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L.P. Brezny

Centurion AK-47: A Classic Comes Home

Century Arms Centurion AK-47
The AK-47 by Centurion: American-built all the way.

Different from all other AK-47 variants manufactured in other countries, the Centurion is assembled with American-made parts making it  unique in the long list of examples of the most-produced rifle in the history of firearms.

Previous wars have proven that any peasant with no education can learn how to use the AK-47 within an hour and thus, the gun has found a home throughout the world’s revolutions, uprisings, and insurgencies. When Mikhail Kalashnikov designed it in 1947 he was just trying to fill a need for the Russian army.  Often referred to as the Kalash in Russian, this rifle has been picked up by more countries then I can count as a standard military rifle.

The Centurion 39 is chambered for the 7.62X 39 cartridge, which delivers a strong downrange punch and penetrating ability; unlike its rival the 5.56 NATO.  In my opinion, the only reason our military doesn’t use the same cartridge is that pride just won’t let the powers that be admit that this is one hell of a round.

The folks at Century Arms have seen the light by offering a completely American-made rifle where the level of quality can be controlled and production planning can be addressed. The end result is the shooter has a high-quality AK-47 that shoots straight with the dependability of its forerunners. This thing never quits in the field.

In some grades the receivers on AK’s tend to be a bit sloppy to say the least.  Not so with the Centurion 39.  This rifle makes use of a completely machined receiver from an 11-pound block of high-grade 4140 ordnance steel.  This is the heart of the rifle’s quality and the basis for its ability to deliver accuracy down range. With a 16.5-inch barrel with a 1-in-9.5 twist, the rifle stabilizes bullets in the neighborhood of 125 grains very well.

Sights on this rifle are far better than most standard AK-47 systems. This rifle carries a red high-glow bright front sight post and is fully adjustable for elevation to 800 yards, with windage adjustment as well.

With a complete set of Weaver rails on the forend the rifle can be fitted with lights, lasers, broomhandles, or scopes.

The composite stock has an upgraded design that is an inch longer at the butt making a better fit for larger-frame shooters and yet is still fast handling in tight quarters. Century Arms uses a special flash suppressor, the V -shaped Chevron Compensator, that is designed to drive spent gas away from the muzzle, which aids in reducing muzzle jump when firing rapidly.  The controls on the rifle are standard and simple like those on other AK-47 rifles.

Accuracy and Field Testing

Testing the Centurion AK-47
Groups at 100 yards were much tighter with the use of a red-dot sight.

Test firing consisted of using Remington factory loads with a 123-grain full metal jacket bullet. We fired at 100 yards to test for accuracy.

Shooting 100-yard groups of five rounds with the standard open sights from a light bench rest produced a 4.182-inch group.  Not fancy, but with a heavy front-sight blade, keeping everything level and on the money was a bit of a chore.

Later with an Aimpoint Comp M4 mounted on a QRP2 with a spacer and killflash, the groups shrunk to 2.821 inches.  During additional testing the use of the Aimpoint would be very significant regarding raw, on-target, combat-related scores.

The Other Blue Man Group

During a series of test firings I used a new silhouette combat target offered by Birchwood Casey that I call “ Blue Targets” or “Blue Men” and simulated an advance group of 15 riflemen.  The drill consisted of firing 15 rounds, five at each of three targets, then counting the hits.

The first target was at 100 yards, the second at 150, and the third at 200.  Some would say this is a stretch for the AK and iron sights, but I was counting on the fact that these sights were better then the standard designs found on foreign-made rifles and the rifle was built tighter and more accurate. All shots had to be delivered down range within 30 seconds.

As a control, my volunteer shooter had military training and experience firing the M1-Garand at Camp Perry. It didn’t help him much.  The game was on after a three-shot group fired at 100 yards confirmed the sights were adjusted correctly.

My test subject hit with two rounds at 100 yards. One round at 150 yards, and blanked out with a zero at 200 yards.  During a second timed attempt he did a bit better but went way over on the time limit.  The 200-yard target was still blank, indicating that he or the sights were the problem. Since most of his hits were a bit off to the left this indicated some trigger control problems.  While the trigger did tend to creep a bit it has a very solid crisp let off at about six pounds.

