Painted Mohawk SASS 77785 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Howdy Already committed to buying a Chaparral' 73 in 45LC...my wife tried my Renegade & loved it [ normally shoots Marlin ]..threatened to take it so next best thing was to get her one of her own ! It's the saddle ring carbine with 18'' round barrel, blued with the straight grib stock, excellent condition. Good price so I grabbed it..intention is to install a pioneer kit, slick up & a new front sight. Some say better finish than Uberti..what's your say..thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pit Bull Tex Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Don't think most good smiths will work on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Too bad ya can't back out of the deal and get yourself a Winchester or an Uberti!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boggus Deal #64218 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 None of the aftermarket parts will fit it, such as the Pioneer SS kit, carriers, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dane, SASS#5536 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Run away!! Seriously, if there is any way to get out of the deal-----------if not, hope you are lucky. As noted, most aftermarket parts will not fit, and most gunsmiths won't touch it. These guns were made by the remnants of Armi San Marco, who had no quality control at all. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Fill 'Em 67797 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fillmore Coffins, SASS #7884 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Next time mate, ask for opinions BEFORE you buy. Fillmore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom, SASS #54973 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Oops... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 What? They make great lamps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spades Hanlin SASS#66204 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 What? They make great lamps... Ouch!!!! Spades H. Hope the pard did'nt get too hurt.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spades Hanlin SASS#66204 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Ouch!!!! Noticed the pard is from Australia may not have many choices I think the gun laws are real tough there are'nt they?? Spades H. Hope the pard did'nt get too hurt.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painted Mohawk SASS 77785 Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 WOW...All replies thus far are in the negative..are there any good points ? Are later models better than the earlier or just all no good..must be someone with some positive feedback, I'm digging deep now to restore some faith in my decision !! I'm in the corner of the ring now with my gloves up..hit me some more with straight punches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Whiskers Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 The quality control on those were such that parts from one rifle wouldn't interchange with another one made on the same day. That's part of the reason they quit making them. The rest being all of the complaints from buyers having nothing but problems with them. See if you can return it. If not, I'd see if you can find a VERY good gunsmith that can make it work. But I doubt you'll be happy with it even then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Contact Nate Kiowa Jones. The Chaparral '76s were nightmares from almost the time they were introduced... the '73s are much more rare, and few pards have even seen one, let alone really evaluate how they might be. They were mostly (IIRC) distributed in Europe, not the US. So you seein' one in AU is possibly just as unlikely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom, SASS #54973 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I've handled them...been in a very reputable smith's shop where we were all just shaking our heads...can't make 'em worth more then a wall hanger in our opinions. Sorry... Phantom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bullweed Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I remember seeing them several years ago. The initial price of $650 seemed too good to be true when a comparable Uberti was $1150. Prices dropped to $550 in the CDNN mag making me think that their qualiy was suspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yusta B. Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Mohawk is an Aussie - he will have a tough time getting to a US gunsmith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pit Bull Tex Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 There are two of them on auction arms .they have been on a lot.The auction runs out and a few week later the show back up.I think the starting price is 550.00 and the never get a bid.The wood looks nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 WOW...All replies thus far are in the negative..are there any good points ? Are later models better than the earlier or just all no good..must be someone with some positive feedback, I'm digging deep now to restore some faith in my decision !! I'm in the corner of the ring now with my gloves up..hit me some more with straight punches. Put your gloves down fer a minute pard, I have two Chappy '73's, one in 45LC and one in 38WCF. Both are early models. I took the 38WCF to a good smith that was used to working on Uberti's. It came back polished nice and pretty but wouldn't fire so I had to re-smith the rifle myself. The 45LC I took off a partner since it was driving him nutso. I have found that many parts for an original Winchester will work after some massaging. The guns come real tight so need the springs lightened a lot. The burrs need taken off and some parts clearanced along with the usual polishing. The one piece firing pin takes a lot of hammer spring to make it fire consistently. To help, I narrowed the nose so it takes less energy to strike the primer to gain depth. I am still fine tuning the 45LC but the 38 WCF works great and 100% reliable. BTW, I only shoot the holy black so the 45LC gets dirty. My pard who sold the gun to me was pleasantly surprised that the gun has come so far. Soo, a long story short, the rifles can be made to work if you have the patience and a little skill in troubleshooting them. I have no regrets in buying either gun but I have to say I like the 38WCF bestest. Are they better than the others, nope but they can