CVA 50.cal hawken MZ
02-18-2009, 05:00 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: O-H-I-O
Posts: 851
CVA 50.cal hawken MZ
well im a little embarrassed talking about this but i really dont know anything about this gun, never hunted with a Muzzleloader seeing how i mainly bowhunt, but i was giving this gun so i might as well use it. i tried doing a lil research on it but basically come up short. can anyone tell me a lil about this gun as far as cleaning, bullet type, and correct grain. im guessing you take this gun apart, id like to do a little exploring and get it cleaned up. will be hunting deer with it. i know its nothing fancy but i really like it. any help or advice would be great
mike
mike
02-18-2009, 05:37 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: CVA 50.cal hawken MZ
When I clean a traditional rifle it is almost always done in steps so I will list it that way...
Traditional rifles[/b]
Insure that the rifle you are about to clean is UNLOADED!! I can not stress the importance of this.So if you did not hear that rifle go off and know 100% that the rifle is unloaded, check it. Put the ramrod in the barrel. The ramrod will all but disappear in an unloaded rifle.
Cock the hammer to the half cock position. Now knock the wedge pin(s) out of the stock to release the barrel. And remove the barrel from the rifle. This is a good time to wipe all the fowling off the outside of the barrel with Windex or some other kind of cleaner, and a cloth in the nipple/bolster breech area of the barrel. It is not necessary to remove the nipple from the rifle just yet.
Have your water source ready. I use a plastic coffee can as they do not rust. I fill that ¾ of the way to the top with VERY HOT (to even boiling if necessary and you can wear gloves to do this) water and then give it a squirt of your favorite dish soap, or cleaning product that will be water soluble. Now immerse the breech end of the rifle barrel under that water level so the nipple is covered. Dip a cloth patch of appropriate size into the water to saturate it. And with a tight fitting cleaning jag, work that wet patch down the bore of the rifle in short strokes. Working to the bottom or breech of the barrel. Bring the patch back up and out of the barrel
Let the water run out the nipple of the barrel, and if you can remove the bolster clean out screw do so. You have actually cleaned the fowling now out of the nipple since you left it in for the first of the water patches.
Repeat this step #3 with a second and third patch. NO MATTER HOW CLEAN THEY LOOK. You should also not that with the removal of the nipple and in some cases the bolster clean out screw, an increased of volume water is moving out the openings and you pump those other patches through. This is cleaning out the bolster for you.
Now pull the barrel and make sure all the water has drained out of the barrel as possible. I now like to dip a fussy pipe cleaner in solvent and push that into and past the nipple port threads as deep as I can get it to go into the breech. Then work that back and fourth to insure that there is no fowling in that area of the rifle. If the bolster clean out screw is out, so the same thing with the pipe cleaner in that area. You should be able to force that pipe cleaner all the way into the breech. Simple check the depth you have moved that pipe cleaner into the breech and then hold that against the outside of the barrel. It might surprise you how deep you have moved into that area.
With a strong solvent patch, I now like to swab the bore of the rifle. Pay special attention to the breech area. Turn the tight fitting patch in a clockwise direction once, being careful not to unscrew the jag head. Some rifles have a cone shaped breech design. It may be necessary to put a breech/cone scraper attachment on the ramrod and reach in there and physically scrape that cone clean. Often times this can be done with a 30 caliber cleaning brush on your favorite rifle ramrod. All you want to do is clean that cone. Normally it is clean.
Another strong solvent swab is now worked down the barrel. Pay attention to any signs of fowling on that swab. If there is any, then another patch with solvent is put down. If the patch comes out clean (as normally they do) put some isopropyl alcohol on a patch and swab the bore.
If you have access to a air compressor, I like to blow forced air through the nipple port and bolster clean out screw area.
Now start to dry patch the bore of the rifle. Do not stop until you can check that patch and note there is no moisture on it. Also the patch should show no signs of fowling.
