it was just dirt but I think it’s actually rusty

So grabbed it today and started taking it apart… I think I am totally SOL because it seems like the breach plug stud is broken off . This part is gone from the back…

I also ran bore scrubber and scrubbed it with a copper brush but it’s still pretty nasty inside. I might soak it for a while and see if I can find a steel 50 cal brush to break the rust loose. I will get some more pictures tomorrow with my bore light…

Any input on the barrel would be great! I wonder if I could drill and tap the breech plug and screw in a high strength small bolt in its place??? Just thinking out loud lol

Or could you shout the rust out of it?

 

[kyron4]

Your breech plug is fine, it's a button breech as opposed to the more common CVA hooked breech.

* Opps , I misread, you're saying that part is broke off, yes ? Then you may well be SOL

 

[kyron4]

Try soaking the nipple/drum in Kroil or 50/50 acetone/ATF for a few days. The bore looks iffy but a good scrubbing and maybe some Evaporust and it might be a shooter. If not a replacement barrel can be found .

 

[bwiggins1985]

I found a plains hunter barrel on eBay for 90 plus an arm and a leg for shipping… is that fair for a barrel?

 

[azmntman]

Hey there Bwig,

I have this gun in flintlock.

RUST? Listen and do this. You wanna go to the feed store and spend 6-8 bucks on a gallon of mollases like they feed the stock. Mix up some about 8 parts water and one part mollasees. Now cap the nipple r\eal good. POUR this in the barrel and wait 3 days. Now get ya a brush (make sure to use STRONG range rod or youl be back posting how to get it out). Swab that sucker out and the rust will be GONE. Others will chime is and say rust oleam etc etc. Nothing will work better. Not sure why. It will damage bluing so make sure no leaks. This very well may break free the nipple as well. If not try all manner of suggestions. It screwed in it will screw out. WD 40, rustoleam, pig pee whatever ever. Heat? The same with the clean out screw (it may have to be drilld and tapped). As for the breech....this looks like a button breech vs a hook. Mine CVA's have both. Maybe its NOT damaged. Is it tight fit now? If so probably a button breech.

Mine is very very accurate. You will like it. Worst case send the barrell off ti Bobby Hoyt and getcha .54 bored out.

THIS WORKS. I had one in worse shape and got it shooting 1-2 inch groups at 50 yds. It looked bad (better than yours but not much. Who cares what it looks like if it shoots, right?

If ya wanna give up I will give ya what ya got into it and pay shipping too.. First dibs.

Give us updates and good luck (and yes $90.00 is good price for the barrel, be aware "Hunter" could be a 1-32 twist, grat for conicals and them pastc thingys with an unmentionable buled that lesser's use.

 

[bwiggins1985]

Since the breech plug button is gone could I do something like this behind the breech plug at the stock and breech plug tang? I saw this on another post.. it’s almost like bedding the barrel.. would that secure the barrel in place along with the pin in the stock?

 

[bwiggins1985]

I ended up grabbing the barrel I found on eBay. It’s supposed to be here tomorrow… fingers crossed

I went to Home Depot and got some pvc pipe and created a barrel bath tube. I picked up some stuff called blaster metal rescue rust remover bath.

It’s supposed to work within 8 hours. So I will let it sit over night and see what it looks like. Here is the barrel spa I made lol!

I don’t know if I will be able to get it back to shootable but it’s worth a shot. I’m hoping it will eat the rust out of the inside of the barrel and clean up the breech plug and bolster and the clean out screw.

The next issue is the button that broke off the back of the breech plug. I am thinking I could tack weld a hard bolt on there to make it work….

But then again it’s may be for nothing if the new barrel I got works out correctly.

How can I check the twist rate on the barrel I have and the new one I have coming? The barrel I have is 26”. I can’t find a lot of information about the CVA Plainsman.

 

[kyron4]

I ended up grabbing the barrel I found on eBay. It’s supposed to be here tomorrow… fingers crossed

I went to Home Depot and got some pvc pipe and created a barrel bath tube. I picked up some stuff called blaster metal rescue rust remover bath.
View attachment 245882
It’s supposed to work within 8 hours. So I will let it sit over night and see what it looks like. Here is the barrel spa I made lol!
View attachment 245883
View attachment 245884
I don’t know if I will be able to get it back to shootable but it’s worth a shot. I’m hoping it will eat the rust out of the inside of the barrel and clean up the breech plug and bolster and the clean out screw.

The next issue is the button that broke off the back of the breech plug. I am thinking I could tack weld a hard bolt on there to make it work….

But then again it’s may be for nothing if the new barrel I got works out correctly.

How can I check the twist rate on the barrel I have and the new one I have coming? The barrel I have is 26”. I can’t find a lot of information about the CVA Plainsman.

Use a patch and ramrod/cleaning rod and mark the rod at 12 o'clock and begin the push the patch down the barrel. With a 26" barrel the rod will make 1/2 a turn at 24" down indicating a 1: 48 twist and if it goes almost a full turn when you hit bottom them likely a 1:28 twist. Less than 1/2 turn would likely be 1:66.

 

[Lock99]

awesome little rifles! I had one in flinter and that sucker was just scary accurate at 100 yards with 70gr 3f goex and a 405gr powerbelt.

 

[atvguns]

@bwiggins1985 How far did you get on this little project did the new barrel fit?

 

[Frontier's]

Your breech plug is NOT broken.

 

[azmntman]

Dunno if you used my molasses trick. Anyway Mine is VERY accurate as well, a flinter. The clean out screw wont be a big deal (I do clean them every tine myself but the majority here never do). If the nipple comes out after the soaks yer good. Too busy to look at my breech but not sure what button may be missing. Let us know.

 

[n.h.schmidt]

Guys The breach he is showing us is a different barrel. Notice no rust and it's in the white. Someone must have tried to unscrew the breach plug and it broke off.

 

[Des52]

There is nothing wrong with your breech plug. I have three CVAs with the same breech plugs, a Mountain Stalker, Bobcat in .54 and a Plainsman in .50. The Plainsman I took in a trade and thought the barrel was toast. I used green scratcher pads with a .45 jag and valve grinding paste and it shoots good now. It took about 4-500 stroks of course and fine paste.

 

[mjthornhill]

There is nothing wrong with your breech plug. I have three CVAs with the same breech plugs, a Mountain Stalker, Bobcat in .54 and a Plainsman in .50. The Plainsman I took in a trade and thought the barrel was toast. I used green scratcher pads with a .45 jag and valve grinding paste and it shoots good now. It took about 4-500 stroks of course and fine paste.

I have a Plainsman that also had the button broken off. I got it in a trade and shot it several times before I knew the button was gone. I found out it was broken when I took it apart to clean it. My solution was to turn a little piece of mild steel to the right diameter to fit in the button tang, centered it up with what was left of the old button, and welded it on. I first turned a bevel where the weld would be to make for a stronger weld. I then cleaned up the weld so it wouldn’t interfere with the tang. Breech plugs are mild steel, and heat should not be a problem if they are allowed to cool slowly. This rifle shot fine without the button, so I’m comfortable with this repair. It is the most accurate rifle I own, better than I am.