Hi,
I thought I would post some pictures of my Wood stocked Chiappa M1-22 and write a short review to showcase it. I'm just a regular joe so don't look to me as an authority about telling if this gun is good or not. I thought I would give a more detailed write up than “it’s good” or “it’s terrible”.
This particular rifle was purchased from SFRC, Theammosource in Feburary 2017. I bought it for $350 shipping included when it was on sale. The serial number range indicates this one was manufactured in 2014.
Brand new the rifle came with 2x10 round .22LR magazines. Because this is a rimfire rifle with no pistol version magazines with >10 capacity are legal. As of May 2017 Chiappa had no plans to produce a higher capacity magazine. Considering this rifle came out in 2012 I would suspect the only way to get more capacity would be to have someone make an aftermarket magazine.
Overall appearance
Overall the M1-22 is a very close approximation of the USGI M1 carbine, the most notable external differences is that the barrel is 1" shorter than the real carbine due to the .22LR chamber length and that the M1-22 uses a standard .22LR blowback. It is a wood stocked, with blued metal parts and some polymer parts in non critical areas (bayonet lug, rear sight, trigger guard, magazine catch, rotating safety, front sight). It is styled on a Post WW2 arsenal reworked carbine; adjustable rear sights, bayonet lug, M2 magazine release, and rotating safety.
Overall it looks like the M1 carbine from 5 feet away.
Fit and finish — how well everything works, and if there are any defects
There are several key points to note with this replica that everyone should know.
First this was built using metric measurements so the carbine itself is smaller or larger in some very small areas so using USGI replacement parts will require some hand fitting, most notably the sling cut out, rear sight dovetail, bayonet lug/barrel band, and front sight. There are other guides around that tell you how to exchange Chiappa parts for USGI parts but don't buy USGI parts hoping to drop them in.
"Plastic" or Polymer, everyone makes a big deal about polymer but in this case with the M1-22 the use of polymer are only used on non critical areas that don't require metal parts.
The rear and front sight, magazine, bayonet lug, and trigger area. So in this case if a polymer part were to fail it won't explode in your hands and doesn't overly detract you from the feel of gun except the trigger housing.
It took me about 500 rounds of ammo and 1 warranty magazine replacement to get this running 100% of the time. I had a large number of FTF and FTE which some were attributed to the magazine that came with the gun, but luckily you have a 1 year warranty and the warranty center (Murray Charlton Enterprises) is located in Brentwood bay, BC Canada for moderately quick turnaround. It took 2 weeks for a magazine replacement, and 1.5 months for an op-rod replacement.
The sights are to scale with the original carbine which requires you to have the sights set to "300 yards" to get approximately POA with POI at 25 yards. You can shave down the front sight so you don't have to adjust as much but I don't mind it being set to "300" as to me its just a plinker that I use mostly at 25 yards.
Something to keep in mind is this is a .22lr blowback rifle that has an open top breech you must always wear eye protection as if the breech opens too fast the blowback may hit your face due to the open top.
The USGI sling does not fit on the M1-22 without filing the stock cutout, it is just a couple of mm too small.
Ease of use
Using the M1-22 is easy, the magazine holds 10 rounds and can sometimes fit 11 but it will not seat correctly. Load the magazine pull the charging handle back and let it rip! after you fire 10 rounds the magazine has a bolt hold open follower which closes when you drop the magazine. It does make it easier to lock the slide back in the manual slide lock pin hole if need be.
The sights are adjustable for windage and elevation so no there is no need to tap or drift the sight with tools.
It is not recommended to dry fire this firearm.
Handling characteristics — weight, balance and ergonomics including how the trigger feels
This replica of the M1 carbine weighs 4 lbs 8 oz, (for reference the real one weighs 5.2 lbs) this makes it extremely light and well suited for anyone to pick up and shoot. It's a very easy to point rifle and very easy to hold and use. The trigger has no creep or take up, it hits the wall right on the trigger pull and breaks cleanly.
Shooting experiences
Since owning this rifle from Feburary 2017, I have shot at least 2k .22LR rounds from this rifle. I had to warranty replace one magazine as it always had a failure to feed. I have used this rifle in several steel challenges and it always seemed to work. In August of 2017 the Op rod snapped (The op rod is made of aluminium) when I was firing Federal Premium champion .22LR high velocity. I̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶r̶i̶b̶u̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶k̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶m̶m̶o̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶u̶r̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶r̶i̶f̶l̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶t̶r̶a̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶p̶u̶l̶l̶ ̶b̶o̶l̶t̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶n̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶r̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶r̶g̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶l̶e̶ ̶e̶a̶c̶h̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶e̶x̶t̶r̶a̶c̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶.̶ ̶N̶o̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶m̶m̶o̶ ̶g̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶l̶e̶m̶.̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶5̶0̶ ̶p̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶p̶ ̶r̶o̶d̶ ̶s̶n̶a̶p̶p̶e̶d̶.̶ Sun and Steel had a faulty Op rod too, might not be an isolated incident.
