Exploding CVA barrel

[Soling # 202]

I had a bad experiance with my cva 44 cal kentucky kit BP rifle
I bought it in 1975 at kittery trading post
I used to shoot at (turkey target) shoots for many years.
My work life took over so it was stored for last 30 years
I decided to clean it up and take it to the range and for safety sake decided to do a test shot with 120 gr 3 f black powder
first I dropped 50 grains down the barrel and tamped it a bit with the rod then placed a cap and BANG all is good with no old load left in
then I loaded 120 gr with one round ball with no patch which slipped down the barrel easy
I strapped it to the shooting stand placed a cap had string on the trigger paced back 30 ft and pulled BIG bang blew gun in two
I also noticed a crack full length of the barrel

 

[cynthialee]

well that sucks big time, lucky it didn't happen when you were holding it

Why the loose ball? It might have rolled off the powder and caused this issue.

Regardless you are out of a rifle.
Salvage the lock, and whatever other parts survived. Might come in handy some day.

 

[Gtrubicon]

Why 120gn? That’s a7/8” barrel, seems quite heavy for the charge. Was this your normal charge? What brand and type powder did you use? It looks like there is some rust/corrosion on a portion of the fractured barrel.

 

[rick1964]

You sure it is real black powder you was using ? Modern smokeless maybe? Why 120 grains and no patch ball? This story is strange.

 

[Frontier's]

No patch, it moved off the charge.

I've shot 130gr 2fg Olde eynsford in my cva hawken. Solid shooter.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Thankfully a CVA and not an indian gun.
That would generate another 700 pages of posts......

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

Start with a lower-quality, aged rifle barrel of unknown storage conditions. Clean? dirty? Wasp nests? Left unattended to for 30 years. Foul it--with a squib load. Don't swab. Add a super-heavy load with no patch to hold the ball to the powder. No idea if the charge contacted the projectile. Fire it off. What did you expect? Completely unscientific approach to a "test." You are lucky you are here to tell about it. Darwin Award Nominee.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Frontier's]

No patch, that's a real loose fitting ball so I highly doubt it built up enough pressure to generate that kind of explosion.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

I don't recall the OP mentioning the size of the ball he loaded.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Britsmoothy]

This story stinks!

 

[Frontstuffer070]

120 grains in a .45? Fer.........WHAT?

 

[PathfinderNC]

It’s odd that such protections were taken for a routine “safety check”. Almost as if the exploding barrel was anticipated

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

******no harm has been done to any Indian Muskets in the making of this Movie********

 

[SDSmlf]

I had a bad experiance with my cva 44 cal kentucky kit BP rifle
I bought it in 1975 at kittery trading post
I used to shoot at (turkey target) shoots for many years.
My work life took over so it was stored for last 30 years
I decided to clean it up and take it to the range and for safety sake decided to do a test shot with 120 gr 3 f black powder
first I dropped 50 grains down the barrel and tamped it a bit with the rod then placed a cap and BANG all is good with no old load left in
then I loaded 120 gr with one round ball with no patch which slipped down the barrel easy
I strapped it to the shooting stand placed a cap had string on the trigger paced back 30 ft and pulled BIG bang blew gun in two
I also noticed a crack full length of the barrel

I guess a welcome to the forum from Western North Carolina is first.

Now on to your sad story. For future reference, CVA recommended a starting load of 45 grains of 2F and a maximum load of 75 grains of 2F under a patched roundball in the 45 caliber rifle according to my old CVA instruction manual. Why someone would exceed the max charge by 60% (120 vs 75 grains) with a finer powder (3F vs 2F), and top it off with a loose ball in the bore (roundball possibly not held and seated on the powder charge) is very hard to understand, though the outcome was predictable. Seems the OP understood and knew that, using a 30’ string to remotely fire the gun.

There is not really a lot to debate or discuss on this one, pretty cut and dry. At least no one got hurt.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I had a bad experiance with my cva 44 cal kentucky kit BP rifle
I bought it in 1975 at kittery trading post
I used to shoot at (turkey target) shoots for many years.
My work life took over so it was stored for last 30 years
I decided to clean it up and take it to the range and for safety sake decided to do a test shot with 120 gr 3 f black powder
first I dropped 50 grains down the barrel and tamped it a bit with the rod then placed a cap and BANG all is good with no old load left in
then I loaded 120 gr with one round ball with no patch which slipped down the barrel easy
I strapped it to the shooting stand placed a cap had string on the trigger paced back 30 ft and pulled BIG bang blew gun in two
I also noticed a crack full length of the barrel

Don't really know what happened there, but happy to hear you are OK. If the ball was too easy without a patch, maybe it rolled up the barrel and then caused a barrel obstruction. Just a thought.
Larry

 

[Soling # 202]

went in too tight for that and i use a brass ramrod and hit it till it bounces

 

[Soling # 202]

well that sucks big time, lucky it didn't happen when you were holding it

Why the loose ball? It might have rolled off the powder and caused this issue.

Regardless you are out of a rifle.
Salvage the lock, and whatever other parts survived. Might come in handy some day.

loose ball was a 44 cal ball with out a patch is all

 

[Soling # 202]

I guess a welcome to the forum from Western North Carolina is first.

Now on to your sad story. For future reference, CVA recommended a starting load of 45 grains of 2F and a maximum load of 75 grains of 2F under a patched roundball in the 45 caliber rifle according to my old CVA instruction manual. Why someone would exceed the max charge by 60% (120 vs 75 grains) with a finer powder (3F vs 2F), and top it off with a loose ball in the bore (roundball possibly not held and seated on the powder charge) is very hard to understand, though the outcome was predictable. Seems the OP understood and knew that, using a 30’ string to remotely fire the gun.

There is not really a lot to debate or discuss on this one, pretty cut and dry. At least no one got hurt.

loose ball was regular .440 ball I just shoved down with out a patch but a rammed it till my rod bounced as always

 

[Soling # 202]

Why 120gn? That’s a7/8” barrel, seems quite heavy for the charge. Was this your normal charge? What brand and type powder did you use? It looks like there is some rust/corrosion on a portion of the fractured barrel.

I use black triple fff as I have for years and I rammed till I get the bounce and my rod is measured to be sure
what was amazing i used to put at least 300 balls a season turkey shooting

 

[Soling # 202]

You sure it is real black powder you was using ? Modern smokeless maybe? Why 120 grains and no patch ball? This story is strange.

Nothing strange I tested with 60g black first with no ball to make sure no blockage after long storage and flashed it iff with a cap to ensure it was clear