CVA Revolver

[dave63]

I've been wanting a revolver, and have read alot here about them. I've pretty much decided to stay away from the brass frame, and don't really care about caliber.

But, cruising the web last night, I found a CVA 1851 Navy with brass frame in .44 (yeah I know it's not the correct ccaliber) for $89. I know it's a CVA and a brass frame, but could really NOT be worth 89 bucks? I'm thinking about getting it, but wanted to see what you guys had to say.

Thanks in advance,
Dave

 

[noahmercy]

Dave, I have sold dozens of those revolvers, and as long as the customer kept the powder charge relatively low, they had no problems. A steady dose of heavy charges in most open tops, regardless of the material, will cause some stretching and misalignment of the frame and barrel. (That = shaved lead and potential danger.) The actions tend to be smoother than the low-priced 1858's (brass or steel frame) and accuracy is pretty good according to the feedback I've received. Some guys are getting cloverleafs at 15 yards. If you just want a casual target/plinker, you could do a whole lot worse than one of these low-priced pieces. Plus, they look great on the mantle between trips to the range! :m2c:

 

[cayugad]

I had one of the brass frame models many years back. It was a great shooter but you had to keep the powder charge down. I do not ever remember loading more then 20 grains of Pyrodex P or Goex FFFg.

I have a F.L.Lippeta 1858 New Army Steel framed .44 caliber now and really like this revolver. I load 25 grains of Goex FFFg and a .451 roundball and this thing is really accurate.....

I sold the old brass framed model to a friend who just had to have it. He had shot it a number of times when I owned it. He did not own it even 6 months, over charged it, and stretched the frame. He then had it turned into a wall hanger after that.....

 

[Nightwind]

Dave, friend of mine had one that lasted three shots before he knocked it out of alignment from over charging it. Another friend has one for just plinking in his "back 40". He keeps the chsrges around 20 grains of Goex 3f and it's still doing ok after 4 years. I'm a competition shooter and thus do not own one personally.

 

[Zonie]

Ya just stick your hand out, and grab the brass frame, I mean Grab the Brass Ring and you win the cupie doll!

$89 for a brass framed .44? Ya, that's IMO a fair price for a used brass framed C&B.

Is it worth the price? Re read my opening line.
I've known several people who bought these guns just because they liked the looks of them. They hung on the wall and were never shot.
You've already read stories about people overloading these guns and what can result from doing that.

Is the gun your looking at really worth that? Until you have it in your hand, you will never know.

I will say though, for that price, if it is damaged, you can probably sell it for what you paid. Just advertise it on the net. ::

 

[dave63]

$89 for a brass framed .44? Ya, that's IMO a fair price for a used brass framed C&B.

I

It's a new gun Zonie.

 

[Don]

Dave,

I know which site you saw it on and they are good people to deal with. I have the same type of gun(probably the same make). I haven't put a 100 rounds through yet but so far so good. As the others have said don't go heavy on the loads and you should get some decent use out of it before it stretches and loosens. I like to put 25 grains of pyrodex P in mine. Shoots comfortably and accurately with that charge. It's a nice way to break into cap and ball revolvers to see if you like them. They are a blast but be prepared to spend a lot of time cleaning. I'd buy that gun if I were you as brass frame guns go for over $100 else where.

Don

 

[harris_304]

I have a cva 1851 brass that I bought used a couple of months
ago. It's about 7 years old. Had two owners (I am the
third). The action is still tight as a drum.

My 1851 is brass framed as well.

I shoot between 18 and 20 grains. My 1851 shoots .36 cal.
The gun's condition 96%. I don't have a wedge screw. I
but the wedge in so it just fits flush on the right side of
the gun and the action feels like brand new.

I have not tried this yet, but I am considering making
paper cartridges for field shooting trips. Does anybody
know if this will make the gun foul more?

At my local Walmart they don't have pyrodex p, I've been
using pyrodex rs and the gun seems to shoot fine. I really
don't care about loss of fps as I just plink with it.

I saw the ad for $89.00 before I bought this gun. Considered it, but bought the one i have now becaues it's
a .36 cal. If the $89.00 sale continues for a couple more
months I will probably buy it anyway.

Ron,

 

[murph]

Dave im going to buy one too.If you need parts for it go to[url] vtigunparts.com[/url] they sell every part for that model.Keep the loads down and you cant go wrong.It's like any gun if you take care of it and keep it very clean you'll have a fine shooter.I know a couple of fellas that have bought one and love'em with shipping i think it's $90 total check the action before you shoot it if it's not right send it back.good luck and let us know how it works out.I'll let you know as soon as i get mine.Murph P.S. there made buy pietta in italy. :m2c:

 

[harris_304]

Thanks for the[url] vtigunparts.com[/url] link. I am going to buy a
second set of springs and a couple of nipples for back up.

Ron

 

[Zonie]

Dave from Indy: For a new gun, the price is right.
Most of the Brass Frames I've bought several years ago were in the $120 range.

"Zonie own's Brass Framed C&B's?"
Yup.

They are all .36 caliber reproductions of Confederate Pistols.
I have a Spiller & Burr (patterned after the Whitney revolver, a closed framed gun somewhat similar to a Remington),
a Griswold & Gunnison (patterened after the Colt Navy but it has a round barrel) and
a Schneider & Glassic (one of the few Southern guns patterened after the Colt Navy with a octagon barrel).
As you may know, the Confederates built almost no steel framed revolvers.

It is said they melted down the brass Church bells to get the material for a lot of the things they had to build, including their Revolvers.

Yes, I do shoot these ocasionally using light 12-15 grain loads of Pyrodex P.

I also own a Remington New Pocket pistol (.31 cal).
Remington built a lot of these little guns which look just about like a New Army which never grew up. ::