Gun Review: Chiappa Firearms 1873 SAA-22 Revolver

1. About my experience with Chiappa. It seems as if they got some lessons from Rohm on making revolvers.

   • Good analogy!

   • Mirrors my experience with the Chiappa 1911-22.

     Chiappa can suck it.

     Also, the Rhinos are starting to show up exploded, so that’s not looking good either.

   • Sorry but I’ve had nothing but fun with my Chiappa .22 SSA. Yes it shoots low, filed the front site and at 10 yards it is more than acceptable. Sorry for everyone who got a sht piece. Guess i just lucked out.

   • Thx for review…I almost bought two from Bud’s. Moving on…JG

     • I got one from buds 2 month,s ago they sent me the wrong gun I should have got a convertible model got a single,,i paid for the convertible so I got screwed from Buds
       I can send it back for another 47.00.iin transfer fees plus a 20% restocking fee not to mention there’s 256 people still waiting for there money from last year bottom line stay away from BUDS

2. I’m stumped. You trimmed clutter by selling your Ruger only to turn around and replace it with a clone?

   I have the Ruger convertible. It cost more than the chiappa or heritage, probably more than both together, but that’s cause it’s worth it.

   • See the Heritage Rough Rider review remarks, he sold the Single Six the finance a CZ75 and then bought this at Bud’s. His comment name is “AR”.

   • My Ruger Single Six convertible was made in 1971. It is the first pistol I ever fired at the wee age of five. It was my Grandfathers, who always promised it would be mine when he passed. Well luckily he’s still alive and kicking but when he and my grandma moved to Florida he gave it to me.

     My single six has seen forty five years of varmint hunting, plinking, thousands upon thousands of range rounds, and served its duty as a bedside gun with the .22 WMR cylinder in it. And it’s never failed to perform. Not once.

     Look I’m all for saving money, but the older I get the more I buy into the buy once cry once philosophy. I try to find good quality equipment that’s still affordable, and hopefully get it on sale. For example, I use a Wiley X Valor sunglasses for everyday, tactical, and range purposes. Great example of great quality at an affordable,but not cheap, price

     I’m sure that’s what you were looking for with this gun and I certainly can’t fault you for trying. Sorry if turned out to be cheap and not just inexpensive.

3. You people keep reaming me for being a highbrow snob when I tell you that quality guns are going to cost you money. You hurl your invective and ire at me, instead of towards the people actually at fault for turning your currency into bum-wipe. which when used to purchase anything made of tangible materials by someone who gives a rat’s posterior orifice about quality, shows you how little your dollars are worth. ie, you should vent your collective spleens at the Federal Reserve, not me.

   And then you folks go and prove me correct, time and again, by throwing your money down ratholes like this, instead of saving your bucks in a pile for something with some semblance of quality.

   Do you folks begin to understand why so many gunsmiths are so irritable?

   My first question, right out of the gate, is, “why did you sell the Ruger Single Six? You had what you claim you want – right there, in your gunsafe. It was made out of steel.”

   It might not have had the finish of the early Colt or S&W .22LR revolvers, but the Rugers work, work well, and hold their value.

   • I’d imagine you’re irritable because you have to tell someone the billable hours on a gun like this are worth more than the gun is?

     That said, we all make mistakes at times and this definitely seems to be an acknowledgment of that. Hell I did it with my M4-22 upper and have no issues admitting it. Lesson learned on my part.

     At the same time though there also needs to be a distinction between price, value and understanding that any tool (much less a firearm) is suitable for a particular task. As an example, the ~$75 Mossberg 185 bolt action shotgun sitting in my safe would likely have little disadvantage to a shotgun costing many times more in taking a deer save sighting, and my S&W 66es would likely have little disadvantage over say a Korth once again worth many times more.

     In this case price was the value rather than the function.

   • I got disgusted with everything that I had that was not a Ruger & got rid of them–Rugers always work & work very well–getting rid of a Single Six to ‘cull the herd’ ???? to only replace it’s spot in the herd????–truly a dumb move & proof that herd was not too large, since it’s spot needed replacing

   • As always the answer lies in the middle.

     Middlebrow guns for the epic, eternal win.

