Pawn shop find

[jlangenh]

I stopped by my local pawn shop the other day and found a CVA mountain rifle. It doesn't look exactly like the original mountain rifles though. It doesn't have a patch box and the trigger guard is different than a mountain rifle. The nose cap, trigger guard, and the butt plate look like pewter. They all match and look original. It has two barrel wedges and the barrel is 32 inches. It says CVA MOUNTAIN made in Spain on the left side of the barrel. The serial number starts with 88-. Does that mean it was made in 1988? The gun is a 50 cal and is in real good shape. The blueing is perfect even around the nipple. Even the clean out screw came out easily. The stock is near mint and looks like walnut. Anyway, I couldn't pass it up for $100. Just wondering if anyone has seen a cva mountain rifle like this.

 

[Oldnamvet]

Probably hasn't been fired much if at all. Either that or it was extremely well taken care of. Seems like it doesn't take much use before the cleanout screw is frozen and hard to get out. Someone took care of that gun. Lucky find. Why can't I ever come up with things like that??

 

[cowpoke1955]

Congradulations on your find :thumbsup: .

 

[davemcg]

I dug up my old Dixie Gun works catalog from 1979 and they advertise a CVA Mountain Rifle with "two barrel wedges, rather than the necessary one,plus a steel buttplate and triggergaurd rather than the more 'showy' brass. The rifle has a German silver patchbox and pewter nosecap and ramrod tip... A German silver front sight is complemented by a browned screw adjustable rear sight. etc. etc. List price $159.95"
So you saved a few bucks :haha:

Hope this helps, although it sounds like yours is different still - no patchbox. Guess I'm gonna have to hit some pawn shops and see what's out there.

 

[Robert58]

My 1992 catalog shows your mountain rifle. no patchbox, Pewder nose cap, trigger guard and butplate. Two wedge pins. Trigger guard is rather plain without the double hooks on the other mountain rifles. But it does have a 32" barrel with 1 in 66 twist for round balls. List price $259.95.

Good find, should be a good shooter.

Robert

 

[jlangenh]

I'm sure that is what I have. Thanks for the information. I can't wait to go try it out.

 

[wwpete52]

You bought one of the later built Mountain Rifles. It's a good rifle and you got it for a killer price. The early models had a U.S.A. made barrel. They were made by Douglas.

 

[bwhoffman]

The spanish barreled.54and .58 did not have patch boxes and were called "Big bore Mt rifle".
I cant recall a.50 in that configuration.
I have seen the trigger guard you speak of and in fact,my usa barreled .50 has that trigger guard.

What are the ram rod pipes like on yours? round or hex?

what seems really good,prices on all the cva mt rifles in all configurations appear to have risen pretty good in the last 3 years. What I used to see listed for 200-250 bucks, is now showing up in the 350 and up range.this is printed stuff as well as websites.(all retail) but one can still find the occasional deal!

hope you like yours as well as I do mine!

 

[Robert58]

My 1992 catalog shows this rifle available in 50 & 54 cal. Picture shows round ram rod thimbles. I was given this catalog in 2003 by a friend, when I was getting in to Black Powder shooting. I have seen maybe 5 or 6 Mountain rifles from old to new and never have seen this configuration. CVA must have only made them a few years.

Robert

 

[jlangenh]

My rifle has blued round ram rod pipes. I'm thinking about replacing the rear sight. (it's just a flat primitive sight with a small notch. My old eyes are having a hard time seeing it. I have an original cva mountain rifle adjustable sight that I have had for a while. Other than that everything else seems just fine, except for maybe the ram rod.
CVA factory ram rods have never been anything to brag about.

 

[Robert58]

Are you saying that someone replaced the original sight with a none adjustable premitive sight? My catalog shows the rifle with an adjustable sight like on all of the Mountain Rifles I have seen.

Robert

 

[tg]

"I dug up my old Dixie Gun works catalog from 1979 and they advertise a CVA Mountain Rifle with "two barrel wedges, rather than the necessary one'

I don't think I understand the "necessary one"
part of the above the majority of halfstock rifles have two wedges, particularly on the longer barels.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Sounds like advertising hype (BS) to make the uninitiated think they're getting something extra. :barf:

 

[davemcg]

Sounds like advertising hype (BS) to make the uninitiated think they're getting something extra. :barf:

Couldn't have said it better myself.

tg that was a direct quote from their catalog.

Just for grins maybe I'll check and see if they sell another brand with a single wedge and the tag line; "Why pay extra for two wedges when you only really need one" :haha:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I wouldn't be surprised if they do--probably on the next page! :rotf: