Can't get CVA Kentucky Rifle to fire????
- Thread starter Prof Young
- Start date
DD4lifeusmc
New member
hot shots
I have a couple brand new ones from when I had my store
I got a few thousand rounds through mine on my CVA mountain rifle
also after you pour your powder in turn the rifle sideways hammer side down and thump the down side of the stock this will settle powder into the channel closer to the cap.
I have a couple brand new ones from when I had my store
I got a few thousand rounds through mine on my CVA mountain rifle
also after you pour your powder in turn the rifle sideways hammer side down and thump the down side of the stock this will settle powder into the channel closer to the cap.
Prof Young
New member
More on CVA Kentucky Rifle
Okay so I got the mag spark, which lets one use 209 primers instead of percussion caps. It fit the nipple hole just fine, but the hammer would not come down over the whole thing the way it should. Turns out the nipple, as it was originally installed, is not well lined up with the hammer. Looking at the drum I had to turn it a fraction of an inch counter clockwise to get it to line up correctly. Had not noticed this before. I think the hammer was not coming down square on the percussion cap nipple which may have been part of the original problem. Hmmmmm . . . .
Anyway I got the mag-spark installed. On the not so good side I have to have the hammer at full cock to get the cap that screws on over the primer on to the nipple threads. (Check out mag spark on line to get the idea.) Anyway the 209 primers really do the job. Eight shots in a row with no cleaning of any kind and no failures of any kind. Shooting a 225 gr Powerbelt I was getting about a ten inch group with 80 gr of pyrodex powder. Tried it at 85 grains and got a five inch group with my last three shots. This was at 65 yards off a sandbag bench rest. I now feel confident enough to use this for Whitetail come this Fall.
Life is good.
Prof Young
Okay so I got the mag spark, which lets one use 209 primers instead of percussion caps. It fit the nipple hole just fine, but the hammer would not come down over the whole thing the way it should. Turns out the nipple, as it was originally installed, is not well lined up with the hammer. Looking at the drum I had to turn it a fraction of an inch counter clockwise to get it to line up correctly. Had not noticed this before. I think the hammer was not coming down square on the percussion cap nipple which may have been part of the original problem. Hmmmmm . . . .
Anyway I got the mag-spark installed. On the not so good side I have to have the hammer at full cock to get the cap that screws on over the primer on to the nipple threads. (Check out mag spark on line to get the idea.) Anyway the 209 primers really do the job. Eight shots in a row with no cleaning of any kind and no failures of any kind. Shooting a 225 gr Powerbelt I was getting about a ten inch group with 80 gr of pyrodex powder. Tried it at 85 grains and got a five inch group with my last three shots. This was at 65 yards off a sandbag bench rest. I now feel confident enough to use this for Whitetail come this Fall.
Life is good.
Prof Young
In The Ten Ring
New member
Glad you got it going. First gun I bought as an adult (18) was a CVA Bobcat muzzleloader. It does not have a patent breech.
To get it to hit I had Thompson Center adjustable sights put on. To make it fire, I went with a musket nipple and caps.
To make it accurate, I would swab the bore between shots. 80 grains of Pyrodex and a patched round ball and I could hit a soda can at 100 yards.
To make it reliable during hunting, piece of tape over muzzle, wrap action in plastic wrap and tape it off. Sounds crazy but otherwise the least bit of fog and hangfire city.
I've fired mine nearly 200 times, never any rust. I kept it crazy clean though.
I finally bought (used) three Thompson Center Flintlocks, but haven't fired any of those.
Join the www.muzzleloadingforum.com if you are serious about muzzleloading.
To get it to hit I had Thompson Center adjustable sights put on. To make it fire, I went with a musket nipple and caps.
To make it accurate, I would swab the bore between shots. 80 grains of Pyrodex and a patched round ball and I could hit a soda can at 100 yards.
To make it reliable during hunting, piece of tape over muzzle, wrap action in plastic wrap and tape it off. Sounds crazy but otherwise the least bit of fog and hangfire city.
I've fired mine nearly 200 times, never any rust. I kept it crazy clean though.
I finally bought (used) three Thompson Center Flintlocks, but haven't fired any of those.
Join the www.muzzleloadingforum.com if you are serious about muzzleloading.
It sure seems to me you are making a simple job as hard as possible. Did you try to get one of the Sam Fadala black powder books I suggested?
You really need to find somebody to give you a hand.
Buy this book. It will answer your questions. Even the ones you haven't thought of yet. I almost gave up on BP because I couldn't hit anything with my gun. I found out I had a patch problem. Once that was corrected I was shooting great groups with a gun that went off just as fast as a center fire gun.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Comple...132532692941?epid=1254376&hash=item1edb9067cd
Good luck. I hope you get this figured out.
You really need to find somebody to give you a hand.
Buy this book. It will answer your questions. Even the ones you haven't thought of yet. I almost gave up on BP because I couldn't hit anything with my gun. I found out I had a patch problem. Once that was corrected I was shooting great groups with a gun that went off just as fast as a center fire gun.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Comple...132532692941?epid=1254376&hash=item1edb9067cd
Good luck. I hope you get this figured out.
maillemaker
New member
I do not think anyone in this thread mentioned this, but before firing any caplock firearm it is a very good idea to "snap caps" on an unloaded weapon first. That is, fire off 2-3 percussion caps without loading the weapon. The blast from the cap blows out any oil or other wet residue that may be in the fire channel.
It has been many years since I used Pyrodex, but I also had a corrosion problem with it. I had a BP revolver and figured I could wait a couple of days to clean it. When I got to it it was actively corroding.
I have shot in black powder competition for 7 years now and sometimes I don't get all the guns clean until a week after the competition. The fouling just turns into a grey crust but never harms the metal of the gun. Just an anecdote but I think the Pyrodex fouling is more corrosive.
Steve
It has been many years since I used Pyrodex, but I also had a corrosion problem with it. I had a BP revolver and figured I could wait a couple of days to clean it. When I got to it it was actively corroding.
I have shot in black powder competition for 7 years now and sometimes I don't get all the guns clean until a week after the competition. The fouling just turns into a grey crust but never harms the metal of the gun. Just an anecdote but I think the Pyrodex fouling is more corrosive.
Steve
Before I go shooting I just blow air through the barrel with an air compressor and hose. Always works for me. I hope the OP gets his gun figured out. BP rifles can be frustrating especially if you don't have a mentor. But I have never had a problem getting one to go off unless I loaded the ball without the powder. 
But even thats and easy fix. I ground up about 200grs of black and made a copper tub with a small nipple on it for dribbling down the nipple hole. Fire that and it poops the ball right out.
But even thats and easy fix. I ground up about 200grs of black and made a copper tub with a small nipple on it for dribbling down the nipple hole. Fire that and it poops the ball right out.