Connecticut Valley Arms black powder rifle

[SRE]

Hi guys I am new to muzzleloading and black powder rifle shooting in general. I recently acquired a Connecticut Valley arms rifle. It is called frontier rifle. A beautiful traditional looking .50 caliber muzzleloader and black powder rifle. I liked it as soon as I saw it.

I am new to this part of firearms and shooting sports. Could somebody tell me or outline for me how to go about firing this rifle. What projectiles to use and how much black powder etc. thank you in advance

[Hawg]

Is it the rifle model or the carbine? The carbine has a 1:48 twist and will take conicals or round balls either one tho it may shoot one better than the other. The rifle has a 1:32 twist and will be accurate only with conicals.

[Tidewater_Kid]

I have one like this and it works great with .490 round balls, a .015 patch and 50 grains of Goex 2F.

[swathdiver]

The original Frontier Rifle as introduced in 1979 has a 28" barrel length, double set triggers and has 1:66 twist for round ball shooting. By 1981 the Mountain Rifle rear sight was replaced with the Hawken style through at least 1985. In 1988 the Frontier Rifle was introduced as "New" and was in carbine form with single trigger and 24" barrel and simple rear sight. From 1990 onwards it was called the Frontier Carbine and sometime late in production they switched to the one screw lock plate.

Great rifle, very accurate and a pleasure to shoot.

[Hawg]

The original Frontier Rifle as introduced in 1979 has a 28" barrel length, double set triggers and has 1:66 twist for round ball shooting

Everything I saw said 1:32. If I'm wrong I apologize for the misinformation.

[deerslayer303]

Congrats on your purchase. Nothing like firing and old front stuffer. As far as how to go about firing it. First like Hawg said you need to figure out what kind of twist the rifling in the barrel has that way you know what type of projectile the rifle will fire accurately. Next you will need some supplies. FFg Black Powder or Black Powder substitues (Pyrodex, Triple 7, etc) DO NOT USE SMOKELESS POWDER IN THAT RIFLE!!!!! You will probably need some #11 Percussion caps, powder measure that goes to 120 grains in 5 grain increments, an unbreakable ramrod, and jags to screw onto it, like a ball / bullet jag for .50 cal, patch puller, ball puller, breech scraper, cleaning jag (which sometimes your jag for seating a ball or bullet doubles as a cleaning jag), Black Powder appropriate patch lube like bore butter, Black Powder cleaning solvent (like Balistol, don't use petroleum based cleaning solvents on a black powder rifle, I use hot water and dawn dishwashing liquid). You can source alot of this stuff at sporting goods stores like Gander Mtn, Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops, Academy sports, etc. or online retailers like Dixie Gun Works, Track of the Wolf. I would definitely track down a manual for that rifle. Go to CVA's website and see if they list a manual for that rifle. If Not call them. You can also learn alot from youtube on how to SAFELY use a muzzleloading rifle. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[deerslayer303]

These should get you started. Hope it helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCc70ktL4Wg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcqJu958CvY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcqJu958CvY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ba2bhrHXg4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ky18Ym-tU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=197yMY4IsSM

[Hawg]

Best bet is get a manual from Traditions. CVA hasn't sold a side lock in years. Traditions gets their guns from the same place CVA did. I mainly use bore mops to clean instead of patches.

[4V50 Gary]

Determine the barrel twist. If it's 1:66, you've got a round ball rifle. If it's 1:48, it's more along the line of a conical.

For any muzzle loader you'll need: power flask/horn, power measure (preferably adjustable), patches, ball.

Loading procedure is "Powder, patch and ball, or it won't shoot at all."

You should also get a range rod and not rely on the wood ramrod for range use. If that wood breaks, you can get impaled and that hurts. For field use, a synthetic rod is good or if you use wood occasionally, be careful to hold the side of the rod when you load.

Prior to shooting put a cap on the nipple and hold the barrel down near a blade of grass or the dirt. When you snap the cap, look for the dirt or blade of grass to move. This procedure tells you that the nipple is unobstructed and that the barrel is clear. You may have to do it twice before you load with powder.

Always load from the powder measure and not the powder horn or flask. An ember in the barrel can ignite the powder as it is poured down the barrel. If the sparks transfer to your horn/flask, you've got a grenade. Note: For round ball, I'd start with 30 grains 2F and may go as high as 50 grains (in five grain increments).

After you poured the powder down the barrel, get your patch and center it on the muzzle. The patch size depends on the ball diameter and you're searching for a compromise between a tight fit (necessary for accuracy) and ease of loading. Super tight fights may require a small mallet to get the ball started down the barrel.

Place your ball atop the patch and with a ball (or short) starter, push the ball into the muzzle. Now use the long end of the ball starter to push the patched ball the 3 or 4" length of the starter further down the barrel. Afterward use your ramrod that has been fitted with a jag to push the ball all the way down until you hit bottom.

Now you are ready to cap the rifle. Safety rule: Never cap a rifle before you load. This can be dangerous if the hammer slips while you're loading. So load with powder, patch and ball before capping the nipple.

After capping the nipple you are ready to shoot.


Useful accessories include: 1) Stuck ball remover. It's a wood screw that fits on the end of the ramrod and is used to bore into the lead ball so you can pull it out. This is necessary if you loaded the barrel without first pouring powder down it. Doing that is called a dry ball. Another way to remove a lead ball is to use a C02 discharger. 2) Worm. This is a twisted wire that can be fitted on the ramrod. The wire is used to ensnare a patch and to pull it out of the barrel. This may be useful if you're cleaning the gun and the patch slips off the jag. 3) Moose milk. Home made barrel lube and cleaner. 1/3 Murphy Soap, 1/3 water, 1/3 Hydrogen Peroxide. You can wet a patch, run it down the bore to loosen and remove the fouling and there will be a lot of it. 4) Possibles Bag - leather pouch that is slung over the shoulder to carry your patches, balls, spare caps (or capper), accoutrements.

[SRE]

Thank you to all for the feedback and help. It is a carbine length model. I'll post some pics soon. I do reload and shoot often. Also some gunsmith work/ stock work so I'm familiar with those aspects. However, I have never owned a true muzzleloader/ black powder firearm. Other than my trapdoor springfields. Greatly appreciate it! Looking forward to reading up and shooting this fine looking rifle.

[4V50 Gary]

Here's a useful link abotu black powder: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=238769 It's mostly cap 'n ball handgun related, but there are some useful threads in the link.

[wogpotter]

If it's a 24" carbine with double set triggers its almost identical to my rifle:



I use 0.490" round balls & a 10 thou patch with 65 Gr of FFg Black powder or Pyrodex RS & a No11 cap. This is a light(ish) target load, but accurate for paper punching & general fun shooting. You can work up hotter loads but I'd call 90 gr a maximum.
If you need a copy of the original manual I can e-mail you one.

[Tidewater_Kid]

These guys are great to deal with. They sell parts and have manuals.

http://www.deercreekproducts.net/sch...formation.html

TK

[Jimbo-Indy]

I second the recommendation for Deer Creek Products. They are just down the road from my location. Great people to deal with. They purchased a big stock of parts for CVA and old Traditions black powder guns. I think they also may have some ASM parts too.