My first build, plans

[Lobo74]

Log post.

I have an old CVA Kentucky Rifle kit, Flint in .45 cal. I thought the lock was inadequate, so I got a replacement L&R RPL for CVA from Stonewall Creek Outfitters.

Well, it snowballed a bit on me.  I dislike the look of the two piece stock with brass plate insert, and I find the stock visually heavy.  So I am modifying it to be as close as I can to an early JS Hawken full stock .

The hardware (all from Stonewall Creek folks) I have purchased for the build is:
L&R RPL lock for CVA
Davis #3 Single Set Trigger
⅜" Hickory ramrod blank
Rear peep sight (helps my 64 year old eyes)
⅜" ramrod entry and thimbles
North Carolina Trigger Guard.  The guard shape, and flat hand guard leading to the rear scroll emulates the early Hawken without being too large for this stock.

All the rest is from the standard CVA kit.

So far I have ordered all the hardware mentioned, drawn a full scale plan, and roughed in the L&R lock inlet.

I now have two pages of bullet point items to do for this build.  Rather than subject you to the list, here is my overview.  Since I have never done this before I thought I would ask y'all if my order is correct.

• Make closed tube PVC container and start soaking ramrod blank
• Inlet trigger
• Mate up Lock and Trigger
• Adapt Trigger Guard and fit it
• Based on the trigger area, make final measurement of wood to remove from stock to slim it down
• Fine tune tang and barrel inlet
• Glue two pieces into one piece stock
• Thin down and shape stock, fit buttplate and toe plate
• Assemble rifle to check fit and to mark touchhole on barrel
• Remove all hardware, drill and tapbarrel and install touch hole liner
• Stain and finish stock
• Brown barrel, trigger, lock, and rear sight
• "brown" brass furniture
• Mark ramrod, cut to appropriate length, and instal ends
• Assemble finished rifle and go sight it in.

Do I have the right flow, or am I missing something?
Thanks in advance for any critique and advice.

[Joe S.]

while I'm far from an expert,from looking at that kit it might be a little bit of a reach to get the architecture of a hawken fullstock with what you have to work with,atleast the butt end,comb,cheek ect.Imho.Maybe stay the course and build it as is and if you really like the fullstock hawken get a pre-carved one in that style. Welcome and good luck,I'm sure the experts here will let you know if you can pull it off.

[Mike Brooks]

I'd keep the barrel and pitch the rest. Get a precarved stock that fits your barrel and go from there.

[Dennis Glazener]

• Make closed tube PVC container and start soaking ramrod blank

This won't cost you much but I tried it. I soaked several hickory ram rods in Kerosene for at least a year and I did not see where they were a bit better than the ones I used without soaking.

I would think you would want to get the tang/barrel/barrel lugs finished then ID where the flash hole has to go then inlet the lock before you try to inlet the trigger.

I think its extremely important to position the flash hole in the proper place, where it clears the breech plug threads/flash hole liner threads, which in turn will determine where the lock pan should be. After the lock is in place you will be able to position the trigger where it properly contacts the sear bar of the lock.

Dennis

[T*O*F]

• Glue two pieces into one piece stock

Are your barrel underlugs and pins installed yet?  If so, removing the spacer will throw them out of whack, along with the nosecap which I believe is held on with a screw into the barrel.  On the one I did years ago, I ashcanned their lugs and installed my own dovetailed into the barrel and poured a pewter nosecap.

[Ky-Flinter]

Hi Lobo,

Welcome to ALR.  Did you buy a new barrel?  I didn't see one in your list, but you mention drilling, tapping, and installing a touch-hole liner.  If you are using the CVA barrel, their breeching arrangement is different and best left alone.  If you've bought a new barrel, along with the lock, triggers, etc. about all you need to make a whole gun is a new stock.

You can do a lot to improve the looks of a standard CVA Kentucky.  Here's one http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=18685.msg175866#msg175866

I would suggest reworking the CVA with the parts it has.... well except for the butt-ugly nose cap.  And buy a kit with the correct pieces to build the gun you really want.

-Ron

[oldtravler61]

  Link welcome. If it were mine I'd ditch the stock too! Not sure if you will be happy with that Two piece stock...my opinion it's plain ugly... Good luck..Oldtravler

[Mauser06]

From someone that just did something similar....


I'd leave the gun alone...Keep it. Sell it. Whatever.


Take the money and build the gun that you want. 


I found a replacement TC barrel.  I had the bright idea of "building" a TC replica.... Aftermarket"pre-inlet" stock, aftermarket steel replacement furniture. RPL lock...Deerslayer trigger.


Thought it'd all screw together after finishing the stock. 



