I was at a friends house checking out the old Eli Whitney 1858 BP revolver he just picked up a couple of weeks ago. 1858 being the year this pistol was actually built. Man is it a dandy. Anyhow he dug out his old BP rifle that he built back int he 60's and I thought it to be pretty neat and I was thinking it would be cool to build one of my own. My dad was with me at the time and reminded me that he had a CVA kentucky rifle from sometime in the 70's new in the box. He told me I need to take it and put it together. I picked it up today and am looking forward to putting it together only trouble is it does not have the instructions with it. I am pretty sure I will be able to put it together but it sure would be nice to have the papers that originally came with it.

Do a search of the net mate...you should have no problems finding a Handbook and assembly instructions.

Assembly Instructions for a CVA Kentucky Long Rifle

The highlighted sections in the following article are my emphasis on parts that are, I consider, very important.



HOWEVER, before you decide to assemble and shoot your CVA front stuffer...READ THE FOLLOWING

Will My CVA Muzzleloader Blow Up?

By Randy Wakeman

This is a question asked repeatedly by Guns & Shooting Online readers; a question that many advertising-driven publications would not dare to talk about, much less investigate. It is certainly valid and obviously important to muzzleloading hunters who value their well-being, as well as the health of their family members, neighbors and friends. No one expects their wives to drive them to the emergency room a couple of hours after they buy a new CVA, but that is exactly what has happened in the past with CVA muzzleloaders.

After numerous CVA muzzleloader failures and numerous life-changing personal injuries, a representative sampling of current and recently failed CVA product has been catalogued and sent to several independent facilities for evaluation at great expense and time. I think that their findings will trouble you.

A report from the renowned H. P. White Laboratory, Inc., written on behalf of a plaintiff involved in a suit against CVA and dated January 24, 2007, found when examining a failed recent production CVA rifle that, “The combination of relatively soft steel and tapered threads would have created a dangerous situation. One in which the blow-out of the breech plug was likely.” This report is by Lester W. Roane, H. P. White Laboratory.

Consumers need to know how muzzleloaders compare in materials used. The metal used in CVA guns is relatively soft and weak, too soft and weak to be used in modern inline muzzleloaders, as far as I am concerned. In the same report from H. P. White, the hardness of the steel in CVA rifles was measured. H. P. White reports, “Further, the breech plug [Rb 99] is harder than the barrel [Rb 85] on the Black exemplar. Both of these hardness readings are low for this application." In standard engineering handbooks, the Rockwell "B" scale readings are for Soft Steel and Non-Ferrous Alloys.

The H. P. White report continues, “A U. S. made Thompson Center Arms Renegade rifle [tested] a hardness reading on the barrel of Rc 18. This is more appropriate for the application.”

Dr. William J. Bruchey, of Port Deposit, MD, at the request of another plaintiff analyzed three CVA rifles memorialized in a report dated March 24, 2007. Dr. Bruchey concluded his lengthy report by stating, “Other anomalies, such as tapering of the breech hole, or manufacturing or engineering design defects are a more likely cause and should be pursued further.”

This information should be shared with the muzzleloading hunting community. This is only a small portion of the body of analysis collected; there are more victims and the costly process of independent analysis continues with each additional incident. If this article saves needless pain and suffering, needless 911 calls, it had to be written. It must be publicized.

The number of cases I have evaluated grows regularly. Naturally, the more representative data we have the more pointed my opinions become, based on the most credible evidence we can gather. We have seen that CVA barrels are disquietingly softer than reputable brands of muzzleloaders, including Knight and Thompson, that handle many of the same loads that CVA owners are told that it is safe to use in their owners' manuals, including the three pellet "magnum" load.

It is not plausible that shooter error is a factor in several of these incidents. There is no evidence that CVA ever fired these rifles with so much as recommended loads, much less proof loads, before they were sold to the consumer. CVA rifle owners are misinformed by their instruction manuals that loads developing 25,000 PSI or more (possibly as much as 49,000 PSI with crushed Triple Se7en pellets) are safe to fire in these rifles. Then, sadly, it is too late.

As you read above, quoted from the H. P. White Laboratories report, the CVA inline guns tested were made from inferior, softer and weaker metal than an old Thompson/Center Renegade sidelock. So soft, in fact, that the CVA materials had to be measured on a different scale, the Rockwell “B” scale that is used for soft metals unsuitable for firearms.

