When were CVA's made in USA?

[Skychief]

I am trying to buy a CVA that is at least 15 years old (probably older) and want to know if it may be made in the U.S.. I have not seen it and expect pictures of it any day. I have been told it is a fullstock, percussion, 45 caliber. The only markings are said to be "Conneticut Valley Arms" and below that..."Black Powder Only". With these clues, can anybody hazard a guess about what rifle this may be, if it is U.S. made and if the rifle is of any account (assuming good condition)? Thanks for any help guys! Skychief. :bow:

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I think the rifle you are describing is probably going to be the standard two piece stock "Kentucky" rifle. Those were made in Spain. They are good shooters if they have been cared for. When they were first introduced, I think a kit sold for about $79.00. The finished rifle sold for a couple of dollars more. They were good entry level types.

 

[rawdog]

I have a CVA Mountain Rifle in .50cal that was bought as a kit in 1980 used, and it had "Made in USA" on the barrel. That barrel was poorly rifled, and I rebarreled it a number of years ago with one from Deer Creek. Now it shoots very good. The lock is Spanish made.

I also have a CVA two-piece Kentucky .45 bought in 1984 or so as kit for $79. Its barrel was made in Spain.

Both are percussion and good shooters, but I moved on to custom flinters and mostly left those in the gun cabinet.

YHS,
rawdog

 

[bob308]

if it is not stamped that it was made here then it was not made here.

 

[mykeal]

As DoubleDuece1 said, this is probably the gun you're looking for, a CVA Kentucky Rifle:

They were made in Spain by Ardesa and distributed by CVA and others in the US. Available finished or in kit form, .45 or .50 cal, flintlock or percussion. 33.5 inch barrel. Discontinued in 1996.

I built the above gun from a kit in 1978 or79; I believe it cost $100, maybe $110. According to The Blue Book of Modern Black Powder Arms, Fifth Edition (2007) a 100% condition factory finished gun is now worth $210. The Blue Book is only a guide; actual prices can and do vary considerably in either direction.

 

[2172]

I have a .45 CVA Mountain rifle, marked, made in USA..it has the 4 screw patch box. I put it together from a kit in about 1972-3. It is a tack driver. I'm guessing that some of the earliest "made in USA" CVA's lay around on distributors' shelves in some places longer than others...I think this one came from DGW, but can't be sure...Hank

 

[boar]

My Squirrel rifle says made in Spain And year stamped 83. I have four other CVA's and they don't have the Spain on them. Log Cabin said all the parts came from Spain anyway. So the first were put together here. The flintlocks were not as good as some locks. Caplocks ok. My second gun was a .45 Kentucky flintlock kit 90.00 in 82. Lock worked good but had too much lock time,I would always hit to the right. Sold it for 100.00. Shot my first ML squirrel and groundhog with it. Dilly

 

[SgtSchutzen]

Like the others have said, it`s a pretty safe guess the rifle your talking about is a CVA Kentucky. They were made in Spain.
I have one I built from a kit sometime back in the 1980`s. It`s a good shooter, and has proven itself a "deerslayer" over the years.
They`re not fancy, but if it`s in good shape it should be a decent shooter and good "basic" rifle. I like mine.

 

[bwhoffman]

dont discount it if its made foreign!

TC to my recollection is the only mass produced gun made in the US. My cva mt rifle is spanish with an american made barrel...everything else about it likes rice and beans!

 

[Skychief]

Thanks for the help all. So, if it is NOT marked as made in the USA, it is definitely a Spanish made rifle. Right?

 

[mykeal]

Thanks for the help all. So, if it is NOT marked as made in the USA, it is definitely a Spanish made rifle. Right?

Nope. There is no requirement the barrels be marked as made in the US, nor is there any US requirement for proof testing or proof test marking. Spain, and most other European countries, require barrels made in their countries be proof tested and the proof houses mark every barrel they test. Thus you can tell if a barrel has been made in Europe by the proof marks. If there are no proof marks it was likely made in the US OR the barrel has been 'defarbed' by someone either attempting to mislead a buyer or meet a requirement for authentic looking equipment at a rendezvous or reenactment.

If the barrel has Spanish proof marks, it was made in Spain. If it has Italian proof marks, it was made in Italy. Etc. Etc. If there are no proof marks the barrel was possibly made in the US, or, it's a 'defarbed' gun and there is no way to tell where it was made.

Some barrels on early CVA guns were made in the US by Douglas. It is difficult to tell if one has such a barrel due to the possibility, in fact, probability, that it was 'defarbed'.

 

[John Wasmuth]

People can say what they want about CVA's. I got a couple of em from .32 to 54. Everyone of em is a deer killing machine and anyone says otherwise can blow smoke. Never had a bad shooter out of any of em.

 

[bwhoffman]

People can say what they want about CVA's. I got a couple of em from .32 to 54. Everyone of em is a deer killing machine and anyone says otherwise can blow smoke. Never had a bad shooter out of any of em.

I agree!
Been more shooters start out with these than any other gun!
I have 4 of them, amongst several other mfgs, all shoot terriffic and repeatable.
Only gripe I have is my son's hawken has a soft main spring so it will not fire maybe 1 in 20!

 

[dgold]

I am trying to buy a CVA that is at least 15 years old (probably older) and want to know if it may be made in the U.S.. I have not seen it and expect pictures of it any day. I have been told it is a fullstock, percussion, 45 caliber. The only markings are said to be "Conneticut Valley Arms" and below that..."Black Powder Only". With these clues, can anybody hazard a guess about what rifle this may be, if it is U.S. made and if the rifle is of any account (assuming good condition)? Thanks for any help guys! Skychief. :bow:

I have a .45 Ky. long rifle that I put together almost 30 year from a CVA kit. It's Spanish. I also have a (OK, no sneering folks) CVA Blazer from a kit thats at least 15 to 20 years old and it'a also Spanish.