Cva prospector pistol

[buttonbuck]

Not sure if this pistol is ok to talk about here it’s a copy of a tingle pistol. based on the construction of this pistol if so please remove this. I came across the prospector pistol for 70.00 in great shape, has a great trigger. Wondering where to track down a manual, etc.

 

[azmntman]

I never heard of it. post some pics. I'm sure its OK here. I would go get it NOW (or in the morning) :haha:

 

[hawkeye2]

I have one though it isn't a CVA. I'm nowhere near home so I can't check the make. I recomend you grab it ASAP if you want a good shooting pistol though it's non traditional. It could probably be used as a match gun in the proper class but most likely wouldn't be allowed to compete with a trditional gun. The last thread here related to one of these style guns was deleted as the gun wasn't a replica of anything that existed in the past though it is a copy (not exact) of a Tingle which was a very well known pistol from the 50's on and the Tingle has quite a history of its own in the blackpowder shooting world.

BTW, I snatched mine up last year for $125, near mint. I was very happy to find one specially in that condition and at that price.

Don't worry about a manual which would be near worthless anyway. There is enough info online to get you going and the pistol is very simple, should be able to figure out everything yourself. 15 to 25 grains of 3f.

 

[buttonbuck]

In Illinois I have. A 72 hour wait on any firearm BP included. I will be teaching BP at the range for my sons 4 h club in spring and fall. In addition to air rifle. I thought it would mak an interesting addition as it has a cowboy like grip.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Wondering where to track down a manual, etc.

Here:
https://cva.com/help-center/

 

[hawkeye2]

Researching a little tells me the CVA was by Armi San Marco and now I remember that is who made mine. ASM seems to have gotten some hard knocks on the net concerning quality but mine is great as is with a fantastic trigger. Most criticism of The brand seems to be directed at their Colt Army and Navy cartridge conversion guns. I have an ASM/CVA .32 Remington and it is as good as any Italian revolver out of the box. Palmetto made the last version of this gun and it came with a fantastic set of target grips though I can't speak on the quality. I wanted one of these but dragged my heels till everyone was sold out of all except the left hand model.

 

[ZUG]

I have one also made by ARMI SAN MARCO. I bought it used from Dixon's back in 1996 for $95.xx. It is in excellent shape. It is a .44 cal and takes a .433" diameter ball. I made an extra barrel for mine in .36 caliber. The only issue with it is it is heavy but balances well.

 

[Gene L]

Do you load it with patch and ball? The guy on the video didn't, but he didn't hit very well. He smeared bore butter on the muzzle and shoved the ball down.

 

[hawkeye2]

Without a patch it's a wonder he even hit the backstop. :grin:

 

[Gene L]

Well, here it is. Totally surprised at his loading method, which is well down the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY_ytrz3YW8

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The CVA Prospector is an Italian made box lock hybrid. It has the action and hammer of a percussion revolver and a single muzzle loading barrel. ASM sold them with interchangeable 28 ga barrels too. Palmetto actually made a nicer one with a different barrel fastening system. The Palmetto came with exotic target grips. They are somewhat similar to the Belgian made box locks of the 1840's, but really are a modern retro design. What is labeled as a 44 caliber is actually 11mm. Even a .433 ball is a tight fit with a very thin patch. I had both the Prospector and two Palmettos (44 and 36) They were good shooters in that the ignition was faster than a drum and nipple system, but the hammer fall had an affect on aim. The Palmetto came with a trigger that was adjustable for travel after the hammer fell. A strange concept, but it helped keep the shooter from jerking the pistol off target with the free travel after the hammer release. As anything follow through makes up for much of that. I would chalk it up to the unmentionable side of the aisle but it is not an inline.

 

[ZUG]

Yes of course -- lubed patch. I bought it on a whim and thought it would be a great shooter. It does "ok" but I'd rather shoot my BP revolvers - they feel better in the hand :v .

 

[Zonie]

Apparently, the guy who made that video doesn't shoot roundballs in a single shot muzzleloader.

