Chiappa Building a plant in the US

[FatJackDurham]

CNN ran a story about Chiappa coming to the USA to make guns here.

I was unaware of their non cowboy products like the Rhino, a revolver that shoots from the bottom of the cylinder to manage recoil, or the Badger .22.

I have always thought the Chiappa replica rifles where the nicest fit and finish recently, though I don't know how they shoot.

[jdad]

Quality? If history is any indication......

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Chiappa-F ... tom-971321

http://www.scambook.com/company/reports ... a-Firearms

[FatJackDurham]

Mmhmmm. I know ALL the Italian brands have had historical problems, yet, they keep at it. Last time I was in a store, I picked up a gorgeous 92 in 45 LC, smooth as silk, great fit and finish, etc. It was a Chiappa.

[Griff]

They are lovely to look at. But then, so are movie starletts... but from all indications, they require some pretty high maintenance.

[jdad]

[delete

[jdad]

They are lovely to look at. But then, so are movie starletts... but from all indications, they require some pretty high maintenance.

FIAT comes to mind also.

[Hagler]

Gents,

The Rhino is an interesting gun. It was designed by the man who gave us the Mateba revolvers:

http://www.americanrifleman.org/article ... er-review/

Emilio Ghisoni, an Italian firearm designer who once patented, of all things, a recoil-operated, semi-automatic revolver, the Mateba, understood that by lowering the axis of a revolver’s barrel in the hand, recoil and muzzle flip could be greatly reduced. To do this, though, would require positioning the barrel so that the revolver fired from the cylinder’s bottom chamber instead of the top.

Working with Italian competitive shooter Antonio Caduzzo, the team produced a unique revolver that highlighted Ghisoni’s signature bottom-barrel design; however, Ghisoni didn’t live to see it become reality, since he passed away in 2008. But, Caduzzo found another partner, Rino Chiappa, owner of Chiappa Group and Chiappa Firearms. Chiappa Firearms is well-known for its replica arms of notable models from Sharps, Winchester and Colt.

Chiappa also runs KIMAR, which makes zinc- & aluminum- alloy blank-firing guns. Some of there genuine firearms have "Kimar" cast right into them, the Little Badger being one such gun:

http://chiappafirearms.com/kimar

Kimar

1992 The Kimar factory was founded by the brothers Rino and Silvia Chiappa for the production of high quality blank pistols.

1995 Kimar's Pyhton model was the only pistol approved on the French market for the newly allowed 9mm caliber, thanks to its greater resistance compared to competition.

2008 Kimar introduced a new line of small caliber guns (.22LR) meeting the market request for training and entertainment with inexpensive ammunition.


PRODUCT RANGE: Fine blank guns (signal and starter), non lethal weapons, air guns, small caliber guns

PRODUCTION ACTIVITY:
•The plant of Kimar and Armi Sport are under the same roof. While most blank guns manufacturers have started their activity in the toys sector, Kimar was born in the bosom of a manufacturer of fine firearms. This mentality and vast experience is at the core of Kimar’s excellent quality.
•Kimar's range is entirely produced in the facility in Northern Italy, up to the dies for the casting and the machining tools.
•Design, production process and logistics are integrated in a fully computerized system.
•State of the art technology is employed in the full production process, especially in plastic and alloy casting.

Shawn

[Blaine]

They are lovely to look at. But then, so are movie starletts... but from all indications, they require some pretty high maintenance.

FIAT comes to mind also.

Fix It Again, Tony

[FatJackDurham]

They are lovely to look at. But then, so are movie starletts... but from all indications, they require some pretty high maintenance.

FIAT comes to mind also.

Fix It Again, Tony

Had one in High School. A 1980 Spider I bought for $700. Fast, very fast, for a fuel injected 2 liter. Electricals broke constantly. I lost it in a river once, but after draining the fluids and replacing the computer it still ran like a top. Mechanically fun and fast. But as I said, electrically terrible.

[Old Time Hunter]

They are lovely to look at. But then, so are movie starletts... but from all indications, they require some pretty high maintenance.

