Exploding CVA barrel

[Smokey Plainsman]

Well, now you know. Most likely the ball scooted forward do to it not be ensnuggened about the bore since it was missing its patch.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Next time you want to know if there is a blockage first use the rammer to measure depth. Then put a patch on a rod or rammer. Then pop a cap. Then remove patch and observe scorching and or smell burning.
Oh, and read and understand loading practices and charge weights or measures around the use of black powder substitutes.

 

[TechMoron]

As my old friend from the foundry would say, "No law against bein' stupid". Next time you want to try for that Darwin Award load it with smokeless.

 

[Colonial Boy]

for the top of the barrel to have split well forward of the sight, the pressure would have to be generated past that point.
I would like to see the brass ram rod. that is if he found it.

Also there could be a seam in the metal.

 

[Greenjoytj]

I built a CVA flintlock kit in 1977. It worked just ok, but ate flints fast. Later I read that some of these Spanish built CVA rifles had poorly threaded breach plugs. So with a potentially badly thread breach plug I quit using the rifle.
I still have it I just won’t shoot it any more.
I believe the OP was intentionally trying to kaboom his rifle, and he succeeded perfectly. Job well done bravo.

 

[FlinterNick]

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

Never shoot a lose ball in a rifle.

And a 120 grains of 3F in a 45 caliber? Are you nuts ?

 

[FlinterNick]

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

120 grains of 3 F powder with a lose ball…. Yeap, this was purposely done.

 

[Tenring]

Very lucky indeed that that sliver of barrel didn’t wind up in the head.

 

[Sir Boniface Harrison]

120 grains of 3 F powder with a lose ball…. Yeap, this was purposely done.

A pity. Some of us on lower incomes would cherish such a rifle, CVA or otherwise.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

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

Soling,
With all respect to you and your intentions to make sure your gun was safe: I was always told that a test is good, but the barrel metal and breech plug need to be examined and or tested by a metallurgist to verify the integrity of the tested items was not compromised. Just because a barrel withstands a certain higher charge does not proove that it is safe for another at an even lower charge. A higher charge can weaken the barrel, but not necessarily make it fail on that discharge.
I leave the testing to the manufacturer. Again happy to hear you are OK.
Larry

 

[ETipp]

Simply amazing.

 

[LME]

I heard of blowing up barrels so I tried it? I found it hard to do even if you succeed you would be a rare bird! After numerous tries I finally gave up! I was out of breath and my lips were sore! LOL!

 

[Sam squanch]

That’s smokeless damage.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

It sure doesn't look like black powder residue/fouling.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[ChuckJonesWagon]

I just built a 45 cal rifle and cannot for the life of me understand any powder charge in excess of 75gr FF.

 

[dtruex]

Several people have referenced the OP as using "Triple 7". He didn't say that. He said "triple f", another way of saying fff. He says he used regular Goex black. Personally, if I had used a gun in turkey shoots a number of times I wouldn't see any need to proof test it, and I don't quite understand his procedure for checking to see if it was loaded. However, I have seen many muzzleloader shooters do things that I would not necessarily do. Seems maybe just not a lot of experience, rather than a troll.

 

[Billy Boy]

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

Proof loads are usually maximum published (from a recognized source), load + 10%, fired 3 times. That is what I have always done. It’s not really that hard to make one come apart. Is there a chance the ball moved away from the charge before you touched it off? Save the schrapnel and splinters, they may fit somewhere some day.

 

[Frontier's]

I built a CVA flintlock kit in 1977. It worked just ok, but ate flints fast. Later I read that some of these Spanish built CVA rifles had poorly threaded breach plugs. So with a potentially badly thread breach plug I quit using the rifle.
I still have it I just won’t shoot it any more.
I believe the OP was intentionally trying to kaboom his rifle, and he succeeded perfectly. Job well done bravo.

See that's the problem. You followed the black sheep off a cliff lol. Their breech plug issue was one ONE model and that was the 1995-96 cva Apollo.

The cva sidelocks have one of the strongest breech plugs ever designed.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Proof loads are usually maximum published (from a recognized source), load + 10%, fired 3 times. That is what I have always done. It’s not really that hard to make one come apart. Is there a chance the ball moved away from the charge before you touched it off? Save the schrapnel and splinters, they may fit somewhere some day.

Really? I think you will find a proof load is about double the standard charge.

Saying a 45 with a service charge of 60gn is proofed with just 66gn is crazy!

 

[Billy Boy]

Really? I think you will find a proof load is about double the standard charge.

Saying a 45 with a service charge of 60gn is proofed with just 66gn is crazy!

My Hodgdon manual (25 edition) shows 90 grains of fff as a maximum load with a round ball for the 45 cal rifle; plus 10% is about 100 grains.