wife got me a double .50!

BerdanSS · April 21, 2013, 01:43 PM

We all hear of those unexplained phenomenons....where out of the blue a guys wife presents him with a long wanted firearm. I spotted this at the Croy Creek Trader Fair today.

I talked to the feller selling it and he said he bought it new from a bass pro shop or Cabellas (he couldn't remember which) as a consecutive numbered set. He had fired the right barrel a total of three times, and the left one twice on this one. The last shot of the right barrel was to kill a 12 point buck at 65 yards in southern Kentucky. He said he didn't need both of them and wanted to sell this one because the other had nicer figured wood.

Apparently my wife saw me drooling over it, and walking off disappointed that he wouldn't budge off the price...which was more fold'n money than I had brought. About ten minuets later, she walked up behind me with it while I was talking to my buddy that had came with us about the .22 he just bought. Boy was I a happy camper! She said it was for our up coming 3rd wedding anniversary that (until now) she didn't know what to get for me.

This is one of those smoke polls I've always wanted, but would never spend the money on myself to get. What a gem she is! (the wife is pretty good too

)

To top it all off, she had chewed him down and got a great deal on it.

Pahoo · April 21, 2013, 01:57 PM

Congratulations and you are blessed, in more ways than one. If this is a CVA, I believe that Cabelas was selling these, a few years back. Can't recall what they were called. ...

Be Safe !!!

BerdanSS · April 21, 2013, 03:01 PM

It is marked: Black Powder Only .50cal SPAIN EXPRESS. There is a bear engraved on both lock plates. I've wanted one of these since forever, a .50 double rifle has easily kept 2nd or 3rd place on my "most wanted, but probably never get

" black powder guns list) for the last eight years.

Although I don't know much about them. The fit and finish on this one is superb, to say the least. The case hardening is flat out beautiful, the pictures simply cannot capture it. The bore in both barrels is mint, right barrel trigger is crisp, left breaks like a thin glass rod

The wood is quite pretty and a higher grade than I would think to be expected of a CVA, not a speck of rust on it anywhere.

Does anyone else have one of these? What is a good load to start with? The twist is not marked visibly on the barrel, but it looks quite slow. I'm thinking round-ball, rather than bullets. It's musket cap ignition.

Did I mention she snagged it for $150 after a little "bartering", shes been watching me work at gun shows

Pahoo · April 21, 2013, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Did I mention she snagged it for $150 after a little "bartering", shes been watching me work at gun shows

Thar ya go now, breaking my heart. Again and not sure if this is it, cause I have to do some more homework. CVA made an EXPRESS RIFLE, double barrel, in .50 and .54., 28" tapered round barrel and discontinued in 1986. Hope this helps some.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Z-nevB-bA

Be Safe !!!

Sure Shot Mc Gee · April 21, 2013, 07:28 PM

Nice buy.

Curious. Do the barrels on a double rifle have a distance where both projectiles will meet at a central point?
^
Gee. Hope I said that right?

Now do you sight one of these in? (w/Single set of barrel sights)

Drilling and Double rifles are they one in the same when it comes to flint or cap lock rifles?

S/S

Hawg · April 21, 2013, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Curious. Do the barrels on a double rifle have a distance where both projectiles will meet at a central point?

They're supposed to but the cheaper guns aren't regulated all that well. That's one reason very expensive double guns are so expensive.

Quote:

Drilling and Double rifles are they one in the same when it comes to flint or cap lock rifles?

A drilling is three barrels, usually two shotgun and one rifle but can be any combination.

BerdanSS · April 21, 2013, 10:40 PM

Sure shot,

According to CVA and everything I can find online, these rifles are supposed to be regulated at 50 yards. They really aren't intended to be accuracy pieces at range...but high firepower (in their day) up close. I will mostly be using it for hogs and a range toy, but it WILL be going to the woods for deer this season. The gent selling it told me it is pretty darn close to dead on at 50 to 70 yards, but we will see on the first range trip. I've always been captivated by double rifles, so I'm very excited to finally get to shoot (let alone own) one

I'm going to try out my new tub of Alliant Black MZ on it, probably with .490 patched round balls. I'm going to call CVA tomorrow with some questions about it and hopefully get a manual. I've been told these handle magnum loads, but we'll see. Several people have told me theirs liked hot (er) loads....like 100 or 110 gr compared to 70-90.

As Hawg said, a contributing factor to the "expensive" ones cost is regulating. I'm not aiming for the clouds on this one, but with what I've educated myself on of double cannons, I think it will meet or exceed my expectations for what it will be used for. I've gotten the idea that there is a fair amount of "Kentucky windage" involved when shooting one at range

I believe a "cheap" double rifle would be anything under $2000?

