Percussion pistols and rifles

[Olddude]

The CVA and Traditions barrels are the percussion ports threaded? The round percussion nipple ports on the barrels? can they be taken off and put in a liner to make them Flintlocks?

 

[Notchy Bob]

I'm thinking you mean the drum. I have an old CVA Big-Bore Mountain Rifle, and if I remember correctly the owner's manual specifically forbids removing the breechplug or the drum. Gunsmiths among the crowd here may offer more insight, but it is my understanding that there is something unusual about the way these components were installed... Maybe the sequence that they were put in, I'm not sure. But I believe if you don't know precisely how to proceed, there is potential for doing irreparable damage.

I would cordially recommend that you read the owner's manual. If you don't have one, I believe Deer Creek Products has digitized versions available online.

So, my answer to your last question is "I don't think so."

Be safe!

Notchy Bob

 

[mooman76]

You will get arguments here back and forth whether you can or can't and maybe more like whether you should or shouldn't. Short answer is yes you can with some work. There are a few here that have done it including myself. I did it years back before the internet and so I didn't know you couldn't do it. I had to make a insert for a touch hole because I couldn't find a metric one. I believe you may be able to find them now.

 

[Phil Coffins]

I'm thinking you mean the drum. I have an old CVA Big-Bore Mountain Rifle, and if I remember correctly the owner's manual specifically forbids removing the breechplug or the drum. Gunsmiths among the crowd here may offer more insight, but it is my understanding that there is something unusual about the way these components were installed... Maybe the sequence that they were put in, I'm not sure. But I believe if you don't know precisely how to proceed, there is potential for doing irreparable damage.

I would cordially recommend that you read the owner's manual. If you don't have one, I believe Deer Creek Products has digitized versions available online.

So, my answer to your last question is "I don't think so."

Well put.

 

[Zonie]

The breech plug and drum on the CVA and Traditions side locks looks like this:

As can be seen, the drum screws into both the barrel and the breech plug. That's why the breech plug can't be removed until the drum has been removed.
The CVA and Traditions flintlock is the same way except only the threaded portion that's inside the barrel exists.

So, the answer is, yes, a percussion style CVA or Traditions can be changed to a flintlock by removing all of the drum that is outside the wall of the barrel.
It is a one way change though because in the process of doing this, the drum is no longer usable for the percussion system.

Because of this I think some serious thought needs to be done asking yourself, "Will I ever want to change it back to a percussion?", "Is it worth spending well over $100 for a new lock on a gun that will never be worth the price of the present gun and the new lock?", "Do I have the knowledge tools and ability to do this conversion without messing it up?"
The answers must be a resounding "NO" to the first question and "YES" to the other two questions before trying this conversion.

Files, a hack saw, a tap for the new vent hole liner that will be needed, a tap drill to drill the hole for the tap, a knowledge of threading holes and screw drivers, self locking pliers and a few other tools will be needed.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Replacing the drum on a CVA or Traditions barrel is one of those tasks that can be done, but one of those tasks that shouldn't be done.

 

[Mark Herman]

We had a number of old CVA barrels, from an estate sale, years ago. Good bores and factory breeches. Many were sold for custom (?) builds. We cut the breeches out and re breeches them with conventional breech plugs and some became flint and some became cap guns.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Zonie, thank you for the image (photo and caption). That picture alone is worth the proverbial thousand words. There is another active thread in the Gunsmithing section right now, regarding a CVA Mountain Rifle that (for some reason) had the drum (or "bolster") removed, and the image you provided was re-posted. It is obviously not a matter of simply screwing in another drum.

This sort of question about the CVA breeching system comes up from time to time, on this and other forums. A "sticky" in the Gunsmithing section might be informative.

Thanks,

Notchy Bob

 

[RAEDWALD]

This is a past post on doing this on an Ardesa (Traditions) Crockett Rifle.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/well-here-it-is-a-flintlock-32-cal-crockett-rifle.58654/

 

[TreeMan]

I converted an old cva flint to percussion a while back. The threads for the drum were the same as the threads for a cva/traditions touch hole liner. If you can find a lock that will fit the stock and will line up the touch hole with the pan it will work.

 

[bigted]

Started to describe the order of things to do your conversion when it occurred to me that Mark Herman described the exact and probably easiest method above.

His procedure only requires a dovetail and tennonso as to scoot the barrel back to align with the flint lock when installed . Then drill into the breech at the exact position of the pan on your new lock for the removeable flash hole.

Sounds like fun to me.