Chiappa 1887 shotgun

[barbarossa]

Anyone have one of these?I m thinking one of the longer barreled versions might be fun to take hunting.

[J Miller]

Other than pictures I haven't seen one. I'd sure like to though. Those shot guns are just ugly enough to be fun.

Joe

[Rube Burrows]

I have seen them and handled them. They are very nice. They are actually made on the 1901 10 gauge frame which is a little larger than the 87. It also has a 10 gauge barrel with a 12 gauge hole. Think its lined maybe but cant remember right off the top of my head.

The Case Colors are super on the guns I have seen also.

I have the IAC 87 but will some day end up getting me a Chiappa version also hopefully.

[DPris]

I worked with one, very nice. Miles ahead of the Chinese version.
The shorter barrel should be OK for hunting, removable chokes come with it.
Barrel's not lined, just thick-walled.
Denis

[tman]

Have an IAC. Shoots like a dream. Maybe i just got lucky, but it seems to be very good quality shotgun. Cowboy shooters use em and seem to like them.

[Pitchy]

I had one of the Chinese ones, worked ok but thought i needed something else so traded it off, story of my life.

[Roland]

I worked with one, very nice. Miles ahead of the Chinese version.
The shorter barrel should be OK for hunting, removable chokes come with it.
Barrel's not lined, just thick-walled.
Denis

Sorry to bump this old thread but now a year after, has anyone found any problems with the Chiappas? I've had a very low tolerance for Chiappas after seeing their issues with other guns like the 1892. On that it seemed everyone preferred the Rossi even though it was much rougher in fit and finish.

It seemed that doing a bit of polishing work and swapping out the wood on a Rossi was better than spending all that money on a Chiappa with it's strange design quirks like having the take down pin being a screw...

Do we have a similar situation with the Chiappa 1887? Any design flaws or problem spots like with the 1892? Is the rougher Norinco the preferred choice?

Alternatively, would you prefer the Chiappa 1887 or a slicked up Norinco from Coyote Cap?
http://www.coyotecap.com/mod__87_wcse2.htm

[DPris]

I'd go with the Chiappa over anything from CC.
Denis

[Roland]

Care to elaborate a bit?

[DPris]

Only a bit.

I used to run into Marty on occasion at Hell On Wheels & the SAS Convention.
Very nice guy, and I mean that. Also very knowledgeable.

Based on his statements that the Chinese 97 & a double shotgun he was working with them on were ready to go some time back, I arranged for test samples from the importer he was associated with.

The fore-end came off in my hand on the pump and shells pretty much had to be pried out of the double, among other things. Distinctly not ready to go. My feeling was that if he put his approval on 'em, the guns should have been.

Since then I've seen some Internet forum posts regarding dis-satisfaction with some of his work.

There are people who are happy with him, there are people who are not.

Personally, having worked with the Chiappa & discussed it with Tom Wildenauer (Lassiter in SASS) who is a championship shooter with an early Chiappa '87, I'd go with it.
If you can track him down through Chiappa USA, you might be able to see if he'd be interested in slicking one up for you.
Cost you more than a Chinese '87, but you get what you pay for.

I almost kept the sample Chiappa I had, it was pretty nice & much more so than the first Chinese version I saw at SHOT when they were new, but I don't shoot CAS & it's too different from the Remington 870s I use for serious purposes to use as a field gun, and I couldn't justify it as a toy.

Not knocking CC, just laying out my experiences.
Denis

[Roland]

Thanks for the heads up. I did find & read about a members unfortunate experience here just now. Doesn't sound good at all. Previously I had not heard anything about CC and his 1887s but what I read certainly sounded like an utter nightmare.

[DPris]

I will say in fairness to Marty that he did develop quite a following prior to the Chinese gun involvement, and his rep was what got me interested in those when he later started to promote 'em.

I just didn't find the guns really shootable without more work being done on them & I wasn't interested in doing that on guns that were being promoted as "ready to go".
Those were both guns that he'd supposedly worked closely on with the Chinese in actually going to China and doing hands-on discussions at the factory, and defects & such in the initial offerings were also supposedly corrected by the Chinese by then.

I haven't seen anything he's done with 87s.

If you do some Internet searching you can find happy dealings with him and unhappy dealings.

I'm not necessarily trying to turn anybody away from his stuff or his work, and if the Chiappa idea doesn't appeal that's fine.
Just passing on my experiences & it's up to you to make your own choices.
Denis