Help Fixing Up Inherited Muzzleloaders

[Hawthorn1213]

Howdy Folks!

As the title implies, I recently inherited a handful of muzzle loaders that are all in various stages of disrepair. My best guess is that these were all old kit guns since none of the steel has been blued. From what I know, they've all been sitting in a garage for the past 20 years in the southern Arizona desert.
Here's a list of everything I have:
CVA Kentucky Rifle .45 cal
2X "Philadelphia Derringer" pistols
Flintlock pistol marked "Spain"
Hawes National Corp .36 cal revolver
Old CVA "Shooter's Kit"

I'm no stranger to muzzle loaders but could definitely use some help getting these beauties up and running. I may post a new thread for each build/repair, but for now I'll start with the CVA Kentucky.
All that being said I could really use some help in getting started with the following:
1. Barrel Inspection: The barrel is rusted but the bore looks relatively clean and seems as though this has never been fired. My plan is to strip down the rust and send it out for blueing. But before I do that, I wanted to see if there are any replacement barrels available (my guess is the cost will about the same either way.) Also, what should I be looking for inside the bore other than potential rust pitting and fouling?
2. I'm neurotic about the muzzle loaders I shoot, and would just like some advise on what to look for to make sure this thing is in tip top shape before I start shooting it.
3. Does anyone have any literature or history on these CVA Kentucky Rifles? I'm specifically looking for assembly/disassembly instructions.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Crow-Feather]

Best of luck, but let it be a work of love, cause the time and labor involved is worth more than the finished product.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Those CVA 'Kentucky' rifles were the original El Cheapos in the 1970s. I wouldn't spend much, if any, money trying to restore them.

 

[MN284]

The CVA Kentucky kits may have been inexpensive, but once made up they were, and continue to be, a fine introduction to the ML world. The percussion version which I built several years ago has given me a lot of pleasure to look at, to shoot, and to hunt with. It is quite accurate as well. Tom

 

[ppg1949]

1776 is right, the CVA Kentucky’s were cheap. I have two and gave $80 new each back in the late 1970’s. One was a kit that my 50 something daughter has because she remembered watching me build it. The other a factory built unit that I still have. Strangely their barrels are within a thousand serial numbers of each other although bought from different stores. But they are accurate and shoot much better than I can. My late wife used one in the early 80’s to place second out of thirty shooters in a local shoot put on by a muzzleloading distributor. Have fun and keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Mtman725]

Looks like fun to me Good Luck.

 

[1942farmall]

Deer Creek has all the remaining parts inventory for the older CVA side lock rifles.
They also have a section on their website containing parts breakdowns, manuals, schematics, etc.
Hope that helps.
I just found three CVA's in various states of disrepair from my late father in law.
A Kentucky 45
54 cal Mountain Rifle
45 Derringer.
I've since ordered all the missing parts and and rebuilding them.

 

[Hawthorn1213]

Hey everything - Thanks for the replies. A little bit of an update for the day: The trigger assembly was gummed up from years and years of oil (I'm almost positive it was coated in kroil.) After disassembly, cleaning, and oiling the trigger mechanism is working great, BUT, the trigger pull is unreal! It almost seems like I have to apply pressure to the bottom 1/4 of the trigger otherwise it binds up.

Is there anything I can do to lighten up this trigger? (Hopefully the video does it justice)

 

[Mulebrain]

Deer Creek should have schematics, and the missing screws your looking for.

https://www.deercreekproducts.net/store/c3/CVA_Kentucky_Rifle_Parts.html
https://www.deercreekproducts.net/uploads/3/7/5/3/37535295/ky_rifle_50cal.pdf
The CVA Kentucky, I still have my first one and it's never let me down. I have had so much fun with it

I don't care for blued barrels on flint, or percussion guns. That is my personal taste however. I either brown them, or just let them age naturally

 

[William Lincoln]

CVA partnered with Dikar Basque Spain. Their barrels were excellent. Today
they are involved with Bergara Barrels, the best barrels made in Europe.
Military & police sniper rifles--usually Bergara barrels. The Remington 700 clone,
Bergara Barrel. CVA was a cheap entry price point, but the barrels are superior.

 

[BillRob]

I will admit to only having finished one CVA kit gun, and that was about 40 years ago, but I seem to recall it was pretty easy to cold blue the barrel myself. (And as far as that goes, it still looks okay today.) I'm not suggesting that it would be as nice as sending it out having it blued, but when you are done it will still be a CVA kit gun. You might just enjoy doing the job - and saving your money for one of the other guns. Either way - good luck and be sure to enjoy the process!

