CVA Mountain Rifle... salvageable?

[Bucky]

Whoever gets it will have to send it to Deer Creek to get the proper drum installed. They are the only ones with the correct drum for that weird breeching system. They do all installs, and do not sell the drum separately. Check post 23 by Grenadier1758,

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...384,386/product_name/NP0905+CVA+Drum+&+NippleDixie is listing a drum and nipple made for, threaded for CVA rifles. It has flats on the drum for ""easy removal"........I assume they also are for the Mountain rifle....

 

[brassell31]

Bobby Hoyt will bore out the barrel for a larger caliber. He bored a badly rusted .54 out to .58 for me. Check with him to see if he can deal with a CVA breech plug.


Bobby Hoyt phone number 717-642-6696
Robert A. Hoyt
2379 Mount Hope Road
Fairfield, PA 17320

 

[SmokepoleSam]

Bob Hoyt does not work on CVA breeches.

 

[firestick]

Those rifles were/are good shooters. I think I'd take a chance for $100.I have one but not Marked USA. It is a good rifle. I actually bought a replacement trigger for it from Deer Creek. The replacement needed shimming in the stock to make it work properly. This was a common issue with them. Trigger inletting too deep.

 

[rp77469]

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...384,386/product_name/NP0905+CVA+Drum+&+NippleDixie is listing a drum and nipple made for, threaded for CVA rifles. It has flats on the drum for ""easy removal"........I assume they also are for the Mountain rifle....

Yes. These have been around for years. This does not thread across the breechplug into the far wall. Deer Creek installs the CVA drum then drills the hole making something like a patent breech. Maybe you can get by without a proper drum. Wall is kind thin on the far side without it though. I dunno. Years ago I was going to send one of my US Mt. Rifles to have the drum replaced properly because I blew out a nipple (my fault crossthread years before). Only thing stopped me was a buddy mentioning to go to larger nipple thread size so I did. My drum on that rifle comes out very easily, but I wanted to replace it with the exact one.

 

[Eddie2002]

Since the parts are worth more than $50.00 I would offer that and if he says no then nothing lost. If you do get it then the time spent scrubbing the rust out of the barrel and cleaning it up is basically free. Last year I picked up a similar .50 caliber mountain rifle as a basket case that needed a butt plate and has some rust in the barrel. Scrubbed the barrel with a bronze brush and lapping compound and found a butt plate on flea-bay for twenty bucks. Ended up with a shooter for about $100.00 and the time it took to overhaul it.

I was looking at the "Gunsmith Special" on gunbroker and wouldn't touch it since it has a buggered up drum hole in the side of the breach. The only way I could think to fix it safely would be to cut off the tang end of the barrel past the drum hole and install a new breach plug and drum then move the wedge mounts. Getting the proper hooked breach plug would be the problem. Not saying it couldn't be done, just I wouldn't want to spend that much time on it. Still having a Mountain rifle with a 30 inch barrel would be real cool.

 

[Red Owl]

The period correct thing would be to fresh out the barrel. Sometime in the past there was a post on it. You could probably run a slug through it and coat the slug with abrasive. The freshing had two small files fit into a wood ramrod and I think after a couple of passes a paper shim was put under the bit of file to raise it slightly.

 

[Eutycus]

I would think you'll get alot more than $100.00 worth of enjoyment out of it. Or is it entertainment? A little elbow grease, some imagination You got a good pastime/project on you hands. Then if you don't like the finished product you can sell it to one of these guys.

 

[Bad Karma]

One of our local denizens made a freshing tool from a piece of a file and an od ramrod blank. The idea is not necessarily to remove all of the pits but to deepe the rifling and clean up the bore. I have “fixed“ a rusted bore by firing abrasive coated round ball and bullets. That works very well.

 

[S.Kenton]

I have “fixed“ a rusted bore by firing abrasive coated round ball and bullets. That works very well.

Can you describe this process? I’ve never heard of it. Might be an option if I ever get another rusty bore.. I’d love to learn how to freshen a barrel as well...