Blue Man Targets
Blue man targets from 100 to 200 yards. Better sights are required for longer distances.

My turn: I had an edge because I shot and handled the rifle earlier. I ended up with five kills on the 100-yard blue man, three on the 150-yard target, and zero on the 200-yard target. I could not seem to find the kill zone over those basic sights at 200 yards.

With my failure to hit the 200-yard blue man I decided to lock down my Aimpoint M4s TM.  This is a red-dot battle sight with a sniper screen to reduce glare in a combat environment.  The Aimpoint is not classed as a target variant in sighting equipment. Instead it is a tool that can get on a target quickly and keep you there until the threat has been eliminated.  With the Centurion equipped with Weaver rails I had the Aimpoint up and shooting within several minutes while never leaving my station.

The zero work was fast in that the impact point with a test round at 100 yards was about 8 inches low. With windage dead on, I cranked up the elevation a bit, and then planted the next round dead on the target center.   Now with a magazine loaded with 15 rounds I was back at my timed event against those three targets.

The target at 100 yards took five fast hits, and the 200-yard target showed another five kills. Reloading several times I selected random ranges and found the better target acquisition system to be a very distinct advantage.  However, this is where a real flaw revealed itself.  After firing quite a bit that day I noticed that the upper forward hand guard that retained the red-dot sight rail had become loose and sloppy. This was seriously impacting the sighting system.

ARs of Russion Inspiration
Click the image to read an article about ARs of Russian inspiration.

A possible solution for this is the attachment of a left-side receiver rail that mounts a quick-release scope base directly in line with the top of the rifle’s dust cover.  An example is of this outfit is common on the 54-C Dragunov sniper rifle.  With this addition I believe the Model 39 could shoot tighter groups and extend its range. If I owned this rifle I would have a competent gunsmith install a side rail.

The Centurion Model 39 is a very solid combat and general defense rifle.   In terms of function there were no issues with feeding or ejection, and all controls functioned perfectly. Furniture needs to be addressed for a tighter fit, and when cleaning it I found the bolt stiff when returning it to the receiver. That is the result of a well-machined receiver and bolt assembly.

When aligned correctly, and that means right on the nose, the bolt assembly drops in like the parts in a Swiss watch. Priced under $800 this is a lot of rifle for the money if you have your sights set on an AK-47.

Gun Review: Remington R1 1911

Gun review: Remington R1 1911

During World War II Remington Arms Company built nearly 28,000 Model 1911 .45 automatic pistols as a contribution to the war effort.  After that run in manufacturing the company dropped the hard-hitting from its line for some six decades. It’s back!

The new Remington 1911 R1 .45 Government has moved from a marketing idea to reality and it is slowly getting into the hands shooters.
With a basic design taken right from the original 1911 playbook, Remington has stayed with the shallow main spring, military controls, and all-steel construction. Remington has also emblazoned the new R1 with the big “R” along the side of the ubiquitous 1911 slide.

It took lots of sweet talking and a strict promise to return the test gun as soon as possible, I was lucky enough to get Chris Ellis, and Todd Sigmund of the Remington promotions department to turn a sample loose for some proper field evaluation work.   Don’t misunderstand me here.   If I had my way that gun would never leave my gun vault, but thanks to the very limited production of the weapon at the time of the review, finished guns were going to buyers instead of gun writers. I got lucky.

The 1911 and I go back to just after the end of WW II.  In those days the guns came back to U.S. arsenals as surplus products, and as such the DCM program though the NRA would allow members to pick these guns up for just a few dollars each.  I have owned Colts, Singer Sewing Machine, and Remington Rand variants of the big handgun over the years and am still a fan of the pistol today. In that I am most assuredly not alone.

The Remington 1911 R1

The new Remington 1911 R1, is “old school” in terms of about 90 percent of the weapon; so much so that it fits the mold when SASS shooters turn to Wild Bunch shooting competition with the .45 Government versus a six gun.  Save for the sights and a few bright metal areas at the muzzle and trigger, the gun is a dead ringer for that first Government Model 1911 Doughboys carried to World War I.