 

[FPDoc]

Just a quick thought about the $80 price. I remember gas going up to $ 0.85 a gallon and decimating a climbing trip budget to Washington and Oregon. I had also just started teaching high school (It turns out I collect occupations) and was making about $7,000 a year so.. $80 was a good bit of cash.
Room and board at a state university in 1975 was $140 a month.

 

[Pork Chop]

Just for frame of reference, I did a google search on what $80 in 1975 is worth today, and this is what it said:

$80 in 1975 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $411.28 today, an increase of $331.28 over 46 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 3.62% per year between 1975 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 414.11%.

 

[sb 54 cal.]

Just for frame of reference, I did a google search on what $80 in 1975 is worth today, and this is what it said:

$80 in 1975 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $411.28 today, an increase of $331.28 over 46 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 3.62% per year between 1975 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 414.11%.

So Traditions price is right on target. Bought a traditons kentucky kit yesterday for 408 shipped. My first muzzle loader was a cva .45 Kentucky. Bought it back in 1975.

 

[EC121]

The lock has a screw on the tumbler to adjust the trigger pull. Try screwing it in to reduce the sear engagement.

 

[Kabulrocks]

Howdy Folks!

As the title implies, I recently inherited a handful of muzzle loaders that are all in various stages of disrepair. My best guess is that these were all old kit guns since none of the steel has been blued. From what I know, they've all been sitting in a garage for the past 20 years in the southern Arizona desert.
Here's a list of everything I have:
CVA Kentucky Rifle .45 cal
2X "Philadelphia Derringer" pistols
Flintlock pistol marked "Spain"
Hawes National Corp .36 cal revolver
Old CVA "Shooter's Kit"

I'm no stranger to muzzle loaders but could definitely use some help getting these beauties up and running. I may post a new thread for each build/repair, but for now I'll start with the CVA Kentucky.
All that being said I could really use some help in getting started with the following:
1. Barrel Inspection: The barrel is rusted but the bore looks relatively clean and seems as though this has never been fired. My plan is to strip down the rust and send it out for blueing. But before I do that, I wanted to see if there are any replacement barrels available (my guess is the cost will about the same either way.) Also, what should I be looking for inside the bore other than potential rust pitting and fouling?
2. I'm neurotic about the muzzle loaders I shoot, and would just like some advise on what to look for to make sure this thing is in tip top shape before I start shooting it.
3. Does anyone have any literature or history on these CVA Kentucky Rifles? I'm specifically looking for assembly/disassembly instructions.

Thanks in advance!

The picture of the CVA shooting kit brings back fond memories of building a CVA Kentucky rifle around 1974 (still have the rifle), but also nightmares from trying to use that petroleum based patch lube with black powder. It gave me such an unpleasant experience every time I tried to shoot it that I gave up on muzzle loaders for years, until trying Bore Butter. Of course, when the internet came around it made learning about such things much easier.
I’m actively looking for another CVA Kentucky rifle for a project and am not having much luck.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I sure wouldn't send the barrel off to be blued, it is too easy to do yourself and the result isn't half bad with cold blue.

Here is a Renegade kit barrel that was in the white when I bought it off eBay.

Start;

Finished with cold blue;

I made a Renegade from random parts including an L&R RPL lock. Here is the finished gun.

 

[davidmc62]

Hey everything - Thanks for the replies. A little bit of an update for the day: The trigger assembly was gummed up from years and years of oil (I'm almost positive it was coated in kroil.) After disassembly, cleaning, and oiling the trigger mechanism is working great, BUT, the trigger pull is unreal! It almost seems like I have to apply pressure to the bottom 1/4 of the trigger otherwise it binds up.

Is there anything I can do to lighten up this trigger? (Hopefully the video does it justice)

Well those triggers are pretty basic. A good cleaning, smoothing and polishing of the trigger and lock internal surfaces seem to help a little. Short of replacement with a trigger with different "geometry" theres not a lot you can do but slick em up.

 

[davidmc62]

Bacarper, don't let the nay sayers get to you, those old CVA rifles may be a sows ear but they are solid basic good shooters. They can be slicked up and made pretty, it only takes time and imagination and a willingness to go to that level. Doing this may not increase value because those rifles were built to a price point and there isn't much value to em. But they are usually very accurate rifles and be quite handsome if you put in a little elbow grease.

 

[davidmc62]

The lock has a screw on the tumbler to adjust the trigger pull. Try screwing it in to reduce the sear engagement.

What he said, but be careful and test as you go. And slick up and polish the contact surfaces. You will be pleasantly surprised.