Old CVA

[MikeChapin]

This is an old, pre 1975, kit I put together for a friend of mine. He had gotten it from a friend, who got it from someone who got it from someone...

Sometime in the past someone had tried to put it together. The inletting looked to be done with a semi-sharp ax. The lock had a broken sear spring but I had a few of those hanging around so it wasn't a problem. The barrel had been fitted to the stock but they had not used the brass spacer and the barrel would not fit flush in the barrel channel at the breech so I don't know what they thought they were going to do. They had sanded the stock and put some sort of Minwax finish on it.

I got everything fitted up and found there was an eighth inch of extra wood all the way down to the lock molding. At least I was able to get rid of the minwax finish.

It even had the old CVA instruction book. I could not find a touch hole liner for it but had an Ampco liner hanging around. I looked what they gave in the instruction book and they said to drill a 3/32" hole at the bottom of the pan. I installed the touch hole liner instead. When the rifle was assembled the touch hole was a little farther forward than I like it but still lined up with the pan. I tested it with a 5 grain charge and the rifle went off fine.

I used LMF maple on it because that was the closest I had to the old Colonial Red that these rifles came with. I browned the barrel after removing the cold blue job someone had put on. Five hand rubbed coats of Tru-Oil and a rub down with 0000 steel wool gave it a decent finish.

When I cleaned the barrel of cutting oil and preservative I was surprised to see how smooth it was. Most of the CVA barrels of this vintage usually had some chatter marks from the rifling machine. They shot fine but felt a little rough. This one was smooth as a baby's butt.

I'm going to take it out to the range today to adjust the sights to get it on the paper and try to find a decent load for it.

 

[JayDee Flohr]

I had one years ago that was probably about a 1978 version in percussion. I won a lot of shoots with that gun. They have great barrels. Your friend should enjoy that one.

 

[John Wasmuth]

I love mine and woulodnt trade it for the world. They are shooters and the three that I have had all liked stiff loads. 80 grains of FFg, Hornady roundball and a .10 patch is my hunting load, I guess its my match load as well. Thats a fine looking rifle you built! :thumbsup:

 

[ohio ramrod]

Back in the middle seventies I assembled about twenty of those kits in percusion for the local Amish boys to use in Ohio's primative weapons season. It was susprising how well they shot for a cheap ($59 to $69 ) rifle. Also it was amazing how much abuse they took and kept on shooting. (With some fixing, Each year I would build five and fix two or three from previous year's shooting with out being properly cleaned and would not fire the next year)It seems the Amish boys just could not understand cleaning a black powder rifle.

 

[rusty]

Good job Mike.r

 

[MikeChapin]

Back in the middle seventies I assembled about twenty of those kits in percusion for the local Amish boys to use in Ohio's primative weapons season. ...

I did the same thing in the late seventies and early eighties. People who got them for birthday or Christmas presents and didn't have a clue where to start. In those days I charged $50 to put it together if they hadn't touched it. More if I had to fix screw ups.

I took it out yesterday and got it to where it was shooting about an inch low at 25 yards. The barrel must be bored a little off center. The rear sight was a little left of center and front sight a little right of center. It is not very noticeable unless you look close.

I worked up a load for it at 50 yards. It was kind of a tough experience. The LOP on the rifle is 12 7/8" and the butt shape is Lemanesque. That combination is sure to magnify recoil from the bench and give me a sharp slap or two on the cheek.

It was kind of tough to get a decent group while keeping my head back so I wouldn't get slapped. I usually climb up on the rifle a little when bench shooting to get my head in the same spot each time. If I did that with this rifle I would feel like I had been in a bar fight.

Anyhow the best groups were gotten with 45 grains 3F, a .440 ball and a .015 ticking patch. This will probably change when the barrel breaks in.

I shot it offhand at 25 yards and was very happy. I could put five shots in a 1 inch group offhand. I could call the shots adjusting for the group being an inch low. I was a little worried about the lock. These cheapies can be a manure shoot to whether you get a good one or not. This one appears to be a good on. Out of thirty plus shots it only missed setting off the prime twice when the flint was worn down to a nubbin'. I had a couple of puffs but the rifle was getting pretty dirty and a vent pick cleared the problem up right away.

I think my friend will be happy with it. He has been around black powder for a six or seven years but this will be his first flinter. Now I get to make fun of him flinching all over the place until he gets used to it.

 

[SimonKenton]

The only time I ever saw one of those put together it was on "Little House on the Prairie" and it was Ingle's personal rifle. Even when others started toting lever actions he held onto that caplock .45 deer rifle. :thumbsup:

In one episode he leaned it (loaded) against a tree. Guess what? You guessed it! It fell over and fired hitting him in the side and Laura had to run for help before he bled to death. :shocked2:

-Ray

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Don't you dare say anything nice about a CVA. There's folk lurking here that think that such talk is blasphemous to Thompson Center. (At least CVA used good steel when they made their locks) They weren't bad considering how cheaply they were made.