   • I kinda half-agree w/ ya. However, there are some decent to good guns in the price range just above this .22 revolver. Com-bloc guns may have some limitations but rugged, reliable, and cheap they are. The price on them has gone up but pistols can still be had for under 300.00. Rifles have gone way up but SKS’s can be had for well under 400.00. There are plenty of average quality pump and break open shotguns under 300.00. I don’t own one but I heard if you can put up w/ a slide the weight of a large cat (and you are willing to spend the time to break them in) then Hi-points get the job done. Heck, I have heard even the Rohm revolver in .38 was not that bad. But yeah for the same money as this crap-o-matic Dan could have just bought a metal flare gun w/ a rifled insert and called it a day. I just don’t like the idea of spending a grand on something a used glock can do.

   • I don’t know who’s been spitting venom at you and I’m sorry that’s happened. However, I understand where some people come from on this issue.

     I’m not cheap but I didn’t get to where I’m at in life by pissing money away on things that go for insane prices because of a name and work just as well as something that’s 1/2 or 1/3rd the price. Don’t get me wrong, Kimber, Wilson Combat et all make great guns but you’ll never catch me paying 3K for a 1911 when there are a ton of equal or better guns out there in .45 for $1000 or less. I know lots of people who say “Well, when your life’s on the line would you rather pay the 3K or die?” as if that’s some sort of argument. Um, no I’ll drop $1100 on a USP that’s just as accurate and reliable as your semi-custom 1911, holds six more rounds and costs 36% of what your special 1911 does. AND if I lose it to evidence in a DGU I’ll go buy another one and still have another $840 bucks for ammo before I hit the price tag on your super amazing pistola that you got for a “steal”.

     Look, I’m not saying that you don’t get what you pay for here, but as the owner of my LGS once remarked to me “Put the world “tactical” on it and mark it up 300%. People a fucking retarded”. Some of the pricing on guns is straight out predatory and only dipshits buy some of the guns I see. There was story here on TTAG a few months back about some guy doing something. I don’t really remember because I wasn’t particularly impressed and didn’t care. Either way there was a lot of hype on the linked sight and here on TTAG’s comment section about this guy’s pistol. Apparently it’s amazing. I mean like a tricked out Blaster Pistol previously owned by one Han Solo and it’s been to all corners of a far away galaxy right? Nope, it’s a fucking FS92 with some “semi-custom” work (trigger job and new sights) done to it and they wanted like $2899 for it. Sorry, ain’t no Beretta pistol ever made that’s worth close to three grand.

     • Just another reason I love my Rugers–amazingly rugged, reliable guns that a working person can afford–from what I have seen, a lot of expensive priced items, guns or otherwise, are not as reliable than other more affordable ones–German cars and German guns come to mind

       • I’ve never had a problem with my USP until I torture tested it with a Silencerco Osprey on it and I had to work to cause trouble.

         My point, very simply, is that a lot of this high end stuff is the same as Gucci. A Gucci purse carries your shit the same way a Coach purse does the difference is that the Gucci costs thousands while the Coach costs hundreds. You’re paying for a name, not increased functionality and that’s just stupid.

         As for Ruger, I own a few of their offerings, Single Six included and I like them enough that I have one of their T-shirts.

     • Middlebrow!

       With 1911s, for example, you can go low brow (made in the Phillipines), middle brow (Para, Ruger), or highbrow (wasting money on a Dan Wesson carved from a meteorite).

       • It’s a win/win with Ruger–high performance at an affordable $

       • But, but when I fire my Dan Wesson (I don’t actually own one btw) Jesus gets a hardon and if do have to kill someone with it they’ll be super impressed with what gun I used to do it! Meteorite brah!

       • Can’t argue with that, Strych.

       • Hop:

         Sure you can. Meteorite!

       • I agree – middle-of-the-road is serviceable.

         I emphatically agree that Ruger IS that “middle-of-the-road” combination of functional and reliable quality without being “blinged out” or (as a gunsmith is wont to say) “highly finished” or “embellished.”

         Ruger’s guns aren’t “cheap,” they’re made with methods to allow them to bring the price down – such as investment casting, then machining to finish sizes. This, ironically, is how the above revolver was made. Mazak is used in investment casting for auto parts quite a bit, and that’s what was done here.

