Chiappa is basically a company that manufactures reproduction models, but chiappa manufacture em on the cheap end of the spectrum.
I’ve seen a couple folks using em at the range over the last 15 years, including an impressive looking M1 Carbine I was given the opportunity to try out.
Now I’m a dern good shot and I was disappointed in its ability to stay consistent, even if the sights were off. They should have been off consistently and offered decent groups.
This may not be the case with other models. From what I’ve heard about em…it’s doubtful.
But I’ve never heard of anyone ranting about Chiappa accuracy anywhere. Otherwise people would be talking about em in such light. But the don’t.
This alone should be a big YELLOW flag if anything.

I remember when I first started getting into handguns about 30 years ago. My first was a reproduction of the 1911 45cal. Compared to a real colt or a Springfield Armory it was very cheap. I hadn’t learned a certain lesson yet.
Llama was the manufacturer. Made in Spain and they started making firearms in 1904 and went belly up in 2000. They had a good run, as they started out as military weapons provider. But as when Wars stopped, they had a limited success in the civilian market but just couldn’t keep up, opting to make cheap inexpensive reproductions.

This model was junk…shake it sideways a few time and it rattled. Consistent accuracy was horrible. No matter who fired it, from 10 feet away, if you had 12 inches groups that would be consistent though unacceptable. I wouldn’t use it for back up. If you gave it to me, I wouldn’t even curse someone with it as a gift Let alone sell it.
Buy cheap and thats what you usually (not always) end up with. My lesson was learned!

Now, having said all that my advice is stick with those that have established a good reputation for quality, functionality and more importantly consistent accuracy. You will likely have to pay for it too. Why else would anyone say, you only get what you pay for?
Looking for a good lever action built like a tank, a fun plinker and Hunter…..look no further than a Henry 22lr 22mag or 17hmr.

Theres a lot of History in the Henry name as a premium designer of firearms going back to the 1860s When Mr Henry designed the first lever action. They only designed and had another company manufacture them, New Haven Firearms . Eventually New Haven changed their name and the Henry evolved into the now famous Winchester.

Believe me when I tell you that Henry Firearms USA, started out by by the Uberti Family here in the good old USA, by making EXACT REPRODUCTIONS of the old Henry designs. Quality and accuracy was through the roof and people drooled over the chance to own one.

Now they’ve expanded to make other lines of great firearms while remaining true to the history of Henry designs and they’ve incorporated that into the 22 rimfire line at very reasonable prices. The other stuff gets rather expensive. 😉 but worth every penny.

Don’t be cheap….save your money a little while longer.

 

Friends dont let friends buy Chiappa's
Nuff said

 

What interested me was the pistol grip and take down like a Marlin M39 which it's a loose copy of. Henry doesn't have those features. My son has a Henry youth LA which is nice. But it's still a cast Zamak receiver like Chiappa. I have a like new Marlin Golden 39 but it's a long full size rifle. I just wanted a carbine size plinker. Minute of clay pigeon for a decent price. I,m not going for a 800 or more Marlin carbine. Thanks for the replies. I was hoping for someone that has one. Somebodies buying them as most I watch on GB sell around 300.00.

 

I'm not going for an 800 or more Marlin carbine.

I look at it differently, especially if the F/S object causes a deep lust in me - Money's only green paper, and I can always get more of that stuff.

Vintage Marlin M39 Model Carbines and Mounties, on the other hand, are not as easy to come by.

That's why God invented plastic money...........

.

 

LA322 shoots minute of squirrel or minute of rabbit. Spencer shoots minute of deer. No the LA322 is not a Winchester 9422 or 9422M or my Marlin 39A's or my Henry lever actions but like them, no issues, puts meat in the pot and works for me.

 

Thanks for the reply. Have you had any case bulge or cracks by the extractor slot? I read some issues with that.

 

I have not, at least at this point.

 

I don't have a Chiappa 22, but I have a Chiappa 1892 reproduction (Rio Bravo, .357 mag) that seems to be well made. And it is a pretty little thing. I've only had it out to shoot once, but it seemed accurate for steel shooting to 50 yards. Function was flawless.

