Hammer to nipple squareness

[seaguy]

I noticed that my hammer strike face is off square of the nipple by about 4 degrees ccw looking straight on from the right side. Now this is without a cap on. I am wondering if I am losing a little of the ignition or does it matter that much about a 'square on' contact strike? (Gun is a CVA .45 Kentucky rifle)

[Hungry Horse]

 With C.V.A. Kentucky's, it it hits the nipple, and isn't hanging way over the edge somewhere, its good to go. Ya gotta quit over thinking this. ITSA FENCEPOST POSING AS A GUN!!!!

                       Hungry Horse

[P.W.Berkuta]

With C.V.A. Kentucky's, it it hits the nipple, and isn't hanging way over the edge somewhere, its good to go. Ya gotta quit over thinking this. ITSA FENCEPOST POSING AS A GUN!!!!

                       Hungry Horse

Ha, Ha, Ha -- you all just brighten my day and lift my spirits - thanks for the smile!   Seaguy, I know you love your gun dearly and it surely must be a great shooter in your hands but the slight miss-alignment poses no threat to the guns accuracy or diminish it's ability to perform to the best of it's ability -- as long as it goes "BANG" when you want it to I would not be worried about it. 

[necchi]

IT'S A FENCEPOST POSING AS A GUN!!!!

Ya know, you sure like running other guy's down a lot, hope it make you feel good,  

Anyway's I'll take an olde Jukar, or CVA Kentucky that's had the stock fitted proper and the lock tuned up against a TC or Lyman any day of the week.
TC's lifetime warrenty is falling by the wayside.
The Lyman kit's seem to be hitting some serious fitting issues that are no less than the original Jukars had,,
Those old 45cal slow twists are some decent shooting barrels!!

They may not be the custom rifle that so many need to glorify, but they've been the entry level as well as match winners for a lot of guy's for a long time.

If it's all a man has for now why @!*% him for it?
Why not lend a helping hand until a man can move up to a higher grade rifle?

[whitebear]

I have a friend who cusses CVA and reenactors in the same breath but the CVA Kentucky rifle and reenactors have probably been responsible for more new shooters than anything else in a long time.

Personally I have done it all; targets, reenacting, hunting, and building in the last 40 years but as long as the gun and shooter is safe I have no problem.  When they are shooting they are exposing people to the sport and we desperately need new blood in the sport.

[Black Jack]

With C.V.A. Kentucky's, it it hits the nipple, and isn't hanging way over the edge somewhere, its good to go. Ya gotta quit over thinking this. ITSA FENCEPOST POSING AS A GUN!!!!

                       Hungry Horse

People just entering our sport come to a website such as this to further their knowledge of black powder arms. The gentleman asked a perfectly legitimate question and deserved a legitimate answer. Nothing wrong with a little humor now and then, but your answer seems unnecessarily snide. Not the way to help someone get more deeply involved. Hope it was unintentional. 

[docone]

Yeah, mine was a little off also. I took a diamond burr that was flat on the bottom and slightly changed the angle. I did find however, that the nipple went too far into the drum. I had a lot of misfires.
I removed the side cleanout screw, and replaced it with an Allen head scres that went to the nipple. This closed off the chamber to only one side. At least, one side had direct firing pressure. I also ground off one thread on the nipple. Still all the threads going into the drum, but none touching the other side. With the slight grinding, changing the cleanout screw, and removing a little of the nipple, Reliable firing.
I had also found, a piece of cap jammed into the well on the hammer, making hammerfal ang up. The hammer went a little lower, so I reshaped the nipple just a bit.
My wife loves the rifle, when we go to the range, and we do some serious charges with it. A nice little rifle/wall hanger. We restocked it with an one piece, I made some sights that were more period, did some dovetailing, and there she be.
A nice little one shot. We used brass Hawken furniture. Looks better with the original lines on the rifle.

