what's it worth: cva mountain rifle kit gun

C

chickenmcnasty

New member
Hey all,

I acquired an early CVA mountain rifle awhile back. The previous owner said his wife purchased it for him in kit form and he assembled it, but never shot it.
I've shot about 30 round balls through it and decided that I like the feel of my investarm hawken better and would like to sell this one.
Before I obtained the rifle it was unfired. I have browned the barrel and shimmed the lock with cardboard (temporary) and it functions great. The stock is in good shape with a few minor dings. the original ramrod was broken and is gone. I have replaced it with a synthetic ramrod.
The barrel has no markings to indicate whether it is USA made or not.
What is a fair asking price for this rifle? Thank you for your help.
 
CVA hasn't made 'em for eons. However, there's no collector value. Most were made in Spain, but early rifles(80's vintage) are rumoured to have Douglas barrels.
 
I paid $130 for this one a year or 2 back.
Kit gun, CVA, its 2 strikes unfortunately.
DSCF9525_zps1c4d6b10.jpg
 
The cva mountain rifles have gained value over the last few years. I personally have sold a couple lately, one went for $450 and the other $345.

A kit gun will still bring in big bucks, BUT it does depend on how well its put together.

This is the last one I did,
IMG_2671.JPG
 
I agree with frontier gander .
Actual CVA Mountian Rfles depending on their condition , are bring 3-500 . Especially if they have the Made in USA stamp on the barrel . A little less for those with made in Spain .
Im not sure what Deer Creek is selling theirs for. But I would guess its still right in there .
 
Those kits sold for as little as ninety bucks back in the day. I doubt they have much value at all. I had one quite a while ago and it shot "OK" but overall quality was poor on the parts the gun was built with. It's worth what ever you can get for it. Kind of like used cars, there's an a$$ for every seat.
 
Actually the CVA mountain rifle “Made in USA” sold for just a tad more then the TC rifles and very near the price of a Browning Hawkens . I would have to dig through some of my old records and catalogs to give you the actual price .
I do recall however buying TC hawkens “ my cost “ for less then 125.00 in kits and 130 .00 finished in 1992.
There were many others though . I can remember buying new mark wells for under 30.00
CVA’s biggest problem has always been the very cheep made version of the Maslin lock .
Which ironically while they used a poor quality lock . Most of the locks found on period rifles were of poor quality when compared to European high end locks of the same period .
So I guess quality then is in the eye of the beholder
Past that when it comes to accuracy even concerning the cheaper models , many times it not uncommon to find them holding their own against far more expensive and better made rifles .

IMO as prices climb on custom rifles , it would not surprise me to also see the prices on the CVA rifles climb even more . Oddly enough , even now they are selling even in poor shape , for at or more then what they sold for new .
Look at Traditions , basically the same guns and for the most part same quality .
 
My1989 CVA catalog lists the built mountain rifle for $397~$289 brand spankin new.
The hunter carbine was listed for 243.95

You're correct about the lock, mine had not been hardened & wore to a hair trigger within the first 100 rounds. The local smith replaced & hardened some parts to get it working again.
 
I paid $130 for this one a year or 2 back.
Kit gun, CVA, its 2 strikes unfortunately
Click to expand...

does sit actually take two falls to fire ?
if so , there were three common issues that caused this on CVA rifles
a) weak main spring "Very Common "
b) wrong nipple for cap. Factory nipples were turned to metric size . not only in threads but also size of neck . this caused under sized caps to not seat completely
c) hammer or internal components rubbing on stock. this cause the locks to drag. this also was very common do to the locks being made of softer parts . if folks over tightened the lock bolts , it would warp the lock plat and cause an issue .
you however have the larger heavier lock . so warping the lock plate wasn’t as big an issue . however they still suffered from weak main springs as well as hammer rub .
Most common however was still the main spring issue .
It should take a little force to cock and then strike with enough force that you wouldn’t want your finger under the hammer when it falls
 
My1989 CVA catalog lists the built mountain rifle for $397~$289 brand spankin new.
The hunter carbine was listed for 243.95
Click to expand...

i was speaking of the original CVA Mt Rifles sold int the lat 70's through early 80's
 
You misunderstand.
I didn't mean 2 strikes to fire a primer, I was using the baseball analogy of "3 strikes & you're out".
 
over tightening your lock screws can cause the hammer to slow down and not strike with enough force. Loosen them up and then just slightly snug them down.
 
I stand corrected! Hawken Hunter Carbine. I should have noticed the lack of 2nd ramrod thimble!

Kids like our Hawken Hunter but prefer so far the Frontier and are hoping they grow tall enough for the Mountain Rifles!
 
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