Do you clean your firing pin on your CVA muzzleloader? You may not, and it's one of the most overlooked parts of a CVA muzzleloader. I`ve asked this question and have been told by some that its waste of time cleaning the firing pin since with the 209 primer ignition the firing pin doesn't get dirty. That's the furthest thing from the truth, as you can see in the pictures just how dirty they will get if not cleaned.

It's a straightforward process and only takes roughly 5-10 minutes to remove and clean. Each CVA muzzleloader comes with the tools necessary to remove the firing pin. You must remove the forearm screw and then remove the forearm and then you can break the gun down and remove the barrel assembly. Once you remove the barrel, you then have easy access to the firing pin retainer. When removing the retainer there is some spring tension on the retainer, it's minimum but take precaution not to lose the spring. Once the retainer is removed, you will then remove the spring and take a small pair of needle nose pliers to remove the firing pin. When the firing pin is dirty you can cock the hammer and take a small brass punch (so you don't damage the firing pin) and hammer and lightly tap on the firing pin out. Once removed, I drop all three pieces in a container of CVA Barrel Blaster Parts Soaker and let it soak for 5-10 minutes while cleaning the rest of your gun.

Now that you have cleaned the rest of your muzzleloader remove the firing pin parts from the cleaner take a small nylon bore brush and clean the firing pin, spring and retainer. I will take the bore brush with some Barrel Blaster Cleaner and swab the firing pin bore to clean out any residue. Once the cleaning is complete, I will apply a few drops of gun oil to the firing pin, reassemble, and snug the retainer. The cleaning of your firing pin assembly is now complete. If you need any parts for your firing pin, CVA has you covered. You can purchase a firing pin kit at www.shop.cva.com. Now you can reassemble the rest of your clean muzzleloader and be ready for your next trip to the range or your next hunting adventure. I hope this was useful and that you see how important it is to clean your firing pin. Thanks and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.