Anyone seen the Chiappa Mini Sharps in .22 LR?

[Blackwater]

I got to see and handle one today in the LGS. It was in for a front sight change to a Lyman 17A. There's just something about a Sharps! It had a flip up tang sight that looked like a Marble's with large target aperture in it. It wasn't a lightweight, but balanced really well, and felt and handled like a lighter rifle than it is. I was told it was about 80% of the original's size, and it was very well matched. Had double set triggers and some sort of real wood stock that looked moderately like walnut, but probably wasn't, but it still had some interesting figure in it.

Wow! What THAT rifle would do to squirrel hunting these days! An old friend I hadn't seen in years came in to pick it up. He's 82 and still camps out with a couple of similarly aged pals on one of the barrier islands just off the coast on a hunting trip for the little deer there.

This was a .22 that would really spice up a squirrel hunt! But I didn't get to shoot it, darn it! Glad I didn't or I'd have ordered one, and I can't afford it right now, and have a few more pressing "needs," and you guys probably know what happens to needs when a big case of the irresistible "wants" comes along! I knew I was in trouble, but stayed right there and allowed myself to be tempted, even begged for it!

I hope someone here has the antidote for the "wants?" Anybody shot one of these? It operated very smoothly and seemed fitted well. In .22 LR, there's no excuse for it not lasting several generations in good form. Yeah. I fell in love!

[Wayne Smith]

At $1100+ per they are a little rich for my blood. I was in Winchester last year and handled one in 22 Hornet. Beautiful rifle. Too rich for my blood, but I know where to get one!

[Reverend Al]

I bought one in .38-55 for my wife to shoot, but she didn't care much for it so I tried to shoot it a bit myself. I'm a fairly big guy and found it was too small for me to shoot comfortably. The trigger guard is tiny and it's hard to get your finger onto the tiny front set trigger without it bumping into the equally tiny trigger guard. It shot well, but I just didn't like it all that much compared to shooting my many other full sized single shot rifles. In the end I sold it to a Cowboy Action Shooting friend and his wife is going to shoot in their CAS matches. It fits her small hands just fine and she loves it ...

[Blackwater]

Thanks for the observations from experience. At $1100, I won't be getting one, but gee golly wow was it a nice little gun! I think one in .38/55 would be a joy to hunt deer with. After all, in the woods, you only get one really good shot, and if you don't make that one good, it's probably best to let 'em go and come back another day, IMO. Folks who stalk and often get running shots will naturally disagree, and for good reason, but I hunt from stands, and all my "hunting" is done before I crawl into a stand and begin waiting. Leaves here crunch like rice crispies, and that makes stalking hard, especially for a guy whose hips are "challenging." I'm just too clumsy now for stalking.

That little Hornet would be a real jewel, too! I could get my trigger finger in the guard with no problem, but it was tight. My old friend who had it had brought it in to get a Lyman 17 globe front sight installed, and he was beaming. It operated as slick as oiled glass, and I was pretty impressed by it. Double set triggers made it a neat "sniping" rifle for squirrels. Offhand shots, when you get the timing down with that big side hammer, are real assets for offhand shooting. I guess I just thought a shrunk down Sharps was just a really neat rifle, but I was impressed with the smoothness of the action. Didn't expect that from a Chiappa, but was nicely surprised.