         The problem here is that the manufacture probably tried to cast to final size, and the metal that they’re using (Mazak) is too soft to hold a dimension well.

         Ruger casts with real steel alloys, oversized a bit so they have a bit of machining to do to reach final dimensions and when they’re done, their guns are hell for stout and hold their dimensions the way you’d expect any steel firearm to do so. The complexity of casting properly (and Pine Tree Castings does casting work for other companies as well, they’re so good at what they do) costs money, and that’s why a Ruger costs so much more than just the materials difference between steel and Mazak.

         If you want a quality firearm (and Ruger is a quality firearm), you need people who know WTF they’re doing. Those people want to be paid. That fact is reflected in the price of a quality firearm.

         Now, if you want an embellished or highly finished firearm, now you need to pay much more for those skills – hence the sky-high prices of finely finished firearms.

   • Yeah, for the few brief months my shop had these Chiappas, I was less than impressed – even without actually shooting one.
     I routinely steered folks toward the Heritage Rough Riders if the Ruger Single-Six was out of their price range. I would still try looking a little harder for a used Ruger on the cheap(ish) if someone really wants quality but can’t afford a new one.
     On that note: I really need to get back to that buddy of mine who’s looking to part with his old “three-screw” Ruger. Missing magnum cylinder or not, I need to grab that off him before he changes his mind…

4. Unfortunately this is typical of Chiappa’s efforts. Their 9mm “M1 Carbine” is a “jam-o-matic”. This company keeps making low-end arms that appeal to those that either don’t know, or can’t afford any better.

   Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware).

   • The 1911-22 I reference above was my first gun, bought when I didn’t know. Or didn’t know enough.

     It was a valuable lesson.

     A big part of the lesson was learning that somehow, for reasons I still don’t really understand, manufacturers in this industry can knowingly release dangerously faulty products to the buying public and not get sued in to bankruptcy and prison terms. It boggles my mind.

     If a blender manufacturer had the kaboom recorded of, say, Chiappa, do you think they would still be in the blender manufacturing business?

     When I bought that first gun, I assumed (yeah yeah) that there were certain standards of safety and reliability that would be met before a product as important and potentially dangerous as a handgun was released on to the market.

     More the fool was I.

   • I looked at one of these 9mm carbines awhile back. I was not even sure it was a real gun. Handed it back and made a quick exit. Put it this way my Universal is a Colt compaired to this. Shame cause a good 9mm in a .30 cal action/size would be fun.

5. This sounds like the perfect gun for me to introduce new shooters to the world of shooting. What do you want for it?

   • He wants a Ruger Single Six.

   • Thanks, Swarf. You just made kool-aid shoot out my nose, you jerk! Black cherry burns…

6. It really hurts me to see the Italian flag used on such junk……

   • I’m sure it must, because there are so many guns of very fine and high quality made in Italy.

     Since the Brits have decided to accelerate their descent into madness on the issue, Italy is one of Europe’s last bastions of really high quality gun making, even as they adopt the latest technology. There’s, what, a dozen companies making really nice shotguns in Italy?

     • Many more. Italy is the kingdom of small independent and creative companies.
       Over 20 years ago I used to work for Bernardelli, before they went bankrupt. Great guns.
       On the other side of the wall from Beretta. A few meters from Pedersoli, Sabatti, Zoli……..
       There are so many.
       Franchi, Benelli, Caesar Guerini………..
       All the microcompanies…….
       Having time, money and a guide, you could get lost here.

7. Life is too short to buy a cheaply made handguns. I’m a Ruger fan, Most of revolvers are Ruger LCRs, Ruger SR 22lr pistol.
   Gunbroker has RUGER LCR X LCRX 38SPL 38 SPL REV 3″ 5RD ADJ SIGHT on a buy now price of $499.00 NIB as a head’s up for those of you who wanted a longer barrel, also has double/single action trigger. So tempting but will have wait as X-Mas or Birthday present

   • Don’t pay $499 for a 3″ LCR-X. Plenty of places online will sell you the same gun for just a few bucks over $400. Search for “LCRX” on slickguns.com.

