CVA recall?

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TWC

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After getting a couple rusted shot and put up dirty CVA side hammer rifles some one told me CVA had a big lawsuit and a big recall. Does any one know if it was only inline black powder rifles recalled?Yes I googled some but being terribly 'puter illiterateI couldn't find out for sure.
 
Yes there was a recall on one inline rifle.
In my opinion it was overblown every "incident" I've heard of was also attributed to operator error (such as significant overcharges)
From the link below -

"In 1997, Connecticut Valley Arms, Inc. did initiate a Voluntary Recall of one design of an in-line gun that was made in 1995 and 1996. Most of these guns were sold under the model name of Apollo, but there were also various other names. All, however, can be identified by a serial number that ends in -95 or -96...
...Other than the Voluntary Recall of these 1995 and 1996 guns, no other CVA gun model has ever been recalled for any reason."


https://www.chuckhawks.com/cva_muzzleloader_perspective.htm
 
In my opinion it was overblown every "incident" I've heard of was also attributed to operator error (such as significant overcharges)
Except that CVA immediately switched to a new manufacturer for their barrels, from the one that made the Apollo barrels, so there was something to the situation beyond operator error. Further it's highly unlikely that all of the operator error would be happening in one and only one model of rifle...made within a 24 month period ;) CVA today continues to accept the recall of rifles from that one model with the serial numbers that show it was made in the target years '95 and '96, and CVA has accounted for almost all of the 55,000 that they made and sold.

The situation was more than 20 years ago. It has been corrected. It wasn't the only flaw in inlines over the years by other companies. Another such was a break-action design converted to inline, where the breech was sealed with a plug and an O-ring, and then when fully closed the action completed the containment of the explosion when firing the piece. The only problem was if there was a hang fire, and the shooter opened the piece with the breech facing the shooter, and the gun went off...the plug held by the O-ring became a projectile pointed at the shooter. :confused: That problem for that company was remedied too.

LD
 
...there was something to the situation beyond operator error...

Definitely, most disasters are a result of multiple causes.
The Apollo was rated for 100grains, and I'm convinced it was safe limited to that load or less.
However inlines were starting to be all the rage and a lot of folks with and without experience were loading 3 50 grain pellets as a default load.
Seating a big ol' buffalo bullet on top of a charge 50% over it's rating seems to be part of the problem.
It appears CVA did not put enough of a safety factor to account for all the things that could cause excessive pressures in the barrel.
At the time of the recall, I remember there being documentation stating all failures had overcharges that contributed. I'm not sure about any failures after the recall started.
CVA tried to do the right thing and issued a voluntary recall because there really were some folks that got hurt, but they still went bankrupt.

Regardless, it has nothing to do with any sidelock rifles by the old Connecticut, Valley Arms or the new CVA
 
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Thanks for the replies. Had some one tell me about the recall and I should check because if one was a recalled rifle they would give me a new one for it! If it sounds too good to be true....What is the difference in new and old CVA? They went bankrupt and some outfit buy the name?
 
In the beginning, CVA was a Connecticut company that moved to Georgia.
The single recall and or lawsuits must have caused CVA to lose a lot of money.
CVA was the importer which the CVA name was bought out by CVA's manufacturer Dikar , by forming a new company, BPI outdoors.
Most everything that you want to know about the old and new CVA can be found on this page. --->>> https://www.randywakeman.com/DangerousMuzzleloadersAHistory.htm

" It is a puzzling, tortured trail of paperwork for also right now Dikar S. Coop of Bergara, Spain, owns 100% of the stock of Blackpowder Products, Inc., so the manufacturer is the one and the same. The "Old CVA" had Bob Hickey and Jay Brenneman as its officials, while the new company Blackpowder Products had Bob Hickey listed as its C.F.O. until 2006. You don't hear much about Jay Brenneman, but Jay moved on to become CEO of Traditions Performance Firearms, another saga in itself selling extruded barrel Spanish muzzleloaders as well, mostly made by Ardesa of Spain.
Ostensibly, the "CVA answer" was grab officespace in Georgia, fund and form an American company "B.P.I" and rescue CVA from the throes of its bankruptcy. They hired Bob Hickey, former CVA Prez, and found a couple of other employees like Dudley that they picked up from general sporting goods and clothing sales. Bingo, now the inmates not just run the asylum, they also own it. Better yet, as no outside part gets a cut of sales. B.P.I acquired the "assets" of CVA (not much except a brand name), Bob Hickey CFO still had all his distribution connections and it was off to the races."

Founded in 1999, BPI immediately acquired the CVA brand, and through other acquisitions, grew to be the number-one selling muzzle-loading gun brand in the United States. --->>> https://roi-consulting.com/company/our-clients/black-powder-products-inc-bpi-outdoors/#:~:text=Founded in 1999, BPI immediately,line of silencers as well.

BPI history --->>> https://www.bpioutdoors.com/history/
 
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Randy Wakeman is in the pockets of an Oklahoma personal injury lawyer. A friend was on the range when one of Wakeman's touted cases happened. Friend says the guy had a one pound container of IMR powder on his bench, he believes it was IMR 3031.
 
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Wakeman is an old washed up salesman plain and simple. He will blow teeth out his rear end if you mention saveage muzzleloaders blowing up. Wakeman and Bridges both show their true feelings when a sponsor dumps them. Bridges even went as far to writing on his website, an apology, for ever having pushed knight products and straight up wrote that they were junk. Of course, a few years later, after knight is bought out, hes writing about how knight should sponsor him again because he is so awesome and loves their products. He talked down on CVA & Traditions for years.... Guess who he now takes money from? Yep....
 
Mr.frontiergander...any new work you have done? Love checkin out your hawken builds.
 
Nothing major yet. I just finished editing a small video a buddy of mine took of us at rendezvous. Just keeping busy with wads, bullets and lube orders. Still hunting for some rifles to work on and rebuild. But you know how good it feels to work when its 90* outside :D :D

I did learn how to hunt bears during the hot season when no berries are around. You always hear... Hunt berry patches!! Stay on the north side, etc. I found that you hunt the pinon tree patches! The cones are still holding nuts and when the cones fall off, the bears go after them like crazy. Not a shooter yet, but in a couple years he'd be awesome. Just a new bear that showed up at the house to eat the pinons.
 

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