cva shotgun User Guide

SHOTGUN

Warranty

Information

You can
Shoot it

™

WARNING

You must read this prior to
construction or shooting.

Muzzleloading Shotguns

Replicas of original muzzleloading guns are as faithful to the original de­signs as possible. For this reason, replicas cannot be made with many of the
refinements and features the shooter has come to expect as standard on
modern cartridge firearms.

Each shooter should remember that now, just as in colonial days, there is
no way to build a shotgun to absolve the user of the need to use good judg­ment.

When handled properly, a shotgun is a safe and enjoyable firearm to shoot.
If abused, harmful consequences can result. Remember, this shotgun should
be treated with the full respect due any firearm.

You should know that the warranty applies only to parts of this product
which have not been altered in any way. Therefore, it is important that you
take the time to familiarize yourself with each part and its function prior to
shooting.

©Copyright, 1983 CVA

Table of Contents

A Important Cautions .......................................................................... 2

B Introduction ....................................................................................... 3

CBlackpowder ......................................................................................4

D Preparation Before Loading .............................................................6

E Recommended Blackpowder Charges ..............................................8

F Shot ..................................................................................................10

G Buckshot .......................................................................................... 11

HSingle Projectile .............................................................................. 13

I Buffering Components ....................................................................13

JWads ................................................................................................ 14

K Loading and Shooting of Percussion Shotgun ............................... 18

LCleaning and Maintenance ............................................................ 28

MTen Commandments of Muzzleloading ..........................................29

N Ordering Instructions .....................................................................30

OLimited One Year Product Warranty .............................................31

P Statement of Liability .....................................................................32

Q Service - [phone] .................................................................. 33

Page

A. IMPORTANT CAUTIONS

1. Always wear shatter proof shooting glasses and ear protection.

2. Use blackpowder only. (See page 4.)

3. Never fire a muzzleloading shotgun unless wad (or ball) is firmly
seated against powder charge.

4. Do not exceed recommended maximum powder charges. (See page 9.)

5. Never lean over (or stand in front of) muzzle at any time.

6. Never attempt to shoot out a wad (or ball) which is not firmly seated
against powder charge.

7. Treat a misfire or failure to fire as though the gun can fire at any
second. (See page 23.)

8. Do not use any form of wadding except those recommended by CVA.
(See page 14.)

9. Handle a muzzleloading shotgun with the same respect due all
firearms.

10. Be sure all spectators and bystanders are completely behind you when
firing. Flames and cap bits sometimes exit to the side of the gun.

11. Never smoke while loading, shooting or handling black powder.

12. If one barrel of the muzzleloading shotgun is fired, remove the percus­sion cap from the unfired barrel prior to reloading the fire barrel.

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B. INTRODUCTION

1. This manual contains instructions, cautions and dangers for the safe use
of CVA muzzleloading shotguns. They should be FOLLOWED COM­PLETELY.

2. When properly handled, a muzzleloading shotgun is safe and enjoyable
to use, if you follow a FEW BASIC RULES.

3. There is no way to build a muzzleloading shotgun to absolve the user of
the need to use GOOD JUDGMENT. Do not abuse your muzzleloading
shotgun.

4. Your muzzleloading shotgun should be treated with the RESPECT DUE
ANY FIREARM; in addition to the specific cautions and dangers in this
manual.

NOTE: If, after reading the instructions, cautions and dangers contained in

this manual, you are not willing to accept the responsibilities in­volved in shooting a muzzleloading shotgun, return the gun (or kit)
to your dealer before firing or building or write directly to: CVA,
Customer Service Department, P.O. Box 7225, Norcross, GA 30071.

CAUTION: If you sell, trade or give this gun (or kit) to another person, make sure
you give the new owner a copy of this manual or inform him to get a free copy from
CVA.

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C. BLACKPOWDER

1. BLACKPOWDER is the only safe propellant to use in any muzzleload­ing firearm. Pyrodex RS is an acceptable substitute.

2. The term BLACKPOWDER does not mean any powder that is black in
color. Modern smokeless powders are also black in color. Always be sure
that the blackpowder used is commercially manufactured blackpowder
for use in muzzleloaders, offered for sale by a reputable dealer. TAKE

NO CHANCES!!

DANGER: Use of smokeless powder in any muzzleloader will result in excessively
high pressures and can cause serious damage to the muzzleloading firearm and
possibly to the shooter.

3. The applications of the various granulations of blackpowder are as fol­lows:
a. 1f or fg—Coarsest granulation, used for model cannons and very large
caliber rifles.
b. 2f or ffg—Less coarse granulation, used for rifles .45 to .58 caliber
and the only granulation for use in muzzleloading shotguns.
c. 3f or fffg—Standard granulation, used for all revolvers and pistols
and all small bore rifles (.40 caliber and under).
d. 4f or ffffg—Fine granulation, used only as a primer for flintlocks.