Save for the sights and a few bright metal areas at the muzzle and trigger, the R1 is a dead ringer for that first 1911 the Doughboys carried to WWI.
Save for the sights and a few bright metal areas at the muzzle and trigger, the R1 is a dead ringer for that first 1911 the Doughboys carried to WWI.

Just handling the gun was like coming home again for an old-time .45 shooter like me. I have not shot any pay targets, or dropped a bad guy with one as a police officer, but I have sent one pile of ammo at paper, snakes and even a few irate raccoons or coyotes on night hunts in the past.  There was a short period of time, when I was a police officer, that I was lobbying for the gun as a duty weapon as street gangs were out gunning most of us any day of the week. My idea just didn’t fly because most police chiefs are great politicians and not really all that gun savvy.

Coated in a dull blue/black The R1 is not a showboat handgun. On the other hand, the gun is nicely appointed with a quality working finish, well-made controls, and a very smooth function from the slide to the hammer and trigger.   With a slide and frame of solid steel the gun is the weight of the real 1911s of old, and when you’re out of ammo it can serve well as a club if necessary.

With correct walnut stocks of the time period John Browning introduced the gun to the world, the R1 only lacks the smaller front and rear sight found on the old Army, and Cavalry models; but no one misses those. The lanyard ring has also been eliminated from the frame.   Save for those small details the Remington R1 is a great duplicate of the first guns the company produced way back when.

All controls of the gun are correct and what you would expect for a 1911.  The grip safety is genuine, with a full cocked-and-locked lever. Nothing has been omitted on the gun in terms of the John Browning/Colt design.   I like the fact that “Remington” is stamped on the magazines, slide and frame.

Test Shooting

Testing the new Remington R1 included shooting three different brands of 45 ACP ammo. I selected several because I wanted to be sure the loads that Remington shipped were not about to be the only thing the gun tended to digest.

First up on the sand bag static test bench was the CCI Blazer brass load with a 230-grain FMJ bullet .  Seven rounds at 20 yards produced some solid accuracy with a 5 1/ 2-inch vertical string and under 3-inch across.  Most rounds fell into the 3-inch cluster making for a very acceptable basic workhorse, stock and standard model 1911.

Moving to Remington’s own UMC brand also with a 230-grain FMJ bullet the group opened a bit, but on the other had I was not totally up to snuff either.  In effect, I think much of the accuracy loss was the shooter in this case.  With 14 rounds down range at 20 yards, five of them hit the dead center mark and almost fell atop one another, with the rest as flyers out to about the 6-inch ring.   Again, everything I sent out of the gun was well within center mass in terms of a combat scenario.

Shooting was topped off with a run of Magtech 230-grain FMJ ammo and like the others these loads dropped inside the 6-inch ring and stacked well within the 4-inch circle. The three white dot sights being a partridge style allowed some better sighting control even in low light.

Turning back to the Remington fodder I proceeded to shoot Birchwood Casey tactical targets (blue men) in sets of two with a 10-yard spacing, and at a distance from the muzzle of 15 yards.  Shooting seven-round strings with three double taps and a final single round down range the gun never failed once to produce two rounds in the dead sure vitals, with all others making target contact between the lower ribs, arms, or belt line extremities.  In five runs over the blue men targets I never failed to make the stop in under seven seconds.

In terms of function the gun never failed to cycle save for  single time with CCI cartridges. In this case the rim of a case got caught on the feed ramp and bent back a bit, hanging the whole round, and causing a jam.  Using the tap rack method of clearing a malfunction I was up and running again in seconds. For a total of 147 test rounds, that was the only incident that could be regarding as a function problem.

Because this gun is just about hand-made and at a mass production price ($600) I believe a number of possible problems have been pushed aside with the final product.  When being built the R1 is set out on a line of assembly workers each of have a single task as the individual gun moves along toward completion.  When the gun is completely assembled it is reviewed by the last individual on the line then sent to the test tunnel for a function and accuracy review.

The gun is tested with live ammo and if it fails to meet specs it is returned to the line once again for further adjustment. On the negative side this is one reason why it takes so darn long to get one of these old school Remington Arms hand cannons into a guy’s gun safe.

Future?