 

[John Wasmuth]

:rotf:

 

[ohio ramrod]

While I'll be one of the first to critise their locks, especially the threads on the screws. There have been several matches won with cheap CVA's . I myself only have one left and it has never been fired. :hmm: Are CVA's up to T.C. or the Italian manufactures quality ? Not in my book! But they were safe and could be tuned into accurate rifles. :bow: :surrender:

 

[MN284]

Here's a picture of the CVA Kentucky Rifle I finished this January from a kit. I'm pretty happy with the wood finish, but this was my first attempt at browning a barrel and it looks like I "antiqued" it!

But, with a .45 PRB and 75 grs of FFFG it will put five holes touching at fifty yards off the bench.

 

[MN284]

Sorry for the previous post with its non-image. I'll try to figure out the photo business better before posting again.

Tom

 

[MN284]

Well, Here's an attempt to get my pic on the Forum! Bought the CVA Kentucky kit at a swap meet at our local gun club, paid $75.00 for it (the old sales slip was still in the box - $83.00!). It sat for four years before I got to work on it this Winter. As I said, wood pretty fair job (it is beech with a dark LMF stain); browning lousy, but it is a shooter, so I'm happy.

I know this is a flintlock forum and this is a cap gun, but hope I'm still following the CVA thread. I enjoy this forum; so much more informative than others I've been affiliated with.

Tom H, Minnesota

 

[goon]

I think my Dad has one of those from back in the day. As noted above, he was one of those guys who got one for his birthday, built it, shot it a bit, then put it away not knowing what to do with it.
He apparently shot his enough to wear the frizzen out, then not being experienced with muzzleloaders, he removed the lock and promptly lost it.
That was over thirty years ago.

Any idea where I could find a replacement lock?

 

[MikeChapin]

You should be able to pick one up at Deer Creek. They don't have a web site but the address and phone number are listed in the vendors on this forum.

I have also seen some, now and again, on the auction sites. L&R also makes a replacement lock for CVAs.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Looks nice! I built many of those over the years for the local Amish boys for Ohio's primative weapons season. They are a safe and reasonably accurate gun. You probably will have to tune the lock to get it to work smoothly, but when you do it'll give you many hours of enjoyment.

 

[goon]

Thanks. I'll look into into a replacement lock.

 

[MikeChapin]

The lock didn't take much. I stoned the inside of the lock plate and the inside of the tumbler where it touches the plate.

I took it to my friend last weekend. We have had a series of storms all week but yesterday it was clear. He gave me a call and asked if I wanted go with him to take it out.

He had trouble hitting much with it. The rifle was going off well and was as quick as any CVA flinter I have ever seen. He is a good shot with a percussion rifle. He wins his share of plunder at shoots. He is also used to a set trigger.

He had trouble keeping it on the paper at 25 yards. He was jerking the trigger and flinching from the pan flash. I let him fire a couple of shots to get the feel of the rifle then started coaching him. I noticed that he was closing his eyes and flinching from the flash. When I could get him to concentrate on the front sight and squeeze the trigger he was hitting close to where I had sighted the rifle in at - about one inch low at 25 yards. He just has to work at concentration and follow through. That should come with time.

The rifle performed great. The one time it poofed it was fixed with a touch hole pick. A couple of empty clacks were fixed with a moist thumb on the frizzen to clean up the striking surface.

He was very pleased with the rifle and how it performed. He is planning to take it to our monthly shoot today and play with it some more.

 

[rr11]

The quality of the CVA depends on when and where it was made. I have a Hawkin my parents gave me for christmas in 1972-3 it is marked "Made in USA" and it is a very well made rifle. Did have to replace the main spring 10 years ago. She has 8 tacks for deer under the cheek piece. Do not hunt with it now ,got the flint bug and it is a percusion.

 

[MikeChapin]

The quality of the CVA depends on when and where it was made. I have a Hawkin my parents gave me for christmas in 1972-3 it is marked "Made in USA" and it is a very well made rifle. Did have to replace the main spring 10 years ago. She has 8 tacks for deer under the cheek piece. Do not hunt with it now ,got the flint bug and it is a percusion.

That is the Mountain Rifle. Probably the best rifle CVA made. It had a Douglas barrel as opposed to the Spanish barrels on their other rifles. I have one that is the first kit I put together in 1977. I changed the stock out to a Leman stock because the factory stock didn't fit me very well. I took a lot of deer and won lots of matches with that rifle. I still have it and shoot it occasionally.