Chiappa M1-9 NSR in stock
- Thread starter G4C
- Start date
Was never planning on getting any kind of M1 but this has my interest. It's really just the shroud, but it definitely increases the aesthetics. How reliable are Chiappa M1-9s? I don't know anything about 'em but I always assumed they were kinda crappy quality for some reason.
I have owned the original version for years now, and have recently acquired the new NSR. As far as the original goes, I have never had feed issues. Caveat, I have only used FMJ/Ball ammo in it; Steel and Brass Case. These issues may be related to other types of bullets. My problems with that rifle are due to the insanely complicated disassembly. This is mostly due to that fake bayonet lug that also hold the upper and lower portions of the stock together. You need to remove the entire front sight assembly to remove that part, which makes a full cleaning very difficult.
As far as the new one goes, I will be taking it to the range this weekend. Just playing with it out of the box though, it would seem that a lot of the other issues have been addressed. The bolt locks open on an empty mag, the stock is as ergonomic as possible (although, the grip is very small; surprisingly so). Some sites say the stock is painted wood and some say it is composite; I will tear it apart after I take it to the range and verify this, but it feels and sounds like composite. Disassembly, while still more difficult than it should be, seems like it will be vastly easier on the NSR, as it lacks that fake bayonet mount, and has no barrel-mounted front sight.
I'll provide an update this weekend after I use it and tear it apart.
How so? You’re paying $400 extra for a mediocre firearm that’s been (questionably) dressed up from a previous model.
For that money, much better off with a PC9, Sub 2000 or Aero Survival.
Okay, I'm back from the range and have ripped it apart. Bear with me folks, this may be a long post. Going to break it up into 2 parts.
So lets start at the range. I took a few hundred rounds with me of CCI Blazer 9x19mm, 115gr FMJ. In addition to the 2 mags that came with the carbine, I also took 3 more that I already had. Now, I did encounter a few issues:
The first one was on me; The mount for the back sight came loose, as I did not put any thread locker on it before going to the range (I saw this one coming...). Was still getting a 2.5" group at 25 yards with it. Note that I was not trying for precision, rather, I was just putting the carbine through it's paces. And my glasses would not stop fogging up, so I couldn't see s*** anyway...
As far as reliability goes, one of the mags that came with the carbine, as well as all my other mags I already had, functioned flawlessly every shot. The second mag that came with the carbine had issues. I could not, for the life of me, load in the 10th round (I did not bring my mag loader; all by hand. Cold fingers didn't help either). I would also get a failure to feed with this mag; always on the 2nd round. Every. Time. This suggests to me that it is an issue with the magazine causing this problem, and not an issue with the carbine.
The BUIS that come with the carbine are very easy to adjust and worked well out to 50 yards (I did not attempt shooting at 100 yards, as the snow on the range was up past my knees). This was probably the easiest rifle to sight in for me that I have owned.
The lower picatinny rail, for me at least, is located exactly where my support hand should go, and that was a tiny bit annoying. I have a vertical foregrip that I plan to put on there in the future.
The adjustable buttstock was very comfortable, and was perfect whether I had my winter coat on or not.
Anyways, I had a lot of fun with this carbine at the range. A little thread locker and not bringing that one mag will make the next time perfect.
So lets start at the range. I took a few hundred rounds with me of CCI Blazer 9x19mm, 115gr FMJ. In addition to the 2 mags that came with the carbine, I also took 3 more that I already had. Now, I did encounter a few issues:
The first one was on me; The mount for the back sight came loose, as I did not put any thread locker on it before going to the range (I saw this one coming...). Was still getting a 2.5" group at 25 yards with it. Note that I was not trying for precision, rather, I was just putting the carbine through it's paces. And my glasses would not stop fogging up, so I couldn't see s*** anyway...
As far as reliability goes, one of the mags that came with the carbine, as well as all my other mags I already had, functioned flawlessly every shot. The second mag that came with the carbine had issues. I could not, for the life of me, load in the 10th round (I did not bring my mag loader; all by hand. Cold fingers didn't help either). I would also get a failure to feed with this mag; always on the 2nd round. Every. Time. This suggests to me that it is an issue with the magazine causing this problem, and not an issue with the carbine.
The BUIS that come with the carbine are very easy to adjust and worked well out to 50 yards (I did not attempt shooting at 100 yards, as the snow on the range was up past my knees). This was probably the easiest rifle to sight in for me that I have owned.
The lower picatinny rail, for me at least, is located exactly where my support hand should go, and that was a tiny bit annoying. I have a vertical foregrip that I plan to put on there in the future.
The adjustable buttstock was very comfortable, and was perfect whether I had my winter coat on or not.
Anyways, I had a lot of fun with this carbine at the range. A little thread locker and not bringing that one mag will make the next time perfect.
Now for the disassembly.
It should be noted that the buttstock is composite, but the rest of the furniture is painted wood. The top picatinny rail is metal, where the bottom one is composite. The pistol grip may or may not be interchangeable with AR grips; I couldn't check because I don't have a spare AR grip lying around.
Disassembly follows the same basic sequence as the original version, however, I was unable to remove the fire control group. Minor differences are that you need to unscrew the fake suppressor (barrel shroud? we'll say shroud.) to remove it, and there is an endcap that holds the upper handguard in place (2 socket screws). It should be noted that all the socket screws on this carbine are metric. The action is identical to the original version, and is just as much of a pain in the butt to disassemble/reassemble. It does get easier to do with some practice (ie; once you know what you are supposed to do).
