Kentucky Pistol

[Buck Buster]

Any of you powder burners own or shoot Kentucky Pistols? Found one today in an old hardware store covered in dust. It's an old CVA that was ordered 10-15 years ago for someone, but they never came back to get it. Never been loaded. Proprieter said he would take $120.00 for it. I'm a rifle shooter with two long arms, thought a sidearm might complement one of my percussion rifles when primitive hunting. Would like some feedback from ya'll on powder loads and accuracy. Is asking price of pistol fair?

 

[TwoShadows]

Howdy Buck Buster....thought to throw some thoughts at ya.

I usually carry a pistol in woodswalk situation type shoots....has been handy a couple times.

I have owned and shot several of these[url] pistols....in[/url] flint....never owned a persuckshun one.


I am hoping it is the same caliber as one of your rifles...that would prove quite handy insofar as feeding it.

Many states frown on using a m/l pistol for hunting regardless of the intent...best to check.

I see this same pistol around from time to time for around $100. If this pistol has truly laid on the shelf fort a long time, remind him that they were $69.95 back then. Offer him $100 and I betcha he will go for it. Us Southern boys all like to barter don't we?

 

[Zonie]

At the risk of upsetting someone I will say CVA pistols aren't the greatest things around.
They are made in Spain and the quality leaves much to be desired. With other Spanish guns I have run across semi hardened sears that were as rough as a cob, Unbridled tumblers (not supported at the outer end so it relies on the hole thru the soft steel lockplate to locate it), the list goes on...

They are safe with moderate loads (.50 cal=about 30 grain load).

Dixie (who is always high on prices) is asking $140 for a finished gun, but I don't think I would pay over $90. if I wanted one. See if you can get him down to about $75 and you can feel you didn't come out the small end of the horn.

 

[Buck Buster]

Forgot to mention that the pistol is a .50 caliber if anyone knows a safe powder load.

 

[Deadeye]

BB, CVA made several different models, with different prices. I believe they all used the same lock which I have found to be of good quality. I have one that I rebarreled about 20 yrs. ago (original barrel had been bored out to 20 ga. smoothbore)I've won a lot of matches with that gun, never had any problem with the lock. 20 grs. of 3F and a PRB in a .45 or .50 is a good target load.
Deadeye

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Buck Buster - I have A 50 cal Ky. Traditions. A kit I put together,its A real good shooter. Any more than about 30 gr. fff, you just adding weight to your load and losing velocity. The kit cost me a hundred bucks,so talk to the guy. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

Got to agree with a little of what everyone is saying. CVA kits leave something to be desired in the quality department but I've found them to be safe with normal loads. In today's law suit prone world no one is going to market a product that invites financial tragedy, and CVA has been around a long time. I like to find those stray kits in the stores at the old low prices, and half finished guns that sell for even less, and rework them to fit my notions. They make good platforms for experiminting with stock architecture, lock tuning and such, without the risk involved with experimenting on premium wood or expensive lock parts.
I've put several of my friends to reworking cheap kits as a learning experience before they tried to build their first gun. Most of them made a good transfer of the knowledge and built good quality "first guns" that made good shooters with good lines instead of the misfiring clubs most first guns turn out to be. Some of them found that just reworking a kit gun was more then they could handle, and sprang for a pre-built longrifle, considering it money well spent.
I've got several of those CVA pistols, but they don't look like the kit gun anymore. Have fun with it and shoot the daylights out of it.