CVA Kentucky .45

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Steel Hayes

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I’m not much of a long rifle person, but this was a deal I couldn’t pass up.
Not having a lot of experience in BP rifles, is round balls the best load for this gun?
I’m using .015 patch and a .451 Hornady ball with 45grn Goex 3f.(pretty accurate at 75yrds).
Any help is appreciated if there something better to shoot with.
2A52197C-0541-4AA5-9E20-F62896D377F5.jpeg EC6BF599-BAAB-4A41-A99A-C713D728EFDC.jpeg 4C952DE9-EB82-4B73-8B97-16F02B70CC53.jpeg
 
Yep, thats what he said. But how does a .451 patched ball fit into a .450 bore? Everything I've read calls for .440-ish balls.
I dont have a .45 BP rifle so I dont actually know. I do know when we had .45 BP revolvers we used larger balls and they would shave a tiny ring of lead off each ball as it was rammed into the cylinder.

ETA: It is a very nice looking gun. I've always wanted a Kentucky rifle.
 
Haven't shot my old CVA 45 rifle in a long time but your load sounds fine as a starting point. And if you are happy with its accuracy at 75 yards you are doing fine. I don't know how the newer ones are, but my older Spanish made barrel was always darn accurate with patched round ball loads.

Jeff
 
Nice. I had one of those back in the 70's along with one of their "Kentucky pistols". They were the best value in a black powder as far as being affordable. Mine may still be around the old homestead where I grew up. I need to look that one up next time I'm visiting.
 
oh great, thanks to this thread and the pawn shop find thread I have to drag mine off the wall and clean it and see if I have any projos for it.

Darn an excuse to play with a muzzle loader!

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-kBob
 
I’m not much of a long rifle person, but this was a deal I couldn’t pass up.
Not having a lot of experience in BP rifles, is round balls the best load for this gun?
I’m using .015 patch and a .451 Hornady ball with 45grn Goex 3f.(pretty accurate at 75yrds).
Any help is appreciated if there something better to shoot with.
View attachment 864611 View attachment 864612 View attachment 864613

I haven't read further yet, but here goes...

A .45 caliber usually uses .440" or .445" round ball with a patch thickness of .010" or .015". Ball with diameters of .451"-.454" are generally for percussion revolvers.

How stiff is this ball/patch combo to short start and ram? If it's not excessively difficult, write it down and keep the components handy, but I'd recommend trying the smaller diameters of ball to be sure they wouldn't do better. I've noticed several commenters around here using FFFg of different brands. I use Pyrodex RS and wonder if Pyrodex P wouldn't do it too.
 
I haven't read further yet, but here goes...

A .45 caliber usually uses .440" or .445" round ball with a patch thickness of .010" or .015". Ball with diameters of .451"-.454" are generally for percussion revolvers.

How stiff is this ball/patch combo to short start and ram? If it's not excessively difficult, write it down and keep the components handy, but I'd recommend trying the smaller diameters of ball to be sure they wouldn't do better. I've noticed several commenters around here using FFFg of different brands. I use Pyrodex RS and wonder if Pyrodex P wouldn't do it too.
Only issue I had with Pyrodex RS was occasional hesitation ignition. Started using P and it stopped.
I prefer a Ball dia that wil accomodate. 020 patch. Allows more compression into riflings, less chance ot tearing and or burning and easier start and ram.
 
I’m using 3f Goex, I might try a reduced Triple 7.
To tell the truth, I’m just assuming it’s a CVA, the only stamps I can find on it is on the barrel marked ‘Spain’? But the barrel is blued which is weird for a kit rifle.
Found it at an antiques place here in Michigan for $42.
E0545BF8-CEE1-4C96-8C1B-860E52810E6B.jpeg At 75 yards it makes a nice hole.
 
I’m using 3f Goex, I might try a reduced Triple 7.
To tell the truth, I’m just assuming it’s a CVA, the only stamps I can find on it is on the barrel marked ‘Spain’? But the barrel is blued which is weird for a kit rifle.
Found it at an antiques place here in Michigan for $42.
View attachment 864858 At 75 yards it makes a nice hole.

Brand name or no brand name, it sounds to me like a real good deal. You planning on deer hunting with it? I'd say it'll do the job... just a question of is it legal in your state.
 
441 with a .015 patch is right. It’s what my TC shoots and it does shoot fairly well. The old school rule of thumb was 1 grain of powder per caliber. I have heard different thoughts as to why, but the most reasonable seems to be that it was typically quite accurate and wouldn’t overpenetrate meaning that the lead could be recovered and reused in a situation where lead was expensive and heavy to carry. Of course this was the era before bulletproof deer. This was also the era before modern metallurgy and pressures were likely kept lower (1 gr per caliber as opposed to today’s 3 gr per caliber). I tried a lot of stuff trying to find a sweet spot between accuracy and power and found that accuracy started falling off after about 80gr so I made a powder measure in the 75gr range and started leaving the bigger, heavier measure at home.
 
if the cva 45 mentioned above is a 1/66 twist it has to be a tackdriver. that twist is very good for the 45 round ball. built a 45 roundball gun with a 1/66 twist once. shot a doe at 175 yards with it. all i had to do is a little elevation but placed the ball where i wanted it. done another at 125 yards with it.
 
Steel's rifle is not CVA. They can shoot really well though. The flame path in the breach is really good too. I have a rifle like this and two barrels. That funky angled nipple actually helps the cap flame get to the powder. The barrel may be tight with a .440 ball. You can use it but a .433 will be a lot easier and likely as accurate. The lock may give some trouble. Mine had a too soft tumbler and the full cock notch rounded off after a while. Have fun with this.You got a deal with this one.
Black Jack Shellac
 
With that wide brass barrel spacer it looks just like my Miroku. Accurate, never had any issues with it
 
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