A couple years ago a gun found its way into my safe. It's a CVA Frontier rifle. A factory flinter.


Here's the rub...…….. It's rifle #0000001. The first one CVA ever built. Has a freakishly gorgeous stick of maple on it and a bright, stainless Douglas barrel. Has a hang tag in a plastic sleeve zip-tied to the trigger guard stating it is the "First item" and was presented to the, then, CVA QC/QA head. March 1976. It is unfired.


Whadda ya do with THAT ???

shoot it

That's not in the short-range plan. No need to and not sure I could do it in good conscience. Granted, it's only a CVA...……...but, still...……….. 1st one ever. I'm not even sure how one would derive a baseline to guess what an accurate valuation would be...……...

Here's a few pics of it...…...

Put it on Gunbroker with a long long auction time and whatever minimum you think. The market will tell you what it is worth. Nice wood on it.

Sell it and buy something you will shoot. I imagine there's a CVA collectors' coven somewhere. Maybe the current owners of CVA will buy it to put on display at headquarters.

According to the guy I got it from, CVA had no knowledge of the gun (a whole bunch of their records were lost in a fire a good while back) and they really didn't seem all that excited to know of its existence. I do know CVA abandoned the sidelock business quite a while ago, as well.

At this point in time, I'm not looking to sell it. It's just so purty to look at...………… And if I were to decide, one day, to move the gun, I haven't a clue as to what to even ask for it other than more than I paid for it. No idea even what BALLPARK the gun's value would be...………….hence the OP. Hoping there'd be someone with some collector's background that would have somewhat of a clue of its worth.

Ive seen the older CVA Mountain rifles in maple and silver hardware go for $400+. If your provenance is correct and since its a flintlock it should be worth more. You could check with Deer Creek and see if anyone there has a better opinion of its value. They specialize in old CVA sidelock parts. You might also want to remove the lock and check for any markings.

https://www.deercreekproducts.net/contact-us.html

I built the .50 perc. Version from a kit for wifey about 1978 or 79. Even with RB’s that was the kickinest little rifle I’d ever shot. Straight stocked thing busted hell outta your cheek bone trying to get on the sights. She ended up selling it.

My meat gun is an older maple/silver Mountain Rifle flinter. Incredibly balanced gun and NUTZ for accurate.

Thanks for the lead on the Deer Creek folks !!! I will see what they have to say.

I would guess that its possible that it could be worth $650 - $750 retail depending on the venue where it's sold and a prospective buyer's desire to own it.
There's a slight chance that it could be worth more, and a chance that it would need to sit in the safe for a longer period of time before a collector can be found to purchase.it at that price.
Sometimes serial numbers can be specially made for an employee or special purpose in mind which bears no relation to the serial numbers of the regular production guns.
For instance, that rifle may be the 1st and only stainless Frontier [flintlock] model every produced.
Also, CVA was originally located in Connecticut and I can't even determine what year they moved, whether they had already relocated to Georgia when that rifle was presented.
Does the rifle have a company address on the barrel, the name of the town and state where CVA was located at the time it was made around 1976?
I wonder if they were still located in or around Deep River, Connecticut at that time.