People thoughts on a Chiappa Double Badger

[nun_hunter]

Might be a useful tool but the Chiappa is bloody ugly.

You asked what others thought, so I told you what I think.
Life's too short to have an ugly gun, spend a bit more and buy a nice European combination.

I would love a much nicer looking gun and maybe in the future I can justify the cost and need for one. For now the pleasure is being out in the woods on my own or taking my eldest with me and tackling a few squirrels.

If you think the double badger is ugly then please save your eyes and don't look at the M6

 

[Dave Scott]

I would love a much nicer looking gun and maybe in the future I can justify the cost and need for one. For now the pleasure is being out in the woods on my own or taking my eldest with me and tackling a few squirrels.

If you think the double badger is ugly then please save your eyes and don't look at the M6

Enjoy being out - having a nice weapon adds to the pleasure, but it isn't everything.

 

[8x57]

I would love a much nicer looking gun and maybe in the future I can justify the cost and need for one. For now the pleasure is being out in the woods on my own or taking my eldest with me and tackling a few squirrels.

If you think the double badger is ugly then please save your eyes and don't look at the M6

Totally agree but there again the M6 is a survival tool and never ever intended as a sporting gun.

 

[enfieldspares]

I think .410 is unwise. Very unwise. In a survival gun where weight of ammunition as much as weight of gun is a factor it may make sense. But for a gun that lives in a gunsafe it has no benefit. Any immediate saving you make vis a vis the cost of the same gun but 20 bore will be wiped out in the cost of cartridges very very quickly. Additionally I'd think it far far less effective as a tool to blast dreys than a 20 bore using a clayshooter's 28 gram load of 7 1/2 in 20 bore. The .22WMR again, in my mind, isn't a good idea. For the UK shooter I don't think it offers the advantage compared to the cost of feeding the gun in .22LR. Plus of course .22LR has advanced (decades ago) beyond the mere choice of high-velocity or standard. There's some excellent hypere velocity .22LR. Finally as the thing can't be used with a "moddie" .22WMR subsonic is just an expensive substitute for standard velocity .22LR.

 

[alberta boy]

What are people thoughts on the Chiappa Double Badger as a small vermin walk around gun? Price new is around £450.

Chiappa Firearms // Double Badger

Chiappa Firearms is a leading brand of rifles, shotguns and handguns including the Rhino Revolver.

www.chiappafirearms.com

I love a bit of squirrel shooting in the autumn/winter and think one of these will cover all bases for a walk in the woods where squirrels will be the main prey but pigeons, rabbits, pheasant and possibly a fox will be on the cards.

I'm leaning towards the 22lr over 20gauge as can use 22lr subs or HV and the 20 gauge will have a bit more range and spread than a 410. Another option is the 22wmr over 410 but as fox is only a rarity I don't think it'll offer more than a 22lr HV or 20 gauge.

What do others think?

They are a handy little thing . I've never owned a Double Badger , but have shot a few . The do as advertised , nothing fancy , but they work . I have owned a few Savage 24's over the years , a bit more gentleman like lol . I had a couple of 22lr/410 models , a 22 mag / 410 and a 357RM/20 gauge version . They are a good walking around firearm . I used 158gr lead wadcutters loaded to 38 special target velocities in 357 brass for a very quite rabbit load and used slugs in the 20 gauge barrel to take a few White Tail Does with , it was a very versatile , and handy , combo . Savage also made the 24 in 22lr/20 gauge , but I doubt there's many floating around the UK , but you never know . I think the 20 gauge is a good idea , it's far more capable and 410 ammo is quite expensive ( it's the same price as 20 gauge out here , it may be different in the UK ) so there isn't any cost savings in going with the smaller gauge IMHO .

AB

 

[njc110381]

There are a couple of nice 12g/.222 combinations on Guntrader. If foxes are on the cards that's what I'd go for. Makes you muntjac legal too which is handy in a woodland gun. I've had a combi or drilling for years and to be honest the number of times I've rifled a squirrel or other small animal are few and far between. When I have needed to, the 7x57 barrel of my old combi used to kill stuff cleanly enough!

