Fixed - Chiappa Double Badger .22LR / .410 Won't stay closed.

Zen_Seeker

Zen_Seeker

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Getting ready for September and took out my Chiappa DB. Things went fine for the .22LR. However shooting the .410 causes the rifle to open. Either the locking plate or the receiver has worn down to far. (New'ish rifle but it looks like this area was over worked with uneven tool marks and missing paint.) It came this way but seemed fine until it broke in and smoothed out a bit. Now a good hit with my palm will open the rifle in half.

I'm sure a little weld would fix it up, followed by some light filing/sanding but I haven't done any welding in 30 years. Last thing I did was fix the old gas mower...it worked but was called "Frankin Mower" from that day forward.

I don't think JB weld or the like would work either do to the location and constant rubbing.

Maybe drill a hole and put in a SS screw?

As Grechs is now the warranty store and I have heard nothing but bad things I'm not keen on sending it in either.

Any one else fix an issue like this without welding?

I'm going to try and tighten the side screws for now but don't plan to use the .410 until resolved.

Thanks for any helpful feedback.

Zen
 
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Well the lack of replies had me break down the action and review things. Found a schematic online and noted my locking plate was on a angle while the schematic showed it as being straight. Removed it, noted it was a very rough part with tool marks all over it and sharp edges. I flattened it a bit, but not all the way, and polished it up a little. It seems better now but not 100% so I'll test it and go from there. Now I just have to get up north one day soon.
 
I wasn't happy with the results of the first attempt. It was tighter than before but if I banged it on the frame seam on my arm it would pop open after one or two wacks. I'm sure this was why the .410 was popping it open.

So last night before bed I cracked it open again, broke it down, and this time took the locking plate out and just put it in the channel cut into the lower frame to see how it matched up to the slot cut into the upper frame with the barrel attached.

Not even close. They had put a small chisel point on the bottom side rather than file things down to fit properly and this had worn down after only a short amount of use.

I then stood the upper frame up, so the barrel was on the floor, and closed the lower frame. Everything else was removed by taking out the long bolt in the stock. I put the locking plate in place and marked how deep it sat with a black marker. It was not even a millimeter of contact.

After removing the locking plate I got a flat file and put it on a very shallow angle and filed it down bit by bit, testing every few strokes to see how much deeper it would go into the upper frame channel. In less than 10 minutes I had it fit, even, and lightly polished.

It only goes in a few millimeters but it's locked tight and no longer can be opened by banging the frame seam on my arm, even with the side scews lossened. In fact it will only open when I push the lever in all the way as is should. Now I just need to get up north to test and check zero before grouse season.

If anyone wants more details or photos let me know and I'll see if I can get them up on a host.

Regards,
Zen
 
mbogo3 said:
Chiappa
Click to expand...

True. But it looked and felt better that the new plastic Savage... I like wood stocks, always have, so it pushed me in that direction.

After all the tweaks/repairs I've made to this rifle I'd never recommend it...but it does shoot very well which is why I keep it. Perfect size and no big deal if it gets banged up.

BTW: The old diagrams shows the bottom frame and top part with the safety as one but mine is two parts with mushroom capped machine screws joinging them together. My top/forward screw cap broke off so it looked like a washer when puting it back together. Didn't take much force. Drilled it out and used it as a washer with a screw I already had as a temp fix. I don't understand why 1/3 the parts on these seem so cheap while others are spot on? How does using crappy zinc screws and shoddy workmanship expected to improve a reputation and repeat sales?
 
Final update:

What a differance 2mm can make. My son and I played hooky and slipped up north to my spot to walk the grouse trails and test things out. We tried Super X slugs, #4, #6 and Rem #4. Mix of 2 1/2" & 3" shells. No issues at all! After 6 rounds of each type, along with 50 CCI SV 40gr.

Sadly my eyes did have issues with the sights. Rear sight is blurry so lining things up exactly the same after realoading the .22LR was hit and miss, while the .410 shot was fine. :( Might need to look into a red dot for this but not sure if that's practical. Does have a dove tail though...

I'll hang on to the pics a bit longer before deleting if someone else has an issue with the frame opening when the gun fires. Just send me a PM and I'll help as I can.

Zen
 
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