Un-Breach A CVA

[Frizzen]

My neighbor has a old CVA "Missouri" which looks like a Hawken style that has a drum & nipple
on it.  I can't remember if the breach plugs were keyed or pinned or not. Does anyone know
how to remove the breach plug?     Thanks.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

First the drum- then the plug.  Index the drum on the barrel first with a witness mark.

[Dphariss]

My neighbor has a old CVA "Missouri" which looks like a Hawken style that has a drum & nipple
on it.  I can't remember if the breach plugs were keyed or pinned or not. Does anyone know
how to remove the breach plug?     Thanks.

The drum likely is installed into the breechplug so Taylor is correct. Drum then breech. I know the CVA "Mountain Rifle" was made this way.

Dan

[Don Getz]

Frizzen.......before you do it, let me tell you a story.   Being in the barrel business, people would bring guns into the shop
for repair (before I wised up).   One gun was a CVA, percussion, with a drum in the barrel, and it had a load in it.    The
gentleman wanted me to pull the breech plug since he had no luck in pulling the ball.    Being the nice guy I am, I removed
the drum and then unscrewed the breech plug, however, in the process of unscrewing the plug I removed all the threads
from it.   So, there I stood, holding this worthless piece of $#@*, and I immediately knew I would have to spend time to fix
it.  From that time forward, when someone walked into the shop with one of those cheap guns, I immediately put my hands in my pockets so that I couldn't touch it, that way I wouldn't have to fix it when something else went wrong...........
Don

[FG1]

Same here Don . First the long threaded drum pulled threads with it then plug brought the threads along . I think they use some type of 'Super Loc-tite' when assembling !

[westbj2]

Don, your horror story brings memories.   When CVA introduced the mountian rifle, they challenged a custom maker (dont remeber who it was) to a shoot-off at Friendship........surprisingly they won it!!!!  That put their gun on the map.  About this time a CVA factory engineer stopped by the shop as they were planning to set up local repair stations thruout the US.  As to the breech. as this fellow explained the manufacturing process:
Breech plug installed using a piece of threaded rod and then the hook machined.  Barrel then indexed to side flat for drum placement.  Drum hole tapped and drilled thru the breech plug.  The actual drum had an extension to accept an impact wrench, this extension was designed to shear off when a specific torque value was applied.  Then the end of the drum was finished and plugged and the nipple hole drilled.  So, as a result the threads in the drum were actually upset....thats why they stripped out upon removal.  Factory literature at this time warned about trying to remove the drum.
Jim Westberg

[keweenaw]

I tried to unbreech one, once.  I did get the drum out w/o stripping the threads but twisted the hook off trying to get the plug out.  As Don said, that's when the time starts to add up.

Tom

[Roger Fisher]

So, thats why a certain ML shop won't touch 'em.   

[LRB]

  Years back, I did three. Two were successful. I tore the BP lug off on the third.

[Bill of the 45th]

Over the years, I'm two for four, the only way I'd unbreach one now is with a hacksaw, by cutting off the last inch or more.

Bill

[whitebear]

Had a cva squirrel rifle, needed to poll the breech, put a wrench on the drum which immediately snapped off level with the barrel.  Tried an easy out broke ease out off in drum.  Ended up buying a new barrel from Deer Creek.  Moral of this story go ahead and buy a new barrel, cut the breech off the other and make pistol barrels.

[bgf]

If you can't get the ball out otherwise (CO2, grease gun, powder, etc.), might as well try removing the breech plug.  Some come out fine, and you really aren't risking anything, as long as you plan for buying a new barrel if necessary .  I would soak it in penetrating oil for a day or so before trying, also.  I like the pistol barrel idea, if things go awry.  I think the problem is that they screw in both the drum and the plug until each hits the proper position regardless of torque applied, deforming the threads.  Don't think it is intentional, per se, but they don't recommend removing drum or plug, so they know there is a potential problem.  If it doesn't come out fairly clean and easy, you've probably damaged the assembly.

[Frizzen]

Thank you all for the advice. Don, it was loaded!!.  Somebody pushed a jacketed modern bullet
down it. It was loaded with something other than black powder. Got the bullet out and the powder
Got the drum off. Going to put a new drum & nipple in it and go. This is not my junk. Belongs to
my neighbor. He's only got 50.00 in it. Again Thank you all for the advice. I needed it.