Wrong.  Lol. 


Nothing fit..All the metal needed lots of attention.  Stock needed lots of attention.


I am happy with how the rifle turned out.  It's accurate.  Functions well.  Looks pretty good. 


Not happy with how it feels and handles. I could have spent a little more money on a good kit or pre-carve and furniture etc and had a gun I would been more happy with. 


I learned a lot from the project and the gun works. No "loss". A 50cal 1" straight barrel just feels horrible to me even at 28". 


Just my opinion....

[Hungry Horse]

If the CVA Kentucky is a percussion the breechplug/drum and nipple are indeed very different, and shouldn't be disassembled by someone without a lot of experience.
 If you are still thinking about a new stock, I would suggest contacting some of the muzzleloading businesses that sell pre-inletted stocks, and ask them if they have any seconds in the channel width you need. I think The Kentucky is a 7/8" barrel. Often pre-inlet stocks have a flaw in the forearm that shows up during the final machining of this delicate area. Since the Kentucky barrel is pretty short for a fullstock, a second might be long enough for your purpose. Be sure to get a second that hasn't been inletted for some other lock, or a patchbox, though. I wouldn't be concerned what school the stock style is, because you will be replacing the furniture anyway.
 I've used three second in builds over the years, and saved a bunch of money every time. One manufacturerer even sends me an email when he gets a boogered up stock.

  Hungry Horse

[g2608671@verizon.net]

From someone that just did something similar....


I'd leave the gun alone...Keep it. Sell it. Whatever.


Take the money and build the gun that you want. 


I found a replacement TC barrel.  I had the bright idea of "building" a TC replica.... Aftermarket"pre-inlet" stock, aftermarket steel replacement furniture. RPL lock...Deerslayer trigger.


Thought it'd all screw together after finishing the stock. 



Wrong.  Lol. 


Nothing fit..All the metal needed lots of attention.  Stock needed lots of attention.


I am happy with how the rifle turned out.  It's accurate.  Functions well.  Looks pretty good. 


Not happy with how it feels and handles. I could have spent a little more money on a good kit or pre-carve and furniture etc and had a gun I would been more happy with. 


I learned a lot from the project and the gun works. No "loss". A 50cal 1" straight barrel just feels horrible to me even at 28". 


Just my opinion....

Good post.   

[Lobo74]

My thanks for all the replies.  I completely understand the good advice that everyone has given, and I thought about the same thing - toss it, get a much better kit and go from there.  Here is my logic for the decision I ultimately came to originally.

I got the kit for a pittance. I was going to built it per the plans and began reading the forum here and the TradRag forum. I saw examples of this kit slimmed down and cleaned up and thought it was an acceptable beginners platform to learn some basic skills prior to spending more serious money.  I know I will make some mistakes and booger up a few things during the learning curve, and the only parts I purchased that amount to any money are the lock and single set trigger.  Both items can be removed from this "training wheels" project and reused in the future.

The list I want to built "for nice" run $600 to $1200, so I thought I do my initial screw ups on something that I am only out less than $200 total and then move on.  All it costs is my time, and I'm retired and have some of that to spare.

I did the inlet for the single set trigger yesterday as well as working on the inlet around the breech and tang. I took out too much under the rear of the tang and need to build that area up a bit, and the precut inlet directly under the breech had too much taken out too. See what I mean? I'm thinking JB Weld in the low spots, cover with wax paper and clamp the barrel in place until it dries, but I guessing some glass bedding compound might be less "new guy" and more professional.

After playing with the single set trigger I think I will use the kit trigger instead. Again, a mistake that I learned from, but didn't screw up a nice curly maple stock on.

Again, I really appreciate your inputs.

[Mauser06]

Absolutely....I mis-read your post.  If you got it as a kit and don't have much tied up into....Have at it!   



Furniture is fairly cheap to swap out..Buttplate, trigger guard and side plate and slimming the stock down and shaping g the cheekpiece differently etc will dramatically change the looks of the rifle.  You can do so cheaply and learn some stock shaping and inletting. 


Put on a nosecap or pour one etc and learn that task..Add an entry pipe etc...Kinda what I did with my rifle.  Except I did have a fairly decent piece of maple...Lol. 




Only TC part left was the tang lol.  Can ha g that next to 100 TCs and know that's not a TC.  Happy with it...Just not happy with the balance and of course my mistakes.  But, it's my first "build". I learned a LOT. Added an entry pipe, toe plate and poured a pewter nose cap just to learn more from it and change the look..



Good luck!   Keep us posted and don't be afraid to ask questions.  Some very knowledgeable helpful people here...

[Lobo74]

Mauser06, looks good to me! Nicely done.