Swab the bore of your rifle now with a patch saturated with your favorite gun oil. You want a good coat on that. Set the barrel off to the side, to cool. As it cools it will draw the oils into the pores of the metal.
Now is when I clean the lock. Check the nose of the hammer for old caps. Remove any stuck cap pieces from the nose of the hammer. Fill that with solvent and let it sit a few seconds. Now with Q-tips wipe its nose. Keep cleaning until the nose of the thing is clean.
Solvent a patch and slide that behind the hammer and clean all the lock area you can get to. Pay special attention to the inside of the bolster where the nipple goes back to. Make sure that is nice and clean.
Wipe out the stock of the rifle.
Wipe down the outside of the rifle with the oil patch you used to swab the bore. Pay special attention to the bottom of the barrel. People often forget this area only to find rust at a later time.
Replace the nipple and bolster clean out screw. Wipe your rifle prints off the barrel and replace it in your stock. Now while gripping only the stock put the rifle away. Your rifle is clean.[/ol]
When you have your rifle clean... and it is time to shoot.
[ol][*]
Take a patch and put some isopropyl alcohol on it lightly. Now swab the barrel with it. This will remove the oil in the barrel.[/align][*]
Now with dry patches swab the bore of the barrel to dry it. Push that patch all the way to the bottom of the breech.[/align][*]
cap the rifle with a #11 cap and fire the cap off. Again, the rifle is not loaded all we are doing is clearing the fire channel. Pull that patch and check it for burn marks. If there are none, put another patch on, push that to the bottom of the breech and do it all over again. Keep doing this until you see a burn mark on the patch.[/align][*]
Since you have a burn mark, that means the fire channel is open. So pop one more cap through it.[/align][*]
Take your powder measure. Set it at 80 grains mark. Fill the volume measure to that mark with Pyrodex RS or Goex 2f. Put the cap back on your powder flask. Now pour that measure of powder down the bore of the rifle.[/align][*]
take a lubed patch. You can use pre cut or cut your own. Set that over the muzzle of the rifle. Place a .490 round ball on the patch over the muzzle.[/align][*]
With the short starter small end, drive the ball under the muzzle. If you have to, cut the patch if you are using a strip. If using a pre lubed patch, use the long nose of the short starter and drive the ball down as far as possible.[/align][*]
With your ramrod and a loading jag on it, push that patched ball all the way down the bore and firmly set that patch and ball onto the powder charge. Leave the ramrod resting on the ball. With a piece of masking tape, wrap that level to the muzzle around the ramrod. This is a witness mark. All future loads need to be to that mark. NOW TAKE THE RAMROD OUT OF THE BARREL.[/align][*]
Cock the hammer and cap the nipple of the rifle.[/align][*]
you are now ready to rock and roll. Take your time, if you have set triggers, pull the back trigger first which turns the fron trigger into a hair trigger. Acquire your target and shoot the rifle.[/align][*]
You can swab the bore if you want, or try and load the rifle again. I have shot up to twenty loaded without swabbing the bore shooting patch and ball.[/align][*]
If you do swab the bore, apply a light amount of swab liquid on a patch . Work that down the bore in short strokes. If you feel it getting too tight, do not go further down the bore. Pull it back up and add a little more liquid to the patch. Swab all the way down and back up. Then do the same with a dry patch. If you have any doubts about how dry the bore is, pop another cap off before you load.[/align][*]
Swab materials can be ... spit, windex, alcohol, moosemilk, or other cleaning solutions. The main thing is not too much on the patch or you will over wet the bore. A dry patch after.[/align][/ol]
In your rifle 80 grains of powder would be a good start point. And a patch round ball is going to shoot real well. It should take deer out to 100 yards for you. You might have to increase the powder charge or reduce. Work with the powder charges to get the best group out of your rifle.
Traditional rifles[/b]
Insure that the rifle you are about to clean is UNLOADED!! I can not stress the importance of this.So if you did not hear that rifle go off and know 100% that the rifle is unloaded, check it. Put the ramrod in the barrel. The ramrod will all but disappear in an unloaded rifle.
