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Siler lock in CVA Mountain pistol?

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I have a CVA Mountain Pistol on the way from a private seller, was just wondering if the Siler lock for the Mountain Rifle will fit the Mountain Pistol?

Are these a "drop in" fit or do I have to open up any wood?
 

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Stan86
I do not know .I also have CVA Mountain 50 cal pistol on the way. Should be here next week . My second 50. My first is a Traditions W Parker that is unfired . It goes with my TC Patriot 45 that is also unfired . So now I need working guns . Just built a 45 so now I need a 50.
DO
 
I would recommend getting s Track of the Wolf catalog and making a copy of the Siler lock. The TotW catalog displays the locks full size. A cut out copy of the lock could be trial fit to you lock mortise. Then compare the lock internal positions to the Siler lock for placement of the sear arm and match up of the drum or touch hole. My speculation is more than a little work will be needed.
 
All I know is, I'm not trying to put in hours of work on a $120 pistol :)

I'll roll the dice and hope its maybe an early US made one and I got extremely lucky or if its made in Spain, that the lock holds up.

I found a very old internet post from like 2003 where people were saying Siler met the demands for CVA owners looking for drop in locks to replace poorly made Spanish locks , and they made locks just for Mountain rifle (I assume these fit the pistol since they use the same lock) and Hawken. Only some light opening up inside the stock for lock fitting may be required....but I dont know if these locks are available.

People tell me "for the price of the lock and a CVA you can just get a Lyman rifle or pistol" but I like the vintage 1960s-80s look of those old CVA guns, its the stuff I'd see in magazines when I was a kid.
 
The CVA Mountain rifle has a fly in the lock. The lock internals require a deeper mortise to accommodate the lock parts. The lock plates are the same dimensions, but: The mountain pistol, IIRC, had the cheaper no fly lock and a shallower lock mortise due to the use of just a tumbler. So my view is that you will need to do some digging to gouge out the mortise to use that Siler lock. While you are at it, you ought to install a single set trigger and make a decent target pistol out of it.

BTW, I do not believe the mountain pistol was ever made in USA, only Spain. The first few years, the mountain rifles were made here.

Also, I was not aware that siler made such a lock. I believe L&R did however. They made replacements for the TC guns and at least for a while for the CVA locks with a fly.
 
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It may be L&R I'm not sure, it seems there was some high quality aftermarket lock for CVA rifles.

I'll have to investigate more when I get the pistol
 
Yes, L&R have replacement locks for the CVA rifles but as I recall, the CVA pistol locks are considerably smaller.
 
Yes, L&R have replacement locks for the CVA rifles but as I recall, the CVA pistol locks are considerably smaller.

I think the pistols that have a rifle counterpart have identical locks. For example the Kentucky rifle and Kentucky pistol use the same lock. At least mine are that way.
 
I just got my CVA Mountain 50 cal today. First I took it apart to clean, was pretty clean anyway, but I always do this to check things out . As you can see by the lock it has a bridle and also a fly. I will totally disassemble lock to clean, polish, and grease it later .And as stamped made in SPAIN. Lock feels good, positive half cock and full cock, but a little grainy in trigger pull. Sear needs some work as does the full cock notch . PO had put a washer between hammer and lock to space hammer out to strike nipple dead on .
Removed washer and replaced hammer. Then I removed hammer and cold bent it to line up square to nipple. IMG_0701.JPG IMG_0702.JPG
 
I'll have to pull my lock and check it out.

I assume it has a fly because they probably found it easier to make one lock style for everything?
 
The CVA Mountain pistol and mountain rifles have different lock internals, but the lock plate itself is the same dimensions. The mountain rifle has a fly in the lock so it will work with the double set triggers. The mountain pistol does not have double set triggers so CVA went with a lock that from the exterior locks the same, but had no fly in the internals.
 
If that be true then I guess I have a Mountain Rifle lock on my Mountain Pistol? Could be but I am no expert .Just stating what I have on my pistol .If you hold pressure on the hammer, from the full cock position, then release the trigger, let the hammer down slowly with your finger off the trigger, does the hammer fall all the way down or does it go into the half cock poition. The fly prevents the sear from hitting the half cock position from the full cock position. This is a design for double set triggers . Am I correct in my explanation?
 
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I'll have to try it when I get home.

Maybe either a past owner threw a rifle lock in the pistol, or a worker at the Spanish factory grabbed a rifle lock or they were out of pistol locks , so they used what they had laying around , we'll never know.

Maybe you could install a single set trigger in that pistol, with that lock?

The heart of these guns is that barrel, they just need help in the lock dept.

I also need to find a way to screw in the ramrod pipe , to hold that ramrod that I'll never use that's just there for cosmetics
 
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OK, now I have a bit more information. Apparently, some later Mountain pistols did have similar locks to the ones on the Mountain rifles. Early mountain pistols did not. If you check Deer Creeks' CVA parts price list, they list the same part number for the percussion lock for rifle and pistol, but the pistol lock is $10 cheaper than the rifle lock.(?) My Mountain pistol had the cheap "no fly" lock when I got it.
 
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