BerdanSS · April 21, 2013, 10:43 PM

Pahoo

That is her to a T sir..all but the rear sights. I've looked around and I've seen several in okay condition selling for $450+ on gunsamerica.com and GunBroker. One online gunshop had a used one listed for $600

BerdanSS · April 22, 2013, 03:49 PM

Called CVA, it was made in '84 to '85. 1:48 twist, recommended charge 80-100gr under a low to high 300s gr Conical lead bullet. Going to get true regulation this week with 385gr great plains over some 777 with German Hot musket caps.

Shotput79 · April 22, 2013, 04:51 PM

BerdanSS you are one lucky guy. That is a fine looking double rifle. Real bp or Pyrodex may be the best powder to use in any bp rifle or bp pistol because the fouling left behind after running a spit patch down the bbl will help accuercy better. Triple 7 is just not that good for accuercy. I've tried
everything to get Triple 7 to work in my guns but it just don't work for me. I've watched folks at the range with inline rifles with scopes try it and they couldn't get good groups with it at 100 yrds they would go back to Goex or Pyrodex and they would get three shots touching @ 100 yrds. Reason I bring this up is you say this gun may not shoot to well after 50 to 75 yrds so I at least take a bottle of real bp or Pyrodex RS with me just to see the difference in them in your gun. Love the rifle. I'd love to have one of them myself.

BerdanSS · April 24, 2013, 05:55 AM

Shotput

I wish I could find real black powder around here

I've always used pyrodex exclusively up till a year ago. I got a new tub of the 777 last week on recommendation from a buddy who owns a tackle/gun shop. He had one of these rifles about 16 years ago and said the type of loads I was recommended to shoot, 777 was a hotter slightly cleaner powder.

Thanks for the tip though, I will take both the 777 and some FFG pyrodex with me to the range. I really haven't ever had an issue with fowling for a long while though. I know the superstition surrounding TC 1000, but I'd swear my MLs that are treated and cleaned with it shoot cleaner and more accurately. I even did a side by side test of it one time over a week with two identical rifles (my dad and I both have (had) .50 Deer hunter Rs) and the bore butter rifle shot better and cleaner.

I've been thinking about trying American Pioneer also, and I got some Black MZ for my inline.

turkeychaser · April 25, 2013, 04:03 PM

OH MY Gosh. I wish my wife would buy me a black powder shotgun, heck weve been married 25 years and I havent ever gotten a gun not even a BB gun LOL congrats..

444 · April 25, 2013, 05:12 PM

I am really interested in hearing about your trip to the range.

That is a good looking rifle. I too have looked at those in the catalogs for years and thought it was very cool. Like you, I have always been intrigued by double rifles. But, I can't justify buying one. I will settle for hearing about yours. I think my facination with double rifles stems from when I was a kid at the local sportsmans club. A guy showed up one day with a MONSTER double rifle (cartridge rifle). I was too young to know what cartridge this gun fired, but as I remember, he had three rounds of ammo. They were far bigger than a 12 guage shotgun shell. He fired ONE round, missed badly, and put it away. It was a very fine, high end, British double rifle, probably intended for an elephant safari in India. I would imagine that today, that rifle is worth six figures.
Not that this matters, but this was (and is) a red neck club where you almost never see any kind of high end gear and if you do it is almost certainly a shotgun for trap shooting. This express rifle was VERY out of place.

Gaucho Gringo · April 25, 2013, 06:08 PM

Nice rifle. Now be sure and do something nice for your wife.

jeepstrapped · April 25, 2013, 07:22 PM

Very nice!

deerslayer303 · April 26, 2013, 08:41 AM

WOW!! Thats awesome, Congrats! Can I come and touch off both barrels?

BerdanSS · April 26, 2013, 05:57 PM

Sure can....I'll bring the Ice Pack

LOL I'm willing to bet in all honesty this thing wont have much recoil seeing how HEAVY it is and all. I'll find out though, making a trek to a pretty secluded 10-200yard FWA range this Sunday. Watch for the range report Sunday PM

deerslayer303 · April 26, 2013, 06:43 PM

I beg to differ, I'll bet touching off 200-220 grains at one time will make you wish you didn't, LOL I don't REEEEALLY think I would do the ole girl like that though

I will look forward to the report. Again congrats! Nice BOOM STICK!