My Chiappa pictured with the Taylor's and Co 357 my wife got me for Christmas this year:

 

I bought a Chiappa 1911-22 as there were no GSG's to found anywhere in my area. No, it didn't have the best finish I had ever seen but it did work consistantly with all the cheap ammo I fed it and with the sights it came with accuracy was decent. Let's say minute of coke can at 20 yards. After about 2 years my LGS finally got a GSG 1911-22 and the Chiappa got traded in on it. It was gone in less than a week. I also bought one of the Chiappa 22 Plinkers that is a single action revolver. Again not the best finished gun I have ever seen but it was reliable with both LR and magnum ammo and had about the same accuracy as the other. The store where I bought it told me they had sold a bunch of them to the cowboy wanna be shooters there for practice guns. It was also coke can accurate and also went away in a trade after a couple of years. The only thing I can say about their lever action rifles is that my LGS has had a couple of them in stock and the finish quality has seemed to be improved. Neither stayed in the rack very long but my personal opinion is to go with the Henry for a lever action 22 rifle.

 

i dont have a chiappa 22 yet , but that makes me think about it ,

 

Had the LA22 about four years ago it was accurate enough never had any issues , but I purchased it for the takedown feature which I was not happy with. When it is takendown down the lever is on the barrel section of the action which left it to long in my opinion where as the Marlin 39 the lever is on the butstock half of the rifle . So I sold it and moved on now have a BL22 and a Henry H001.

 

I have a Chiappa LA322. I have done a few mods, replaced the deer horn rear sight with a universal twin fiber optic. painted a white dot on the front sight. Adequate in daylight. Machined a brass follower to replace the plastic one, slightly concave end, seems to feed last few rounds better.
I too am not fond of the lever staying with the receiver, has a habit of coming apart on mine, and not that simple to get the bolt back in. I usually don't takedown mine anyway, except to do a good cleaning. Otherwise is fairly accurate, and fun to shoot.
I bought some speed loader tubes to go with it, faster than feeding one round at a time to reload. I cut a piece of plastic tube from a marker to slip on the magazine tube that covers part of the bullet cutout hole, rounds won't drop out accidentally when I dump the speedloader tube rounds into the end of the magazine tube.

 

Thanks for the replies. I wasn,t aware the lever position on take down. I haven't seen one in person at any of the shops locally to handle. I don't plan to store it taken down so it shouldn't be a issue. Looks like it,s a nice size and price for a plinker. I wish one would show up local to handle.

 

Don't buy one. It's bad. They're over priced and just bad. The customer service is awful too.

 

Has not been my experience after cleaning out the box and break in. Thinking about buying the 1892.

 

do i sense a disgruntled customer ? ive not had these bad experienced that with my center fire chiappas

 

Well, I must have got a good one. I just got one for my son for his birthday. We put around 400 rounds through and it worked perfect. Smooth action and 19 bullseye out of the 20 shots I took right out of the box. Around 30 35 yds. Really haven't tried long shots yet.

 

A friend bought the Chiappa lever about 2-3 years ago. It was pretty crude, although I've since seen some that were better finished.
While shooting it, I had a case blow out near the rim. We thought it was the ammo, but a bit later my friend had a split case as well, so we quit shooting it.
The friend moved away, so I never found out if he sent it in or sold it.

Chiappa on the left, the real deal (first year Mountie) on the right.

 

thats an interesting inlay in the buttstock of the mountie , did you do it ?

 

No, not me.
I assume a previous owner had a gunsmith do it, as someone did a good job of shortening the original 24" barrel of the first year Mountie to what I had, and that was 19".
The magazine tube would have been shortened as well.

 

I'm good thanks anyway....

 

I would like to see the new Winchester Ranger 22lr. Chiappa is hit and miss. Their better grade guns are decent. I looked at the Chiappa 22lr lever and was not impressed by the machining. Look inside. I do have a Double Badger 22lr/410 that is reasonably well made. Not in the class of a Savage 24 DL but better than a Savage 42. At least the barrels are reasonably close unlike the Savage 24 Camper 22lr/20 I had.

 

I do have a Chiappa LA322 in Deluxe pistol grip fashion, just bought it last week, shot it yesterday at 40 yards with Armscor 36 grain copper tops, factory sight adjustment rendered a 1.5" group that was 1" high and 1" right of a 2" circle.. Adjusted windage and aimed a bit lower, next 5 all inside a 2" circle, 2 rounds touching each other.. Open sights, this gun is "minute of squirrel" all day long.... now appearance is another issue... furniture fit leaves something to be desired, furniture finish is poor although it has NICE full grained walnut furniture.... rear barrel band is cast and just like the lever is simply painted black.. I can correct the cosmetic issues... Mechanically, including the function of the take down (locks up tight), the gun is solid for a $325 dollar gun... It's no Marlin 39A, but at that price I wouldn't expect it to be!