CVA Mountain barrel addition??

[Sjfriend]

I was given an early CVA Mountain 50cal cap gun (1-66 twist, only smokepole I own). Living in Alaska and wanting to moose hunt with it am thinking bigger or faster twist barrel would be an improvement. Looked around a bit here for ideas but could only find older posts and the way things change would like current recommendations or ideas, please 

[rollingb]

If considering a .50 caliber muzzleloader for moose in Alaska, round balls aren't allowed, only conicals,.... at least that was the law when I lived there.
So bigger, or a faster twist, would be ideal. 

Before looking for a different barrel for your .50 slow twist,.... you might try some conicals to see if you can get decent accuracy out of'em.
Where I hunted moose in Alaska (Tok River area) it was pretty much close range work, I don't think I ever shot a moose more than 35 yards away,.... I love callin' moose in. 
I was usin' a .58 Early Hawken full stock, and round balls.

[Winter Hawk]

Call the folks at Deer Creek Products (https://www.deercreekproducts.net/).  Deer Creek bought up all the old CVA parts when they got out of traditional guns, and for years had the mountain rifles available as kits, either the Deer Creek Rifle or the Northwest Rifle.  They also bought up the machinery and stock from Douglas barrels when that company stopped making them for black powder rifles, and Deer Creek made their own.  The last I heard they still had barrels available, you need to ask what they have.  Or, send the barrel to Bobby Hoyt (http://tradmla.org/tmaf/index.php?topic=22533.0) and have him bore it out to .54.  Just make sure he knows that it is a CVA barrel because the bolster set up is a might different from what you would expect.

The Alaska regs required a minimum of .45 caliber round ball for deer and black bear, .45 minimum with 250 grain bullet or .54 caliber minimum round ball for other big game when I lived there.  However, what I read now is a .45 minimum for everything, no bullet specified.  I may be missing something though.  At any rate, with a .54 barrel you are good to go with round ball out to 100 yards.  Even .50 R.B. is good; moose aren't that hard to kill.

From page 19 of the 2017-2018 Alaska hunting regulations:
 
You may NOT....
• Hunt big game with a muzzleloader, UNLESS: it is a shoulder-mounted long gun and is at least .45 caliber or larger with a barrel that is either rifled or smooth bore and discharges a single projectile.
• Hunt big game with a muzzleloader equipped with a scope, or using smokeless powder as a charge during any special season for muzzleloading firearms only.

If in doubt, call Fish & Game!

-Kees-