CVA USA Barrel

[hanshi]

I acquired the stock, barrel and some of the (iron) hardware that was a CVA rifle. The barrel is stamped, Connecticut Valley Arms, Made in USA. It's .45 15/16". I need a breech plug (flat), wedges, and a few other pieces. I plan on converting it to flint lock.

Can anyone tell me about the rifle/barrel? What would be the best bet for getting parts? Any advice about the building project is appreciated.

 

[Zonie]

Your gun was probably made in the 1970's.

The "Made in USA" barrel was very likely made by Douglas and it is known for its accuracy.

Deer Creek bought up much of the tooling that was used to make the Mountain Rifle as well as most of the other CVA parts when CVA decided to stop importing sidelocks.

Deer Creek does not have a web site and I don't know their phone number.
Because they don't have a web site they don't show up in our reference section of the forum.

Some of the other members have given Deer Creeks phone number before so hopefully they will chime in and tell us once again how to contact them?

 

[Flint311]

Deer Creek is located in Waldron, Indiana and their phone numbers are: 1-765-525-6181 or 1-765-525-9595 (Fax). Sherry is who you want to talk to.

This is from a previous post some time back. Good luck!

 

[tiger955]

As far as a breech plug, do you have a percussion breech plug in it now? I have 2 old CVA mtn rifles and they have drums that I think you can screw out and install a screw in flash hole liner to convert to flint. Then just change the lock.

 

[rafterob]

Nope, doesn't work that way.

 

[tiger955]

Not to question you, just looking to gain some knowledge, I am rather new to percussion guns, why would that not work?

 

[Zonie]

Replacing the drum with a vent liner might work but it depends on when the barrel was made.

CVA (or Ardesa, the Spanish gun manufacturer)has used a breech design they refer to as a Patent Breech. Unlike the chambered breeches used on most modern caplocks they actually did patent the design.

The drawings below show several different methods of breeching a muzzleloading barrel.

If the existing drum is screwed into the side of the barrel as is shown by the vent liner in the TRADITIONAL drawing, and if the threads are fairly small then, yes, replacing the drum with a vent liner could work if a vent liner with the correct threads could be found. Most commercial vent liners use the inch thread system.
Of course, one could make a metric vent liner from a stainless steel bolt.

Looking at the drawing of the NEW CVA STYLE breech, very large threads are used for the steel plug that screws into the breech plug. There are no existing flintlock vent liners which duplicate this or could be used directly in converting this style of percussion drum to a flintlock style.

Of course, if one were to machine away the existing exposed area of the drum and then install a special liner they could make it work but the question then becomes, "is it worth the effort?".

 

[necchi]

Well tiger it can,,
The CVA/Traditions drum in a perc gun is a 10.5mm threaded hole.
But there is no manufactures nor after market vent liner that big. Guy's can and do make their own from a bolt that fit's in the hole but it requires some amount of custom work that will void all warrenties on the gun.
Also the way they'er installed is problematic to the threads themselves, everything is cross drilled after their in place.

OOp's! Zonie types faster than me,,

 

[hanshi]

I do know that the drum (don't have it) screwed into the breech plug (don't have it either) because the hole is in the threaded portion of the breech. Will this preclude a flint conversion or can a little "adaptation" make it possible?

 

[n.h.schmidt]

Hi
I have worked on CVA Barrels. The proposed mods would work. Mayby Deer Creek would have a breech plug. That would save a whole lot of work. I have had to home make a breech plug for one of my barrels so that can be done. It all seem doable to me. Contact me if you want to go farther with this. I like this kind of thing.
n.h.schmidt

 

[hanshi]

Yes and thank you. While it won't happen quickly I hope to make a fair amount of progress over the next few months. I'd really like to have it finished and shooting by late spring if possible. I'll PM you off and on.

 

[tiger955]

I appreciate the lesson on breechplug types, some good info, as well as the scan necci posted. I was considering swapping one of mine to flint (old CVA, "made in USA" barrel).
Again, thanks, to both of you.