at the time, cva used to proof their barrels at 10,000 psi . this was in the days when they only had patched round ball style rifles. Since then, people have used this against cva and claim they only test their barrels up to 10,000psi. This is untrue, cva tests their barrels past 29,000psi. Not every barrel gets tested, same with TC, Knight, traditions and most other muzzleloader barrels except for savage (smokeless) The barrels are made to top quality specs and as i said earlier, made to handle pressures exceeding 29,000psi.

Im not to sure where you can buy brand new cva barrels for $40, i cant find one, but a barrel for the plainsman will run you about $85 + shipping from Deer Creek Products.

Thats a nice Plainsman by the way! I really enjoyed mine when i had it. If yours has a heavy trigger pull, you can replace the tumbler in the lock for only around $10-$12. Very simple item to replace. Also make sure the Tang screw it tight, if its loose it and crack the stock on recoil and really hurt the accuracy if its loose.