Thoughts on a .45 caliber Kentucky for deer hunting

[Chazz11B]

A fellow addict with a heavier habit I see. That sort of makes me an enabler I suppose. My condolences sir and you're welcome. :wink:

 

[mrh1958]

A 45 rb will work on deer just fine, I have taken several with 60grs of 3f at distances out to 80 yards or so, shot placement is critical as with any gun.

 

[timothy prouty]

HEY I forgot to tell you to go with Magnum caps don't go with standard caps they just don't have the heat

 

[slumlord44]

There is no need to apologize for buying a CVA Kentucky Rifle. They have always been good accurate guns especially when you factor in the reasonable price. My first muzzleloader was a CVA Kentucky kit that I built in the '70's. Still have it along with many other CVA's that I have acquired since then. Still buying them.

 

[timothy prouty]

Yeah me too my first CVA was a Mountain rifle and in a kit it's was a45 now I have5 and 3is usa and 2is Spanish and one is a flintlock

 

[hanshi]

The .45 is my favorite caliber and I have three in that bore size. My go-to deer rifle for many years is my .45 flintlock. I've killed more deer with it than I can count. I took a deer with a much older percussion .45 I still own at 75 yards. The load was a .440" ball and 65 grains of 3F black. In the flintlock I used 80 grains of 3F and that load will really shoot! But from now on the load is 60grns in the percussion and flintlock.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Always glad to see the old CVA rifles put back into use...they may not have been fancy and most of us moved on to shinier perhaps, but no one told the rifles! In my mob of whitetail bashers, a load of 50 grains FFFg cranked up about 1750 fps +/- and 75 grains of FFg got up around 1850 fps velocity. The latter was the usual but the 50 grain load did well in brush and timber where ranges didn't pass 50 yards. Some Brazos River bottom ranges were in feet rather than yards...you could almost spit on them when you finally saw them. :wink: Took a good sneak to tippy-toe up on a few!

We used .40" balls and .015 linen patches. Those old CVA Kentuckies turned a good number of Bambis into smothered venison on homemade noodles! Yum!! :thumbsup:

 

[Chazz11B]

After looking the rifle over for fit and finish purposes. I've noticed where the stalk could've been sanded down to fit better in places. And a one piece butt plate would look better. The bluing and barrel are immaculate though. For the price I can't really complain and they through in a nice powder horn that's been carved. I REALLY can't complain about that.

I'll more than likely move onto a shinier one if things go well. But this one isn't going anywhere. I can sand it down my self and make it prettier. I'd also rather have a one piece stock. That's more the look I had in mind.

I've done some more looking (somehow I doubt I'm the only one here doing that). I've seen some nice full stock rifles such as Tennessee Mountain, Pennsylvania mountain rifles and such. The Kentucky is the rifle that got me interested. I wouldn't be able to tell one from another if they were on a table in front of me.

Anyone have any experience with Muzzle Loader Originals Shenandoah Valley Black Powder Bore Cleaning Solvent? I was looking for some lead free shot (don't want to feed my 3 year old even a trace of lead) And ran onto this. Some of the guys that shoot at meets "endorsed" it. I'm not trying to get out of cleaning my rifle. Yet if it helps keep it clean and doesn't tear up anything I'm all for it. More time hunting and shooting isn't a bad thing. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/...ning-solvent-and-patch-lubricant-67-oz-liquid

And looking over the barrel I didn't see where it's made? Be a Douglas or a Jukar barrel? Where would that be stamped? On a sort of brighter note I didn't China stamped anywhere

Last (for this post anyway) question. Where would y'all look for flat head wood screws? I'd like to use antiques. One of the one's on the butt plate got stripped out during shipping. They spared the expense on the kit in regards to furnishing screws. Really thin and quite short. Like something you'd make a picture frame out of.

 

[Grenadier1758]

As far as muzzle loading cleaning solutions go, you really won't do any better than warm (hot is not necessary) water with a few drops of dish washing detergent. Water dissolves the black powder fouling and the detergent dissolves the oils in the lubricant. You do need a good rust inhibiting lubricant for storage after cleaning. I recommend Birchwood Casey brand Barricade. You spend about the same amount of time cleaning no mater what cleaning solution you use.

Use Track of the Wolf or Muzzleloader Builder's Supply for your replacement screws.

 

[hanshi]

Grenadier1758 is spot on with his suggestions. I use tap water to clean and Barricade to protect the bore. Just remember to DRY THOROUGHLY.

 

[Pete G]

I read where Someone mentioned that spending a ton of cash on something I may end up hating may not be the best idea. That makes sense to me especially right before the holidays.

Did that with the first wife...... :youcrazy:

As far as the rifle goes, you should be fine. Only thing to watch out for is that you may start liking tinkering with guns and before you know it you are building one from scratch. :wink:

 

[32 ballard xl]

I own a Jukar 44 caliber muzzle loader. Looks just like the CVA Kentucky. May be the same manufacturer. Anyway, superbly accurate. I generally try to stay within 50 yards of the deer I shoot. Easy range to figure. The deer's eye still looks moist at 50 yards. The farthest I've ever shot one is 75 yards. I use 55 grains of goex 3f, a .433 ball, and an .01 linen patch. I use beeswax thinned with olive oil for grease on the patch. :hatsoff: