Looked at a rifle for sale today all it says on it is made in Spain. It a .36 cal. Cap lock with a full length stock with brass furniture. No patch box and single trigger. Must be a two piece stock as ther is a brass band about 2" wide around the stock somewhat forward of the trigger. And the nipple seemed a bit smaller than what's on my T.C. Hawken. It was dark out and we didn't have very good light so that's about as good a description as I can give right now. Does anyone know anything about these guns? Are they very accurate and what are they worth. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
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- Thread starter Philip63
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Sounds like a CVA Pennsylvania rifle. Without pictures, it is really hard to say.
I have one in .45 calibre. Surprisingly, it is a good shooter.
I have one in .45 calibre. Surprisingly, it is a good shooter.
I also have one but it's a flintlock .45 caliber. Very accurate. If I recall I paid $150 for it several years ago. No marking other than Spain showing on the barrel. I haven't bothered to remove the barrel to see if there are any other markings on the bottom.
More information is needed, a two inch wide brass band doesn't sound like CVA, they just have a narrow brass spacer. Some of the early Spanish guns with the wide brass spacer imported by Kassnar and others were very low quality and would not be worth buying at any price. Others, like the CVA while not the highest quality can be good shooters.
Mine has a single pin about midway with filler over the holes.
Some do remove the barrel to clean but the more you remove the pins, the more chance you have of damaging the gun around the pin holes. It is not needed and the pins are small and would be hard to see in the dark.
I don't remove the barrel, just the lock which should be cleaned and oiled too.
When I got mine someone said it was an early CVA kit rifle with the wide brass band.
When I got mine someone said it was an early CVA kit rifle with the wide brass band.
I just went and dug out my 1978 Dixie Gun Works catalog and found the rifle. It is definitely a CVA.
Seems like I seen a picture of one but by another name. I was thinking Hopkins and Allen but not sure. Not surprising though because allot of companies when they first got into the ML game bought from the same company and put their name on them.
It's not a CVA, none of their catalogs show that brass joinery. The CVA Kentucky rifle was only offered in .45 and .50 calibers.
It's very likely that low quality Spanish firm's gun and they are not even pretty enough for hanging over the fireplace IMO.
It's very likely that low quality Spanish firm's gun and they are not even pretty enough for hanging over the fireplace IMO.
Did you not look at the page I scanned right out of the Dixie catalog? It shows the rifles with the wide brass band and says they are Connecticut Valley Arms What more proof would one need? A lot of the later CVA catalogs don't show the earlier imports. Mine is a very good shooter by the way.swathdiver said:
Just out of curiosity and to make sure there was no rust, I pulled the barrel. There is no name on the barrel. The only thing I saw was a Spanish B/P proof at the breech and the number 251 stamped into the underside of the tang. The same number is written in ink in the barrel channel and cast into the underside of the brass nose cap. The underside of the barrel looks as new (no rust), applied Barricade & put it back together.
Yes sir I did look at your Dixie catalog page, then looked in all of my CVA catalogs; 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1999.
Maybe they imported that style between '71-'74? :idunno:
Maybe they imported that style between '71-'74? :idunno:
The rifle was not in the 1970 Dixie catalog. Just a thought could CVA have produced that one for Dixie as an exclusive item? Sort of like Cabela's & Pedersoli.
Anything is possible I gather, it's pure speculation on our part so far.
If the guns were made by the same Spanish company, it's possible that they can share parts. If so, if we find one today, it could be an X-brand importer with a CVA barrel. To know for sure, I figure we'd need a period piece of literature or a statement from someone who bought one new (and hasn't lost his memory after all these years!).
If the guns were made by the same Spanish company, it's possible that they can share parts. If so, if we find one today, it could be an X-brand importer with a CVA barrel. To know for sure, I figure we'd need a period piece of literature or a statement from someone who bought one new (and hasn't lost his memory after all these years!).
zimmerstutzen
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Not a cva. I have the 71 and 74 cva catalogs. Back then everybody was jumping on the muzzle loader bandwagon. Kassnar, replica arms, emf, fie Western Arms, ultra Hi. Etc.
Cva only sold a joined stock rifle in 45 and later 50 cal.
Replica arms sold one in 38 cal. Ultra Hi sold wide sheet brass joined stock guns in 45.
Cva never made anything. The guns were produced by others under contract and labeled for cva.
Cva only sold a joined stock rifle in 45 and later 50 cal.
Replica arms sold one in 38 cal. Ultra Hi sold wide sheet brass joined stock guns in 45.
Cva never made anything. The guns were produced by others under contract and labeled for cva.
I do not remember CVA making a .36 cal with their two piece Kentucky stock.
There are some older inexpensive guns that I have had that where marked 9 mm
One I have is marked Norica PIC KENTUCKY RIFLE made in Spain. Two piece stock
Came with brass or steel fittings/furniture. Rifled or smooth bore, steel ramrod.
Some of rifled ones were very very fast twists
Cheap junky stuff, not worth much but then I do have some not so nice guns I shoot too.
The one I still have is a .36 smooth bore and a hoot to shoot.
William Alexander
There are some older inexpensive guns that I have had that where marked 9 mm
One I have is marked Norica PIC KENTUCKY RIFLE made in Spain. Two piece stock
Came with brass or steel fittings/furniture. Rifled or smooth bore, steel ramrod.
Some of rifled ones were very very fast twists
Cheap junky stuff, not worth much but then I do have some not so nice guns I shoot too.
The one I still have is a .36 smooth bore and a hoot to shoot.
William Alexander
Thinking about this, I remembered a Kentucky rifle that I bought in 1978 from a friend who bought it new from a gun shop six months earlier.
I dug out my bound book of every firearm I have.
In my book I have it recorded as a CVA .45 caliber percussion wide brass forearm band with no serial number.
There is no doubt in my mind that CVA did import the rifles with the wide brass bands from Spain.
Sadly I no longer have the rifle because it was stolen in 1981 along with 14 other guns.
I dug out my bound book of every firearm I have.
In my book I have it recorded as a CVA .45 caliber percussion wide brass forearm band with no serial number.
There is no doubt in my mind that CVA did import the rifles with the wide brass bands from Spain.
Sadly I no longer have the rifle because it was stolen in 1981 along with 14 other guns.
