Chiappa 1892 Alaskan or other Chiappa 92 owners; how're your guns holding up?

mr00jimbo

mr00jimbo

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I have two new production Winchester short rifles/Mirokus in .44 rem mag. Kind of like the idea of trading one off for a Chiappa Alaskan just for a cool hearty woods gun. That, or a Marlin Cowboy Limited, since those are just sweet as all hell.

I've heard mixed things about Chiappas and how they hold up. Especially interested in the Alaskan, how it's holding up to use over time, if it's worth the price, etc.
 
I have four shooting buddies that have had or still have Chiappa guns. I also have one of the Armi Sport (Chiappa's black powder division) flintlocks.

All four have had issues with the operation of their guns or has had them break in some big and catastrophic manner. In my case the lock work on the flintlock was so poorly done that it's useless and was useless out of the box.

They make lovely looking stuff. If only they would put some of that same time and attention into getting the insides done right where it's sorely needed.

Needless to say I won't be buying any of their product until I've heard numerous stories about the company changing its ways.
 
Kevin,
Checked it out, looks like it's going strong for ya! Here's to many more adventures.

BCRider,
Can you elaborate on what kind of catastrophic failures they had? Were any of them 1892 models?
 
So far I have put several hundred rounds of my .44 mag reloads at the range through my Trapper-Skinner carbine with zero malfunctions.

Out of the box the gun has been slick and smooth operating, no need for break-in or any "Rossi-type" mods.

It appears to be of high quality manufacture, function, fit and finish is flawless, and I am very pleased with it.
 
My first two Chiappas (1874 Sharps copy and 1892) were disasters...the 1892 malfunctioned intermittently from the first day I had it home, and the 1874 malfunctioned in the store as I was attempting to buy it. Nine months later, after the 1892 was finally corrected, the store was still waiting for the warranty parts from Chiappa for the 1874. I told them to keep it.

If there were any doubt that I'm a slow learner, I later purchased a Mare's Leg takedown model off the EE. It was a low-round-count gun, and was a much prettier and better-shooting gun than the Rossi Ranch Hand it replaced. I've put about 500 rounds through it since then, and the cycling is even better than it was originally. It also now feeds loaded rounds smoothly and properly regardless of how slowly you cycle it...when I first got it a brisk action was needed to insure proper feeding. It's a favourite fun gun of mine, and has survived a major purge of my collection recently; a keeper for sure.

One out of three is not evidence of extreme high quality, I'll admit. To put it into perspective, I've also owned three Kimbers...and all three of them were dogs, virtually unusable. Nevertheless, they have fans who love them, but I'll never be one of them. I do eventually learn my lesson!:)
 
mr00jimbo said:
I have two new production Winchester short rifles/Mirokus in .44 rem mag. Kind of like the idea of trading one off for a Chiappa Alaskan just for a cool hearty woods gun. That, or a Marlin Cowboy Limited, since those are just sweet as all hell.

I've heard mixed things about Chiappas and how they hold up. Especially interested in the Alaskan, how it's holding up to use over time, if it's worth the price, etc.
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I have a Chiappa 1892 in 357. Haven't fired it much but when I have there have been no issues with it. Really fun little rifle.
 
clk1 said:
I have a Chiappa 1892 in 357. Haven't fired it much but when I have there have been no issues with it. Really fun little rifle.
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Question: will your Chiappa 1892 .357 cycle/shoot .38 Specials? Reason I ask is a buddy was looking at one then lamented that the barrel was marked .357 Magnum & pined that he couldn't shoot .38 Spls in it. Years ago I had a Browning B92 lever in .357 Mag. It would cycle & shoot .38 Spl fine as long as the lever wasn't 'short stroked' then the .38 Spl case would hang up in the lifter. Learned that the hard way at a cowboy action match back in the day.

I currently have a Win '94 AE SRC trapper in .357 Mag & it cycles & shoots .38 Spls just fine.

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NAA.
 
Friend has the alaskan 1892 takedown and the finish is showing deterioration and the takedown is getting to have more and more slop in it after numerous times of takedown/reassembly and many rounds being fired. It started out being a very solid and tight lock up, now it is at the point where I will not fire it but I am a wuss when it comes to taking chances with stuff like that.
 
I haven't tried 38 in this rifle. I read somewhere on a forum a couple years back that it won't cycle it due to the shorter case. I figured better safe than sorry ;-)


NAA said:
Question: will your Chiappa 1892 .357 cycle/shoot .38 Specials? Reason I ask is a buddy was looking at one then lamented that the barrel was marked .357 Magnum & pined that he couldn't shoot .38 Spls in it. Years ago I had a Browning B92 lever in .357 Mag. It would cycle & shoot .38 Spl fine as long as the lever wasn't 'short stroked' then the .38 Spl case would hang up in the lifter. Learned that the hard way at a cowboy action match back in the day.

I currently have a Win '94 AE SRC trapper in .357 Mag & it cycles & shoots .38 Spls just fine.

1CanadaFlag.gif

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NAA.
Click to expand...
 
mr00jimbo said:
I have two new production Winchester short rifles/Mirokus in .44 rem mag. Kind of like the idea of trading one off for a Chiappa Alaskan just for a cool hearty woods gun. That, or a Marlin Cowboy Limited, since those are just sweet as all hell.

I've heard mixed things about Chiappas and how they hold up. Especially interested in the Alaskan, how it's holding up to use over time, if it's worth the price, etc.
Click to expand...

I have a Chiappa 92 take down octo in .357, it is a beautiful gun and I added the full butt stock. I have run this gun through a bunch of hard use and it has held up really well. I can't comment on the heavier .44 loads obviously but I have not had any issues with mine or ran into the horrors others have claimed with this manufacturer. It doesn't feed as nice when you have the gun completely vertical, but that is an ultra rare occurrence. The Alaskan appeals to me as well, although certainly not the price so with all the 'you get a nice Chiappa or you don't' stories it really is a toss up. The cool factor is there with the Alaskan so that may be enough to tempt you.

NAA said:
Question: will your Chiappa 1892 .357 cycle/shoot .38 Specials? Reason I ask is a buddy was looking at one then lamented that the barrel was marked .357 Magnum & pined that he couldn't shoot .38 Spls in it. Years ago I had a Browning B92 lever in .357 Mag. It would cycle & shoot .38 Spl fine as long as the lever wasn't 'short stroked' then the .38 Spl case would hang up in the lifter. Learned that the hard way at a cowboy action match back in the day.

I currently have a Win '94 AE SRC trapper in .357 Mag & it cycles & shoots .38 Spls just fine.

1CanadaFlag.gif

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NAA.
Click to expand...

clk1 said:
I haven't tried 38 in this rifle. I read somewhere on a forum a couple years back that it won't cycle it due to the shorter case. I figured better safe than sorry ;-)
Click to expand...

My 92 Chiappa mares leg eats .38 special all day. Great for the wife and kids to shoot as it's low recoil, one of the main reasons I went .357. Oh yeah, and SA revolvers in .357 are a good pairing...
 
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