[oldarcher]

Hi seaguy,
The slight miss alignment of the hammer/nipple should not be a problem...that said the possible issues could be hammer blowback, or ruptured cap casings. If neither of these are happening then your good to go...If this still bothers you then correct he strike face of the hammer with a correct size end mill. I have had to do this a number of times. Before you do anything place a small piece of carbon or transfer paper on the cap and snap the lock...the print on the paper should tell you how square the face of the hammer is to the nipple.
Just one other thought...when I started shooting BP in the early 70's I purchased a CVA, then a TC Hawken and I shot them well. I would be proud to shoot next you on the line with your CVA as long as you are safe and as courteous to me as I would be to you. People who are disrespectful of others people property do a disservice to our sport.  I sincerely hope I am never one of them. I learned a long time ago that it is the shooter not the gun that makes a marksman.

[Dogshirt]

With C.V.A. Kentucky's, it it hits the nipple, and isn't hanging way over the edge somewhere, its good to go. Ya gotta quit over thinking this. ITSA FENCEPOST POSING AS A GUN!!!!

                       Hungry Horse

This is why I DON"T recommend this forum to other people! The rudeness put forth by some members is a bigger
detriment to the sport than having your barrel blow up!

[bob in the woods]

I suppose humor is in the ear of the beholder !!  The other side of the coin is that there are a lot of folks lately that seem to have a pretty thin skin.  Heck..my friends are rougher on me than a lot of what passes as an insuly here .   As to the question,  if the angle is a bit off, as I have seen on some guns, it is sometimes desirable to deepen the hammer cavity so that it hits square, and also better protects the shooter from cap debris. Another solution is to change nipples.  I never really worried about this though, because having the hammer face off a bit did not effect ignition, but it did help in not getting the fired caps stuck on.
Back about 28 years ago I longed for what I thought was a fantastic rifle..the CVA "Mountain Rifle "
One of the guys at our club had one and was a real handsome rifle. It shot really well too.

[sydney]

Hi I don t  think " put downs " are funny
    I think he is owed a apology and a proper answer
    Nothing turns off new members faster than this
     type of comment
   Ask me how I know
     Sydney

[Hungry Horse]

 I've been trying to get Seaguy to quit trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear, and go out and have some fun with his CVA kentucky. Heck, I've owned several of them, and shot a CVA Mountain Rifle smooth, back in the day. But, they are what they are, and all the fussing with them in the world will not change the fact that they have a bridleless lock, a two piece stock, and usually about a ten pound trigger pull.
  Do you guys really think that if Seaguy goes to a shoot with this rifle, after doing a ton of work on it, somebody isn't going to mention he needs a better gun? That may be the way it works out in your world, but it hasn't gone that way in mine. I'm saying use it as a learning tool, make the big mistakes on it, but make plans to buy or build a better gun.

                            Hungry Horse

                                     

[necchi]

Heck, I've owned several of them,,,,,,, and usually about a ten pound trigger pull.

Gee, with all your experience,, you never found that little screw in the tumbler that adjusts the depth that the sear engages the tumbler?
It's a handy little thing that almost every Jukar, Ardessa, CVA and Traditions lock has.

[Hungry Horse]

Yup, Necci I sure did, and broke the full cock notch, or the edge of the sear,  on the first couple of Kentuckys, and the Mountain Rifle as well using it. I was just lucky the guns didn't discharge and kill somebody. That is why in a previously posted response to this same subject, referring to this same gun, I said make a new trigger, and anchor it with a pin high in the stock, and learn about mechanical advantage, rather than use the adjustment screw on the tumbler.

                        Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

I have remade two Ardessa locks from the long range type of rifles and both had the full cock
positions on the tumbler wiped out in five shots. Good looking rifles but the locks were a hopeless
case from new.

Bob Roller

[westerner]

I prefer the hammer to strike the percussion cap perfectly square. Makes no difference what type or quality firearm.

             Joe.