Traditions pistol

[sanbar]

Any opinions on the Traditions Kentucky Pistols? They seem cheap enough, Are they any good or should one stay away from them?

 

[widget350]

I picked up a flintlock one at a gun show 1 or 2 years ago for about $100 with a western style holster. It was a decent deal IMO, though largely because the holster was pretty nice (though it didn't work well with it). I had no intention of keeping it, but did a little tweaking to the lock mortise since the lock didn't seat fully to the barrel, and gave it to a friend (with the holster) at cost, who has done a lot of shooting with it - his first BP gun.

They're ok. As far as build quality, many are kits, so that will depend on the builder. They generally shoot fine, but have a lot of extra wood on them for my taste. You can find the same kits available as CVAs sometimes.

 

[Zonie]

There was a time, when CVA was importing large numbers of guns from Ardessa, in Spain that the quality of their locks left a lot to be desired.

Generally speaking the Percussion locks worked alright but the Flintlocks (which are much harder to build correctly) often sparked poorly and ate flints.

Before CVA quit importing traditional muzzleloaders Ardessa improved the quality of their guns locks (the barrels were always quite good) and the guns imported by Traditions are a continuation of those models.

While their guns are not usually considered top quality they are all fully proofed and will last for years giving the owners a low cost way to enjoy the fun of Muzzleloading.

 

[rafterob]

I built one from a kit and it shoots really well. I got it zeroed in great. No problems after 3 years of shooting.

 

[ozark57]

I like my Crockett except for the trigger. Loose, floppy, creepy.

 

[misher]

Shoots great except for that loose, rattley trigger.

 

[sanbar]

Just bought one, yes the trigger is kind of funny. Havent shot it yet. Overall quality , the wood, brass and assembly seem excellent. As good as the Pedersoli products I have looked at. Hope it shoots as good as it looks and is put together. Thanks for all the info.

 

[nkbj]

Are any factory guns made with single set triggers these days? My old .35 flinter wouldn't be the same without it. Pistols are generally just too small for a set of double triggers.

 

[pondoro]

I got a CVA rifle and the trigger was atrocious. Took it apart and the top of the trigger (where it pushes on the little pin to trip the lock) looked like it had been cut with a hack saw. (I am not exagerating!) I smoothed it a bit with a stone and the trigger is much better. What were they thinking?

 

[zimmerstutzen]

CVA single triggers were just rough stamped out affairs. I was also surprised that no effort was made to smooth the working surface.

Somewhere around 1976 CVA's maker in Spain really improved the locks and barrels. Around 1983, Traditions stuff came on the market. Usually just a tad less quality than the comparable CVA model. And certainly cheaper to buy.

CVA put out alot of models over the years. Traditions usually had a comparable model come out around the same time. When CVA had the Mountain Rifle made, I don't believe Traditions even tried to follow suit.

Sometimes I don't understand the folks at Traditions. for instance, the Crocket Pistol could be a truely great little pistol if they just made the lock with a fly and incorporated a single set trigger. An additional $30 would change the pistol from entry level to a pretty fair piece. They use a better quality lock on the Crocket rifle but skimp by $2.00 by putting a lock with no fly in the tumbler on the pistol.

They could do the same with the Kentucky pistol. I even considered buying a Cocket pistol and making the changes myself, but the cost of a new lock as well as a $40 set trigger seemed like too much hassle. At the factory these changes could be done for just a few dollars.