While it seems a bit crazy to talk abut the future of the R1 when you currently can’t get one by hook or crook, the gun will catch up in production and as such be ready for an upgrade sooner or later.  The 1911 45 Government, as we all know, is an open canvas for a gun-building artist.

Remington will add different configurations to this product line as time goes by.  Race guns, combat specials, and related target models will be sure to surface along the road to future development.  Everything new and advanced will be based on the basic Model 1911 R 1, but the guts of the grand master in auto-loading handguns will still be that hard-pounding John Browning-designed frame and slide doing all the real work.

For more information on the Remington R1, please visit https://www.remington.com/
.

This article appeared in the May 23, 2011 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Gun Review: HS Precision Pro Series SA SPL

Did HS Precision acheive benchrest accuracy without the weight in its new Pro Series SA SPL? L.P. Brezny puts one in 25 WSSM to the test.Did the HS Precision Pro Series SA SPL achieve benchrest accuracy without the weight? L.P. Brezny puts one in .25 WSSM to the test.

With H.S. Precision sitting almost in my backyard out here in western South Dakota it is easy to get a look at their product line. And I really like the Pro Series 2000 SA SPL varmint rifle. The SA stands for short action and the SPL means Sporter Light.

H.S. apparently believes there is a real need for a very cool ultra lightweight centerfire rifle out there in the prairie dog towns, speed goat water holes, and over those calling rigs when taking on coyotes and other related critters. They are right.  When first shouldering the rifle that was equipped with a Leupold 4X12 VX-II scope, I found that the total weight of the complete rig lacking rounds in the magazine was under six pounds.

With an ultra light pencil thin barrel that is fluted to again drop off excess heat and weight the slim sporter benefits from a lightweight stock in a composite material. It also has an all-steel magazine well but still retains the heft of a 22 rimfire rifle.  With all that, the rifle can still be chambered with the power of a heavy centerfire cartridge locked inside its slim custom stocked wrapper.

The Pro Series I was introduced to for testing and review by H.S. Precision was chambered in 25 WSSM, a very versatile critter control cartridge, as well as a very effective whitetail, pronghorn, or mule deer round. I have tended to lean toward the 25 WSSM out in the open West quite often, as I do own several other rifles chambered in this cartridge. When it came to live fire testing the new rifle handloads came to the forefront. With a set of Redding dies in a three-unit set I can buy new Winchester brass, or resize and neck up both .223 WSSM, or 243 WSSM of which I have about a lifetime supply sitting around the storage room currently.

What was of real interest here was possibly obtaining an answer to the question regarding how well the new H.S. Precision rifle could take on the temperamental super short 25 caliber round as a handloaded affair? Many a riflemen has met his handloading match trying to get the most out of this cartridge, and I am no exception to the rule. The fact is simple, 25’s in super short cases can be a devil to work with at times.

I settled on of 51.5 grains of Ramshot Hunter, Federal LR primer, and an 87-grain Speer TNT bullet. With a muzzle velocity of 3,500 fps these would be hard-hitting missiles out on the open prairie.
I settled on of 51.5 grains of Ramshot Hunter, Federal LR primer, and an 87-grain Speer TNT bullet. With a muzzle velocity of 3,500 fps these would be hard-hitting missiles out on the open prairie.

First up was the need to create a load for sighting in the rifle. I settled on of 51.5 grains of Ramshot Hunter, Federal LR primer, and an 87-grain Speer TNT bullet. The once-fired factory nickel-plated brass needed some additional work beyond a simple resizing in the full-length Redding die. The cases were first run across a torch so as to anneal them a bit softer, and with luck increase case life a bit.

These Winchester plated cases can be tough to work with because they are also heavy, with very thin walls. At times they move through a reloading die quite stubbornly. I was in luck however, as my first series of loads ran smoothly without any problems. With a muzzle velocity of 3,500 fps these would be hard-hitting missiles out on the open prairie.

When chambering the Super Shorts as once-fired handloads in a rifle that is not dead-on perfect in terms of its chamber reaming, the WSSM can hang up, or simply not feed. In some rifles I had to rotate the chambered case by hand to find the original position at which the case had been previously fired. But as a testament to, well, the precision of H.S. Precision this rifle fed and functioned perfectly with handload or factory rolled ammo, including the 110-grain Accu-Point from Winchester.