Cock the hammer to the half cock position. Now knock the wedge pin(s) out of the stock to release the barrel. And remove the barrel from the rifle. This is a good time to wipe all the fowling off the outside of the barrel with Windex or some other kind of cleaner, and a cloth in the nipple/bolster breech area of the barrel. It is not necessary to remove the nipple from the rifle just yet.
Have your water source ready. I use a plastic coffee can as they do not rust. I fill that ¾ of the way to the top with VERY HOT (to even boiling if necessary and you can wear gloves to do this) water and then give it a squirt of your favorite dish soap, or cleaning product that will be water soluble. Now immerse the breech end of the rifle barrel under that water level so the nipple is covered. Dip a cloth patch of appropriate size into the water to saturate it. And with a tight fitting cleaning jag, work that wet patch down the bore of the rifle in short strokes. Working to the bottom or breech of the barrel. Bring the patch back up and out of the barrel
Let the water run out the nipple of the barrel, and if you can remove the bolster clean out screw do so. You have actually cleaned the fowling now out of the nipple since you left it in for the first of the water patches.
Repeat this step #3 with a second and third patch. NO MATTER HOW CLEAN THEY LOOK. You should also not that with the removal of the nipple and in some cases the bolster clean out screw, an increased of volume water is moving out the openings and you pump those other patches through. This is cleaning out the bolster for you.
Now pull the barrel and make sure all the water has drained out of the barrel as possible. I now like to dip a fussy pipe cleaner in solvent and push that into and past the nipple port threads as deep as I can get it to go into the breech. Then work that back and fourth to insure that there is no fowling in that area of the rifle. If the bolster clean out screw is out, so the same thing with the pipe cleaner in that area. You should be able to force that pipe cleaner all the way into the breech. Simple check the depth you have moved that pipe cleaner into the breech and then hold that against the outside of the barrel. It might surprise you how deep you have moved into that area.
With a strong solvent patch, I now like to swab the bore of the rifle. Pay special attention to the breech area. Turn the tight fitting patch in a clockwise direction once, being careful not to unscrew the jag head. Some rifles have a cone shaped breech design. It may be necessary to put a breech/cone scraper attachment on the ramrod and reach in there and physically scrape that cone clean. Often times this can be done with a 30 caliber cleaning brush on your favorite rifle ramrod. All you want to do is clean that cone. Normally it is clean.
Another strong solvent swab is now worked down the barrel. Pay attention to any signs of fowling on that swab. If there is any, then another patch with solvent is put down. If the patch comes out clean (as normally they do) put some isopropyl alcohol on a patch and swab the bore.
If you have access to a air compressor, I like to blow forced air through the nipple port and bolster clean out screw area.
Now start to dry patch the bore of the rifle. Do not stop until you can check that patch and note there is no moisture on it. Also the patch should show no signs of fowling.
Swab the bore of your rifle now with a patch saturated with your favorite gun oil. You want a good coat on that. Set the barrel off to the side, to cool. As it cools it will draw the oils into the pores of the metal.
Now is when I clean the lock. Check the nose of the hammer for old caps. Remove any stuck cap pieces from the nose of the hammer. Fill that with solvent and let it sit a few seconds. Now with Q-tips wipe its nose. Keep cleaning until the nose of the thing is clean.
Solvent a patch and slide that behind the hammer and clean all the lock area you can get to. Pay special attention to the inside of the bolster where the nipple goes back to. Make sure that is nice and clean.
Wipe out the stock of the rifle.
Wipe down the outside of the rifle with the oil patch you used to swab the bore. Pay special attention to the bottom of the barrel. People often forget this area only to find rust at a later time.
Replace the nipple and bolster clean out screw. Wipe your rifle prints off the barrel and replace it in your stock. Now while gripping only the stock put the rifle away. Your rifle is clean.[/ol]
When you have your rifle clean... and it is time to shoot.