FIAT comes to mind also.

Fix It Again, Tony

Had one in High School. A 1980 Spider I bought for $700. Fast, very fast, for a fuel injected 2 liter. Electricals broke constantly. I lost it in a river once, but after draining the fluids and replacing the computer it still ran like a top. Mechanically fun and fast. But as I said, electrically terrible.

Hey...I had one too...believe it was a '58 model or so back in '76. She was only built with about half liter on each side...and required constant maintenance, especially of the higher kind. Thank goodness she ran off to holly-weird. Yep, can attest she ran hard and fast...at least mechanically, but kept shorting out between the ears.

[Hawkeye2]

Magneti Mareli, Italy's response to Lucas electricals.

[Gaucho Gringo]

People have been saying negative things about their X-Force but to purchase 8 comparable inserts is more than the MSRP of the entire package. If I was in the market for a survival shotgun I would buy the gun, use the insets for my H&R 12ga and sell the rest for $200.00. The 8" barrels of the inserts would get you the accuracy of an 8" revolver.

I wish their 1892's weren't so expensive. With more European and especially Italian gun makers building plants in the US it kind of throws out the old old saying about the cheap labor of "insert nationality". Unfortunately, we are now the cheap labor.

[Mescalero]

Know why the English drink warm beer?
Lucas makes the reefer equipment

[Blaine]

Know why the English drink warm beer?
Lucas makes the reefer equipment

Lucas is an old Celtic word that means Won't Work In The Rain......

[Mescalero]

[Sixgun]

I've been touting this for many years. It's all I do is play with the old guns and am around other people who do. With the exception of Jap Miroku leverguns, the rest are junk. Some are ok from the start and the fit and finish is usually better than expected, but 35% or so have issues from the get go and most of the rest develop issues as they are being used.

I personally despise the Japs but they know how to make a gun.....and make it last.

I've owned hundreds of antique Winchesters, Marlins, Colts, Savages, S & W's, and assorted US military guns made back in the day using old technology and who knows how much they were shot before I got my greedy little hands on them. I have logged over 5-10k out of many of these guns and they keep running. One Colt Lightning in 38-40 has close to 10k and I never did nothing more than clean it.

My buddy Gunny spent the big bucks on a deluxe 32" barreled Uberti and it was fine for the first several hundred rounds. Wait a minute, I ain't gonna think of the multitude of people who have phoned or showed me their imported junk. I'd be writing all day.



Bottom line......because I have the knowledge to work on these guns, I could "get by" with these imported guns......but I ain't gonna take one hunting and I sure as hell ain't gonna use one for self defense. Out of the box, these guns are not for the average guy.

I can't figure some of this out as the Italians can make some kick azz dependable shotguns and we all know about the dependability of the Beratta 92. Even the Chinese SKS's will run with the best of them. The South American guns seem to fall somewhere between the Italian guns and our older guns, but for some strange reason, other countries, except Japan, just cannot make a decent levergun.

Chiappa had better mind their p's and q's on the first guns that come off the assembly line. I truly hope they do well as it's nice to see quality made American guns. Just look at how well Henry has done. At the gun club there's scores of guys shooting these guns and I have never heard a complaint from
anybody.

So,if anyone here has a connection with Chiappa, tell them "Sixgun" is paying close attention to the first guns because if they don't work well, he will do his best to tell the world all about his favorite word.........JUNK. ----6

[cas]

Seems like they can make guns okay, but with exception of a couple Italian makers, they can't get the metallurgy right. Usually too soft, occasionally too hard. Which kind of boggles the mind, after making them for 500+ years, you'd think they'd have figured it out.

[Griff]

Sixgun, I disagree.

There ain't enough originals to go around. And for every 1873 or '66 you can point to havin' problems... I can find 10 that are perfectly fine. Thousands of cowboy action shooters are usin' 'em. I could name folks that use originals for competition purposes without using the toes!

