In this thread, we discuss the Chiappa Alaskan Scout rifles.
- Thread starter kagia
- Start date
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Really would enjoy liking these things, but shot a coworker’s takedown nickel .45-70 Chiappa (forgive me I don’t know the models) and found it pretty wanting in the production quality and tolerances. Not saying they’re bad guns was just surprised how rattly and in some ways dare I say crude it was. This said nobody else is making models like these, so keep them coming for the guys that enjoy them, they do look great.
I want one and love compact stuff. Capacity never really turns me off. I’m more of a shooter anyways but wouldn’t be afraid to take that hunting
elimsprint
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
What rounds are you shooting out of it and what kind of velocities are you getting?
Wow... necro thread. I got the .357 Mag. 12" just before Christmas. There's a little slop in the lever, but not what I'd call excessive. I'm not otherwise familiar with the 92 action so I don't know how much of this is inherent in the design. (My other levers are Marlins.)
My only slight complaint is that the wood they use for the stock is pretty soft, as I discovered when I wanted to put sling swivels on it (there isn't enough clearancce behind the TD lever for a clamp style on the 12") I'd have thought that some otherwise nondescript hardwood might have been used, given that it's rubber-covered so the grain isn't relevant. I ended up silver-soldering a semi-circular band onto the back side of a swivel stud and epoxying that into the barrel channel of the forend, just behind the forend cap in order to have enough support. Had to very carefully Dremel out a little bit of wood to allow it to fit.
Other than that, it's pretty slick. IMHO, the takedown feature isn't really necessary on a 12" barrel version anyway. An alternative would have been to make the butt stock easily removable, with some sort of latch rather than the traditional bolt. Without the need for the barrel to unscrew, this would also make a longer sight radius possible by allowing the Skinner sight to be installed further back, right over the chamber. It might be possible to mount a very compact micro-dot over the chamber even so, but it would have to allow the barrel to swivel if you wanted to take the rifle down. Custom gunsmith work for sure.
Easy to redesign something from the comfot of your couch, of course...
Addendum: Having not used mine for some time, I just noticed one other thing: the screw that secures the loading gate (goes through the frame and through a hole at the end of the gate spring) was loose. Unfortunately, there is a non-captive nut on the other side. The nut has 2 flat sides and fits into a recess on the inside of the frame, so it should be fairly easy to tighten the screw w/o the nut turning, but mine didn't want to cooperate so I've had to disasssemble the action to get at it and have decided to epoxy the nut in place, then I'll use some blue Loctite to keep the screw from loosening. The nut should really be captive. Perhaps it could be soldered on but the epoxy should do the trick. I've noticed that some of the screws do seem to come loose, so Loctiting them in is not a bad idea.
Dang. I've always wondered what kind of wood was hiding under there. Toyed with the idea of eventually just stripping the rubber off it after it sees enough abuse and starts to look like crap. Was also thinking of adding sling studs, but guess I won't be doing that anymore. Thanks for the heads up!
The only other 92 action I've ever had was my Rossi Ranch Hand, which had a fair bit less slop than this Alaskan Scout.
I recall reading a review - otherswise favourable - of the Alaskan Scout and I think th reviewer mentioned that the wood dented easily. To be honest, at the price I think the wood could be better,esp. as there wouldn't be a need for fancy-grain stuff.
I managed to install a stud but it took a bit of work as it needed a semi-circular steel "collar" on the inside as a backing for the stud. The wood isn't really thick enough to put a regular stud in even if were hardwood. I don't think it's practical to put a stud in the forend cap either. This is only a problem with the 12", though, as the 16" has enough mag tube to use a clamp-style swivel.
Here's a pic of my front swivel arrangement. The base of the stud was contoured to fit the steel collar, and silver-soldered on, then the collar & stud base epoxied in. The swivel screw itself can still turn in the stud. I had to remove a little wood to allow the mag tube to clear. It's not perhaps the sturdiest arrangement but seems to work OK.
View attachment 285768
The screws holding the forend cap onto the barrel cross-bar are quite small diameter and short and I think, made of soft steel, so you have to be careful not to strip them.
