Are CVA's safe?
I'm new to black powder, know practically nothing about bp rifles, and just picked up my first gun, a CVA Plainsman .50cal percussion cap. Mainly I snagged it because the gun show vendor was willing to let it go for $40, on account of a blocked barrel, some surface rust, a missing wedge, and it having had paint splattered on it at some point. After some work I got the obstruction out (a bore brush, and boy was it ever stuck!) and cleaned it up pretty good.
It looks okay, and I'll have a smith look it over, but I have some reservations about it. I've heard two different stories about this company. Mainly that they're really good, and that they use inferior, soft steel and their rifles have a really nasty habit of exploding at pressures well below those produced by a standard load.
I'm really nervous about using it. Can anyone settle this for me?