Note that the Thompson Renegade is not a “magnum muzzleloader” and is not recommended for use with 150 grain charges. However, the old T/C Renegade is clearly built from stronger material than the CVA inlines tested by H. P. White Laboratory. It should send chills up your spine when H. P. White finds CVA materials hardness as “low for the application” and a T/C sidelock’s materials as “more appropriate for the application.”

It is vital to consider the sources of information. Note, as published by H. P. White: “H.P. White Laboratory, Inc. produces no manufactured item and is in no manner affiliated with any other research organization, manufacturer, agency or end product user. We are, therefore, the only truly independent ballistics laboratory in the United States. This unique independence has enabled the Laboratory to maintain an objectivity difficult to duplicate elsewhere.”

"H. P. White is the most respected independent ballistics laboratory in the United States and has been for decades. H.P. White Laboratory, Inc. was founded in 1936 by Mr. Henry Packard White as a ballistic research and development facility. Since that time, we have become acknowledged as the leading privately owned laboratory engaged in small arms and ammunition research, development and testing."

It is my opinion that, based on the best evidence we have, a “used as directed” CVA muzzleloader may severely injure or destroy body parts that you don’t care to have damaged or destroyed. Regrettably, far too many incidents have already occurred to demonstrate this point.

CVA VOLUNTARY RECALL NOTICE:

In August 1997 CVA implemented a Voluntary Recall of In-Line rifle models with serial numbers ending in -95 and -96. If you have a CVA In-Line model with such a serial number, DO NOT USE OR ALLOW ANYONE ELSE TO USE THE GUN. If you have one of these rifles, please call CVA immediately at 770-449-4687 for complete details and a free replacement gun. Example serial numbers: 61-13-XXXXXX-95 or 61-13-XXXXXX-96.

In May 1999 Blackpowder Products, Inc. purchased the assets of Connecticut Valley Arms, Inc. and now operates under the trade name of Connecticut Valley Arms and/or CVA. Any claims relating to the above described Voluntary Recall should be addressed to Connecticut Valley Arms, Inc., not Blackpowder Products, Inc. Blackpowder Products, Inc. assumes no liability for any products manufactured prior to January 1, 1998.

The link for this article is:

Will My CVA Muzzleloader Blow up?

Check your muzzleloader before firing it TLO...it might just save your life mate. If the new company do not want to honour the recall notice after such a long time, then I would consider it a wall hanger at best and make sure it was rendered innocuous for the sake of safety.

Cheers, Vince

good catch there Vince .

Good block mate. Wonder how many are sitting in closets, garages and basements waiting for the unknowing novice.

Do note that the warning was about in-lines, not the old style guns. Besides, even if you don't shoot the kit gun it would still be fun making it!

So my CVA serial number does not end in the numbers listed and the serial number doesn't even resemble the examples they have listed there. Also my CVA is the old style not an inline. I am really just intending to build it and use it for decoration but I had considered elk hunting with it possibley.

Mate...if your gun isn't one of the problems guns...fill ya boots...build it and enjoy it...I know I certainly would.

Just to cover your butt...a simple email to CVA giving all details of the gun such as serial #, model # and any other info you have on it should allay any fears of it being a recall model.

Cheers, Vince

tlo7mm, what I would do is call cva, my oldest son has an inline 50cal cva that he bought new three years ago and has been back to the factory 3 times. All three times for trigger replacement under warranty.

Corporate Headquarters & Customer Service:
Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA)
1685 Boggs Road, Suite 300
Duluth, GA 30096
Phone: (770) 449-4687
Fax: (770) 242-8546
Office Hours: 8:30am - 4:00pm, ET, M-F

Great work guys.

And then after all that if it were me, since I have trouble believing what anyone in business tells me, and even if I was building it just to gain experience and a wall decoration; I would take it to a local machine shop and get them to test the rockwell on the barrel takes about two minutes. If the barrel is not at least the hardness required and I still wanted to build it I would plug the barrel for safety.

No telling what might happen, or who might get the gun next or what they might do with it. Weird stuf happens.

sounds like CVA are a responsible firm and good to deal with if they will issue a recall and also are good at honouring warrenties, go for it but proceed with cation as the others have warned.

tlo if you have any other assembly problems i would suggest talking to bushmaster, as im sure he hunted with these guns as a teen when they were first introduced......LOL

you mean Davey Crocket learned from him eh? Thats good to know I would be learning from someone who was there, you sure get better information that way. lol