My CVA story

[Larry Beach]

I LOVE my Flintlocks all of them! It wasn't always that way tho.
My Wife bought me my first Flinter for our 10th anniversary in 1994, It was a 50 cal. CVA. The stock was glossy,Hardwood. I did my best to shoot it in, well over 200 rounds. I had to make a pad for my shoulder because the Hawkins Brass Butt Plate was sharp on the top and bottom. I tried every load from 40-100 grain to find the load of Black powder it liked. I couldn't hit squat with it.
I tried patched Round Ball and Maxi Balls. I also
bought both molds and pure lead and poured my own.
I even bought an expensive Shooters Bench, still no good. Other guns I had better luck than theirs. I could group 3 shots well inside a Tea Cup saucer at 100 yards,(closer to a Baseball size) but couldn't do that at 50 with the CVA. I finally had enough and called CVA. They
wanted me to send it in to them. I also noticed the stock had a lot of match head size light spots in the gloss finish. I wrote a fairly long letter to CVA detailing how much the gun meant to me, loads/Fodder/Prime loads, Flint etc..and sent it in in January 1998.
After about a month the UPS Man brought me a package from CVA, I opened it up and was surprised when I found a Brand new Rifle! The stock was nicely figured and fit very well. I was even more surprised to find a Hand Written Letter from the President of CVA apologizing to me, and for my lost time and shooting expense!
He said the barrel was tested and indeed did not meet CVA standards. He guaranteed me this rifle was hand selected AND tested to assure quality. I can hit as well with this or better than I can with my 1970's American Thompson Percussion.
The new stock is a beautiful Matt finish and not the gaudy Gloss..
Has anybody ever had this kind of poor quality experience from CVA, and their barrels?
I will always love BP shooting, it is fun and challenging. Best of all, at the end of the day, all is needed is cleanup, no massive reloading of shells...
All my best to you my friends...
Larry Duane

 

[Zonie]

I'm glad to hear your CVA is shooting nicely.

Actually, as you may know, the early CVA sidelocks had rather poor locks, triggers and stocks.
Their early flintlocks were rather notorious for being crappy with soft frizzens and unsupported tumblers to name just a few of the early problems.

Over the years, they improved the locks and triggers but usually the wood and its finish were kinda "iffy".

On the other hand, their barrels, even on the early ones were usually quite accurate although every once in a while some would shoot rather poorly like yours did.

It's nice that they replaced your rifle. I don't think they did that very often.

Of course, now, CVA doesn't offer a single sidelock. Only those new fangled things we don't discuss here on the Muzzleloading Forum.

Traditions on the other hand started importing the same Ardesa, Spain rifles that CVA once imported, once CVA stopped importing them.

I don't know if Traditions would totally replace a defective gun or not.

Has Traditions replaced any of you other folks guns?

 

[Larry Beach]

I asked because I had never read of someone getting a rpl rifle.
I have a Traditions Deer Hunter that is kind of a goofball.
I took it in on a trade from a guy.
It is a short Barrel, Camo Synthetic Stock and Stainless Barrel and lock. He sent me a Wooden Stock that I refinished in a dark Mahogany
but it doesn't look any better than the Camo stock.
My best gun by far is my Lyman Plainsman, but if it makes Smoke and goes BOOM, I like it. I even picked up a new old Stock Bobcat 50 cal. Cap & Ball. The dealer is a friend of mine and about 4 years ago he pulled me aside and told me he was sick of looking at it and asked me if I'd gove him $65.00 for it... I said no, but I'd give 50,
To my surprise he said to take it with me..LOL..
I saw someone that was trying to buy lead for $1.00 a LB shipped... I don't know about anybody else but the last time i went to the Salvage yard I had to Pay .90 plus tax a lb Dirty...Even with that he only had about 100 lbs. I bought all he had. That lead is getting kind of hard to find.
BUT just when you say that we got the back side of an old newspaper building and I found about 90 lbs of printers lead there... FREE...

 

[mooman76]

I have about 1/2 dz CVAs and all shoot very good. Most I bought used but some new. One new one was sold to a friend against my best judgment and I later regretted it. As I thought he would do, he shot it and threw it in the back of his truck uncleaned and there it sat for 6 months. It was a real shooter too, both conicals and RBs.

 

[bpd303]

BUT just when you say that we got the back side of an old newspaper building and I found about 90 lbs of printers lead there... FREE...

Printers lead is either Linotype or Monotype not soft enough for muzzleloader's or revolvers. Makes excellent cast boolits for them new fangled things.

 

[Zonie]

... Even with that he only had about 100 lbs. I bought all he had. That lead is getting kind of hard to find.
BUT just when you say that we got the back side of an old newspaper building and I found about 90 lbs of printers lead there... FREE...

You would be wise to keep that lead from the newspaper building seperate from any pure lead you may have.

The lead used for making type has alloys added to make it hard so it can last thru printing thousands of pages of newsprint without wearing down.
The lead alloy also has a lower melting temperature than pure lead.
This is especially true if the newspaper was using a rotogravure press.

 

[Larry Beach]

Yes I agree to keep it from mixing, I cast into Lyman Ingots and hammer marks in it, L for Pure Lead, WW for WHEEL WEIGHT, and the lyno don't know yet.
I do cast about any size sinkers used by man. the WW works for that, it is ok for .357 sized and gas checked after lubing.
I'm always open for new ideas for the mixed stuff Maxi and rounds I pour soft, Want to make sure they will be constant. so I also weigh each.
I appreciate your pointers, heard it before or not
nobody gets hurt by a little refresher now and then.
So keep those pointers coming..

 

[Alden]

Nice CVA took care of you and didn't spoil the hobby or "gift" for you -- it could have been quite the opposite.

 

[Larry Beach]

Thanks Alden: The one I am the most happy for was my Wife at the time. She is no longer with us, a few months short of 20 years..
I still have her and she still looks like the day she came out of the box! 17 years ago.
One thing I do is squirt a layer of thin grease on the wood parts of the stock that normally get burned. A small Syringe works great, (no needle needed) plus a bit easier if you get Blue Lighted.Mind Ya now have that Moonshine jug hid..The Old Timer introduced me to the Sweet Spot of the after the header and before the tailings...that smooth sweet stuff that is so very good, (thats for afte the shooting).....LOL
from the pan flash.It stops it dead without messing with ignition. Old timer taught me that. He could tel I like to keep my smoke poles as nice as I can..

 

[Alden]

Funny you say that about the wood...

...I usually put a layer of silicon on the wood near the locks where it otherwise gets burned understanding that is more fireproof than the mineral-oil/bees wax/carnauba wax blend I usually have on the rest of the wood.