Chiappa Little Badger: Constructing a Survival Looking Rifle

Ever for the reason that aptly named Little Badger was launched by Chiappa, it’s been extremely considered a subject, youth, and survival rifle. And it isn’t laborious to see why. Relating to the top of the world as we all know it ­— no, you gained’t beat again totalitarian governments, nor hoards of zombies, with a wee single-shot .22LR. However in the case of the backwoods it’s proper at house.

At underneath 3 kilos with a road value south of $200, the Chiappa Little Badger is an interesting alternative. It comes geared up with military-style peep sights that any serviceman can be intimately acquainted with, and a moderately respectable (however not nice) set off. Whereas we discovered the manufacturing unit sights to be greater than satisfactory for our functions, many have taken it upon themselves to file the entrance sight thinner to acquire a extra refined aiming level.

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There are 4 detachable Picatinny rails that function a handguard and a spot to mount a small optic, if one so needs. Observe that the panels themselves are polymer and subsequently unlikely to carry any type of laborious zero with an optic.

The skeletonized buttstock options an integral spherical holder for many who want to put it to use (we didn’t). And there are a selection of manufacturing unit equipment obtainable, akin to hammer extenders, buttstock pouches, pistol grips, and carrying circumstances.

However we did issues a bit otherwise.

Versus attempting to cobble collectively an all-around survival rifle as so many have performed, outfitting their Little Badgers with all method of fishing gear, paracord, hearth provides, and compasses, we took a selected method. Our Chiappa Little Badger could be a devoted small sport getter. A dinner maker or grocery shopper, if you’ll.

Stocking Up

As a result of we arrange our Little Badger as a devoted small sport getter, we needed all the pieces to be in a single package deal. The integral shell holder not solely exposes ammunition to the weather, it’s not very environment friendly. A pouch could be a better option for us.

Chiappa has its personal buttstock pouch, however we discovered it clunky. Many individuals mount pouches on the inventory (surplus pistol journal pouches are common), and we did the identical. An M16 cleansing package bag we scored for $3 at a neighborhood surplus retailer could be the bottom.

As it’s, the cleansing package pouch was longer than we preferred, so we broke out the needle and thread, together with an eyelet punch.

After we shortened the pouch and pounded the eyelets in place, we mounted our new inventory pouch with zip ties. That offered a devoted place to carry a substantial quantity of ammunition.

A Wilmont Knives K23 small mounted blade was additionally hooked up to the inventory in the identical method, permitting us to intestine and pores and skin sport instantly if want be.

Making it Smaller

Although the Little Badger already has a small footprint when folded, making roughly a 17×8-inch base triangle, we needed to scale back it even additional. The very first thing we did was take away the decrease Picatinny rail from the barrel. Not solely have been we not utilizing it, however the removing permits the Little Badger to fold barely smaller.

However we weren’t completely glad by this and needed to go smaller nonetheless.

To perform this, we broke the Badger down into two separate items moderately than merely folding it. The manufacturing unit screw itself is straightforward to take away, however we needed one thing even simpler. Initially we put in a thumbscrew instead of the manufacturing unit bolt, however not solely was it a bit cumbersome, it additionally added an extra half to presumably lose.

A 1-inch, 5⁄16 diameter hitch pin is an ideal match. Not solely can the rifle be damaged down or assembled in a short time, the break up ring on the top may be dummy corded to the rifle. Whereas ours continues to be within the white, a twig or two of Krylon would rapidly change that.

In fact, now that the Little Badger was in two items, we wanted an environment friendly option to package deal the barrel and motion collectively. We eliminated one screw from the rear proper of the receiver to put in our customized barrel bracket.

Staying true to our low-cost and available theme, a ½-inch cable runner from the ironmongery shop labored very nicely for this objective. We took the extra steps of hitting it with warmth gun to make it pliable to permit the barrel to suit a scootch extra snugly. A wrap {of electrical} tape across the barrel of the Badger helped to extend the friction match, however wasn’t strictly crucial.

The mix of the barrel holder and a thick rubber band — a kind of trigger bracelets — makes for a small package deal certainly (that’s what she mentioned?). How small? Rattling small. Simply round 17 inches lengthy and a mere 4.5 inches in width on the widest level.

Having the Little Badger in two items does make it slower to make use of, however this isn’t a defensive rifle — it’s an increase.

Capturing Quick

For the reason that Badger is a single-shot break motion, you will not set any file break up instances, however that doesn’t imply we shouldn’t be as environment friendly as potential. The sheer nature of a single-shot rifle signifies that it’s good to be as correct as potential, however we’re all human. Whereas the Little Badger has a spherical provider on the buttstock, it isn’t tremendous quick to reload from, nor does it do something to guard your ammo from the weather.

Stealing an idea from precision rifle competitions, we made our personal quick-load level. Utilizing elastic, a small piece of webbing, Velcro, and a needle and thread, we made a detachable three-round holder. We positioned it straight subsequent to the motion for the fastest-loading potential (left facet for right-handers, and the reverse for the statistically insignificant left-handed crowd). It was necessary to position it on the set off portion of the Little Badger moderately than on the swinging-barrel portion to make sure reloads could be as quick as potential.

Ideally, the primary shot could be loaded from ammunition storage, supplying you with 4 rounds on faucet as you monitor down dinner.

Quiet Time

Full energy .22LR isn’t terribly loud, and subsonic is quieter. To be very quiet, CB Caps can be utilized. These solely use the ability of the primer to propel the spherical. And naturally, there are at all times silencers.

The Chiappa Little Badger comes threaded in ½x28mm, although it’s important to take away the glued-on plastic muzzle protector to get to it. A multitool made fast work of it, and a fast brush with some acetone eliminated the adhesive.

For a tiny silencer, we turned to Bowers and their new Bitty. The Bitty is barely 2.8 inches lengthy, weighing a paltry 2.6 ounces. Usually we’d simply set it and overlook it, however though it’s small, we needed to maintain the pack measurement of our Badger to a minimal. To that finish, a Gemtech 22QDA was put in, permitting the Bitty to be hooked up or eliminated in mere seconds.

The mix of the closed motion of the Badger, Gemtech subsonic ammunition, and the Bowers Bitty resulted in a rifle so quiet it triggered giggles the whole first day we used it. The spherical hitting the comb behind our targets 100 yards away was considerably louder than the report of the rifle itself.

On the Vary

Recoil is nothing to talk of, neither is the report of the rifle (particularly suppressed). Whereas groupings at 100 yards have been extra of the “pie plate” selection, inside 25 or 30 yards this can be a rattling close to “can’t miss” rifle for small sport. Squirrels, rats, and different critters a bit bigger will rapidly all lay useless at your ft, offered you’ve even a modicum of expertise taking pictures a rifle.

Free Rounds

It’s incumbent upon us to say that you need to completely not dry-fire the Little Badger. Whereas that’s good recommendation for rattling close to any .22LR weapon, dry-firing this rifle makes rounds very laborious or not possible to extract as a result of chamber deformation. Fortunately, that is a simple repair when you’ve got entry to a spherical file, however is finest averted solely.

As beforehand talked about, we really feel the Chiappa Little Badger needs to be an increase to your foremost preventing weapons moderately than a substitute. Hold your AR or AK defending in opposition to human threats, however that Little Badger will excel at conserving your abdomen full.

Specs

Chiappa Firearms Little Badger

Caliber
.22LR

General Size
31 inches

Journal Capability
1

Weight
2.9 kilos

MSRP
$265-$310

Equipment

Value (Relying on Little Badger Mannequin)
$1012-$1057

URL
ChiappaFirearms.com

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Written by Dave Merrill