So what I gather from your review is it has quite a few faults
Really, it was just the poor fit of the forend that gave any real trouble. And that was fixed by bit of filing. (But it should *not* have been necessary, of course.)
but where else are you gonna find a newer model 1887 to play with?
Indeed. We can get the Norinco copies but it seems that they work *if* you are lucky and get a good one.
Honestly I don't really have much interest in shotguns
At present, that's *all* I have. In the UK, if you want something semi-auto that goes "kerblam!" when fired, then it has to be a shotgun because only .22 RF can be semi-auto.
As it happens, I'm a "manual" kinda guy but I've just bought my first semi-auto shotgun - an Ithaca M51.
I figure this one would be a fun range toy.
I completely agree! It's a "hoot to shoot". Just don't expect to win any 3-gun competitions with it.
Since you use it in competition how is it holding up mechanically?
Hmmmm, well, from my username you may be able to deduce that pretty much *anything* falls apart in my hands. (Incidentally, my last three cars have all been Land Rover Defenders. I like big lumps of "iron"...)
I would say that *all* my shotguns have failed in direct proportion to how much I've used them. The Chiappa? Well, pretty good, I suppose. The screws that hold the cartridge guides in and the wooden forends on have a tendancy to undo themselves but I've made a small tool that I use to nip them up before each stage.
As a matter of fact, I had to make a special tool for my M37, too, as the stock used to come loose. In fact all *sorts* of things come loose on the Ithaca. However, Captain Chaos drives his (PSG) guns hard, so I suppose you could say that if I use something on a frequent basis and it's still in one piece, then that's one Hell of a recommendation. (I'd broken the M51 within a couple of hours of buying it *without* getting as far as loading a live round. That said, the M51 is well known for its slide weakness.)
Is there any unusual/accelerated wear?
Not that I've noticed. The bluing's worn on the back of the hammer, but that's about it.
As I said in the review, have I had problems? Yes. Do I regret buying it? Absolutely *not*!
Regards,
Mark.