Now What? Gunsmithing question?

[jimiowa]

While saving for my Southern Rifle, I decided to dig my old CVA .50 cal Hawken out and see if I could recycle it.
I was unable to get the Breech plug out. So took it over to Steve's shop. We were unable to get it out, but inspection of the barrel shows it to be useable as is( with extensive cleaning and polishing with JB paste). Internally it now shines like a new Silver Dollar.

Steve and Al said if I wanted to build a new rifle around this barrel, it should be sent to Track of the Wolf and have a Patend Breech installed.
That would require having an inch cut from the breech.
Which brings me to my question.
The serial number is stamped on the rear of the barrel and having read Two Moons post on altering serial numbers on Dakota's thread. Does that law apply to muzzle loaders as well?
Does the fact this rifle was built from a kit have any bearing?
I would like to reuse this barrel but have no desire to spend 20 yrs in a federal pen.

[Jack]

The reason you can't get the breech plug out of your CVA is because they built them in an odd way, I believe. After the breech plug was screwed in, CVA drilled the hole for the drum thru the barrel AND the end of the breech plug. Then the drove the drum in, locking the breech plug in place.
At least, that's what I found after going thru the same process with the used CVA I bought.
To get the breech plug out, you would have to find a way to remove the drum first.
That's what it looks like to me, anyway- maybe some of out BP gurus will know more.

[Bill]

Altering the serial # on a ML is not a problem as they are considered a NON-Gun thus no FBI check when you buy one. Thus no problem.
Two Moons removed and installed a breech plug in my dads CVA with no problem. He just drilled it out and threaded the hole and installed a new breach plug in it.
Those were pretty good shooting guns if they had enough rifling .010 deep. Some of them had really shallow rifling and heavy loads would make the ball strip the rifling or blow by the rifling when it was fired. But I think the Mountain Rifle was deep rifling and 1-60 twist and bout .008 - .010 deep.

[jimiowa]

jack said:

The reason you can't get the breech plug out of your CVA is because they built them in an odd way, I believe. After the breech plug was screwed in, CVA drilled the hole for the drum thru the barrel AND the end of the breech plug. Then the drove the drum in, locking the breech plug in place.
At least, that's what I found after going thru the same process with the used CVA I bought.
To get the breech plug out, you would have to find a way to remove the drum first.
That's what it looks like to me, anyway- maybe some of out BP gurus will know more.

Yep your right Jack. I did heat the drum with a propane torch and got it unscrewed. Then put the barrel in a vice and used the biggest crecent wrench I had and could not move it.
I then swallowed my pride and took it over to Bookie's shop.
I admitted right up front I was one of those jerks who bugger things up before asking for help. ;D
Steve and I could not get it out in his vice either.
Thats when he explained that since the screwed the breech into the barrel and drilled and tapped the drum, often burs locked everything up tight.
I was able to file off the burs on the breech plug and put it back together, it could be shot that way.
Which I probably will do for a while.

[Jack]

Jim, if it's any comfort to ya, I went thru the progression: wrench, penetrating oil, BIG wrench, heat, more penetrating oil, wait a while, BIG wrench again......
Never did get the darn breech plug out.
Fortunately, I didn't really need to get the breech plug out, I just wanted to...so, it's stayed in place to this day.

[twomoons]

Mostly it helps to have a lathe and a boring bar and a little time on your hands. Now lets do the math... TOTW will charge you 90 bucks for a green mountain barrell in your choice of caliber with good deep grooves and the twist of your choice.
So you are going to cut 1" off of a CVA barrell and then pay a gunsmith 35.00 + parts to put in a new breech plug and then build a rifle around the remains. To me that is like shopping for a new car at the junk yard. The barrell is the most important part of the gun. Most original guns had barrels from 30 to 44 inches in length and most CVA's run 28" from the factory. So at best you end up with a custom rifle that looks like a stubby CVA. By all means use it as is and when the time comes start your new gun with new parts and give the cva to some newbie.

[Jack]

FWIW, the CVA I never did get the breech plug out of cost 90$ used, shoots decently with round balls and extremely well with Minie balls, and kills deer just fine.
OK, yeah, I'm a tightwad.