-Hey there. I have my Wife's Dad's older CVA Hawken. My Mother-in-law wanted me to go over it because she was thinking of selling it. Besides the end of the barrel having some rust around it from sitting untouched for the last 28 years, the only thing I can find wrong with it is the set trigger does absolutely nothing. The front trigger pull is probably around 12# before it drops the hammer. Does anyone have any info on adjusting the set trigger? I took the sideplate off, and also removed the trigger assembly. I can see that the sear completely sets into each notch while cocking it. But the two levers coming from the triggers are a bit puzzling for me. This .50 cal Hawken is at least 30 years old. The barrel is stamped Made In USA, and it is attached to the stock with two wedges instead of one. Plus her Dad was killed in 1985, and he used it quite a bit for hunting for at least a few years before that...
That is an early CVA Mountain Rifle. One of the best that CVA ever made. The made in USA is a plus. Rare. I have 1 in .45 and 1 in .50, both good shooters. It looks like it has nice wood on it. The set triggers are tricky. The trigger looks like it is set back pretty far. With the trigger removed from the rifle adjust the small screw between the triggers out until the rear trigger will set. On 1 I have it is nearly all the way out. After adjustment I used blue locktite so it doesn't come out.
I have my Grandfathers old shotgun. Its not worth more than a tank of gasoline but I want to keep it in the family.
-Thanks, you guys. Yeah, the wood has great flaming or curl to it. It's not added for effect. When I had the barrel out, you can see the figuring inside the stock too. I'll have to pull the trigger group and adjust it to see if that helps. From what I can see of the bore, it looks to be a good shape. I have her Dad's possibles bag and powder horn too. Maybe I'll have to drop a light 50 grain charge in it and give it a test fire soon. For such a nice rifle, it's a shame that it has sat unused for so long. My Wife somewhat carries on the tradition of shooting. She loves shooting her pistol. But her two brothers have mostly gotten away from it.
I had this same rifle years ago. It was stolen in 1981. It is a real good shooter. I used 75 grains of powder in mine. I have been looking for one for 4 years to replace my old one. The good thing to me is they can be found pretty cheap.
-I read somewhere that the recommended charge ranges from 50 to 100 grains of FFG. Figure I'll go with the lightest charge because I've never shot this rifle before. I was thinking my Mother-in-law may be able to get around $150 for it. Does that sound reasonable?
If the rifling is sharp and the barrel not pitted, you should be able to get at least $150 for it, possibly $225 or more if the exterior of the barrel cleans up--you might try some bronze steel wool on it, but rub it very lightly and dip it in oil. This style of gun has fallen out of favor with the proliferation of in-lines. .
-I'll try to get a couple pics later. The rifling looks as far as I can see into the barrel. Right now I have some FrogLube applied to it. Gonna see if that will help remove some or most of the rust. All it is is about maybe 3/8" to 1/2" from the tip of the muzzle down the flats of the barrel. If that doesn't work, I'll give the bronze wool a shot. Thanks for the tip...
-There's no rust around the nipple at all. I've already had it off, and it actually looked like a new one. Not even a hint of powder burn inside it. Also when I was running a jagged cleaning patch through the bore, barely anything came out on the patch. So I ran another 4 or 5 patches in it just to be sure it was clean. Is there a way to check by the serial # on the barrel for when it was made?
-Well, one last pic of the Hawken. I still can't get the set trigger to do anything. Basically it free floats. On the sidelock, there is only one lever going into the stock where the trigger arms actuate it. Could this be a replacement sidelock part? Maybe I should post a pic of the other side of the sidelock. You guys would probably know if it's an aftermarket or replacement part...
There is only one tail on the sear of any lock. The "set trigger" action/function is wholly within the trigger group. When they work properly, after they are set when the front trigger is pulled it releases the rear trigger and it snaps up to hit the sear tail and releases it from the tumbler. If it just flops around or "floats" as you described there is probably a spring missing or broken. Or there could be a piece broken off either of the triggers. Which trigger "floats" around, front or rear?
-It's the rear trigger that doesn't do anything. I'll take it apart and post a couple pics of both assemblies...
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