Redoing your old work

[DonOhio39]

Thirty some years ago, more or less, my wife blessed me with a CVA Mountain Rifle kit. I got my first muzzleloader deer with it.

When I put it together, I applied a very thick, dark, poly/stain finish. Primarily because I didn't like the very light stock wood and thought that the dark finish would be less noticeable in the woods.

Fast forward to now.

I'm in the process of changing the rifle from percussion to flint and have decided that the light stock would look just fine.
So I steel wooled some of the old finish off to see what I had.

Good Lord! I covered up a bunch of poor work with that thick finish! Now I'm stuck with not only stripping off the old finish, but also cleaning up my old goofs. It should be worth the effort in the end though.

Here's the first ML buck. 1993 Ohio deer season.

Don in Ohio

 

[necchi]

Cool story, Good Luck.
There's plenty of tip's an tricks to be found here in this section.
A little digging can turn up a treasure trove of info, :wink:

 

[Birddog6]

Will it be worth it ? Heck Yes, as far as monetary value, it will be worth the $ 99.95 the kit costs back in the late 70's early 80's.

But it may be worth more to you for sentimental reasons, simply cause it was a gift & possibly your first assembly. I still have my .58 cal Big Bore Mtn Rifle I built in the 70's. And it still shoots one hole groups at 50 yards, I found out after getting it out & shooting it after ? 20 years in the gun safe.

And you know what, it is still ever bit as ugly as the day I finished it. I keep it just to go back & look at it now & then & see where I started & where I am now. :grin: I thought many times of stripping it & redoing it.. Then I think "It is what it is", and no matter what I do it it, it is still a $ 119. assembly kit from Bowhunters Warehouse... And I leave it alone & put it away.

They ARE excellent barrels, those old CVA rifles. Very accurate. Everything else on them were poor quality, but the barrels are good ones. The wood is most likely Beech & very durable, but very plain & usually doesn't stain well.

As for converting it to a flintlock, again that is up to you. $ wise not a worthy investment, IMHO. You can put $800. in it & it is s till a $99. rifle. But it IS your rifle, so up to you. I just look at mine & laugh about it, note all the dumb mistakes I did & go on. :grin: I do know it will still drop a deer dead in it's tracks at 50 yards. :thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

 

[gunmaker43]

I built one a those back in 1978, 1st kit I put together. I always had the idea to re-do it someday, so 2 yr. ago I restocked it with a blank of curly maple & went to a full stock....Most folks don't recognize it as a CVA. This is it. 1 deer so far on new wood...Tom

click on pic to see the whole project.

 

[DonOhio39]

Well, yeah. It's not going to be "worth it" in any monetary sense. I've already come to the conclusion that the wood isn't going to be very cooperative as far as the appearance I'd like to achieve. It is what it is, I guess.

As far as converting to flint goes, it's just the cost of the lock and doing some machine work out in the shop.

So I guess I'm doing this just to have something a little different to work on. As I get older I seem to prefer uncommon ways and means and flintlocks are just part of that.

My other flinter is a TC PA Hunter, a carbine no less. Good for 6 deer so far.

Don in Ohio

 

[F.G. Ford]

Great pictures!
Much appreciated>
Fred

 

[sumoj275]

I say go for redoing it all the way. This rifle has sentimental value, your wife will be impressed that you are still using and "beautifying" something she got you, you get to spend time in the shop on something that you like doing, and the satisfaction you will get in the end will be a great accomplishment.

I did a re-do of a rifle that someone started and finished off not so finished. I am happy with the results, plan on doing a few more things to it but it was fun in the process. It is a .50 cal, would like to find a .36 or 40 cal brl to go with it so it can go back and forth from deer to tree rat/rabbit. That is what makes these guns our's==the mod's and personalization that we do to them. It is hard to make a black rifle have a soul but the smoke-poles are easy to make a soul with.

 

[DonOhio39]

I built one a those back in 1978, 1st kit I put together. I always had the idea to re-do it someday, so 2 yr. ago I restocked it with a blank of curly maple & went to a full stock....Most folks don't recognize it as a CVA. This is it. 1 deer so far on new wood...Tom

click on pic to see the whole project.

Darn it Tom, That looks GREAT!! :bow:
I like that alot, and I DON'T have the skills that would require. That's a bummer for me and you got fine looking rifle for you. :grin:

Don in Ohio

 

[Andyd]

I pick up an old CVA Mountain Rifle and am redoing someones work. Its in sad shape. Im doing allot of glass bedding to get the lock plate parallel and to get the trigger assy lined up with the sear. I made some brass barrel wedges. Iv got a trigger guard coming in from Deer Creek Products. The barrel is a bit rusty. Ill be scrubbing that next week. This is my first ML. I dont want to spend $400.00+ on a kit. This $80.00 project gun is challenging me just fine.
Tom that is a fine looking firearm.
Don I look forward to seeing your project and all its phases.

 

[CFCE]

I have a T/C Hawken I built back in the mid 70's when I was learning to be a trim carpenter. Thought I knew something about finishing wood back then. Haven't shot it in about 28 years. Pulled it out about a year ago to get back into the sport and OMG. I now KNOW I was not all I thought I was back then (ah the cockiness of youth). Lots of machine marks I didn't get out, thick high gloss finish complete with runs. After deer season ends I plan to strip finish,remove machine marks and refinish with a non-glossy oil finish.

 

[Andyd]

That's funny. Well it's cool you still have the rifle. And I bet it will look like a pice of fine furniture when you get done with it this time.