Forward: Since the gentleman never responded to the letter I mailed two months ago, I thought I would post the letter here, to make as many of you aware of the issues I have found with CVA and their Apex rifles, as I can. I will also post this on two other hunting and shooting forums I belong to.
The result of the letter below...NOTHING...no response...like the letter was never sent. The .270 barrel I sent back to their repair facility was replaced with what appeares to be a used barrel, along a 30% "VIP" discount card good for purchases at their online store, but when I went online today, to order the .243 Apex barrel I mention in the letter, the code wouldn't work. After calling CVA, it turns out the online price is "special" so they won't allow the discount. Figures!
I have not changed my mind about the Apex rifle, but I have serious reservations about the company. I would urge all who read this to think twice before purchasing anything from this company. The letter follows:
Dear Mr. McGarity,
On November 26 of last year I purchased a .45-70 Govt. CVA Apex rifle (barrel serial number 61-06-011427-09, frame serial number 61-06-000882-10) from GunForAll.com, for which I paid $495.07 (proof of purchase enclosed). Range tests with that rifle, shooting Hornady LEVERevolution 325 grain FTX ammunition, with a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40mm scope, produce three shot same-hole results at 100 yards. That accuracy wooed me into keeping the rifle even though there were some fit and finish issues with it. Upon inspection out of the box, I found the barrel drilled and tapped for iron sites without any sights or filler screws being supplied with the firearm. This leaves holes that can and do collect moisture and debris when in the field. I consider this a negative rather than positive feature. The fact that .45-70 barrels are drilled and tapped should be noted in the barrel description so that the customer is aware that it’s coming that way. Upon closer inspection, there is a narrow flat spot on the top of the barrel (photo #1) about where the front of the scope lines up, that measures approximately one inch in length by one eighth inch wide, that was there before the final finish was applied. The weld on the left side of the barrel that mounts the base to the barrel (photos #2 R & L) suggests that the Spanish welder had too much Sangria the night before, as that weld is an unsightly mess. That weld or the barrel “dent” should have been enough to fail a rigorous QA inspection. Moving on, there is a significantly wider gap between the barrel and frame on the right side (photos #3 R & L) that cannot be adjusted out, and is present no matter which (of three) barrels I mount on the frame, suggesting a centering alignment problem with the frame, not the barrel. While that may not affect the accuracy of the firearm, long term function is questionable, as fired cases in all barrels show that the firing pin is not striking the center of the primer (photo #4), an obvious sign that the barrel is either misaligned on the frame, or the firing pin hole is drilled off-center. These issues all detract from the Apex’s overall appearance and quality.
Having said all of that, I was still intrigued enough by the accuracy of the Bergara barrel, that I ordered two more; the .270 barrel (SN 61-06-001834-10) on December 10, from Prairie Arms Web Store, for which I paid $264.49 (proof of purchase enclosed), and the 300 Win Mag barrel (SN 61-06-002966-09) on December 12, from PistolandPawn.com, for which I paid $246.87 (proof of purchase enclosed). The variety of vendors suggests the significant problems I encountered finding the barrels I wanted.
Regarding the 300 Win Mag, I found no issues with that barrel but am still in the process of attempting to find ammunition that will group tightly in it. The list of non-successful candidates so far includes Hornady 180 grain SST Superformance, Winchester 180 grain Ballistic Silvertip, and Nosler 180 grain Accubond Trophy Grade, arguably three of the best production brands on the market today. The scope, by the way, is a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x50mm LR with Leupold PRW mounts.
Before I get off the subject of this barrel (and others with standard tapers) I would strongly suggest that you have the folks from Durasight make a rail that fits the standard taper on centerfire barrels without creating the “diving board effect” on the front of the rail that we have now. Not only does it detract from the overall appearance of an otherwise good looking firearm, I question whether hanging a scope out there with no forward support, is good for the scope or the long term accuracy of heavy recoiling firearms such as the 300 Win Mag, and may be affecting my ability to get tight groups now, even though the Durasight rails were reinstalled and rings installed to spec, all with Loctite on the threads.
The .270 is another matter. I am in the process of boxing it up and sending it back to you for replacement (copy of the Center Fire Repair Form enclosed). After having significant problems printing consistent groups with any ammunition I fired through it, I sent three boxes of Hornady ammo back to them for analysis, because I was getting pierced primers with their stuff. While they conceded that early lots of the ammo I was shooting had problems with thin primers as well as their Superformance powder mix, and are replacing the ammo, they also measured the fired cases and found the barrel to be out of SAAMI specification for head space (Hornady email enclosed). I am including several of the returned Hornady cases with the barrel, as well as fired cases from Barnes 150 grain Vortex, and Winchester 130 grain Ballistic Silvertip ammunition, all fired through that barrel. Have your people take a look at the primers. There is obvious primer cratering and some weird deformation that looks like the firing pin may be double tapping the primer, which is also visible on the 300 Win Mag cases.
Then there’s the issue of registering my center fire rifle and barrels. I do not own a CVA black powder firearm, and did not register one with your company. I registered a .45-70 Govt. center fire rifle, a .270 center fire barrel, and a 300 Win Mag center fire barrel. In all three instances I got an email (copy enclosed) thanking me for my muzzle loader purchase. After a couple of years in the interchangeable center fire rifle barrel business, you should have corrected that faux pas, but perhaps in a true Freudian slip, the failure to do so may reveal your continuing corporate mind-set.
Then there’s the (must be informal since there’s nothing on the BPI or CVA websites) announcement that beginning in January of this year the CVA store will become the sole supplier of after-market Apex barrels and that the price has been dropped to $219.95 for the center fire models. While I got the news unofficially from a post on one of several hunting and shooting forums I belong to, you were quoted in that post. The post must have some truth to it, as barrels are again becoming available on the CVA store website; most at the stated price. That being the case, I am formally requesting a refund of the difference I paid for both the .270 and 300 Win Mag barrels in December. That is too significant a price drop, too soon after the purchase, to shrug it off as a “shoulda waited to buy” timing issue.
I have recently purchased and am awaiting receipt of a second black composite frame and forearm, so now actually own four forearms…one each for the three barrels I now own, and one for the one(s) I am about to purchase. Yeah, call me stupid, but I still want a couple of more Apex barrels…that is if you can manage to produce any more, and sell them to me for $219.95 (or you could just send me two, for all of my trouble). I would like to own the .35 Whelen for myself and the .243 for one of my granddaughters (hence the second frame).
You see, the thing is, I really believe that the Apex is a great idea, and has the potential of becoming the only rifle I carry afield. You have to understand that’s saying something coming from me, because I am a sixty-one-year-old who cut his teeth on Winchester and Remington bolt guns. It’s just that I don’t typically have to fire more that one shot these days, prefer to load only one round at a time to preserve accuracy down range, I’ve never liked the Thompson Center “boat paddle” design, and the H&R’s…well, I’d just rather not go there…
That, in a nutshell, is why I am writing this letter. If I didn’t care about the Apex, I have enough money these days to just throw the stuff in the gun safe or give it to my son-in-law, lesson learned, and move on, but I want to see the Apex succeed, and be produced with the craftsmanship and quality of a center fire rifle, not just a center fire barrel stuck on a muzzle-loader company’s frame.
I may be contacted at ccloer@aol.com
All those with Customer Service issues with CVA and that respond with the issue, please provide your email address for further contact. Bigblock455 Moderator