8. Thanks to Alan Mitchell for writing and TTAG for publishing one of the toughest reviews I’ve ever read anywhere about anything. Not too many blogs would have the balls to go with it.

   Kudos, guys.

   • This might be the first time I’ve seen a reader review that really trashes the product. Seems like every time I read “This is a reader-submitted review” then a whole lot of 4.5-star praise follows, to the point where I’m tempted to skip the reader-submitted reviews…

   • I bought one to beat up on my trap line. 99 bucks. It’s not to hard to shoot a coon 2 feet away. The review is very accurate. It’s junk but does go bang when you pull trigger.

9. Good review. I made the mistake of picking up a Chiappa 1911 22 a couple of years ago. It looked good in the case. It was the biggest piece of shit I ever bought. I told the LGS owner if he didn’t take it back, I was done buying from him.

10. Funny, I just picked up a Heritage Rough Rider 6.5 SA – very used – for $50 like 3 days ago. Shoots great. No slop,no shavings on target. Looking at it right now as I type. Gonna use it for my camping/hiking/kayaking/jeep/snake gun.

    Also, I don’t know if anyone fixed it but you could not look up the HRR on the reviews tab. (by maker, Heritage) I thought that was a shame cause it appears to be a tough little outdoors gun. (and CHEAP!) I even like the safety, not needed but at least it’s not a chinese fire drill to use.(or not use)

    • I find the safety on HRR totally unnecessary & a total annoyance–will not own one because of it, plus I have a Ruger Single Ten that spoils you for anything else, but it was not cheap either

      • Oh, I whole heartily agree. I have a Super Redhawk in .454 that is fantastic. My father bought it in the 90’s, my nephew shot it and dropped it breaking the rear sight. Called Ruger and they sent me the whole rear assembly for FREE. The reason for the “cheap” gun is how it will be used or abused in my case. I just can’t take a $500 firearm out in the woods/swamp or anywhere else. My odds of having a real boating(kayak) accident are about 100%. Not to mention the muck,crud and water, water everywhere.

        • Since Ruger is the only firearm I totally trust, I use them in some very nasty environments & take my chances (except for losing, always properly holstered)–I love the saying that ‘Ruger is the gun that you take hell & come back alive with’–just take ’em apart & clean ’em, which on a Ruger is very easy to do

      • I picked up one of these in a rush one day. On the way to a western train robbery re-enactment, both my daughters came along and I only have one .22 SAA revolver (a Rough Rider. I carry a Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt) So, we stopped at the gunshop nearest the train station. I was hoping to buy another Rough Rider, but these Chiappa things were all they had.

        I didn’t much care, since she was only going to be firing blanks from it that day, but it’s definitely an inferior gun to the Rough Rider.

        We’ve gone plinking with it a couple times and I haven’t really checked out it’s accuracy — she can hit steel targets OK at about 7-10 yards one-handed, off-hand, and we’ve never used the .22 WMR cylinder, but I’ll be sure to check those out next time

11. You put actual bullets in and SHOT that thing? You’re braver than I am. It’s a prop gun.

    • Even .22 WMR doesn’t have very high chamber pressures. I’m not particularly worried about a blow-up from one of those alloy rimfire revolvers.

12. Thanks for reviewing a cheap gun. I always wonder if any of the low end stuff is any good, and most sites and publications avoid them because they are allergic to negative reviews.

    One of the cheapest guns I own is a New England Firearms Pardner single shot .410 shotgun. Over the years it has endeared itself to me by killing a variety of pests. The trigger is nicer than some firearms costing ten times as much. I’m actually thinking about putting a weapon light on it, which will certainly cost more than the gun did.

    So where do you draw the line? I’ve thought of “upgrading” to a Winchester SXP Defender or Benelli Nova Tactical but there are horror stories about their quality. The 870 is even more controversial with Remington’s recent issues, and there are even gripes about the Mossberg 500. Do you have to spend $1000 to get a good gun?

    • There are gripes about every gun. Complainers tend to be louder than satisfied customers. A cheap Mossberg or Stevens (Savage) should do you just fine. I have two 870s I’ve never had a problem with, but they’re older and so maybe not representative of today’s Remington.

