MacAR
Member
I was at the LGS yesterday and while perusing the long guns, ran across this little rifle. I handled it a bit, then asked the counter guy for his OTD price. Now, I needed another 22 LR rifle like I need a hole in my head, but needless to say it came home with me. After some searching, I found that the little rifle hasn't been discussed much on THR or anywhere else for that matter. So, here are my initial impressions:
Fit & Finish - Decent, better than some other Chiappa offerings I've seen. The takedown joint does move a bit, but it doesn't seem to affect function at all. The blueing is actually pretty nice, and the wood (birch I think) has a nice grain and finish to it. The alloy receiver is, like a Henry, coated black. It does mar easily.
Function - I fired about 100 rounds of Federal blue box, Remington Subsonic, and CCI SV. All cycled through the rifle with no issues. Some sources say shorts will function through the gun, but I cannot say if they will or not. I can say that Aguila Colibris will NOT cycle, and will jam up in the elevator mechanism. On a more positive note, the trigger is very nice. Pretty crisp with little take-up, and it feels decently light. I don't have a gauge or I'd give an exact measurement.
Accuracy - Due to getting home a bit late, and the light going I was unable to sit down and put the little gun on paper. But after a bit of adjustment to the buck-horn sights, I was popping shotgun hulls around the yard at ~ 15 yards, and shooting pears off the pear trees at 40 steps. I could very easily ring the 50 yard gong also. Hopefully this weekend I'll get to put some rounds on a paper target, and if I do I will post the results here. I've read several comments across the web stating that the sights are too "coarse". Honestly, I don't find them to be and actually like them better than the offerings from others such as Marlin and Henry.
Gripes - We all know that with the good comes the bad. The gun came packed full of grease, and the action was very stiff upon getting it home and looking it over. This was remedied somewhat by a good dose of Gun-Scrubber and liberal application of Rem-Oil. After the thorough cleaning and the shooting that followed, the action seemed to smooth up somewhat. Its still not as smooth as my Henry, but again, its not terrible. The take-down screw cannot be tightened enough to stop the receiver pieces moving. The movement is minor, but it is there. As I stated earlier, it doesn't seem to affect the function of the rifle, so I suppose time will tell.
So in summary, my overall impression of the LA322 is positive. It seems to be a nice, handy little rifle that would be just right for walking in the woods and riding in the pickup (where it currently resides), or for dispatching dinner and dealing with vermin on the farm. Further testing will be required but I think the little carbine will be a shooter. Probably won't win any accuracy contests but I'll go out on a limb and say that it's minute-of-squirrel out of the box. If anyone would like to add comments or ask questions, I would welcome that as this is my first review of, well, anything really. Hopefully y'all have enjoyed it.
Mac
Fit & Finish - Decent, better than some other Chiappa offerings I've seen. The takedown joint does move a bit, but it doesn't seem to affect function at all. The blueing is actually pretty nice, and the wood (birch I think) has a nice grain and finish to it. The alloy receiver is, like a Henry, coated black. It does mar easily.
Function - I fired about 100 rounds of Federal blue box, Remington Subsonic, and CCI SV. All cycled through the rifle with no issues. Some sources say shorts will function through the gun, but I cannot say if they will or not. I can say that Aguila Colibris will NOT cycle, and will jam up in the elevator mechanism. On a more positive note, the trigger is very nice. Pretty crisp with little take-up, and it feels decently light. I don't have a gauge or I'd give an exact measurement.
Accuracy - Due to getting home a bit late, and the light going I was unable to sit down and put the little gun on paper. But after a bit of adjustment to the buck-horn sights, I was popping shotgun hulls around the yard at ~ 15 yards, and shooting pears off the pear trees at 40 steps. I could very easily ring the 50 yard gong also. Hopefully this weekend I'll get to put some rounds on a paper target, and if I do I will post the results here. I've read several comments across the web stating that the sights are too "coarse". Honestly, I don't find them to be and actually like them better than the offerings from others such as Marlin and Henry.
Gripes - We all know that with the good comes the bad. The gun came packed full of grease, and the action was very stiff upon getting it home and looking it over. This was remedied somewhat by a good dose of Gun-Scrubber and liberal application of Rem-Oil. After the thorough cleaning and the shooting that followed, the action seemed to smooth up somewhat. Its still not as smooth as my Henry, but again, its not terrible. The take-down screw cannot be tightened enough to stop the receiver pieces moving. The movement is minor, but it is there. As I stated earlier, it doesn't seem to affect the function of the rifle, so I suppose time will tell.
So in summary, my overall impression of the LA322 is positive. It seems to be a nice, handy little rifle that would be just right for walking in the woods and riding in the pickup (where it currently resides), or for dispatching dinner and dealing with vermin on the farm. Further testing will be required but I think the little carbine will be a shooter. Probably won't win any accuracy contests but I'll go out on a limb and say that it's minute-of-squirrel out of the box. If anyone would like to add comments or ask questions, I would welcome that as this is my first review of, well, anything really. Hopefully y'all have enjoyed it.
Mac
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