The Chiappa 1873 10-Shot Revolver Plinker

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 7/26/2019 | O Volk

[w1n1]

The Short And Long Of It All – A Look At Chiappa’s SAA 1873 10-Shot Revolvers
The Chiappa 1873 10-shot represents an effort to bring an affordable single-action plinker to the market. Using a cast zamak-alloy frame, they look and feel like the old .45 Colt Peacemakers without being as expensive to buy. Depending on the model they retail anywhere from just under to just over $200. These revolvers are available in the US and come with either a 4.75-, 5.5- or 7.5-inch barrel, the last with adjustable target sights.

To me, the main appeal was practicing with inexpensive rimfire ammunition and enjoying the light recoil – in style! To that end, I obtained a highly decorated belt and holster set from Old El Paso Saddlery to ensure I had the complete package. I also obtained belts and holsters from El Paso for the kids and adult shooters which looked great functioned flawlessly.

Single action revolver grips are usually fairly good fit for smaller hands, their triggers don’t require much reach, so I also planned to use them for teaching new shooters. To that end, I also got a more utilitarian set of holsters – one each long and short in left and right hand configuration – and adult and child size gun belts with cartridge loops. This way, a person can run the more precise long gun with the string hand and the lighter, shorter gun with the weak hand.

Known principles - Single-action, gate-loading revolvers are among the most hardy repeating gun designs. Sequential ejection enables the use of imperfect ammunition and brings the full impact of the ejector to bear on one empty casing at a time, and since the ejector rod goes into the casing from the front, even rimless ammunition can be used. Read the rest of this review on Chiappa 1873 10-Shot Revolver.

[Boomer]

Is this a .22?

[yarddog]

With 10 holes in the cylinder it would have to be a .22.

[gundog]

Rimfire is the only clue that I saw. Provably.

[Boomer]

Funny how it never says .22. It just beats around the bush but never plainly says it.

Plinker, rimfire, 10 rd cylinder, brick of ammo; all point to .22.

Lazy writing or the common mistake of the author thinking the reader knows what he’s thinking.

It does look like a fun little revolver that would be cheap to shoot out in the country for plinking. Probably last dang near forever too. Could be a good snake gun with the scatter ammo; something a semi-auto isn’t good for.

[gundog]

Except for that omission, it’s good writing for ASJ..Well, that and the reference to a “string hand. “. For the same money, I think you can get a Heritage Arms with 2 cylinders....a.22 LR, and a .22 WMR. Maybe even .17 HMR and the other .17, which escapes me at the moment. Probably no snake shot option there, though.

[DakotaGator]

Yes. It's a .22.

Article never says. But at the complete article's webpage a photo shows a girl holding the pistol in one hand and box of 22 LR cartridges in the other. Also, a manufacturer's video is embedded which makes it clear the pistol is a .22 caliber with the option for a magnum cylinder.

Always frustrating when you have to dig for basic information.

[Jewbacca]

My mob-type family members would have loved this.

But they called $200 revolvers Saturday Night Specials.

[Fido969]

I have a Heritage SA/DA 8-shot .22 revolver, and it’s the one I always start beginners off with handgun.

It’s also a fun plinker, and there is always the option of switching from SA to DA. I prefer the SA, I think it’s more accurate for paper punching, but some people really like the DA on the thing.

It’s the gun that probably gets the most use from my collection.

I probably paid $150 for it, but here $200 isn’t a bad price for a new gun. But then if I had to buy one gun, I’d go with the SA/DA.

[2111USMC]

It sounds like this guy bought a $200 revolver and $2,000 worth of holsters.

[Sparticus]

Can’t say that I’m very interested in pot-metal pistols.

[conservativesister]

It’s sure not a man holding that pistol.....

[butlerweave]

17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire ?

[Seruzawa]

Would much rather have a breakopen 22 than a gate loader.

[CtBigPat]

They should bring back the H&R 999. Reloading a 10 shot SA would be a huge PITA.

[Kommodor]

I prefer the Ruger single 10, it’s my go to warm up toy at the range.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

The passing reference to “zamak alloy” caught my, eye, too, but I didn’t know it was pot metal until I looked it up. My experiences with anything made of pot metal have been consistently bad, but it was mostly junk products to start with (probably bad memories of cheap toys in my childhood).

Wiki…Zamak (formerly trademarked as ZAMAK and also known as Zamac) is a family of alloys with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminium, magnesium, and copper.

Zamak alloys are part of the zinc aluminium alloy family; they are distinguished from the other ZA alloys because of their constant 5% aluminium composition.

The name zamak is an acronym of the German names for the metals of which the alloys are composed: Zink (zinc), Aluminium, Magnesium and Kupfer (copper). The New Jersey Zinc Company developed zamak alloys in 1929. Zinc alloys are popularly referred to as pot metal or white metal. While zamak is held to higher industrial standards, it is still considered a pot metal.

[Oatka]

They should bring back the H&R 999. Reloading a 10 shot SA would be a huge PITA.

Agreed - always been partial to breaktops. North American Arms has come out with this one in 22 Mag at about $400:

If they put a long barrel on it like the below, I'd go for it. Their pull-out-the-cylinder routine kills it for me.

Both are only five shots though, but neat for plinking.

[Oatka]

Top one is wrong image, dammit. Cut it from a dealer's website. Here's "The Ranger", with a .22 LR cylinder to boot:

[moovova]

There WAS one saving grace at the article...