My .45 Caliber CVA Kentucky Rifle

My project rifle for the past few years has been this .45 Caliber CVA Kentucky Rifle. The barrel length is 33" with 1-in-66" twist rate. The T/C 3-9x 40 scope is mounted to the rifle with an Ironsight scope mount. A sling stud was added to the stock just below the ramrod tube to mount the bipod. The rifle shoots a .440" round ball with an .015" patch. The load is 60 grains of Pyrodex. At 50 yds, this load gives 1 1/2-inch groupings. I am looking to tighten up the groupings by going to either a .018" or .020" patch in the future. But it's a darn good shooter!

To view the rifle, follow the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php...5767549.101746.100001531392369&type=3&theater

The cva 45's with 1/66 twist that I am familar with have jukar barrels and are capable of cloverleaf groups at fifty yards off a bench.Most of the ones I have shot prefered 40 to 50 grains FFF for best groups. Using a .445 pure lead ball and ten thousands patches. :idunno:

One of the issues with that split stock,
(I've re-done several)
,is that area of the split. The two halves need to be snug with no movement.
And they benefit with some extra weight added to the butt.
I've never seen one set up quit like you have that one. It could be the bi-pod has something to do with the balance between stock and barrel.

I've had several that'll do cloverleaf groups at 50 ,,shooting off hand.
p.s. the front sight is in backwords

I'am in the process of reconfiguring a split stock.I took the stock apart,moved the muzzle cap back to where the split was and resoldered the cap to the barrel,worked the butt stock to a tang,like the forward part of the split stock, to slide inside the muzzle cap.Now it looks more like a Hawken style,with a longer barrel,still working on the under barrel, thimble for the ram rod.
I was given the rifle and already had an old Dixie,KentuchIAN,one piece stock ,,in 45.The rifle I am reconfiguring was being used as a floor lamp.....rifle in a rack, wire running up the outside,copper pipe stuck in the muzzle to hold the lamp shade..

That was the very first kind of muzzleloader that I owned.

I think that was just about the first for everyone, including me and I still have it.

Mooman76 said:

I think that was just about the first for everyone, including me and I still have it.

Click to expand...

My first ml'er was a Remington, brass frame, Army kit from DGW.
My first ml rifle was a CVA 'kentucky' flintlock. Not only did it have the ubiquitous two-piece stock, it had a two-piece barrel. :shocked2: Patch grabber, almost impossible to load, poor sparker. Nothing right about it. Junker.
CVA improved after that but the bad taste remains. :barf: Never had another CVA after that.

My barrel has KentuchIAN on it,thinking it is/was Dixie not CVA ,might have been one of the later ones.It has a one piece stock in American Walnut,started life as a flint but sidelock was lost,couldn't get a replacement so I converted it to cap.
Sweet to carry and shoot..

You guy's should see this,

necchi said:

You guy's should see this,

Click to expand...

Where's the muzzle brake? :rotf:

Hmmm -- is that what you call a "tactical" front-stuffer? :shake:

Are you fricken serious?

It's a modern twist on a traditional fronstuffer for sure. I have a CVA 45.. I like it, with iron sights I can shoot cloverleafs at 60 yrds. I shoot a .015 patch and 6o grains of goex and a 440 rb.

Probably used the wrong smilie
:rotf: :rotf:

I went out shooting with a guy who was talking about shooting clover leaf groups one time.

After getting to the shooting area I carried my target frames out about 60 yards and set them up with a couple of rifle targets on them.

After getting back to the shooting line I proceeded to fire 5 shots, all in the black.

About that time he says,

"Hell boy! I thought you said you could shoot!"

"Your hittin' way out there in that Bermudia grass!
The Clover leaf's I was talkin' about is those bright green things down at the base of your target frames!"

:rotf: :grin: :rotf:

Just funnin!!

This was a two-piece full stock. I pinned and epoxied the two halves. I found that there was still some give between the barrel and stock. Eventually I glass bedded the stock and that improved the accuracy of the rifle, not the bipod. From 50 or 60 yards, the rifle shoots offhand as accurately as from the bench. The bipod comes in handy at shots of 100 yards and greater.

At one time I did think it was junk, but after tinkering and applying modern techniques, it ended up being quite a shooter.

A muzzle brake! Hmmm! Now don't get me a thinkin'

UH OH! :grin:

No. I actually designed the front sight as a ramp sight, not a blade sight. I don't shoot with open sight too much, and it does need to be sighted in and adjusted.

It took me about 2 - 3 days to design and build the sight from a block of steel. I used all hand files and saws in the construction, dove-tailing of the sight.

Here's one like it I did, little different style though;


http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/269225/post/1145359/hl//fromsearch/1/