CVA Hawken questions

[Pistolero]

Hi guys,

Just got myself a used CVA .50 Hawken

What size caps should I be using??? Muskek caps WAY to big, number 10 and 11 also seem big, but will fit. Do caps go smaller?? Or should I stick with 10's?

One other thing, the set trigger pull is the lightest trigger i've ever felt in a rifle.

But try pulling the trigger without setting it and I could barely get the hammer to fall! Should it be so heavy? Is something broken??

I think i'll use the set trigger every time. I haven't sot this rifle yet, and i can't wait.....

[madcaster]

Possibly a weak mainspring?
There is a small screw inside the triggerguard,it is used to control the amount of "catch" on the trigger engagement,this can be set so that it catches more,somewhat incresing trigger pull weight-BUT IT NEEDS TO BE SET AT A SAFE AMOUNT OF ENGAGEMENT!

[docone31]

I have a CVA in .54. Actually a sweet little rifle.
For your Hawken, you will need #11 caps. When they go down enough, they are not lose. I would look at the nipple. Dry firing can make the nipple "flower" on the top. This can prevent the cap from going down enough to fire. If it is "flowered", and you do not want to get another nipple, Chuck the nipple threads in a small drill, hold some sand paper, and give it a twirl. Dry firing will damage the nipples.
With the trigger, yes it is adjustable. There is a small screw that protrudes between the triggers. The primary trigger can be a bear untill it is worn in also.
I do not reccomend stoning or other work aside from cleaning untill it has been fired a few times. Even then, I do not reccomend it.
It could be either old and stiff from not cleaning, or you are just not used to it.
My trigger got down right snappy after I took it out, cleaned it, relubed it, and put it back. The lubes got old and dry.

[frontier gander]

double set triggers make the very first trigger a hair trigger. nothing is broken, thats the way they are supposed to be! the hawken should use #11 nipple with 6-1mm threads.

[Pistolero]

Thanks guys....It seems that there are a few things i have to learn with this rifle, But that is part of the fun of it I think.

[mooman76]

If the nipple seems too small for the caps, I'd get a new one. It's good to have a couple extras anyway. Get a good one if you can. I like Uncle mikes hot shot nipples. Don't know if you have them or not. It would be a good thing to take it apart and clean it good when you get it. Some people don't clean them well enough and some never take it apart to clean. By take apart I mean remove the barrel, the nipple, the screw in the drum(that's there so you can clean the powder drum area) and the lock. The trigger shouldn't be so hard to pull even with you not seting the trigger. It might just need a good cleaning and oil. BP get's in all kinds of places and can cause problems down the road if you never take it apart. You get corrosion and rust. The nipple should be removed or it will rust in. You don't hae to do this every time but it does need to be done occationally. Do you know what twist your rifling is? That will deturmine if you you can shoot conicals also or if you would be better to stick with round balls.

[Pistolero]

Thanks again,

I took it all apart and it seems it's had very little use. But one problem is the screws are all mashed especially the one next to the nipple. I couldn't get it to budge. I don't know the twist rate but i have .490 balls for it and some homemade patches lubed with crisco. I've shot minie's before but not RB.

One other thing - the ramrod is very loose and won't stay where it should. It doesn't srew in. Is this normal?

cheers!

[mooman76]

That's one reason I like to remove those screws. The longer they sit, the harder they are to romove and replace if neccissary. It isn't totally neccessary to remove it if you don't want to go that far. You can just remove the nipple to clean the drum with something like a pipe cleaner. The ramrod usually isn't so loose it won't stau in place but it isn't suppose to screw in. It usually just fits stug enough that you can pull it out as needed but will still stay in place until that time. I'm sure you can come up with a way to get it to stay.
Your twist rate is probably 1/48 if I were to guess but like I said that is a guess. If you want to know the twist you can tale your ramrood with the cleaning jag and a good tight patch. Mark the cleaning rod and the barrel and also mark the rod even but 2 foot down. Push it into the barrel and if it goes half way around, it's 1/48 and if it goes 1/3 the way around it's 1/66.

[dualsport]

Just curious, is it a "Mountain Rifle"? That's what mine is. It's very accurate with PRB. I heard something about them using premium barrels for those, don't know if it's true, but mine is slick.

[Pistolero]

The barrel is marked 'Conneticutt Valley Arms Hawken - Spain' I gonna try a dealer to see if I can order a spares kit with some new screws just to tidy it up a bit. A little but of autosol on the brass fixtures and it will look great.

classic - not plastic.

[frontier gander]

call deer creek, tell them what you have and what you need:

Deer Creek Products
P.O. BOX 246
Waldrun, IN, 46182

Phone # 765-525-6181
FAX # 765-525-9595