YARDDOG(1) · April 26, 2013, 07:45 PM

Very nice of your wife

Congrats on a great looking rifle,, Hope it shoots as good as it looks ; ) PS 80gr & prb is most accurate out of my 1:48 twist T/C
Y/D

IDAHOMIKE · April 27, 2013, 10:20 PM

Good gun and a good wife. I am fortunate to have a similar wife, not lucky enough to have a double rifle. I gave her the puppydog pouty face at Cabelas, looking at some 470 Nitro double, but she didn't take the bait.

Hawg · April 28, 2013, 07:56 AM

Quote:

I gave her the puppydog pouty face at Cabelas, looking at some 470 Nitro double, but she didn't take the bait.

Put some karats in her hand and try it again.

IDAHOMIKE · April 28, 2013, 09:05 AM

Now why didn't I think of that Hawg. Better yet, we should get a pair of the rifles. And as long as we didn't want to eat for the next 2 years and the kids didn't need anything, itd be smooth sailing. Lol.

Pahoo · April 28, 2013, 09:52 AM

BerdanSS
Do you have any plans on a butt-plate? I know that some of these had a very flat steel plate and I don't see one on yours? ....

Be Safe !!!

Darto · April 28, 2013, 01:18 PM

One great movie about Africa in the 1800's using guns like that. The Ghost and the Darkness (starring Michael Douglas). He wears a pair of Howdah pistols on his belt, carries a double rifle. This is true story of the worst pair of man eating lions ever known. Amazon has it on their 'watch it now' online viewing section.

Anyways, after watching that movie, I have been using a double shotgun muzzle loader and sometimes shoot at targets of lions I print out. But a double rifle would be better, the real thing!

BerdanSS · April 28, 2013, 03:13 PM

Pahoo

I believe he had removed the plate, made the stock shorter and contoured the wood. He was a fairly small guy. I plan on getting one of the lace up type leather recoil pads.

April 21, 2013, 01:43 PM	#1
BerdanSS Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Location: to close to other houses Posts: 1,176	wife got me a double .50! We all hear of those unexplained phenomenons....where out of the blue a guys wife presents him with a long wanted firearm. I spotted this at the Croy Creek Trader Fair today. I talked to the feller selling it and he said he bought it new from a bass pro shop or Cabellas (he couldn't remember which) as a consecutive numbered set. He had fired the right barrel a total of three times, and the left one twice on this one. The last shot of the right barrel was to kill a 12 point buck at 65 yards in southern Kentucky. He said he didn't need both of them and wanted to sell this one because the other had nicer figured wood. Apparently my wife saw me drooling over it, and walking off disappointed that he wouldn't budge off the price...which was more fold'n money than I had brought. About ten minuets later, she walked up behind me with it while I was talking to my buddy that had came with us about the .22 he just bought. Boy was I a happy camper! She said it was for our up coming 3rd wedding anniversary that (until now) she didn't know what to get for me. This is one of those smoke polls I've always wanted, but would never spend the money on myself to get. What a gem she is! (the wife is pretty good too) To top it all off, she had chewed him down and got a great deal on it. Last edited by BerdanSS; April 21, 2013 at 04:11 PM.

April 21, 2013, 01:57 PM	#2
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Excellent !!! Congratulations and you are blessed, in more ways than one. If this is a CVA, I believe that Cabelas was selling these, a few years back. Can't recall what they were called. ... Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

April 21, 2013, 03:01 PM	#3
BerdanSS Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Location: to close to other houses Posts: 1,176	It is marked: Black Powder Only .50cal SPAIN EXPRESS. There is a bear engraved on both lock plates. I've wanted one of these since forever, a .50 double rifle has easily kept 2nd or 3rd place on my "most wanted, but probably never get" black powder guns list) for the last eight years. Although I don't know much about them. The fit and finish on this one is superb, to say the least. The case hardening is flat out beautiful, the pictures simply cannot capture it. The bore in both barrels is mint, right barrel trigger is crisp, left breaks like a thin glass rod The wood is quite pretty and a higher grade than I would think to be expected of a CVA, not a speck of rust on it anywhere. Does anyone else have one of these? What is a good load to start with? The twist is not marked visibly on the barrel, but it looks quite slow. I'm thinking round-ball, rather than bullets. It's musket cap ignition. Did I mention she snagged it for $150 after a little "bartering", shes been watching me work at gun shows