4. Blackpowder should be stored according to manufacturer’s instructions
listed on container. Local fire regulations should be followed.

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CAUTION: Never smoke while
loading, shooting or handling
blackpowder. Always follow
manufacturer’s safety precau­tions, as listed on the container.

D. PREPARATION BEFORE

LOADING

NOTE: T he shotgun must be

cleaned prior to loading
to remove the factory ap­plied preservative and
any foreign matter that
may be in the barrels.

1. Lock function and adjust­ment.
a. Set the right hammer on

HALF-COCK. At this set­ting it should not be possible to manually push the right hammer
forward and the hammer should not move when the front trigger is
pulled.

b. Check the left hammer with the rear trigger in the same manner.

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c. Pull each hammer to FULL-COCK position. The hammers should

be securely locked in that position. It should be impossible to
push the hammers forward manually. Pull each trigger separately.
Take care not to let the hammers slam onto a bare nipple by
restricting their forward travel with your thumb. Allowing a ham­mer to hit a bare nipple with force can cause the end to flatten
and create difficulty during installation and removal of percus­sion caps.

d. If the locks do not operate properly, removal and adjustment by

means of turning the sear adjustment screw is necessary (See
Figures 2-4B).

IMPORTANT: The sear must have secure engagement with the full-cock
notch (See Figure 4A). This prevents a dangerous or lightweight trigger
setting as pictured in Figure 4B.

IMPORTANT: Do not set either sear so that the triggers require less than
four pounds of pull to fire. Such a light setting could cause the second
barrel to fire from the recoil of the first.

CAUTION: Do not reduce sear engagement beyond full face of the
sear point (See Figure 4B). To do so will cause rapid wear of the sear
point and notch, creating the possibility of accidental firing.

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CAUTION: The adjustments mentioned in 1d are very critical. If you
do not feel comfortable making them yourself, have a competent gun­smith make the necessary settings. DO NOT operate the gun with
any faulty mechanism.

E. SUITABLE BLACK POWDER CHARGE FOR

MUZZLELOADING SHOTGUN

1. The correct powder charge for a muzzleloading shotgun is never weighed.
It is determined by volume measure and the same measuring device is
also used to achieve the volume measure for the shot charge as well.
This type of measuring is known as Volumetric Balanced Loading.

2. A volumetric balance load will provide the most efficient shot pattern,
regardless of the amount of shot chosen. Adding more powder will re­sult in a wide dispersion of the shot pattern; less powder will result in
insufficient energy per shot pellet.
a. Volumetric balanced loads will result in velocities from 1,000 to

1,050 feet per second, regardless of the shot size or shot charge
chosen.

3. There are only three loads to be used in a 12 gauge CVA Shotgun:

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TABLE 1
Suitable Charges

Light Load

Field Load

Heavy Load

1 ounce of shot

plus measuring device

filled with same

volume of

2f (ffg)

blackpowder

CAUTION: A shot charge in excess of 1 1/4 ounces is considered
unsafe and should not be used. A powder charge in excess of the
volume area occupied by 1 1/4 ounce of shot is considered unsafe
and should not be used. Do not use an unbalanced load (more shot
than powder or visa versa). Do not use 3f (fffg) blackpowder.

1 1/8 ounce of shot

plus measuring device

filled with same

volume of

2f (ffg)

blackpowder

1 1/4 ounce of shot

plus measuring device

filled with same

volume of

2f (ffg)

blackpowder

NOTE: The shot sizes in Table 1 include sizes ranging from #10, #9, #8,

#7 1/2, #7, #6, #5, #4, #2 and #BB. Do not confuse the size #BB
with the term used to describe air rifle steel shot. Air rifle shot
should never be used in a muzzleloading shotgun.

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F. SHOT

1. There are three basic types of shot available in the various shot pellet sizes.

a. Soft Shot: The most common type and the least expensive. These almost

pure lead pellets are very soft and are easily deformed during passage
up the barrel bore. Therefore, they spread quite rapidly after exiting
the bore. Soft shot is primarily used for skeet and close range targets.

b. Chilled Shot: Individual shot pellets containing a slight percentage of

the hardening agent, antimony. Consequently, the shot becomes less
deformed during passage up the bore. The shot pattern also becomes
more efficient.

c. Hard Shot (also known as Magnum Shot): Pellets which are further

hardened with antimony, resulting in little deformation during bore
passage. Primary use is for maximum range and dense patterns. The
most expensive of the three varieties.

WARNING: NEVER USE ANY STEEL SHOT IN A CVA SHOTGUN UN­LESS YOUR MODEL IS DESIGNED TO HANDLE THIS TYPE OF SHOT.

HELPFUL HINT: The exact number of pellets can vary depending on brand

or lot. To determine the shot size (diameter), multiply the shot size by .01
then subtract the answer from .17 (constant). Example for shot size #6: 6 x
.01 = .06; .17 -. 06 = .11 diameter.

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