And now for the issues. These both involve that stupid barrel shroud. Firstly, the endcap of the shroud is threaded onto the muzzle, and into the body of the of the shroud. When I was removing it, it unscrewed a bit from the shroud body before unscrewing from the muzzle. Then when I pulled the shroud off, the O-ring that seals the other end of the shroud made life difficult, as it was VERY stiff and had a bit of an edge to it. I am not sure if it was caused by that stiff, edged, O-ring, or if it was like that from the factory, but the finish on the barrel was absolutely horrendous.
After cleaning the carbine, I reassembled it (which is difficult your first few times because that action is weird), and finally got to the end and just had to put the shroud back on. I could easily get it to screw on to the muzzle, but I could not get it to screw back up the shroud body to become flush with the end again. Far as I can tell, it's impossible. I sent a help-desk ticket to Chiappa Firearms to see if they have a solution; I will post the results of that inquiry when they get back to me.
I am not too worried about that shroud, as I would much rather just have a flash-hider anyway. Refinishing the barrel shouldn't be too difficult either. Not happy about what happened with the shroud, but I would rather just not have it anyway.
Overall, it is easier to take apart than the original.
Hope this helps folks!
It should be noted that the buttstock is composite, but the rest of the furniture is painted wood. The top picatinny rail is metal, where the bottom one is composite. The pistol grip may or may not be interchangeable with AR grips; I couldn't check because I don't have a spare AR grip lying around.
Disassembly follows the same basic sequence as the original version, however, I was unable to remove the fire control group. Minor differences are that you need to unscrew the fake suppressor (barrel shroud? we'll say shroud.) to remove it, and there is an endcap that holds the upper handguard in place (2 socket screws). It should be noted that all the socket screws on this carbine are metric. The action is identical to the original version, and is just as much of a pain in the butt to disassemble/reassemble. It does get easier to do with some practice (ie; once you know what you are supposed to do).
And now for the issues. These both involve that stupid barrel shroud. Firstly, the endcap of the shroud is threaded onto the muzzle, and into the body of the of the shroud. When I was removing it, it unscrewed a bit from the shroud body before unscrewing from the muzzle. Then when I pulled the shroud off, the O-ring that seals the other end of the shroud made life difficult, as it was VERY stiff and had a bit of an edge to it. I am not sure if it was caused by that stiff, edged, O-ring, or if it was like that from the factory, but the finish on the barrel was absolutely horrendous.
After cleaning the carbine, I reassembled it (which is difficult your first few times because that action is weird), and finally got to the end and just had to put the shroud back on. I could easily get it to screw on to the muzzle, but I could not get it to screw back up the shroud body to become flush with the end again. Far as I can tell, it's impossible. I sent a help-desk ticket to Chiappa Firearms to see if they have a solution; I will post the results of that inquiry when they get back to me.
I am not too worried about that shroud, as I would much rather just have a flash-hider anyway. Refinishing the barrel shouldn't be too difficult either. Not happy about what happened with the shroud, but I would rather just not have it anyway.
Overall, it is easier to take apart than the original.
Hope this helps folks!
Thanks for the range review. Can you confirm that bolt does lock open on empty mag when shooting? How secure does the front portion of the top rail feel? To me it looks like that top hand guard piece could potentially have some play in it ? Care to post any pictures? Some without the barrel shroud would be nice too. Thanks
The bolt does indeed lock back on an empty mag, but there is no hold-open when you remove the mag.
The upper handguard locks in nice and tight. I felt no play in it when using it, or after I reassembled it after cleaning. It fits in under a lip in the receiver and under the endcap. There is a screw on the bottom of the fore end that also helps apply more tension.
I'm stupid and don't know how to post pictures. I have pics of the barrel and the shroud threads, but I don't know how to post them here. If anyone can walk me through that, I'd appreciate it.
The upper handguard locks in nice and tight. I felt no play in it when using it, or after I reassembled it after cleaning. It fits in under a lip in the receiver and under the endcap. There is a screw on the bottom of the fore end that also helps apply more tension.
I'm stupid and don't know how to post pictures. I have pics of the barrel and the shroud threads, but I don't know how to post them here. If anyone can walk me through that, I'd appreciate it.
Appreciate it! I have one on order. For pictures, you could head over to imgur website, upload the pics into an album and then post the link here.
One more question, the other mags you had that ran flawlessly, were those Chiappa mags or beretta mags?
One more question, the other mags you had that ran flawlessly, were those Chiappa mags or beretta mags?
The follower on the mags that mine came with sit higher when empty. Noticeably above the lips. The hold open is the bolt resting against the follower. My mec-gar mags worked flawlessly in it but won’t act as a hold open.
Did your Girsan mags hold the bolt open?
I’ve got the regular wood version but I can’t see it would be any different on the nsr.
Did your Girsan mags hold the bolt open?
I’ve got the regular wood version but I can’t see it would be any different on the nsr.
If it is the same as the M1-9, the bolt will lock back on the last round with the supplied magazines. However when the magazine is removed the bolt will go forward as it is held back only by the follower.
There is a fix for the sight that involves drilling a shallow hole in the dovetail for the set screw once the gun is sighted in. This eliminates the tendency for the rear sight to wander left and right.
There is a fix for the sight that involves drilling a shallow hole in the dovetail for the set screw once the gun is sighted in. This eliminates the tendency for the rear sight to wander left and right.
I will play around with every mag I have (not just the ones I previously mentioned) and let you guys know how they all work this weekend. The action is identical between this one and the original, so your Mec-Gar mags would probably function the same way. Personally, I don't have much issue with a hold-open; I count every round I discharge.
*Click, but no Bang->Problem*
*Click, but no Bang->Problem*