April 21, 2013, 10:40 PM	#7
BerdanSS Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Location: to close to other houses Posts: 1,176	Sure shot, According to CVA and everything I can find online, these rifles are supposed to be regulated at 50 yards. They really aren't intended to be accuracy pieces at range...but high firepower (in their day) up close. I will mostly be using it for hogs and a range toy, but it WILL be going to the woods for deer this season. The gent selling it told me it is pretty darn close to dead on at 50 to 70 yards, but we will see on the first range trip. I've always been captivated by double rifles, so I'm very excited to finally get to shoot (let alone own) one I'm going to try out my new tub of Alliant Black MZ on it, probably with .490 patched round balls. I'm going to call CVA tomorrow with some questions about it and hopefully get a manual. I've been told these handle magnum loads, but we'll see. Several people have told me theirs liked hot (er) loads....like 100 or 110 gr compared to 70-90. As Hawg said, a contributing factor to the "expensive" ones cost is regulating. I'm not aiming for the clouds on this one, but with what I've educated myself on of double cannons, I think it will meet or exceed my expectations for what it will be used for. I've gotten the idea that there is a fair amount of "Kentucky windage" involved when shooting one at range I believe a "cheap" double rifle would be anything under $2000? Last edited by BerdanSS; April 21, 2013 at 10:55 PM.

April 22, 2013, 03:49 PM	#9
BerdanSS Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Location: to close to other houses Posts: 1,176	Called CVA, it was made in '84 to '85. 1:48 twist, recommended charge 80-100gr under a low to high 300s gr Conical lead bullet. Going to get true regulation this week with 385gr great plains over some 777 with German Hot musket caps. Last edited by BerdanSS; April 24, 2013 at 05:58 AM.

April 21, 2013, 07:28 PM	#5
Sure Shot Mc Gee Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,876	Nice buy. Curious. Do the barrels on a double rifle have a distance where both projectiles will meet at a central point? ^ Gee. Hope I said that right? Now do you sight one of these in? (w/Single set of barrel sights) Drilling and Double rifles are they one in the same when it comes to flint or cap lock rifles? S/S

April 21, 2013, 10:43 PM	#8
BerdanSS Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Location: to close to other houses Posts: 1,176	Pahoo That is her to a T sir..all but the rear sights. I've looked around and I've seen several in okay condition selling for $450+ on gunsamerica.com and GunBroker. One online gunshop had a used one listed for $600

April 22, 2013, 04:51 PM	#10
Shotput79 Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2011 Location: NC Posts: 186	BerdanSS you are one lucky guy. That is a fine looking double rifle. Real bp or Pyrodex may be the best powder to use in any bp rifle or bp pistol because the fouling left behind after running a spit patch down the bbl will help accuercy better. Triple 7 is just not that good for accuercy. I've tried everything to get Triple 7 to work in my guns but it just don't work for me. I've watched folks at the range with inline rifles with scopes try it and they couldn't get good groups with it at 100 yrds they would go back to Goex or Pyrodex and they would get three shots touching @ 100 yrds. Reason I bring this up is you say this gun may not shoot to well after 50 to 75 yrds so I at least take a bottle of real bp or Pyrodex RS with me just to see the difference in them in your gun. Love the rifle. I'd love to have one of them myself.

April 24, 2013, 05:55 AM	#11
BerdanSS Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Location: to close to other houses Posts: 1,176	*Shotput* I wish I could find real black powder around here I've always used pyrodex exclusively up till a year ago. I got a new tub of the 777 last week on recommendation from a buddy who owns a tackle/gun shop. He had one of these rifles about 16 years ago and said the type of loads I was recommended to shoot, 777 was a hotter slightly cleaner powder. Thanks for the tip though, I will take both the 777 and some FFG pyrodex with me to the range. I really haven't ever had an issue with fowling for a long while though. I know the superstition surrounding TC 1000, but I'd swear my MLs that are treated and cleaned with it shoot cleaner and more accurately. I even did a side by side test of it one time over a week with two identical rifles (my dad and I both have (had) .50 Deer hunter Rs) and the bore butter rifle shot better and cleaner. I've been thinking about trying American Pioneer also, and I got some Black MZ for my inline.

April 25, 2013, 04:03 PM	#12
turkeychaser Junior Member Join Date: April 13, 2013 Location: New Jersey, for now Posts: 11	OH MY Gosh. I wish my wife would buy me a black powder shotgun, heck weve been married 25 years and I havent ever gotten a gun not even a BB gun LOL congrats..

April 25, 2013, 05:12 PM	#13
444 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 3,968	I am really interested in hearing about your trip to the range. That is a good looking rifle. I too have looked at those in the catalogs for years and thought it was very cool. Like you, I have always been intrigued by double rifles. But, I can't justify buying one. I will settle for hearing about yours. I think my facination with double rifles stems from when I was a kid at the local sportsmans club. A guy showed up one day with a MONSTER double rifle (cartridge rifle). I was too young to know what cartridge this gun fired, but as I remember, he had three rounds of ammo. They were far bigger than a 12 guage shotgun shell. He fired ONE round, missed badly, and put it away. It was a very fine, high end, British double rifle, probably intended for an elephant safari in India. I would imagine that today, that rifle is worth six figures. Not that this matters, but this was (and is) a red neck club where you almost never see any kind of high end gear and if you do it is almost certainly a shotgun for trap shooting. This express rifle was VERY out of place. __________________ You know the rest. In the books you have read How the British Regulars fired and fled, How the farmers gave them ball for ball, From behind each fence and farmyard wall, Chasing the redcoats down the lane, Then crossing the fields to emerge again Under the trees at the turn of the road, And only pausing to fire and load.