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Bought mine as a "novelty" gun quite a while back and thought it would be in and out. It just hasn't left. Shoots great, hit the 8" steel plate virtually every time at 100yds which is more than it was designed for. It's a great gun to grab quick around the farm here. Mine is a 12" 44mag. With pistols being a no-go here, I find it great as just a good ol workhorse. A 44mag won't produce any DRT kills unless you're talking head shots, but it'll get the job done for when I need it to. If I was in grizzly territory I'd probably want some more firepower in this type of a "carry gun" but I'm not. Much handier than toting a full length rifle, and in most cases is the difference between having something or not for me, as its just so handy to grab.
As for the 12" takedown gripe: Yes on paper and in a perfect world it would break apart into perfect halves. I rarely need mine to break down, but I'm not sure what the major gripe is?? It's a short gun, and you break it apart into a much shorter package...what's the problem? People seem to really hang up on the un-equal lengths thing.
As for the 12" takedown gripe: Yes on paper and in a perfect world it would break apart into perfect halves. I rarely need mine to break down, but I'm not sure what the major gripe is?? It's a short gun, and you break it apart into a much shorter package...what's the problem? People seem to really hang up on the un-equal lengths thing.
Really, with a 12" barrel there's little need to break it down. Wild West Guns in Alaska does a takedown 18.5" called the Alaskan Copilot, desgned to be stored behind the seat of a small plane. (Wonder why they don't do 16" as that's the minimum barrel length in the US?)
A little OT, but I just rediscovered Brian Pearce's article on the custom Marlin 1894 takedown he had DRC (David R Clay) make up for him about a decade ago. It's in the May-June 2008 issue (#237) of Rifle Magazine. Probably "rather more expensive" than the Chiappa, with a lot of custom touches, but purpose-built for accuracy and reliability, with a 1-20 twist Shilen barrel for heavier bullets.
Here are a couple of pics:
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Here are a couple of pics:
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View attachment 286791
buck knife
CGN Regular
- Location
- Golden forest
I wish wanstalls would place an order for the 16 inch takedown model,I bet they would sell out as fast as they get them.I almost bought -12 inch model and I'm some glad I got to try it out first because it was not my cup of tea.
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I haven't checked their website lately, but don't they get these in from time to time? Unlike the 12" model, they're legal in the US so they should be available. Contact Wanstall's and ask.
buck knife
CGN Regular
- Location
- Golden forest
They get the 12 inch models in quite often,but I had one of those and did not care for the rifle one bit.they haven't had any 16. Inch models in stock in quite some time.i have no idea why anyone would want a 12 inch take down rifle,but they sell like crazy.
The difference between a pointless or novelty gun and a functional firearm is one never leaves the house. Sorta like the guys with big mud tires and lift kits and never go off the pavement. Mine goes everywhere I go, a stainless would be nice. Never new about Chiappa or was not out yet, when I got my Rossi would like one but I have what have and it works for me. But someday maybe...
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The difference between a pointless or novelty gun and a functional firearm is one never leaves the house. Sorta like the guys with big mud tires and lift kits and never go off the pavement. Mine goes everywhere I go, a stainless would be nice. Never new about Chiappa or was not out yet, when I got my Rossi would like one but I have what have and it works for me. But someday maybe...
THat is one very functional rifle indeed (although I'd prefer a smaller loop.). Although I have the TD 12", I agree that the TD feature is pretty much useless on a 12" unless it was to be packed on a small plane where the smallest possible pakage is important. I think the Chiappa is durable enough mechanically but the softness of the wood in the stock and the difficulty of putting on a sling does reduce its real-world capability fror serious life in the bush.
Carrying gun for animal protection or hunting are not the only possible use cases. Not all of us live in remote locations or have the need to do it. There are at least several more uses, including recreational shooting.
Also 12" is a hit for are reason, it's still more compact then 16" when assembled, and compact is good for certain uses and that's what buyers voted with they money.
Agreed. But although I did buy one, if I were to do it again I'd probably go for the Rossi (although I understand they need some smoothing up). Even with that and a regular lever they'd be less $$$ than the Chiappa. I don't plan to do any prospecting in the bush, though, so mine will do.