Not a single element of chamber problems was found.  Accuracy H.S. Precision rifles are 10 X cut-rifled. That’s old school my friends, and what it means is that using WWII-era methods of rifling a barrel to insure the lands and grooves are sharp edged and don’t tend to build up bullet jacket material. This helps maintain accuracy. These rifles shoot straight. I am basing that on this test rifle as well as the several others I have reviewed over the past several years. In terms of barrel length the buyer has a choice that ranges from 22, 24 or a 26-inches.

Action bedding is reinforced block style, but in the case of the H.S. rifle stock this is a full-length operation and not just pillar bedded at the magazine well. When ordering a rifle the buyer has a choice in opting for 16 different stock colors and patterns. From camo to bright blue the choice is yours. For those that desire it a muzzle break can be installed at the factory for a small fee.

The short action sporter light varmint rifle from H.S. Precision, also known as the Pro Series 2000 SA SPL, weighs in at under six pounds, but can still be chambered with the power of a heavy centerfire cartridge locked inside its slim custom stocked wrapper.
The short action sporter light varmint rifle from H.S. Precision, also known as the Pro Series 2000 SA SPL, weighs in at under six pounds, but can still be chambered with the power of a heavy centerfire cartridge locked inside its slim custom stocked wrapper.

On the first day on the range I was able to shoot moa groups at 100 yards via my home-rolled Speer-capped fodder. This shooting was done off a very simple light plastic portable bench and rest by Case-Gard. With a move to a Big Shooter heavy prairie dog shooting bench that was truck mounted for mobile field use things improved to the point that this lightweight field rifle was shooting like a bench-rest rifle.

H.S. Precision indicates that all their rifles are test fired in house, and a paper group is sent with the finished rifle. These rifles are expected to shoot sub 1/ 2 moa or better. If it does not the rifle is rejected for commercial sale. The following are accuracy results as produced with handloads and factory ammunition.

Note the consistent accuracy produced by a pencil-pipe rifle barrel that measures just .554 inches at the muzzle, and 1.180, or at the receiver ring.

I should also mention that this barrel has deep flutes to dissipate heat buildup when shooting multiple rounds. Without question the light contour of the barrel would suggest a hunter’s tool, versus a “bang-and-reload” high-volume prairie dog shooter.

For the most part coyotes, big game, and even large rodents (woodchucks) are single-round targets anyway. The new H.S. Precision rifle fits the task at hand regarding both game and varmints. Trigger function as applied to the Pro Series 2000 is outstanding right out of the box. There is only a sharp crisp hand-made single-stage trigger with let off that is easy to master after only a few rounds sent down range.

Hunters should understand that these rifles are about as close to a hand-built custom at an over-the-counter price as you’re going to see. All the rifle parts are built at H.S. Precision from raw steel stock.

No foreign parts, and even the H.S stocks on these rifles, totally hand-made in-house, have become world renowned for their ability to deliver accuracy and years of dependability.

With a basic action design much like the Winchester Model 70 in terms of the safety function (three-position) which is never a bad thing, the turn bolt H.S. Precision tends to move cartridges as smoothly as a ball bearing that is rolling on glass.

With the safety engaged the bolt is locked. This makes the rifle saddle ready and safe when packing into rough country. However, with the half safe position engaged, the bolt is functional.

With the button-type extractor and a double forward lug locking system the bolt design tends to take on a Remington Model 700 appearance. When checking the lug contact points for any excess slop or misalignment I found none.

As a testament to, well, the precision of H.S. Precision this rifle fed and functioned perfectly with handload or factory rolled ammo, including the 110-grain Accu-Point from Winchester.
As a testament to, well, the precision of H.S. Precision this rifle fed and functioned perfectly with handload or factory rolled ammo, including the 110-grain Accu-Point from Winchester.

These rifles have been blue printed with care. All metal fit is very exact, and it shows when accuracy is taken into account. This flat-surface Teflon-coated action is available in both long and short versions. Action length, of course, would depend on the choice of cartridge.

