Sidelock Rifle Warranty Information This book contains information critical to the safe use and maintenance of Connecticut Valley Arms muzzleloading firearms. YOU MUST READ THIS MATERIAL ENTIRELY AND FULLY UNDERSTAND THIS INFORMATION BEFORE YOU CAN SAFELY USE YOUR MUZZLELOADER. If firearm is loaned or sold by a dealer or individual this book must accompany the firearm. Replacement books are available from our factory. Call CVA Customer Service at (770) 449-4687 if you have any questions.
Sidelock Rifles Model No. ____________ Serial No. ________________ Caliber _______________ Date Purchased ___________ Type of Gun ______________________________________ Warranty Information WARNING IF HANDLED IMPROPERLY FIREARMS ARE DANGEROUS. READ AND FOLLOW ALL "CAUTIONS", "CAUTION" AND WARNINGS OF "DANGER" TO AVOID SERIOUS INJURY AND/ OR DEATH AND/OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. Call CVA Customer Service at 770-449-4687 if you have any questions or visit on the Internet at: www.cva.
TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE A Introduction to Sidelock Muzzleloaders ............................................ 1 B Getting Started ................................................................................. 1 C Ten Commandments of Firearm Safety ............................................ 2 D Safety Considerations Unique to Muzzleloaders .............................. 2 E Specific Cautions for Safe Use of CVA Sidelock Muzzleloading Firearms ...........................................
Main Components of a Sidelock Muzzleloading Rifle Front Sight *Breech Plug (Hook Style) Ramrod Barrel *Breech Plug (Button Style) Thimble Rear Sight Nose Cap Bolster Wedge Nipple (6x1 mm) Hammer Lock Firing Trigger Set Trigger Stock Patch Box Butt Plate *NOTE: DO NOT TRY TO REMOVE, ALTER OR CHANGE POSITION OF THE PERCUSSION BOLSTER, OR BREECH MECHANISM. TO DO SO IS DANGEROUS AND WILL VOID THE WARRANTY. Questions with assembly? Need Parts Information? CALL: 770-449-4687 Monday - Friday.
WARNING: It is important to take the time to read and understand the information found in this book. Familiarize yourself with each part of the firearm and its proper function. The information contained in the book is critical for the proper use and care of your firearm. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LOAD OR FIRE YOUR MUZZLELOADER UNTIL YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK. Replicas of original muzzleloading firearms are as faithful to the original designs as possible.
3. Check all functions 4. Remove nipple Clean and check opening Apply grease to threads 5. Clean barrel 6. Replace and tighten nipple until snug 7. Read and study information booklet 8. Understand terminology 9. Get all questions answered C. TEN COMMANDMENTS OF FIREARM SAFETY 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. gerously high pressures upon ignition and may result in severe injury or death to the shooter and/or bystanders. Always check to ensure that your muzzleloader is in good working condition before use. Test the hammer and lock mechanisms carefully prior to loading. Check the barrel for any obstruction as any blockage may cause the gun to explode. Use only recommended loading data for the particular model of rifle in use.
E. SPECIFIC CAUTIONS FOR SAFE USE OF CVA SIDELOCK MUZZLELOADING FIREARMS YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FIREARM SAFETY! As a gun owner, you accept a set of demanding responsibilities. How seriously you take these responsibilities can mean the difference between life and death. There is no excuse for careless or abusive handling of any firearm. At all times handle your muzzleloader with intense respect for its firepower and potential danger.
VOLUNTARY RECALL In August 1997, CVA implemented a Voluntary Recall of In-Line rifle models with serial numbers ending in 95 or 96. If you have, or know of someone who has, a CVA In-Line model with these serial numbers do not use the gun. If your gun is affected, call CVA's TECH-LINE at 770-449-4687 for complete details, including a free replacement barrel. F. COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING MUZZLELOADERS MISCONCEPTION: A MUZZLELOADER IS UNLOADED AFTER THE CAP IS REMOVED.
Projectile - Balls, bullets, sabots. Ignition Source - Percussion Cap or Musket Cap. Flask - To transport and dispense powder. Powder Measure - To measure correct powder charge. Bullet Starter - To "start" bullet down the barrel. Capper - To carry and dispense percussion caps. 2. CLEANING ACCESSORIES Solvent - Cleaning solution. Patches - For cleaning inside of barrel. Nipple Wrench - For installing and removing nipple. Jag - Retains cleaning patch on end of ramrod. 3.
BLACKPOWDER CHART SHOWING APPROXIMATE USE OF THE VARIOUS GRANULATIONS… FG (Commonly called Single “F”) The muzzleloading enthusiast finds little use for this very coarse blackpowder. Its use is pretty much restricted to the large bore (10, 8, 4 gauge) shotguns of yesterday. FFG (Commonly called Double “F”) This is a very popular powder for the larger (.45 to .58 caliber rifles). It is also used for 12, 16 and 20 gauge muzzleloading shotguns.