 

[Bad Karma]

Can you describe this process? I’ve never heard of it. Might be an option if I ever get another rusty bore.. I’d love to learn how to freshen a barrel as well...

Might have been @bang who described his barrel freshening process. I should have saved the pictures.

I use these types of abrasives although I have heard of people using valve lapping compounds as well. Smear the abrasive on the patch and then load as normal. I used small (20 grains or so) charges of 3f powder and cleaned the barrel between rounds so that the abrasive was acting on bare steel every time. There are still pits in the barrel I first attempted this with but the balance of the barrel is smooth and it shoots very well.

 

[Bad Karma]

Weird what a fellas brain will hold on to... try this post by the poster named @bang

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/grrr-rifleing.115891/
He’s a clever lad and handy as a shirt pocket.

And @S.Kenton, the process I used is called fire lapping. I first learned of it from Ross Seyfried who knows his way around firearms of all kinds.

 

[S.Kenton]

Weird what a fellas brain will hold on to... try this post by the poster named @bang

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/grrr-rifleing.115891/
He’s a clever lad and handy as a shirt pocket.

And @S.Kenton, the process I used is called fire lapping. I first learned of it from Ross Seyfried who knows his way around firearms of all kinds.

Thanks Woodenbow... that aught to be a sticky

 

[bwiggins1985]

Ok well I got it in the mail yesterday! Got to it this afternoon. There was a huge amount of gunk in the bottom of the barrel! It was totally blocked up with old powder or dirt or something! I checked to see if there was a load in the barrel and I was pulling out black junk... here is the first bits coming out.

So I used the long rod to kind of knock the black gunk out and pulled out more and more. It was totally blocked through the breech. I ended up going outside and spraying the bore solvent and scrub brush....then I pulled out the pressure washer! It finally started eking out a little bit of water then squish! It all blew out the breech plug. Used some TC bore cleaner and the 50 cal brush for several passes of pressure wash, spray TC bore cleaner, scrub with bore brush, pressure wash again... Switched to TC cleaner coated patches and worked several down the barrel, and they got stuck in the barrel on everyone. I think the bore is rather tight. Had to tap the rod out with plyers on the end of my field rod. What do you guys think of the bore?

I think It cleaned up pretty well.

Then I pulled apart the whole thing and discovered a crack in the stock. I pulled it apart a bit and filled them in with glue and now its sitting in my office with a weight on them drying. I might drill some small holes and install some small dowels.

I took all the parts from the rifle and I am running them through my brass polisher to get all the loose stuff clean. I will polish them all with fine sand paper and brasso when they are all clean. I am going to start working on the barrel finish after I test shoot it to make sure it works before rebluing and cleaning up the barrel.

 

[dragnetbill]

Ok well I got it in the mail yesterday! Got to it this afternoon. There was a huge amount of gunk in the bottom of the barrel! It was totally blocked up with old powder or dirt or something! I checked to see if there was a load in the barrel and I was pulling out black junk... here is the first bits coming out.
View attachment 62634
So I used the long rod to kind of knock the black gunk out and pulled out more and more. It was totally blocked through the breech. I ended up going outside and spraying the bore solvent and scrub brush....then I pulled out the pressure washer! It finally started eking out a little bit of water then squish! It all blew out the breech plug. Used some TC bore cleaner and the 50 cal brush for several passes of pressure wash, spray TC bore cleaner, scrub with bore brush, pressure wash again... Switched to TC cleaner coated patches and worked several down the barrel, and they got stuck in the barrel on everyone. I think the bore is rather tight. Had to tap the rod out with plyers on the end of my field rod. What do you guys think of the bore?
View attachment 62637View attachment 62638View attachment 62639
I think It cleaned up pretty well.