I also second the idea of only loading the rifle when you need it. I've clicked the rifle barrel by mistake more than once, even when I was very experienced with the gun. It's easily done.

 

[Heym SR20]

There are a couple of nice 12g/.222 combinations on Guntrader. If foxes are on the cards that's what I'd go for. Makes you muntjac legal too which is handy in a woodland gun. I've had a combi or drilling for years and to be honest the number of times I've rifled a squirrel or other small animal are few and far between. When I have needed to, the 7x57 barrel of my old combi used to kill stuff cleanly enough!

I also second the idea of only loading the rifle when you need it. I've clicked the rifle barrel by mistake more than once, even when I was very experienced with the gun. It's easily done.

Don’t disagree with any of this. And if you want rimfire type performance its perfectly possible to load a lead bullet over a case full of trailboss or similar to give a 1,000 fps ish sort of velocity. Even with the bigger calibres you can do this. There is an article on this where a gentleman with a 16 / 7x57r had a squib load that shot to point of aim at a shorter distance than the normal 100 with normal load. He uses the squib loads on small game that is just a bit far for the shotgun.

 

[Sash]

I have a Brno 222/12b and, to be honest, mainly use the .222 barrel: i have a scope fitted and, even on 3x, I am pretty bad at taking shots at flying birds.
So, if you want to do this, think about how useful the rifle barrel will be if you don’t have a scope.

And I totally agree with the point about not loading specific barrels until you need them. With my combi the rifle barrel fires off the front (set) trigger. Which is just the trigger one might instinctively pull if swinging on a close-in rabbit, or pigeon......

 

[Heym SR20]

Shooting birds with scope on with a combination gun is doable but difficult. You need a low gun style of shooting, focus on the bird with both eyes and rely on instinct to shoot as the butt hits your shoulder.

Saying that most Europeans now shoot driven boar via a scoped type optic. But most will use a wide angle 1-4x20 type scope on their driven rifle.

If shooting birds with mine, i just take scope off. I have a claw mount that is totally repeatable. And if shooting birds rifle is not loaded.

It has good open sights, so can use those if needs be with rifle barrel. But most of the time if you are going to shoot a deer, then there is enough time to put scope back on.

I am taking my combination with me up to our syndicate in Caithness today. Mix of red, roe but also a number of grouse and duck. The birds tend to be well away from the deer or at the far end where frankly shooting a Red Stag would be fine until start having to get it across a coupe of miles of peat hag. No thanks.

So I am going to be stalking, but will have a handful of shotgun cartridges with me and if nothing shows up then have other options - happy days.

 

[njc110381]

Scope wise I had a Simmons 1.5-5x20 on mine. Mounted with QD mounts so I could put it on or take it off fairly quickly. Most of the time I would carry the gun bare with the scope in my pocket (advantage of a small scope). Deer within 75 yards or so were fair game with the iron sights and it made life considerably easier with the shotgun. A deer beyond 75m is less likely to bump off quickly and there is usually time to put the scope on - it literally took seconds. To this day I still think I've shot more deer with that rifle and the iron sights than all my other rifles put together!

 

[Pine Marten]

If this price is correct, it is a totally stupid bargain!

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[enfieldspares]

If this price is correct, it is a totally stupid bargain!

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Yes. Stupid to buy. The stock is cracked. The barrels have dents. Effectively the cost to remove the dents and replace the stock unless the factory sells them at daft (as in cheap) money is fatal. But it'd be worth asking Zoli the cost just to settle the matter.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I have just shot a badger using my combination 16G/6.5x57R Heym"s rifle barrel so it halfway fits into the discussion (my first ever badger in 22 years over here in Germany where it is legal). I carry this gun mostly throughout the summer months then I go over to a drilling in 16G/7x57R for winter work.