[ol][*]
Take a patch and put some isopropyl alcohol on it lightly. Now swab the barrel with it. This will remove the oil in the barrel.[/align][*]
Now with dry patches swab the bore of the barrel to dry it. Push that patch all the way to the bottom of the breech.[/align][*]
cap the rifle with a #11 cap and fire the cap off. Again, the rifle is not loaded all we are doing is clearing the fire channel. Pull that patch and check it for burn marks. If there are none, put another patch on, push that to the bottom of the breech and do it all over again. Keep doing this until you see a burn mark on the patch.[/align][*]
Since you have a burn mark, that means the fire channel is open. So pop one more cap through it.[/align][*]
Take your powder measure. Set it at 80 grains mark. Fill the volume measure to that mark with Pyrodex RS or Goex 2f. Put the cap back on your powder flask. Now pour that measure of powder down the bore of the rifle.[/align][*]
take a lubed patch. You can use pre cut or cut your own. Set that over the muzzle of the rifle. Place a .490 round ball on the patch over the muzzle.[/align][*]
With the short starter small end, drive the ball under the muzzle. If you have to, cut the patch if you are using a strip. If using a pre lubed patch, use the long nose of the short starter and drive the ball down as far as possible.[/align][*]
With your ramrod and a loading jag on it, push that patched ball all the way down the bore and firmly set that patch and ball onto the powder charge. Leave the ramrod resting on the ball. With a piece of masking tape, wrap that level to the muzzle around the ramrod. This is a witness mark. All future loads need to be to that mark. NOW TAKE THE RAMROD OUT OF THE BARREL.[/align][*]
Cock the hammer and cap the nipple of the rifle.[/align][*]
you are now ready to rock and roll. Take your time, if you have set triggers, pull the back trigger first which turns the fron trigger into a hair trigger. Acquire your target and shoot the rifle.[/align][*]
You can swab the bore if you want, or try and load the rifle again. I have shot up to twenty loaded without swabbing the bore shooting patch and ball.[/align][*]
If you do swab the bore, apply a light amount of swab liquid on a patch . Work that down the bore in short strokes. If you feel it getting too tight, do not go further down the bore. Pull it back up and add a little more liquid to the patch. Swab all the way down and back up. Then do the same with a dry patch. If you have any doubts about how dry the bore is, pop another cap off before you load.[/align][*]
Swab materials can be ... spit, windex, alcohol, moosemilk, or other cleaning solutions. The main thing is not too much on the patch or you will over wet the bore. A dry patch after.[/align][/ol]
In your rifle 80 grains of powder would be a good start point. And a patch round ball is going to shoot real well. It should take deer out to 100 yards for you. You might have to increase the powder charge or reduce. Work with the powder charges to get the best group out of your rifle.
02-18-2009, 05:38 PM
#3
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: CVA 50.cal hawken MZ
Your rifle has a 1-48 twist. It will shoot round ball, conicals, even sabots. You might have to do a lot of playing with powder charges and projectiles to find the right charge. Also invest in a good range rod. It will save your ramrod, and make everything a lot easier for you.
02-18-2009, 05:59 PM
#4
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Boncarbo,Colorado
Posts: 9,186
RE: CVA 50.cal hawken MZ
Cleaning,
http://thepowerbeltforum.powerguild....-have-t358.htm
As for loads and bullets, our cva hawken does awesome with the 295gr powerbelt aerotip and 80gn pyrodex RS. Also shoots round balls great. We use a .490 round ball, .015 patch and 40 to 60gn pyrodex rs for target plinking. Great rifles.
http://thepowerbeltforum.powerguild....-have-t358.htm
As for loads and bullets, our cva hawken does awesome with the 295gr powerbelt aerotip and 80gn pyrodex RS. Also shoots round balls great. We use a .490 round ball, .015 patch and 40 to 60gn pyrodex rs for target plinking. Great rifles.