Because the Sporter Lightweight model an ultra light carry rifle I would suggest that some thought be given over to the choice in cartridge. The short action is without question the preferred style in my opinion, and in some ways the Pro Series 2000 in the Sporter Lightweight owes this action length in terms of a very good fit for the overall rifle design.

To mash a long action on the Sporter Lightweight seems to me to be counter-productive in a way. Why not just shoot a larger rifle when long-action rounds are getting the call?

Field carry of this rifle was nothing short of a dream. I hunted the northern Black Hills for lion during my review period. This area offers very rugged slopes, and requires a light rifle with other well designed pack gear. I found the Series 2000 Sporter Lightweight to be a pure joy to haul around.

Balance is outstanding for fast offhand shooting, and because the action is dependable and smooth, the short fat 25 WSSM rounds fed with ease each and every time. This has not always been the case regarding the WSSM family of cartridges as applied to different bands of rifles being both custom built and factory offerings.

With the American hunting population getting older every day I know for a fact that many hunters are searching for that single rifle that can just about do it all and carry like a 22 rimfire when going afield. The H.S. Precision Pro Series 2000 Sporter Lightweight is the answer.

This article appeared in the August 2, 2010 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Gun Review: Chiappa 1911-.22

With all the controls in the same places as a traditional 1911, the Chiappa 1911-22 gives you a great platform for training.
With all the controls in the same places as a traditional 1911, the Chiappa 1911-22 gives you a great platform for training.

Training with a full-sized 1911 in .22 has never been easier or more affordable. Brezny reviews the Chiappa 1911-22.

It sells for under $300, shoots like it is worth $600, and will make any handgunner a better shot in short order.

In most cases when turning to the .22 Long Rifle as a training replacement for a larger centerfire round like the .45 ACP, shooters will opt for something like a Ruger Mark III, or swap out the guts of the 1911 .45 ACP for a .22 Long Rifle conversion kit. Those options work, but now there is a third option, a dedicated pistol that looks and works just like a 1911, but fires the .22 LR. Chiappa Firearms makes this option affordable, accurate and dependable.

Chiappa Firearms has just introduced the new and innovative Model 1911-22.  This is not a reworked .45-caliber weapon, but a handgun built from the frame up as a dead look alike to its big brother the Colt .45 1911 Government.   Unlike some other replica firearms, the 1911-22 makes use of its own proprietary “Chiappalloy” frame and steel castings, which moves it well away from the plastic and pot metal guns that are floating around in some circles now a days.  This handgun is a gun, and not a reworked paint ball system, or based on a plastic toy.

Gun Digest Gun Review: The Chiappa 1911-.22
Model 1911-22 Mfg by Chippa Firearms, Ltd 8611-A North Dixie Drive Dayton, Ohio. 45414 1-877-425-4867 www.1911-22.com

With castings built in many cases to the exact specifications found on the Colt 1911 .45 ACP the general feel and balance of this handgun stays very close to the real thing. The gun’s total weight empty is 32 ounces.

Using a soft slide return spring, the recoil mimics the .45, albeit reduced, and pulls the shooter a bit off the sight during the recoil process. Again, maintaining the reasonably close shooting effect (sight off target during firing) of the full-house .45 ACP round, but lacking the obvious perceived recoil.

The model sent for evaluation was the standard fixed sight pistol in a soft blued finish. This handgun carried lazer-cut walnut grips, which I found surprising in a budget handgun. Where was the plastic?   The 1911-22 can also be had in an OD color or a tan and black configuration. Target sights will be offered on future production models.  In the sighting department the basic 1911-22 makes use of an overly high front sight blade against the partridge style square rear fixed sight.

The owner should file down this front blade until proper bullet impact height is achieved.  I found that during some group shooting the gun printed almost four inches low at 20 yards. According to the manufacturer, this low impact is right-on in terms of specifications, and to raise the impact point filing must be done. I elected to not file the front blade, but just understand where the gun printed.  From that point on the 1911 .22 and I got along quite well.

In terms of controls the Chiappa is set up exactly like the 1911 Government. On the left side is the cocked and locked safety, and also the usual slide lock and release lever. The grip safety is built to look like the real thing, but it is a dummy system just to produce the correct grip feel of the 1911 frame design. The magazine release is right where it should be and is positive in operation and nicely checkered. The magazine is a 10-round polymer unit that functioned perfectly through the testing. From all outward appearanced Chiappa maintained the 1911 Government feel, look, and control surfaces with great detail.