Pyrodex Pellets for .50 caliber come in two grain equivalents (as of this printing 2/99) – 50 grains and 30 grains for .50 caliber; 60 grains for .54 caliber. Pellets may be combined into multiple pellet loads to create several different grain equivalent loads. Pyrodex Pellets contain a black ignitor on one end. For best ignition, this ignitor end of the pellet should be placed into the barrel first.
rifles are designed for use with bullets or sabots (not to be confused with PolyPatch) and most conical bullets. Some extremely large conical bullets cause very high pressures due to poor fit to bore diameter, improper gas seal and excessive mass. The use of any conical bullet over 400 grains or saboted bullet over 300 grains in a .50 caliber rifle could cause barrel damage resulting in a non-warranty repair situation. FOR BEST RESULTS WITH CONICAL BULLETS ALWAYS USE CVA BUCKSLAYER™ BULLETS.
CAUTION: Do not use any type of plastic patch or sabot with a ROUND BALL with any CVA firearm. When these patches are used, it is possible even under optimum tolerances for the round ball to disengage from the patch or sabot resulting in the ball moving forward in the barrel leaving a gap between the ball and the patch. Under this condition the ball will act as an obstruction in the barrel, possibly causing injury or death to the shooter or bystanders.
L. LOADING AND SHOOTING CVA CAPLOCK MUZZLELOADERS 1. Put on shatterproof shooting glasses and insert ear plugs, as both percussion and flintlock guns may shower sparks or bits of caps/flints when fired. 2. Verify the gun is unloaded. a. Place a ramrod down barrel to breech plug and mark ramrod at muzzle. b. Remove ramrod and lay along outside of barrel, lining up mark at muzzle. c. The other end of the ramrod should be at the bolster (or touch hole for flintlock models).
CAUTION: Do not pour a charge directly from horn or flask. If a smoldering ember is present, it could ignite the powder in the container, as well as the powder charge, as it is poured into the barrel. This excessive amount of powder could cause a dangerous explosion. Therefore, be safety minded; use a powder measure or other small measured charging device. 8. Tap the butt of the rifle lightly on the ground to ensure that all powder drops into the breech area of the gun. 9.
"Drive" patched ball down into barrel. Figure 12-3 "Ram" patched ball firmly on powder. Figure 12-4 IMPORTANT: Be sure ball or bullet is seated firmly against powder. No air space should exist between ball and powder. DANGER: Firing a muzzleloader or "short starting" with the ball or bullet off the powder or part way up the barrel may cause serious damage to the firearm and possible injury to the shooter.
M. LOADING AND SHOOTING CVA FLINTLOCK MUZZLELOADERS NOTE: To prepare a FLINTLOCK, sandwich the flint between a piece of leather and clamp it between the two jaws of the hammer. The angle of the beveled edge of the flint should be positioned so that when fired, it points toward the pan. With no powder in the pan or in the barrel, attempt a few dry fires to verify the position of the flint and the amount of spark. Place a small amount of powder in the pan and fire. This will dry out the pan and touch hole.
d. FIRE e. If the gun fails to fire, refer to Section O, Pulling a Charge. N. CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE Blackpowder and Pyrodex are very corrosive. Therefore, careful cleaning of your muzzleloading firearm is extremely important. If left uncleaned for any length of time the fouling will cause rust, pits, and degradation of the metal particularly around threaded areas. WARNING: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ATTEMPTS BE MADE TO REMOVE THE BOLSTER OR BREECH PLUG.
O. PULLING A CHARGE Under normal conditions a muzzleloading firearm is unloaded simply by firing it into a suitable and safe backstop. There are, however, some conditions under which the firearm cannot be fired and the charge must be pulled. THE TWO MOST COMMON CONDITIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. If the ball or bullet is not seated firmly against the powder charge, stop immediately! Do not attempt to fire the rifle or pistol. You must pull the charge and clean the barrel. 2.
the ramrod with a hammer. As the puller screw bites deeper and deeper into the soft lead projectile, the ramrod will become difficult to turn and it will require the use of pliers. Pad the jaws of the pliers so that you do not mar the ramrod. Once the puller screw has embedded itself firmly into the projectile, pull out the ramrod and extract the ball or bullet. In actuality, this process is somewhat tedious and it will require your patience.
and spaced .860" on center. Scopes should be mounted according to manufacturer’s instructions. R. INTRODUCTION TO THE BALLISTICS TABLES HOW VELOCITY WAS MEASURED Two Oehler 35P Proof chronographs were employed to gather velocity data. One shot was fired to “dress the bore” before testing for bullet velocity. The bore was swabbed between test shots when blackpowder was used but not when Pyrodex was used.
example, may be minutely slower in velocity than a bullet with less surface contact with the bore. DO NOT USE OVERSIZED CONICAL BULLETS IN YOUR CVA GUN. CVA rifles are designed for use with patched round balls, bullets with sabots (not to be confused with Poly-Patch) and most conical bullets. Some extremely large conical bullets cause very high pressures due to poor fit to bore diameter, improper gas seal and excessive mass. The use of any projectile over 400 grains in a .