If he did, he would know that the ball should be undersize and patched with a cotton patch.

For the newbies, the .451 and .454 balls he's shooting are normally used in a percussion revolver where the ball is swaged into the cylinder chambers.


I suppose many of you are wondering why I left this topic rather than deleting it.

The way I see it, the gun is based on a Colt style open top revolver and I can't say that something like this couldn't have existed during the time frame that is permitted by the forum rules.

I feel pretty safe in saying the Tingle and similar pistols that look like a 1911, .45 never existed during that period in time.

At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :grin:

 

[buttonbuck]

glad I got some info. I will need to buy a new mould if I keep it, Im considering taking some of the BP arms I have in excess to trade in order to get a flintlock since I will be coaching black powder in our 4 H club. I want to keep it diverse and educational. As a side note I think this will be a good thing for the traditional community as they are requiring a PRB be used and less than 60 grains, kind of pushes out the fast twist stuff.

 

[desi23]

Some years ago I saw an original Colt pocket frame that had been converted to a smoothbore single shot pistol. Not sure when it was done but from the wear and patina it was a long time ago. Not a target pistol like the Tingle or it's CVA look alike but someone had a need or use for a single shot and used what they had available to build it

 

[Grenadier1758]

I have one though it isn't a CVA. I'm nowhere near home so I can't check the make. I recomend you grab it ASAP if you want a good shooting pistol though it's non traditional. It could probably be used as a match gun in the proper class but most likely wouldn't be allowed to compete with a trditional gun. The last thread here related to one of these style guns was deleted as the gun wasn't a replica of anything that existed in the past though it is a copy (not exact) of a Tingle which was a very well known pistol from the 50's on and the Tingle has quite a history of its own in the blackpowder shooting world.

I had a question about my version of the Tingle Pistol. The thread was halted as 1. I didn't post a picture and 2. It was believed that the pistol looked more like a 1911. Should have posted a picture. I also agreed that the pistol was designed with the intent to resemble the outline of the 1858 Remington, but in a single shot version.

In any event my pistol was made by Armi San Marco.

Found some old "Black Powder Gun Digest" of 1972 and "Black Powder Gun Digest Vol 3" of 1982 which has the pistols in question. However the CVA Prospector is not listed. In 1972 Replica Arms was importing the Italian version of the Tingle pistol and the Tingle was still offered. Interesting in that the Tingle version was a 40 caliber and came in 3 barrel lengths.

"Black Powder Gun Digest" 1972

"Black Powder Gun Digest Vol 3") 1982

The Trophy Hunter, imported by Dixie Gun Works. I have found reference that Dixie sold a replacement smoothbore barrel for their pistol.

One interesting design feature of the pistol I have is that the hammer falls to strike the frame just before it strikes the cap. I found that normal 11 caps would not fire, but 11 magnum caps would. I did buy a # 11 nipple and adjusted the length so that a standard 11 cap would fire.

Very accurate pistol for target shooting.

 

[jon math]

Didn’t T/C produce something along the lines of this at the beginning stages of inline rifles? Called the scout pistol maybe?

 

[zimmerstutzen]

TC produced the Scout which was a bit similar. Traditions had something a bit more modern looking

As for the CVA, they started up in 1971/1972 and never sold the Prospector until the 1980's. They had some very different guns the first few years and then revamped about 1977. They cut down the selection and concentrated on selling items made for them to import. It wasn't until later when they sold Italian cap and ball guns that the prospector was added. Both the Scout and the Traditions guns are much heavier, with longer barrels and bigger calibers. I have had all three plus the Palmetto variant.

 

[jon math]

Thanks!

 

[thirdslow411]

Some years ago I saw an original Colt pocket frame that had been converted to a smoothbore single shot pistol. Not sure when it was done but from the wear and patina it was a long time ago. Not a target pistol like the Tingle or it's CVA look alike but someone had a need or use for a single shot and used what they had available to build it

There is currently 1 in auction, it may be the very pistol you saw. very interesting. Check Google images : colt conversion single shot