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Kansas Highwall
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Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Sep 26th, 2025 at 9:16pm
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Anyone here have this rifle in rimfire? I'm interested but kind of sceptical.
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Rolling4
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #1 - Oct 1st, 2025 at 9:03pm
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I was hoping someone would chime in on this thread as I’ve wanted one in 38-55 for years but haven’t ever seen one in person and would like to hold one before deciding to buy
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #2 - Oct 2nd, 2025 at 9:42am
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Never owned one, but I've heard mixed reviews from great to not so good. Tells me it's quality control maybe?
  

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burntwater
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #3 - Oct 2nd, 2025 at 10:14am
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In the 80's when I was smithing handguns and losing money I had a cop bring in a Chiapas 357 revolver and a 1911 clone. Like early Taurus and Rossi guns they had problems with metallurgy and especially case hardening. I'm sure they've improved and got this figured out by now ? 

Rick
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #4 - Oct 2nd, 2025 at 11:14am
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Might pass a bit of info one friend told me on his Chiappa Sharps. He had it get a ding in the stock, and decided to try to refinish the stock. He soon discovered his stock that was pretty was a laminate of some sort applied over cheap wood. He said he sanded through the coating easily, and ended up having to order a new stock from Armi Sport, the parent company of these rifles.
Not sure if their stocks are still built this way, but I'd check before buying.
  

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Rolling4
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #5 - Oct 2nd, 2025 at 11:40am
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From the online reviews and YouTube videos I’ve seen over the years quality control does seem to be the issue. Some are very happy with what they receive and others have issues. The guns have walnut stocks so wood shouldn’t be an issue. One statement I’ve seen in a few reviews that if you have large hands/fingers it can be difficult to get your fingers to the triggers due to the scaled down size of the gun.
  
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burntwater
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #6 - Oct 2nd, 2025 at 12:24pm
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I'm shocked but not surprised. This technique or system is the backbone of the low end furniture industry. It's amazing how little people understand or can identify wood. Today it's ' manufactured wood ' sheet goods ( bi-product wood pieces bonded in adhesive ), then heat wrapped with photo laminate giving the appearance of natural wood. Good photo lams are getting better all the time and to those who are clueless usually can't tell the difference. People buy cheap furniture love the look then pick it up and it's heavy - so it must be real wood. Not realizing that particle board and MDF are very heavy. Sold ! So heat wrapped wood stocks can certainly fool some.

Quick check for plastic overlay is a hot probe and black smoke or cratering but not applicable on a gunstock. 

Rick
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #7 - Oct 2nd, 2025 at 1:56pm
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I assume this "laminate" is made like heat shrink tubing in wiring? So it can be slipped over the cheap wood and then heated to make shrink and form tightly to the wood.
  

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Otony
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #8 - Oct 2nd, 2025 at 2:23pm
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Cbashooter has one, but I think it was a version marketed by Taylors? His was/is a .22LR

We received it into the shop, and I had a chance to handle it. He had issues with the transfer bar, and quite honestly it was a fragile, hokey looking part. When he ordered a new bar, the importer sent him several (!) which I think speaks volumes for the quality of the part.

Hopefully he will chime in here, since I’m relying on my memories of about three years ago.
  

Otony
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burntwater
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #9 - Oct 2nd, 2025 at 3:03pm
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marlinguy wrote on Oct 2nd, 2025 at 1:56pm:
I assume this "laminate" is made like heat shrink tubing in wiring? So it can be slipped over the cheap wood and then heated to make shrink and form tightly to the wood.


Pretty close but there are several products and several different application procedures. If accuracy and orientation of the pattern are critical then shrink wrap vinyl tends to distort especially where there are contours and profile are important. Looking closely along the edges will often reveal some distortion.

The furniture companies have specialized machinery for this work. There are several different products with different adhesives, temp ranges etc. It's a huge industry these days from furniture both indoor and outdoor, flooring you name it.    But mostly it's used on sheet goods or flat surfaces.

Rick
  
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SchwarzStock
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #10 - Oct 3rd, 2025 at 1:32pm
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I think we all agree Chiappa/Armi Sport are the bottom of the spectrum. Better to save a little more and buy better, To me that also means not buying pedersoli either.
  

If your rifle is not in 7.62 and you can't hit what you are aiming at with de-linked machinegun ammo you are a pretender.
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marlinguy
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Re: Chiapa little Sharps single shot
Reply #11 - Oct 3rd, 2025 at 1:52pm
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SchwarzStock wrote on Oct 3rd, 2025 at 1:32pm:
I think we all agree Chiappa/Armi Sport are the bottom of the spectrum. Better to save a little more and buy better, To me that also means not buying pedersoli either.


I wouldn't put Chiappa/Armi Sport in the same class as Pedersoli rifles. A lot of big matches have been won with Pedersoli rifles all over the world. I doubt any Armi Sport rifles have.
  

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