100 YARD VELOCITY One hundred yard velocity was derived from ballistic coefficient figures. A spot check to verify mathematical and actual downrange bullet velocities was conducted using an Oehler 35P Proof chronograph with Skyscreens. Computed and actual downrange velocities were quite close. ENERGY Energy figures were computed using the Newtonian formula, the only formula accepted by all ammo companies.
100 YARD VELOCITY Measured in feet per second, this number gives the speed of the projectile at 100 yards. An interesting comparison between projectiles can be noted by figuring the percentage of velocity each projectile retained at 100 yards. Example: CVA St.
When checking the data you will note that many blackpowder guns are capable of outstanding accuracy. Many of the groups registered are in the one-inch class measuring 1.0 to 1.25 with some guns even yielding groups under an inch. Outstanding! Also note: All shooting in this manual was done with open sights. Scoped rifle tests that were conducted lead to the conclusion that the average group at 50 yards shown on the following tables could be duplicated at 100 yards by mounting a scope on the test gun.
LOADING DATA FOR BLACKPOWDER RIFLES Manufacturer: Connecticut Valley Arms Name of Gun: St. Louis Hawken Caliber: .50 Rate of Twist: 1 in 48” Barrel Length: 28” Percussion Cap: CVA Hot Flash Lube: CVA Slick Load Lube Projectile Powder Charge FFG Muzzle Velocity FPS Muzzle Energy FP 100 Yard Velocity FPS 100 Yard Energy FP 50 Yard Average Group 300 Grain CVA Buckslayer Bullet 90 GR 1515 1529 1212 979 1.0" 25 Yards 50 Yards 100 Yards 125 Yards +1 +2.
Manufacturer: Connecticut Valley Arms Name of Gun: St. Louis Hawken Caliber: .54 Rate of Twist: 1 in 48” Barrel Length: 28” Percussion Cap: CVA Hot Flash Lube: CVA Slick Load Lube Projectile Powder Charge FFG Muzzle Velocity FPS Muzzle Energy FP 100 Yard Velocity FPS 100 Yard Energy FP 50 Yard Average Group 375 Grain CVA Buckslayer Bullet 100 GR 1444 1737 1184 1168 1.5" 25 Yards 50 Yards 100 Yards 125 Yards +1.5 +2.
Manufacturer: Connecticut Valley Arms Name of Gun: Colorado MusketMag™ Caliber: .50 Rate of Twist: 1 in 32” Barrel Length: 26” Percussion Cap: CVA Hot Flash Lube: CVA Slick Load Lube Projectile Powder Charge FFG Muzzle Velocity FPS Muzzle Energy FP 100 Yard Velocity FPS 100 Yard Energy FP 50 Yard Average Group 300 Grain CVA Buckslayer Bullet 90 GR 1483 1465 1187 939 1.0" 25 Yards 50 Yards 100 Yards 125 Yards +1 +2.
Manufacturer: Connecticut Valley Arms Name of Gun: Colorado MusketMag™ Caliber: .54 Rate of Twist: 1 in 32” Barrel Length: 26” Percussion Cap: CVA Hot Flash Lube: CVA Slick Load Lube Projectile Powder Charge FFG Muzzle Velocity FPS Muzzle Energy FP 100 Yard Velocity FPS 100 Yard Energy FP 50 Yard Average Group 375 Grain CVA Buckslayer Bullet 100 GR 1396 1623 1145 1092 .5" 25 Yards 50 Yards 100 Yards 125 Yards +1.5 +2.
Manufacturer: Connecticut Valley Arms Name of Gun: Bobcat, Mountain Stalker Caliber: .50 Rate of Twist: 1 in 48” Barrel Length: 26” Percussion Cap: CVA Hot Flash Lube: CVA Slick Load Lube Projectile Powder Charge FFG Muzzle Velocity FPS Muzzle Energy FP 100 Yard Velocity FPS 100 Yard Energy FP 50 Yard Average Group 300 Grain CVA Buckslayer Bullet 90 GR 1519 1537 1215 984 1.5" 25 Yards 50 Yards 100 Yards 125 Yards +1.5 +2.
T. STATEMENT OF LIABILITY This gun is classified as a firearm or dangerous weapon and is sold by us with the express understanding that we assume no liability for its resale and unsafe handling under local laws and regulations. Connecticut Valley Arms assumes no responsibility for physical injury or property damage resulting from intentional or accidental discharge, or the function of any gun subject to influences beyond our control.
5. Enclose the total retail price of the item plus postage and handling. Refer to the chart to determine this. 6. Please allow four to six weeks from receipt of order for delivery. POSTAGE & HANDLING CHART Orders Totaling: Add UP TO $20.00 ................................................................................... $3.50 $20.01 - $30.00 ................................................................................. $5.00 $30.01 - $50.00 ...........................................................
Connecticut Valley Arms 5988 Peachtree Corners East Norcross, Georgia 30071 FORM 100 REV.