The adage in cowboy action circles is that if you shoot a '97, you better have 3! One on the firing line, a backup in your gun cart, and one at the gunsmith gettin' repaired. I suspect that if you were to use an original 1873 or 1892, the same would be true!

Of my two Uberti rifles, only one has seen a gunsmith... er... had a repair... by me. And they're both completely stock! Original springs and all.

[Blaine]

Sixgun, I disagree.

There ain't enough originals to go around. And for every 1873 or '66 you can point to havin' problems... I can find 10 that are perfectly fine. Thousands of cowboy action shooters are usin' 'em. I could name folks that use originals for competition purposes without using the toes!

The adage in cowboy action circles is that if you shoot a '97, you better have 3! One on the firing line, a backup in your gun cart, and one at the gunsmith gettin' repaired. I suspect that if you were to use an original 1873 or 1892, the same would be true!

Of my two Uberti rifles, only one has seen a gunsmith... er... had a repair... by me. And they're both completely stock! Original springs and all.

Sometimes, I wonder if Bubbae ruin good rifles by throwing new/race parts on them before seeing if the original works ok after you break it in.

[Griff]

I don't know if I'd use "ruin"... but, I understand exactly what you mean. I will say this... it's a very rare bird that keep up with the flock when that flock is all usin' short-stroke kits and custom race springs. And for those that do... I wonder just how talented their flock might really be!

The thing that some don't understand is the amount of shooting that these guns will see. Top competitors are firing around 50,000 rounds a year in practice. Cowboy action shootin' ain't "use" of a firearm... it's ABUSE! And yet, these guns stand up to it.

[Griff]

I still think the challenge for Chiappa is to overcome the debacle with their 1876. That may not have been all their own doing... but...

[Sixgun]

Griff,
OK, I may be wrong on that......only with the Ubertis made in the last 10 or 15 years. Back when I ran the circuit (1992-2002) I shot just about every weekend at monthly matches and regional and state champs, they were junk, plain and simple. Can add the newer Marlins also. I was known as the go-to guy when someone had an issue. I still am at the levergun silhouette matches. I could pull the forend and the mag off of a Marlin in like 30 seconds.

Like CAS said, the biggest issue with their (Uberti) rifles and their six guns were broken hammer notches and trigger sears. The metallurgy was horrible. Another common issue was wobbly hammers from hammer screws either wearing prematurely or the receiver holes were drilled wrong and the hammers on both six guns and rifles rode to one side or the other. Bolt notches, bolts and pawls wore like like they were made out of ice and then stuck in a 200 degree gun. We all know the Marlins and the dreaded Marlin mag. jam.

On Marlins, I must admit that was the only real problem, other than sloppy fitting wood and sight dovetails coming close to the side of the barrel and forend caps popping off. Oh yea, then there were the fat chambers. One guy last year showed me his 45-70 ammo. It was a bottleneck! The guy knew how to run a lathe and made a neck sizing die for his particular rifle that had a chamber so fat, it probably could have chambered a 50-70. I told the guy, "get rid of that junk, it's not as if you can't afford one" he did not reply. I've seen them on 45 Colts too.

Back in the day, nothing like that would left the factory.

OK, I admit to exaggerating. It's just that when I see a,lot of the same guns coming up with the same issues, I lump them all in. I have NEVER seen a Jap Miroku with any kind of an issue.

Then there's the Chines Model 97.

Originals. Even ones made in the 70's...the 1870's....not by me, but some guys reported screws that came loose and the occasional broken firing pin tip. ---6

[Hagler]

LUCAS replacement part:

lucas_smokekit2.jpg

Shawn

[Martini450]

I still think the challenge for Chiappa is to overcome the debacle with their 1876. That may not have been all their own doing... but...

You may be thinking of Chapparal; Chiappa has never made an 1876 copy.

[Griff]

I still think the challenge for Chiappa is to overcome the debacle with their 1876. That may not have been all their own doing... but...

You may be thinking of Chapparal; Chiappa has never made an 1876 copy.

Too many players on the field.