be made to work for less $. Jailhouse (the chappy guy) Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Yusta, even an Aussie can do what I described with a dremel, some files, a small grinder, and other small hand tools. It is tedious and will take several tries to get things working right. Coil springs for a Winchester should fit, original extractors will work, after market sights fit. and some elbow grease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possum Skinner, SASS#60697 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Something good? They're nice to look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Foot Johnson Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 I bought a '76 Chaparral in 2007 because the price was attractive. Then it arrived... first off, the right side plate was bowed out in the middle because it was too long to fit properly. I stepped outside and shot a few off the bench and found the bullets were tumbling completely sideways at only 15 yards and 25 yard "groups" were in the range of two feet across - 50 yard patterns were in excess of eight feet. I tried some different loads and bullet weights & diameters with no improvement, so I sent it back to Charter Arms to get it fixed. Nick Ecker called me and said they were going to replace it rather than repair it, so in a few days, another one showed up with a whole host of new problems. 1) The right and left side plates both started to swing down on their retaining screw after just a handful of shots; Neither side plate is sufficiently long enough to lock securely into its corresponding dovetail.2) The hammer often caught in the half-cock notch when squeezing the trigger. If I jerked it fast, it would clear the half-cock notch and fall all the way.3) Excessive headspace and an off center strike usually caused the first hammer fall to not strike the primer hard enough to set it off.4) There is a LOT of clearance between the extractor and the bolt face causing the extractor to slip over the rims and leave the case chambered. I never had one extract more than about a half inch before the extractor slipped over the rim.5) The extractor hit on the left side of the extractor groove in the breech.6) Off center primer strikes, about halfway from the center to the edge of the primer.7) The rifling was extremely rough, causing severe leading in a very few shots. With all the guns I own, and have owned, I've never come across rifling so rough as this. So, back to Charter it went again. I talked directly to Nick Ecker again and he said he would get a gunsmith going on another rifle, personally inspect it himself, and "It'll be right this time." Rifle #3 arrived in a couple weeks and still had the same extraction problems as the other ones. Accuracy was mediocre, at best, but it makes round holes in the paper anyway. I was able to finally make this one function properly, and fit & finish weren't too bad, so I still have it, but for long range matches, I use a Winchester Legendary Frontiersman .38-55. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Even the latest Uberti's 73s have problems. Broken tabs on the bolts are causing big headaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom, SASS #54973 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Okay...my last message apparently wasn't appropriate for the Wire. The problems with the Chaparral rifles far exceed the broken tab issue of the Uberti rifles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoomStick Jay Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 The latest 73s have replaceable tabs now and last year's revision of the bolt was much better than previous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoomStick Jay Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I've had 2 of the chaparral 73s and still have a 76. If you get out of it, do it. I paid 375 and 500 for my chaparral 73s. One wasn't bad, just the links binding. The other, that @!$%×$!# was nearly a lost cause. Rough rifling, links binding, and every other problem you've heard with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 There are two shooters up here using them with-out any major problems, they are top third of the pack shooters ... I haven't had a real close look at either of the guns and have had none in for repairs or action jobs.. One of the guys has been shooting his at every match for three years...\ When are you coming to shoot here in Western Canada, I remember inviting you once before... Jabez Cowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remo, SASS #17644 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 This is an ongoing opinion. Most of what is posted here is hearsay, second and third hand accounts by those that have never even seen one. I own 2 of the 76's in 45-60. Yes I had to go through them and corrected them to my liking as I do all my firearms. They both shot well enough that I put $450 sights on each. Anyone who has used either has had nothing but good to say about either. If you can physically see, handle, and fire then do so. While this topic is on '73's it seems to include all Chaparrals. As to parts interchangeability between different makes..... my Colts do not take many Uberti parts and my Ford uses very few of my Chevrolet parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 As posted above I have as yet to work on one, but they don't scare me... I have run 20 rounds through one gun (73) shooting two stages with-out an issue, other than to note that it ran just fine for me and that it was accurate placing bullets where I pointed it in a nice round group... The owner still seems satisfied with it and continues to use it ... I have also fired a few rounds through a 76 in .45-75, it too was accurate and is use by it's owner for lever long range side matches... Jabez Cpowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom, SASS #54973 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 This is an ongoing opinion. Most of what is posted here is hearsay, second and third hand accounts by those that have never even seen one. I own 2 of the 76's in 45-60. Yes I had to go through them and corrected them to my liking as I do all my firearms. They both shot well enough that I put $450 sights on each. Anyone who has used either has had nothing but good to say about either. If you can physically see, handle, and fire then do so. I'm sorry...I thought the thread was about the model 73... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.