Hi there folks, I found a CVA Mountain Rifle for sale on the local want ads. I talked to the seller, he's at work now, but is going to call me later this afternoon. There's only one picture and I can't tell if it has a patchbox because it has a leather sling ass'y that slides over the buttstock. He doesn't know much about muzzleloaders, but says it's in decent shape. Looks like a maple stock which someone did a bunch of carving, 50 cal, and he thinks it says Spain on the barrel, but he's not sure. I know the Made in USA guns get rave reviews. My question is...are these Made in Spain rifles any good?
CVA Mountain Rifle
- Thread starter hdvades
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if its a 50cal it should have a patch box. The big bore 54 and 58s had no patch box.
Yes, made in spain MR's are still excellent rifles. The triggers and lock internals can use some extra polishing but that about it.
Yes, made in spain MR's are still excellent rifles. The triggers and lock internals can use some extra polishing but that about it.
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Hey hdvades, Did you ever pick up the mountain rifle?
Yup...I just wrote a long story concerning my new acquisition and it all got lost when I went to the faq's...haha, dang it, anyways here's a few close ups...in the next post. I'm having a hard time getting used to posting pictures here.
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After a long scenic drive on 44/55 to Amenia, CT, I got to see an example of a sadly neglected muzzleloader that was very rusted and had carvings that were probably done by a guy who worked in a body shop and used a sanding disc and a die grinder. I say that because the seller also worked at the nice aforementioned body shop. The young guy traded a lawn mower for this Mountain Rifle and a Mossberg shotgun and just wanted to get rid of it, he liked more modern stuff. Anyways, after the long trip, I decided to liberate this rifle and give it a new home and some tlc...well, actually a lot...lol. It took several days of scrubbing the barrel, cleaning stuff, getting a few items from Deer Creek Products (awesome place), some frustrations, and I finally got it to go bang. The bore is pitted, but it still has good rifling, all things considered. The stock, I guess I'll live with it the way it is for now. I see why FG beds the tang on these, there's like a 3/8" gap or more under it, and if flops up and down when I remove the barrel. It looks like someone tried to remove the breech and drum with a pair of vice grips and a cresent wrench, the bolster screw it all buggered up, I filed it a little, but I'm not really concerned about replacing it. Man, I see why PRB guys like these. I googled an old Midway page from 2001 I think...$209.00 for the percussion, oh the good ole days. I'm used to flintlocks, so I had a few problems getting it to go bang. One of the things I got from DCP was a new nipple. I couldn't get ignition with the old one...after some cussing and tinkering, along with 60gr 2 F Goex and a magnum <a href='/tags/11' rel='nofollow' title='See all tagged subjects with: #11'>#11</a> cap, I took aim at a small deadly flower pot at a distance of about 25 yds and almost hit it...wasn't really aiming too much...but it got away unharmed...haha.
patocazador
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"He doesn't know much about muzzleloaders, but says it's in decent shape."
I wonder what it would be like if he said 'poor' condition.
I wonder what it would be like if he said 'poor' condition.
:lol!: When I shined a flashlight down the barrel I just shook my head...a lot of crusty scaly pitted rust. I told the guy those hokey carvings are one thing but this is nasty and might not even be salvageable. FWIW, I think I paid a little too much, he said he wouldn't go less than $75, all I had was five twenty dollar bills, I handed him four and he said he didn't have change because he gave his buddy five bucks to get him a sandwich...he would't settle for sixty, I said it was worth fifty, he got eighty bucks and the rest is history. I just couldn't pass it up...poor little thing needed a good home. 
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The barrel is hosed. The stock is......well..... What did you buy?
CVA Mountain Rifle, 50 cal, percussion. It has "86" stamped to the left of the s/n, so I assume it was made in 1986. I took a 50 cal bore brush, wrapped with strands from a ss chore boy (s/s scouring pad), PB Blaster, hot soapy water, Hoppe's <a href='/tags/9' rel='nofollow' title='See all tagged subjects with: #9'>#9</a> Plus, and TotW bore cleaner, and after a week, got it as good as it's going to get. There is pitting in the grooves, but the lands look mostly okay now. I have to get some .490 RB's. My friend gave me a couple to try, he looked at the bore and said he's seen ones just like this one that still shot fine and that this one should still shoot okay. I don't think I'd have any problem hitting a deer out to maybe forty yards with it.
Doesnt look all to bad IMO. It will take a good deal of work to get the carvings out if possible, but if the rifle functions as it should, its worth the $80.
One thing that can happen that prevents the cap from firing is over tightening the lock screws. The older MR's were very sensitive to that!
One thing that can happen that prevents the cap from firing is over tightening the lock screws. The older MR's were very sensitive to that!
Thanks that's good to know. I had offered $100 originally before seeing it in person, I'm glad you think $80 was a fair price. The front wedge falls out, so I just stuck a slice of file card in the slot and it stays in place for now. It does balance nicely with the 32" barrel. I was surprised and happy the barrel cleaned up as well as it did. Nothing was working until I found a post elsewhere here that said to use a bore brush wrapped with some s/s scouring pad material.FrontierGander said:
My buddy said those early CVA's turned off more people to muzzleloading than anything else. He has one in 58 cal that never worked, he got frustrated one day with his, didn't clean it and threw it in the back of his safe and it sits there to this day. Wouldn't it be something if it's just over-tightened lock screws. I told him I'd take it off his hands if he ever wants to get rid of it. If it was a 54 cal I'd be knockin' on his door every day...
My other friend from back home in PA who built a FL/MZ for me always says flintlocks were invented to replace useless percussion guns...he cracks me up sometimes.
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