The charging handle should be connect to the Bolt.
I warranty replaced the op rod after sending it in to Murray Charlton, which took about 1.5 months to send, repair and return.
Once I received the rifle back I started using only CCI minimag, CCI AR tactical, and CCI Standard Velocity. The standard velocity gave me the best shooting experience in that the recoil felt weaker but it had enough force to properly cycle the bolt. I have shot approximately 1k more rounds from the warranty replaced op rod and its still going strong.
Well wasn't just me with a broken Op rod.
Favorite feature
Light weight, simple operation, and military appearance.
Least favorite feature
10 round magazines, and open top breech.
Available accessories
USGI Sling
10 round magazines
Extra Pictures
Open top breech
Loaded magazine on left, empty in the center and a replica 15 rd .30 carbine magazine on the right
Disassembled magazine, the magazine splits in half down the middle. A smart person could probably reverse engineer this magazine into a M2 style banana magazine, with 3D printing.
TL;DR
It's a nice attractive well made WW2 styled rifle in a common and cheap caliber. At its price point its a bit more expensive than other .22LR semi auto offerings, but I was willing to pay that premium for a decently made, nicely styled replica. It has a possibly glaring flaw of having a weak Op rod, but I want some more evidence because having only 2 complaints in the whole world isn't enough to condemn it just yet. Or my ownership blinders are kicking in. its not bringing anything new to the realm of semi auto rimfires besides its looks. I would say this would probably be best marketed to the WW2 collector crowd but it can function as your second semiauto rimfire rifle and would not be a poor choice at its price point of around $350.
Futher reading
http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_chiappa.html
EDIT: Updated review on op rod, and changed TL;DR recommendation.
I thought I would post some pictures of my Wood stocked Chiappa M1-22 and write a short review to showcase it. I'm just a regular joe so don't look to me as an authority about telling if this gun is good or not. I thought I would give a more detailed write up than “it’s good” or “it’s terrible”.
This particular rifle was purchased from SFRC, Theammosource in Feburary 2017. I bought it for $350 shipping included when it was on sale. The serial number range indicates this one was manufactured in 2014.
Brand new the rifle came with 2x10 round .22LR magazines. Because this is a rimfire rifle with no pistol version magazines with >10 capacity are legal. As of May 2017 Chiappa had no plans to produce a higher capacity magazine. Considering this rifle came out in 2012 I would suspect the only way to get more capacity would be to have someone make an aftermarket magazine.
Overall appearance
Overall the M1-22 is a very close approximation of the USGI M1 carbine, the most notable external differences is that the barrel is 1" shorter than the real carbine due to the .22LR chamber length and that the M1-22 uses a standard .22LR blowback. It is a wood stocked, with blued metal parts and some polymer parts in non critical areas (bayonet lug, rear sight, trigger guard, magazine catch, rotating safety, front sight). It is styled on a Post WW2 arsenal reworked carbine; adjustable rear sights, bayonet lug, M2 magazine release, and rotating safety.
Overall it looks like the M1 carbine from 5 feet away.
Fit and finish — how well everything works, and if there are any defects
There are several key points to note with this replica that everyone should know.
First this was built using metric measurements so the carbine itself is smaller or larger in some very small areas so using USGI replacement parts will require some hand fitting, most notably the sling cut out, rear sight dovetail, bayonet lug/barrel band, and front sight. There are other guides around that tell you how to exchange Chiappa parts for USGI parts but don't buy USGI parts hoping to drop them in.
"Plastic" or Polymer, everyone makes a big deal about polymer but in this case with the M1-22 the use of polymer are only used on non critical areas that don't require metal parts.
The rear and front sight, magazine, bayonet lug, and trigger area. So in this case if a polymer part were to fail it won't explode in your hands and doesn't overly detract you from the feel of gun except the trigger housing.
It took me about 500 rounds of ammo and 1 warranty magazine replacement to get this running 100% of the time. I had a large number of FTF and FTE which some were attributed to the magazine that came with the gun, but luckily you have a 1 year warranty and the warranty center (Murray Charlton Enterprises) is located in Brentwood bay, BC Canada for moderately quick turnaround. It took 2 weeks for a magazine replacement, and 1.5 months for an op-rod replacement.