    • You’re hearing gripes about the 500? Huh.

      Are they legitimate, or are they “the 500 I just bought for $279 from Big 5 doesn’t have the same fit and finish as my 30 year old 870, what a piece of crap!” gripes? I’ve got two, and they have run flawlessly.

      I’ve heard nothing but complaints about Remington and anything else the reverse Midas that is the Freedom Group touches.

      • I agree that the MB 500 & their less expensive Maverick 88 are great working inexpensive shotguns

    • Check out the benelli super nova (I prefer the tactical but that’s just me.)
      Less than $450 retail and outstanding quality gun. I had an 870 and could not get the thing to stop short stroking. The super Nova fires all lengths of shell and is damn near bomb proof. Best value on the home defense shotgun market as far as I am concerned.

13. Ummmm…zamak. I saw these for nothing at the local Big R and thought “wow that’s no money”. And now I know. Thanks…

14. Winchester SXP has been really good overall, some don’t like the trigger pull so much. The Heritage Rough Riders have gotten so much better over time; this POS should be banned from our shores, as should anything Chiappa. Nothing but problems and no support.

15. It probably looks OK on a TV camera. The host of a western movie show could have a few around the set, even carry two in a buscadero holster. There are some quality guns. Buy quality.
    My Dad cards printed that said…
    QUALITY is like buying oats. Oats that have been through the horse are cheaper.

    • What… what the hell does that mean?

16. Hey dyspeptic, I read this post as an online confession. Original poster had something good, let his eye wander then sold the sure thing then bought sh.tastic crap. Interchange a firearm for spouse and the bread & butter of divorce attorneys becomes evident as the dreaded wandering eye overcomes reason & sensibility.

17. “Chiappa” means “stone” (like a slab) in Italian. In certain dialects, the same word is slang for “butt cheek”. This must be the latter.

18. Gun snobs (and dipsh.ts) abound!

    The author of this article doesn’t know what kind of safety mechanism his revolver has and doesn’t know how to hold it (evidenced by complaining about trigger finger placement but even more evidenced by whining about the hammer biting the webbing between his thumb and trigger finger). Someone pull out their damn revolver of this era and profile and see for yourself. Hold your revolver in a way where you cannot easily use the padding of your finger tip on the trigger and where the webbing gets “bitten” by the hammer when cocked. You’ll see, this elder “marksman” doesn’t even know how to hold/handle his pistolero. Moron.

    If there are any issues with alignment, maybe he should have that verified by a smith before raging with confused and unlearned moronisms on the interwebz.

    I have a Chiappa 1873-22 and it has been a reliable beast in both calibers. I would admit mine may not have the precision alignment of a more expensive piece, but it is nowhere near the piece of sh.t this buffoon makes it out to be. These are very affordable and usable everyday out in the back country working duty revolvers.

    • I just bought the Chiappa 10 rounds 22 it is nothing like the author is saying. Right out of the box 100 yards hit the target every time.

      • I also have this firearm and could not be happier with it. Both the .22 LR and the .22 WMR are as accurate as I can see! The balance is excellent. The fit and finish is well done also. I have of course, replaced the standard grip with a custom grip that I hand fitted myself to the weapon. I added the “Silver Snake” to both sides of the grip so as to make it look like the gun used by Clint Eastwood in his most famous movies (IMHO).
        I encourage you to check for yourself and see what you maybe missing from experiencing this companies products.

19. If you have any problem with a new Chiappa 1873, contact the company and they will make it right. They did mine at no charge. That speaks volumes to me. I would not give them any review until I gave them a chance so I now give them 5 stars for standing behind their product and yes it is still a cheap gun but I knew that when I bought it as this gun is just a hide away for my man cave(air conditioned shed). Now the question is, would I recommend this gun for “kicking a can down the road”? Yes. Is my Chiappa safe enough that I would let my grandson shoot it? Yes! No matter what you shoot, ensure it is in good working order, wear safety glasses and use hearing protection. Yes wear hearing protection when using .22 mag. ammo. I have had many guns and out of the many, many guns, I have only had one that would shoot every type of ammo pretty much the same, from hand loads to cheap store bought to expensive store bought. It was a Colt Python .357 in a 6 inch barrel. $$$$$$$

20. The base pin going past the detent problem he talks about is simply resolved by letting the hammer go forward and the pin will push out and even seat its self. Double check though. I like mine. After I got this gun back from the manufacturer I have zero complaints, especially for the cost. The ammo I have is shooting no more than 4 inch groups at over 30 feet. It shoots 2 1/2 inches high and 1 1/2 inch to the right. I have not tried different ammo yet and the ammo I am using is maybe 20 years old.

