Joined the CVA SXS crowd

[gjkershul]

Last Saturday my wife lead me into a Boise pawn shop to look at jewelry. I noticed a hansome percussion SXS on the gun rack and it turned out to be a CVA 12ga.SXS. It had an 84 prefix to the serial number and looked in excellent almost NIB condition. The right hammer was little slow getting into the half cock position but I figured that was probably just dried lube. It went home with me for $160.
When I pulled the locks, the right one was adjusted to a very light pull which made for the slow click into half cock. A quick adjustment to the sear screw took care of the half cock issue and putting a 11/2 inch stock extenstion boot got the length of pull right for me.
My New Englander is in a .54 rifle configuration with peep sight for the Elk seasons and I plan to use the CVA as my ML shotgun this Fall.
Mountain Grouse Opens just after Labor Day and I plan to use it on Blue Grouse (small chicken size) over a dog that sometimes points them. Other game will be pheasants and maybe some quail.
To the forum: Anybody have favorite loads for 6's in the CVA ? It appears to be choked modified and full. .715 and .692.

 

[dgold]

It went home with me for $160.

Wow! For your sake I hope you also bought a lottery ticket that day :v

 

[bingo1952]

That is a good price this day and time. I have one that I built from a kit over 20 years ago and has taken everything from doves to deer. Have fun!
:thumbsup:

 

[David Snellen]

Gentlemen,
I have had one for 15-20 years. Fine gun and a nice looking piece. I sawed mine down for cavalry use and it is a sweet little shotgun.
David

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

It had an 84 prefix to the serial number and looked in excellent almost NIB condition. It went home with me for $160.

Welcome to the club! I too took an 84-prefix home last ... for only $150. But it was mint, but not almost NIB.

 

[RADeO]

Welcome to the club! I hope you enjoy your shotgun.

I have one I built from a kit almost 25 years ago with which I have taken many pheasants (yum!), dozens of clay pigeons (yuck! Besides, ya' gotta cook 'em too long), and a number of 4x4 posts. This last in a "stake bust" competition at a rendezvous I attend every year. My bores both mike .720" and the serial number also has the 84 prefix.

Regarding favorite loads, CVA recommends the old standard of equal volumes of 2f powder and shot, as published in the manual that came with the kit. They also caution users not to exceed 1-1/4 ounce shot loads, and not to use 3f powder. I still have the manual and might be able to scan a copy for you if you need it.

I normally use Winchester AA plastic wads for hunting and informal clay shooting, but please don't tell anyone :grin:. I've never had a problem with plastic residue in the bores as long as a couple of patches are run through every few shots. I also use the regular OP card/fiber cushion wad column at times. I've never patterned it.

paulvallandigham has suggested the use of a few thin overshot cards as overpowder wads to eliminate donut hole patterns caused by regular wads disturbing the shot cluster as it leaves the bore. His idea has merit and if I can get off my lazy backside and take my shotgun to the range I will give it a try.

Have fun with your new aquisition! BP shotgunning is loads of fun!

 

[paulvallandigham]

Give credit where credit is due. The idea about using ONLY OS cards came from Jim Rackham here. I gave it a try and it works. Its a particularly good problem solver for shooters with choked shotgun- as in the fixed chokes, or screw in choke tubes. The OS cards can be warped enough to put down past the choke, and then straightened with a short starter, or ramrod.

YOu do want a " loading " jag, on the rod, that is within a few thousandths of an inch of bore diameter( obviously, the smallest diameter of the choke in guns with choke or choke tubes) so that the jag supports, and pushes the edges of the OS cards down and against the walls of the bore. That promotes consistent seals, and give you better patterns.

By alternating the OS cards so that no two adjoining cards are warped or bent in the same plane, you can get much better sealing from the combination of cards, than by using just one OP wad, or one Cushion wad, or one of each.

 

[Ken Morrison]

Great find and very good price. Is your CVA made by Pietta?
Best of luck this fall.

 

[ssettle]

I don't have a CVA but I have a Dixie 10. Doesn't have any choke per say. Just a open and improved. I haven't hunted with it much, just spring turkey when the weather is good and the birds are stupid. Which isn't as ofter as I'd like. The darn thing sure is a kicker.. One of these days I'm going to detach a retina.. sometimes I wonder who's getting the worst of it. I was wondering do both barrels hit point of aim? With my improved barrel I find myself having to aim to the right about 4 inches at 30 yards.Thats OK for a standing bird like a turkey :hmm: but for wing shooting it could be a problem.

 

[paulvallandigham]

The secret to taming that gun is not to use 10 gauge loads. The beauty of owning a ML shotgun is that you can put reduced charges in it, and actually get better patterns than if you were using the same loads in a smaller gauge shotgun.

Try using 3 drams(83 grains) of powder, and 1 1/8 oz. of shot for most purposes. The recoil will be much less( Use FFg powder), and the patterns will be good out to 30 yards. There is No POINT to be shooting loads that bruise your shoulder, or threaten to detach a retina. Those heavy loads actually produce worse patterns.

 

[gjkershul]

No my shotgun was not made by Pietta. CVA-Connecticut Vally Arms - when they imported traditional muzzle loaders- got their product from manufacturers in Spain. I think the company was Ardesea. Guys give me some help please.

 

[musketman]

To the forum: Anybody have favorite loads for 6's in the CVA ? It appears to be choked modified and full. .715 and .692.

I would like to add a small note on safety if I may, if you only discharge one of the tubes and decide to reload it, please deprime the unfired barrel before doing so.

This will prevent you from exposing your hand/body in front of a live barrel.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

And while it's de-primed, it doesn't hurt to reseat the charge in that barrel just in case the recoil from the first shot has moved the shot off the powder charge.

 

[RADeO]

I sympathize with your plight regarding the recoil. My CVA is a pretty good thumper, too. The kit it was built from did not include a butt plate so I, in my innocence, thought to try my hand at making one out of some 1/8" flat steel. By sheer dumb luck it came out pretty well, but the very first time I went out to shoot some clay pigeons it let me know right quick that I was too much a wimp to be shooting without a recoil pad. OUCH :cursing: ! Had one Hell of a bruise on the ol' shoulder after that little episode. The next day after work I stopped by the local sporting goods emporium and bought myself a slip-on rubber recoil pad. Made a world of difference!

A slip-on recoil pad might not be historically accurate but it sure saves the shoulder from being beaten into something resembling liver pate. :thumbsup:

 

[chuckpa]

I went to a gun store today in PA. and bought a CVA Double for $180.00. The serial number has an 83 prefix. I don't know what that means. After reading the thread I'm glad I bought the gun. I hope I get a chance to try it out this weekend.

 

[chuckpa]

I just miked both of my bores at.713. Has anybody tried firing round patched balls out of their guns.

 

[Rebel]

Not out of a CVA double, but i did with my old Navy Arms, (Pietta) double. Shot them pretty darn good out to 50 yds. Would keep 2 shots from each barrel in a 4 shot group of under 2" at 25 yds. I used a .690 rd ball cast from a Lee mould.

 

[Leonredbeard]

I shot roundballs from my CVA which I bought new in 1984. The barrels shot the balls to different points of impact at 35 yards, like about 10 inches apart involving different elevations.
volatpluvia

 

[chuckpa]

What was the powder charge you fellows used?

 

[Rebel]

I used 90 grs of Pyrodex RS.