The magazine on the 1911-22 includes a feature not found on the big .45 caliber weapon: a small stud protruding from the left rear that acts as a spent cartridge ejector. While this is not at all a standard feature on a 1911 magazine it speaks volumes in terms of how the pistol is designed.

Internally this is not at all a John Browning design. For starters, never remove the left grip on this gun. Doing so could damage the safety system. The manufacturer covers in great detail just how to change grips if it is required, and suggests getting the employing the services of a competent gunsmith for this type of project. Other internal differences include a fixed barrel, so there is no barrel link and differences in the trigger and firing mechanism.

Live Fire Testing

The author turning a pretty nice group with a wide variety of ammunition. The Chiappa 1911-22 did everything it is supposed to do. It is a very affordable and reliable pistol.
The author turning a pretty nice group with a wide variety of ammunition. The Chiappa 1911-22 did everything it is supposed to do. It is a very affordable and reliable pistol.

Shooting the new 1911-22 commenced during late fall 2009 and as such the gun was subjected to some cold winter weather as it was being checked out.  Even with some windy days on the local range the gun returned some good results with a wide sample of ammunition. Winchester 36-grain plated hollow points, and Supreme Xpediter 32-grain, 1640 fps hot shots,  CCI Stingers, Federal Match Target, and general purpose 40-grain rounds were all pressed into service for the test.

At a distance of 20 yards the 1911-22 grouped five rounds in almost every case within .885, and when any flyers were present the problem was operator error not the gun. The largest five-shot group with Winchester 36-grain ammo was .921”, and the smallest was shot with Federal blunt flat-nosed game loads, which produced a very tight .779”.  Shooting almost rapid fire, 10 rounds produced a controlled impact print of 3.19 inches, but again most rounds fell inside a  1.5-inch area.

This gun was very easy to control. Because the 1911-22 will lock back to an open slide, training speed reloads is exactly the same as it would be when shooting a 1911 in .45 ACP.  This is a very important design application even though the 1911-22 is not built as a true .45 Government semi auto.  With a spare mag included with the gun the shooter can train to drop magazines and slam home a fresh single-stack mag during basic handgun defense training.  With budgets as they are now a days this is a major advantage when turning away from the high-priced full-house rounds .45 ACP.

A word in terms of the magazine performance needs to be noted here.  Because the Chiappa 1911-22 uses a lightweight polymer magazine it sometimes will not drop clear by simply hitting the magazine release button. And you might have to strip out the empty mag with your off hand. It happens on occasion but not regularly. Keep the magazine well clean and the magazines in good shape and you should have no trouble. Because the magazine are specific to this pistol, it might pay to contact Chiappa and order some extras..

As an added safety the Chiappa has a locking system built into the right side of the slide just behind the upper slide and vertical grip serrations. A two-pronged key allows you to disable the firearm. Turning the lock a quarter turn raises a barrier that stops the hammer from hitting the firing pin.

Field stripping this handgun even with a fixed barrel is about the same as taking down a 1911 Government .45.  The muzzle retains that very well known plunger and turning retainer that allows the slide to be released by lining up the side latch with the cut in the side. It took a bit of fiddling to get the slide retainer bushing out the front of the slide and the slide must be moved to the rear and then lifted off the front, but field stripping is no trouble.

In general modest cleaning is all that I have administered to the gun I have been testing, and to date even when run though an extensive torture testing regarding many rounds without cleaning, the gun has only failed and stove piped once.  That was early in the test and it has never happened again.  To date more than  500 rounds have been sent down the barrel of the 1911-22 without a hitch.

This gun will not go back to the manufacturer, but has a permanent place in my arsenal of snake killers and general-purpose handguns carried almost every day out here in the wild west.  With the wide range of very effective ammo being produced today in 22 Long Rifle many tasks can be accomplished with the lower cost and cheaper ammunition. The 1911-22 is a perfect delivery system for the budget conscious shooter.

This article appeared in the March 29, 2010 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

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