April 25, 2013, 06:08 PM	#14
Gaucho Gringo Senior Member Join Date: May 17, 2007 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 366	Nice rifle. Now be sure and do something nice for your wife. __________________ 357 Taurus Gaucho, 22 Heritage RR, 2-Pietta 1858 44 NMA Remingtons, Pietta, Euroarms & ASM 36 1851 Navies, 31 Uberti 1849, 12 ga H&R Topper, 16 Ga Western Field, 43 Spanish Remington Rolling Block, 44 ASM Colt Walker, High Point C9 9mm, Winchester 1906 22, Rossi 62 22 rifle, Uberti 1860, H&A & IJ 32 S&W BreakTop, 36 Euroarms 1858, 32 H&R 04, 22mag NAA SS BP revolver, .44 Rodgers & Spencer, IJ 38 S&W BreakTop, IJ 22 Sealed 8

April 25, 2013, 07:22 PM	#15
jeepstrapped Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2009 Location: SD Posts: 141	Very nice!

April 26, 2013, 08:41 AM	#16
deerslayer303 Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2011 Location: Leesville SC Posts: 2,653	WOW!! Thats awesome, Congrats! Can I come and touch off both barrels? __________________ "I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." - Thomas Jefferson

April 26, 2013, 05:57 PM	#17
BerdanSS Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Location: to close to other houses Posts: 1,176	Sure can....I'll bring the Ice Pack LOL I'm willing to bet in all honesty this thing wont have much recoil seeing how HEAVY it is and all. I'll find out though, making a trek to a pretty secluded 10-200yard FWA range this Sunday. Watch for the range report Sunday PM

April 26, 2013, 06:43 PM	#18
deerslayer303 Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2011 Location: Leesville SC Posts: 2,653	I beg to differ, I'll bet touching off 200-220 grains at one time will make you wish you didn't, LOL I don't REEEEALLY think I would do the ole girl like that though I will look forward to the report. Again congrats! Nice BOOM STICK! __________________ "I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." - Thomas Jefferson

April 26, 2013, 07:45 PM	#19
YARDDOG(1) Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: GATOR COUNTRY HA HA HA! Posts: 721	Very nice of your wife Congrats on a great looking rifle,, Hope it shoots as good as it looks ; ) PS 80gr & prb is most accurate out of my 1:48 twist T/C Y/D __________________ There's a GATOR in the bushes & She's Callin my name >Molly Hatchett<

April 27, 2013, 10:20 PM	#20
IDAHOMIKE Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2007 Location: Gooding, ID Posts: 348	Good gun and a good wife. I am fortunate to have a similar wife, not lucky enough to have a double rifle. I gave her the puppydog pouty face at Cabelas, looking at some 470 Nitro double, but she didn't take the bait.

April 28, 2013, 09:05 AM	#22
IDAHOMIKE Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2007 Location: Gooding, ID Posts: 348	Now why didn't I think of that Hawg. Better yet, we should get a pair of the rifles. And as long as we didn't want to eat for the next 2 years and the kids didn't need anything, itd be smooth sailing. Lol.

April 28, 2013, 09:52 AM	#23
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Just wondering ?? BerdanSS Do you have any plans on a butt-plate? I know that some of these had a very flat steel plate and I don't see one on yours? .... Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

April 28, 2013, 01:18 PM	#24
Darto Member Join Date: April 21, 2012 Posts: 79	One great movie about Africa in the 1800's using guns like that. The Ghost and the Darkness (starring Michael Douglas). He wears a pair of Howdah pistols on his belt, carries a double rifle. This is true story of the worst pair of man eating lions ever known. Amazon has it on their 'watch it now' online viewing section. Anyways, after watching that movie, I have been using a double shotgun muzzle loader and sometimes shoot at targets of lions I print out. But a double rifle would be better, the real thing!

April 28, 2013, 03:13 PM	#25
BerdanSS Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Location: to close to other houses Posts: 1,176	*Pahoo* I believe he had removed the plate, made the stock shorter and contoured the wood. He was a fairly small guy. I plan on getting one of the lace up type leather recoil pads.