21. There are tons, and tons of positive reviews bon this gun. Never listen to cry baby writers the complain about hammer bite and finger possition. That can be different for anyone, this guy is a damn Winny snob. He may truly have had problems with the gun he was shooting but as others have said he didn’t even give the company a chance to fix it or resolve any issue. I learned long ago we will all have different experiences with the same guns. I am truly a Ruger fanatic and always have done as is my wife but it’s a damn 22 and we both just bought one while I will admit we have not shot it yet I did a lot of research before buying it and there was so many positive reviews it was ridiculous. Maybe when this gun first came out there was problems maybe the company has address them I have no clue but I will not judge buying or owning a gun solely based on what others say I have learned that what one person loves another may not. There are a million people that swear by Harley-Davidsons, and yet any reality out there would tell you and I have personally worked for some of the people from the company that they are pieces of crap that are overpriced and your money is spent on advertising. A Japanese motorcycle will always run better and be more precise I tried to convince dumbasses of that!

22. Like the pistol with one exception. With a tiny bit of powder build up from shooting earlier that day the hammer bumped the fender of my mower I was working on and fired right through my leg. Don’t know how it got lined up with the barrel inside the holster but it barely missed the bone. Wouldn’t mind a manufacturer explanation about it and the er bill paid. Of course I had just reloaded it with long rifle hollow points.

23. never knock the heritage rough rider,,,,they are great little guns,,,,,i have a collection of about 20 and would not trade one of them for a ruger,,,,,,,thats my opinion and im sticking to it,,

24. Fun plinker but the mag shoots lead in my face at times.I got it on sale for 139.00 well worth it.Looking to buy a black Ruger American.

25. Had this for a couple of months now. Reading the review I agree with the writer with the problems he faced. I had these same problems however some minor work on the gun solved all and now works well except that it does shot low and to the left

    • If 22 mag. was spraying lead how did you fix it?

26. like mine. cheap, shoots straight, dependable and alot of fun.

27. I have had mine for almost a year now. It has proved to be very reliable and as for accuracy, practice rules the day. I have no fear of using it to take out any slithering demon that gets in my way. Its action is smooth. It goes bag everytime with either 22 lr or 22 WMR. I did build a new stock for it out of maple which took care of the point of aim/point of impact problem. If we do lose the “large capacity magazine war” then a 10 shot 22 WMR may become the weapon of choice! Let’s just make sure that does not happen, huh? Go and Vote! Keep your guns, keep your mags, keep your freedom ….

28. In reading what Dan Zimmerman said in this blistering article which sounded more like whining about the date you got was not Miss Ruger, my experience with my Chiappa is as far from his as night and day.
    I purchased mine from Runnings, a farm supply store, after speaking with the guy at the counter who just loved his semi auto Chiappa, he target shot with his son on the weekends.
    My revolver is extremely well made in fit and finish. The trigger is crisp, the half cock to cylinder rotation is all butter smooth. It hits where I aim it.
    I use this handgun with a carry bag for work, as the work is agriculture in animal control. I feed it nothing but Winchester 22’s and I could not be more satisfied with this affordable gun.
    I have had Smith & Wesson 22’s and they were light and I had trouble holding on target. These Colt 45 replicas are all heavy and barrel heavy and for me they point where they aim.
    If I purchased by God’s Grace the one working Chiappa, I’m most thankful, but I doubt that. I purchased this firearm as I could not afford the 600 and 800 dollar Smiths and Rugers, and I needed a trapline firearm and emergency defense gun. I do not shoot thousands of rounds of ammo a year. This gun for me is a work gun and I could not be more pleased with it.

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30. Wow, that was refreshingly scathing.

31. I loved this review damn i will come back again for sure

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