The sights are to scale with the original carbine which requires you to have the sights set to "300 yards" to get approximately POA with POI at 25 yards. You can shave down the front sight so you don't have to adjust as much but I don't mind it being set to "300" as to me its just a plinker that I use mostly at 25 yards.
Something to keep in mind is this is a .22lr blowback rifle that has an open top breech you must always wear eye protection as if the breech opens too fast the blowback may hit your face due to the open top.
The USGI sling does not fit on the M1-22 without filing the stock cutout, it is just a couple of mm too small.
Ease of use
Using the M1-22 is easy, the magazine holds 10 rounds and can sometimes fit 11 but it will not seat correctly. Load the magazine pull the charging handle back and let it rip! after you fire 10 rounds the magazine has a bolt hold open follower which closes when you drop the magazine. It does make it easier to lock the slide back in the manual slide lock pin hole if need be.
The sights are adjustable for windage and elevation so no there is no need to tap or drift the sight with tools.
It is not recommended to dry fire this firearm.
Handling characteristics — weight, balance and ergonomics including how the trigger feels
This replica of the M1 carbine weighs 4 lbs 8 oz, (for reference the real one weighs 5.2 lbs) this makes it extremely light and well suited for anyone to pick up and shoot. It's a very easy to point rifle and very easy to hold and use. The trigger has no creep or take up, it hits the wall right on the trigger pull and breaks cleanly.
Shooting experiences
Since owning this rifle from Feburary 2017, I have shot at least 2k .22LR rounds from this rifle. I had to warranty replace one magazine as it always had a failure to feed. I have used this rifle in several steel challenges and it always seemed to work. In August of 2017 the Op rod snapped (The op rod is made of aluminium) when I was firing Federal Premium champion .22LR high velocity. I̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶r̶i̶b̶u̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶k̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶m̶m̶o̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶u̶r̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶r̶i̶f̶l̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶t̶r̶a̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶p̶u̶l̶l̶ ̶b̶o̶l̶t̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶n̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶r̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶r̶g̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶l̶e̶ ̶e̶a̶c̶h̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶e̶x̶t̶r̶a̶c̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶.̶ ̶N̶o̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶m̶m̶o̶ ̶g̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶l̶e̶m̶.̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶5̶0̶ ̶p̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶p̶ ̶r̶o̶d̶ ̶s̶n̶a̶p̶p̶e̶d̶.̶ Sun and Steel had a faulty Op rod too, might not be an isolated incident.
The charging handle should be connect to the Bolt.
I warranty replaced the op rod after sending it in to Murray Charlton, which took about 1.5 months to send, repair and return.
Once I received the rifle back I started using only CCI minimag, CCI AR tactical, and CCI Standard Velocity. The standard velocity gave me the best shooting experience in that the recoil felt weaker but it had enough force to properly cycle the bolt. I have shot approximately 1k more rounds from the warranty replaced op rod and its still going strong.
Well wasn't just me with a broken Op rod.
I won't go near as in depth...I'll just call the Chiappa M1-22 for what it is, and that's a steamy turd.
I owned both the polymer and the Wood version and the op-rods broke on both models in precisely the same location. I used federal Automatch pretty much exclusively as both were picky on bullet profile. The Op-rod self destructed on the wood model at close to 2500rds, the polymer even sooner.
MD Charlton warranted both and they were great to deal with but even they admitted it was a known issue with the rifle.
I truly wanted to like this firearm as it felt good in the hands,but Pot Metal/Zamak is not suitable for constructing a part taking this kind of abuse from recoil energy.
Favorite feature
Light weight, simple operation, and military appearance.
Least favorite feature
10 round magazines, and open top breech.
Available accessories
USGI Sling
10 round magazines
Extra Pictures
Open top breech
Loaded magazine on left, empty in the center and a replica 15 rd .30 carbine magazine on the right
Disassembled magazine, the magazine splits in half down the middle. A smart person could probably reverse engineer this magazine into a M2 style banana magazine, with 3D printing.
TL;DR
It's a nice attractive well made WW2 styled rifle in a common and cheap caliber. At its price point its a bit more expensive than other .22LR semi auto offerings, but I was willing to pay that premium for a decently made, nicely styled replica. It has a possibly glaring flaw of having a weak Op rod, but I want some more evidence because having only 2 complaints in the whole world isn't enough to condemn it just yet. Or my ownership blinders are kicking in. its not bringing anything new to the realm of semi auto rimfires besides its looks. I would say this would probably be best marketed to the WW2 collector crowd but it can function as your second semiauto rimfire rifle and would not be a poor choice at its price point of around $350.
Futher reading
http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_chiappa.html
EDIT: Updated review on op rod, and changed TL;DR recommendation.
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