CVA experts?

[Amsdad]

I have a question on a rifle I picked up on auction recently. Its an older CVA Eclipse .50. Its a 2000 model so its beyond the barrel troubles that this particlar model had but I ran into a strange issue today.

The rifle seems to be in great condition, it came with all the parts to run whichever ignition I want. I bought it as a back-up a few weeks back and decided to take it out to the range this afternoon to see how it shot. My issue is I'm in the habit of shooting 320 maxiballs in my TC Blackdiamond. I bought some 275 maxihunters to use with this rifle as it is a pre-magnum vintage, so I need to keep charges below 100. These bullets won't even start down the barrel.

So my question is this? Any idea if these models had very tight tolerances or something of this nature? Is there that much difference in the diameter of .50 conicals? I have inspected the barrel and I can see no deformity or burrs, nothing of that nature. I checked these bullets with my Blackdiamond just to be sure and they feel normal as far as loading. I tried the 320s in the CVA with the same result, they just wont even start down the barrel.

I'm on the phone tomorrow to CVA, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kind of thing.

Thanks

[bobcat]

Are you using a short starter, or just a ramrod? If they fit real tight, you might need a short starter to get them started.

[carpsniperg2]

  i do not know that cva so i can't be much of a help with any teq support but yes the conicals can varry a bit i am not sure the die of the tc bullets you can look at the box and compare them as well i am sure it will tell you and you can see. but the best thing is to find out the info from the factory like you are doing and go from there and find the right bullets for your gun

[Amsdad]

Bobcat,
Wow..I didn't have one with me at the range because I have never needed one before. I have a few, but didn't see their need until now. I can see now that you truly have to stuff the bullet on some rifles..It was a B**** to get that bullet down the first couple of inches of barrel, but once the lands were cut it goes down fairly easily. So I take it this is fairly common with older rifles, I simply did not have that experience with any of the loads in my BD. Even the toughest sabots I could do with just the ramrod. I guess this makes for pretty good sealing in the barrel.

Thanks for the input..and back to the range I go.

[bobcat]

Just this last weekend I was shooting some 302 grain 54 caliber Buffalo bullets w/sabots in my Lyman Deerstalker, and they required the short starter to get them down the barrel. So it's not just the conicals. It depends on the diameter of the bore and of course, the diameter of your sabot. I am going to buy some Harvester sabots to use with the Buffalo Bullets so that I won't need the short starter. For hunting I don't want to use a bullet that takes that much work to push down the barrel.

[carpsniperg2]

yeah i use a short starter for all my muzzle hunting and shooting i shoot dead center and tmz's

[Whitelightning]

Amsdad,
I am with on not having to use a short starter. I don't even own one. Loading of my White's is as easy as pushing the bullet in the bore with thumb pressure! Pounding a conical down the bore seems to me is hurting the ballistics of the bullet IMO.

[22-250]

Another question for the cva experts  got a used hunterbolt inline that had 209 ignition bought conversion for #11 caps but the caps won't seat far enought to go off actually fire the gun once that pushes cap forward then it will always fire off the 2nd time.any ideas should i try musket caps?   thanks for any help Bill

[carpsniperg2]

i would say try a diffrent brand of capps never heard of tha :dunno:t before maybe the caps are a little long. or get a new nipple  i would always say try the musket cap's

[Blsum]

Okay I gotta toss in my  The T.C. Black Diamond has about an inch of barrel that doesn't have the rifling in the barrel. As far as I know its to add in starting a bullet. I have never needed to use a bullet starter with my B.D. as well. How ever my Knight bighorn doesn't have that same easy load barrel. In some of my testing that I've done with the variety of bullets I've found that some of them are pretty easy to start in the bighorn with out the add of a bullet starter, and some of them it was damn near impossible to get one down the barrel with out one. So it sounds to me like you might want to carry a bullet starter with you if  you are planning on packing that gun.

Also 22-250. My cousin had a gun that wouldn't fire all the time on the first shot. But it would go off after the second shot. He even got a new nipple for the gun and still didn't work. Come to find out they had put in a hammer spring that was to light. We ended up getting a replacement form the factory and it worked fine after that. At least until the gun went off when he didn't want it to.  Then that was the last time he ever shot it.

[Whitelightning]

Another question for the cva experts  got a used hunterbolt inline that had 209 ignition bought conversion for #11 caps but the caps won't seat far enought to go off actually fire the gun once that pushes cap forward then it will always fire off the 2nd time.any ideas should i try musket caps?   thanks for any help Bill

Try snding the nipple it is probably a little large in diameter. I use fine sand paper and sand a little and try to fire a cap until I get one to fire everytime. If the cap is not seated on the nipple correctly then it will mushroom on the first attempt and fire on the second. 

[ML_Hunter]

Another question for the cva experts  got a used hunterbolt inline that had 209 ignition bought conversion for #11 caps but the caps won't seat far enought to go off actually fire the gun once that pushes cap forward then it will always fire off the 2nd time.any ideas should i try musket caps?   thanks for any help Bill

Try snding the nipple it is probably a little large in diameter. I use fine sand paper and sand a little and try to fire a cap until I get one to fire everytime. If the cap is not seated on the nipple correctly then it will mushroom on the first attempt and fire on the second. 

I have a friend with the same problem, to solve this both him and his dad use CCI #10 Caps which is normally used for revolvers.  You may want to give that a try.  Of course I'd just recomend using Musket Caps  .