cva hawken.

trigger45 · February 10, 2009, 08:43 PM

traded in my sons rusty tc new englander and got a .54 cva hawken. this thing is very clean. looks like it will give years of good shooting. but it looks like a smooth bore. are all hawkens like this? this thing is round ball only right?
need some info. oh btw he wanted the tc new englander so he got mine.

Blankwaffe · February 10, 2009, 09:27 PM

Ive got a CVA St.Louis Hawken in .50cal. that I bought back in 1986 thats a excellent shooter.Took many a deer with that rifle.Those Spanish made Hawkens were some nice rifles.Only problem Ive ever had with mine was some simple lock work issues.Tends to prefer the .490" round ball and .018" ticked patch with about 70gr. of fffg for target shooting.The rifle also shoots conicals verywell.The maxi-ball seems to work best for that rifle on deer sized game.
Ive got a TC Renegade with a Green Mountan 32" .54cal. barrel that likes .530" ball,.018" ticked patch with 85gr. of FFG.
Ive never seen one of the CVA's with a smoothbore.Maybe someone else can provide better info on that.

Hawg · February 11, 2009, 05:19 AM

It shouldn't be a smoothbore, maybe the muzzle was coned. I've got a .54 CVA barrel on my Investarms and it shoots very well. Yes it can be done but takes some doing.

Even has the patent breech. It depends on the twist whether it's strictly a round ball barrel. It should be either a 1:48 which will handle PRB's or conicals very well or a 1:66 which will handle PRB's excellently but won't do well at all with conicals.

arcticap · February 12, 2009, 02:45 AM

I have a CVA .50 Frontier rifle that's a smoothbore rifle.
It's an older, less common model that came in a black & white box.
Maybe that's what you have but in .54?
It does look like a Hawken with its 1/2 stock & double triggers.
I happily bought it from someone who didn't realize that it was smoothie when he bought it online, so he quickly resold it.
Smoothies are usually easier to load with balls that are undersized by .020 instead of .010 because the barrel doesn't have any rifling grooves to hold the powder fouling and any extra patch material that covers the loaded ball.
It should be capable of shooting a rifle like group out to 50 yards at least.
But tighter patched balls are generally more accurate.
And .520 balls are not as easy to find anymore since Hornady discontinued making them.
However Track of the Wolf sells hand cast balls in .520 & .526.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(l4y...Size=25&Page=2

FrontierGander · February 14, 2009, 06:56 PM

great find! the barrel may be 1:48 or 1:66 maybe an email to CVA with the serial # could help you find what twist it has.

Awesome find though!

mykeal · February 14, 2009, 07:44 PM

Why not just test it with a rod and a cleaning jag?

trigger45 · February 15, 2009, 08:59 AM

I did it didnt turn. well gave it back gonna find another barrel for the new englander.

February 10, 2009, 08:43 PM	#1
trigger45 Senior Member Join Date: October 7, 1999 Location: TEXAS,USA Posts: 322	cva hawken. traded in my sons rusty tc new englander and got a .54 cva hawken. this thing is very clean. looks like it will give years of good shooting. but it looks like a smooth bore. are all hawkens like this? this thing is round ball only right? need some info. oh btw he wanted the tc new englander so he got mine. __________________ 5.56x45, .243win, .308win,8x57mm, 9x19mm,.45acp, .357mag,9x18mm .380acp, .410, .50bp, 12ga. I would like to see a modern 7x57and 8x57 in my safe.

February 10, 2009, 09:27 PM	#2
Blankwaffe Member Join Date: July 30, 2007 Location: Tennessee Posts: 47	Ive got a CVA St.Louis Hawken in .50cal. that I bought back in 1986 thats a excellent shooter.Took many a deer with that rifle.Those Spanish made Hawkens were some nice rifles.Only problem Ive ever had with mine was some simple lock work issues.Tends to prefer the .490" round ball and .018" ticked patch with about 70gr. of fffg for target shooting.The rifle also shoots conicals verywell.The maxi-ball seems to work best for that rifle on deer sized game. Ive got a TC Renegade with a Green Mountan 32" .54cal. barrel that likes .530" ball,.018" ticked patch with 85gr. of FFG. Ive never seen one of the CVA's with a smoothbore.Maybe someone else can provide better info on that. __________________ 1st Tennessee Co.H "The Maury Grays" Last edited by Blankwaffe; February 11, 2009 at 12:37 AM.

February 12, 2009, 02:45 AM	#4
arcticap Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2005 Location: Central Connecticut Posts: 3,166	I have a CVA .50 Frontier rifle that's a smoothbore rifle. It's an older, less common model that came in a black & white box. Maybe that's what you have but in .54? It does look like a Hawken with its 1/2 stock & double triggers. I happily bought it from someone who didn't realize that it was smoothie when he bought it online, so he quickly resold it. Smoothies are usually easier to load with balls that are undersized by .020 instead of .010 because the barrel doesn't have any rifling grooves to hold the powder fouling and any extra patch material that covers the loaded ball. It should be capable of shooting a rifle like group out to 50 yards at least. But tighter patched balls are generally more accurate. And .520 balls are not as easy to find anymore since Hornady discontinued making them. However Track of the Wolf sells hand cast balls in .520 & .526. http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(l4y...Size=25&Page=2 Last edited by arcticap; February 12, 2009 at 03:12 AM.

February 14, 2009, 06:56 PM	#5
FrontierGander Senior Member Join Date: January 30, 2009 Location: Boncarbo,Colorado Posts: 651	great find! the barrel may be 1:48 or 1:66 maybe an email to CVA with the serial # could help you find what twist it has. Awesome find though! __________________ https://buckskinsbp.blogspot.com/

February 15, 2009, 08:59 AM	#7
trigger45 Senior Member Join Date: October 7, 1999 Location: TEXAS,USA Posts: 322	I did it didnt turn. well gave it back gonna find another barrel for the new englander. __________________ 5.56x45, .243win, .308win,8x57mm, 9x19mm,.45acp, .357mag,9x18mm .380acp, .410, .50bp, 12ga. I would like to see a modern 7x57and 8x57 in my safe. Last edited by trigger45; February 15, 2009 at 08:59 AM. Reason: content

February 11, 2009, 05:19 AM	#3
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,189	It shouldn't be a smoothbore, maybe the muzzle was coned. I've got a .54 CVA barrel on my Investarms and it shoots very well. Yes it can be done but takes some doing. Even has the patent breech. It depends on the twist whether it's strictly a round ball barrel. It should be either a 1:48 which will handle PRB's or conicals very well or a 1:66 which will handle PRB's excellently but won't do well at all with conicals.

February 14, 2009, 07:44 PM	#6
mykeal Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 2,772	Why not just test it with a rod and a cleaning jag?