Then I pulled apart the whole thing and discovered a crack in the stock. I pulled it apart a bit and filled them in with glue and now its sitting in my office with a weight on them drying. I might drill some small holes and install some small dowels.
View attachment 62640View attachment 62641View attachment 62642
I took all the parts from the rifle and I am running them through my brass polisher to get all the loose stuff clean. I will polish them all with fine sand paper and brasso when they are all clean. I am going to start working on the barrel finish after I test shoot it to make sure it works before rebluing and cleaning up the barrel.
View attachment 62643View attachment 62644View attachment 62645

I have had good results using bronze chore boy wrapped around a nylon brush that goes easily down the barrel; that may get rid of some of those larger "bumps" of what look like corrosion to me. I don't think that patches and solvent are going to do anymore for you at this point. I sure wouldn't give up on this barrel yet. Try to get those bumps down to where they look like light freckeles and then give her a shoot.

 

[Eddie2002]

"There was a huge amount of gunk in the bottom of the barrel" That sounds familiar. Had the same problem with the basket case I bought last year. Ended up using some carb cleaner and a patch jag to break loose part of a round ball, a piece of a patch and some real funky black powder residue. Your bore looks like it's in pretty good shape, maybe a light lapping to clean up the rough spots or just shoot it smooth. Nice job with resurrecting an older Mountain Rifle.

 

[S.Kenton]

It looks like it was loaded to me, maybe loaded for a period of time and the ball pulled...Who knows. I’ve never seen one that gunky before! I would use some 0000 steel wool and wrap it around an undersized cleaning brush, then soak that combo in wd-40 and run it in the bore for about 20 passes or so. Then run a clean patch or three. That bore is salvageable for sure. I would also clamp that stock after gluing. All in all I’d say you’ll have a serviceable rifle.

 

[bwiggins1985]

I pulled it totally apart! I mean breach plug and all!!!

I had to use the torch to heat it up and pull the barrel bolster and the breach plug out. I scrubbed the manure out of the inside. It was still really gross! I think it turned out pretty decent.

I took the lock apart and I actually broke the hammer screw in the tumbler :-/
So I drilled it out and retapped the hole to 4-40 and grabbed some screws from the Lowe’s.

I worked on the stock and the metal all afternoon. I sanded down the barrel and parts and used birch wood Casey’s rust and blue remover. Fun fact it will burn your fingers.... yikes!!!! After that I went ahead and reblued the barrel and all the little barrel pieces
For the stock I sanded down and removed all the old finish. It drying in the garage right now with its first coat of polyurethane. I will get pictures of that tomorrow. The barrel is in the towel soaking in the wd40 right now!
Also, I polished all the silver furniture so it should be ready when I put it all together. I need to grab a rear peep sight, a filler for the rear sight, and I want to find a good long range front sight!

 

[deermanok]

Wow, that's a lot of work. Can't wait to see it all back together.

 

[Bad Karma]

I pulled it totally apart! I mean breach plug and all!!!
View attachment 62825
I had to use the torch to heat it up and pull the barrel bolster and the breach plug out. I scrubbed the manure out of the inside. It was still really gross! I think it turned out pretty decent.
View attachment 62820View attachment 62821View attachment 62822
I took the lock apart and I actually broke the hammer screw in the tumbler :-/
So I drilled it out and retapped the hole to 4-40 and grabbed some screws from the Lowe’s.
View attachment 62823View attachment 62824
I worked on the stock and the metal all afternoon. I sanded down the barrel and parts and used birch wood Casey’s rust and blue remover. Fun fact it will burn your fingers.... yikes!!!! After that I went ahead and reblued the barrel and all the little barrel pieces
For the stock I sanded down and removed all the old finish. It drying in the garage right now with its first coat of polyurethane. I will get pictures of that tomorrow. The barrel is in the towel soaking in the wd40 right now!
Also, I polished all the silver furniture so it should be ready when I put it all together. I need to grab a rear peep sight, a filler for the rear sight, and I want to find a good long range front sight!

Great job! I’ve seen barrels in worse shape than that one and they shot just fine. I would probably fire lap that one and I bet you have a shooter. Definitely try a few shots first... it may need nothing more at all!