Chapuis

[222mark]

Anybody have any experience of the Chapuis  o/u range, build quality, weight etc? I would appreciate any info. cheers

[wymberley]

Please keep this on the qt. If everyone finds out just how good these are the price will go up. Some time back I had a Beretta 687EELL special order: 26" barrels, chokes1/4 by 3/4, straight hand, double trigger. Don't do clays so this was for game and pigeon. Although apparently things are moving towards driven, the French mainly do walked up. Their game guns reflect this. I now have a Chapuis to the above spec'. I suppose it really depends on what you think you need to be able to kill game cleanly at all ranges except perhaps the stupid end of the scale - a cutllass or a rapier. The Chapuis is exactly what the Beretta wasn't but should have been for my needs.

[Westley]

They do look to be lovely guns.

[222mark]

Cheers, what action are they based on though. is it similar to the beretta or like a browning?

[Gungoesbang]

44 minutes ago, 222mark said:

Cheers, what action are they based on though. is it similar to the beretta or like a browning?

From looking at them people say they are like a mixture of a browning and a Beretta. I’ve no idea though. I’ve heard them described as the best gun actions going at the moment. 

[plank06]

Sure they’re offering a made to measure service too!

[wymberley]

I suppose one could ask what you think about the Caesar Guerini offerings. They do seem flavour of the  month. Then perhaps you could scroll down and peruse the Miroku MK 60 v Browning Crown thread. As said, imitation is the.............

It's easy enough to seek out all of the available options Chapuis offer. And then, of course, there's Hortons doing their bit. What is not so well known though is that there are two different stock options - one for the home and one for the UK market. The Chapuis Export Sales Manager who advised me of this was perfectly content to supply mine with the French version fitted - I have cheek bones and need the bigger drop that this has. With just a little effort it is perfectly feasible to acquire a fully fitted gun at a very attractive comparative price.

The only thing that gets me but it's increasingly de rigeur across the board now - saving on production costs one supposes - why have a 3" chamber in a 6 lb 10 oz gun?

[matone]

Pics of their internals seem hard to find ...anyone seen any ?

[wymberley]

Once upon a time I was a highly skilled aircraft and then later, a commercial hydraulics technician engineer. Consequently, if any work was needed on my guns they went to the 'smith. The one exception was removing the extractor/ejector mechanism in the forend/barrels. As yet, I'm damned if I can see how to do this on the Chapuis!

[matone]

2 hours ago, 222mark said:

Cheers, what action are they based on though. is it similar to the beretta or like a browning?

Having found a pic of an action,looks very much their own amalgam ! Bifurcated locking similar to Beretta ,cocking rods in action floor like a typical Italian action etc.

[JRDS]

3 hours ago, wymberley said:

 I suppose one could ask what you think about the Caesar Guerini offerings. They do seem flavour of the  month. Then perhaps you could scroll down and peruse the Miroku MK 60 v Browning Crown thread. As said, imitation is the.............

It's easy enough to seek out all of the available options Chapuis offer. And then, of course, there's Hortons doing their bit. What is not so well known though is that there are two different stock options - one for the home and one for the UK market. The Chapuis Export Sales Manager who advised me of this was perfectly content to supply mine with the French version fitted - I have cheek bones and need the bigger drop that this has. With just a little effort it is perfectly feasible to acquire a fully fitted gun at a very attractive comparative price.

The only thing that gets me but it's increasingly de rigeur across the board now - saving on production costs one supposes - why have a 3" chamber in a 6 lb 10 oz gun? 

As an ex EELL owner I am immensely happy with my Crown, it knocks the socks off it and the SH Chapuis I looked at. 

Edited December 29, 2018 by JRDS

[222mark]

I'm a Browning man 100% shoot a 425 privilege and cant seem to get on with italian guns at all. That what i wanted to compare the chapuis to. You may have answered my question JRDS if the Crown is a better gun. thanks.

[wymberley]

All's well that ends well. I'm just pleased that I somehow managed to get a gun which I like the looks and handling of and which fits very well indeed for sub £3k.

And I didn't have to pay for a new fangled option which permits fibre wads to be used.

Have to say though that whereas I can appreciate that the Crown does look good, it is far too ostentatious for my taste - the old french grey action with dark wood sits much better in a pigeon hide to my mind.

[222mark]

21 hours ago, wymberley said:

Once upon a time I was a highly skilled aircraft and then later, a commercial hydraulics technician engineer. Consequently, if any work was needed on my guns they went to the 'smith. The one exception was removing the extractor/ejector mechanism in the forend/barrels. As yet, I'm damned if I can see how to do this on the Chapuis!

Is the build quality excellent and made to last or like many other things these days built on a budget. Turkish guns are a prime example and berettas are heading the same way by all accounts.

[wymberley]

1 hour ago, 222mark said:

Is the build quality excellent and made to last or like many other things these days built on a budget. Turkish guns are a prime example and berettas are heading the same way by all accounts.

Although I was taught to file flat and later in life was a finishing tool-maker "filing" with a chisel edged piece of hickory and diamond paste I still don't qualify as a 'smith. Consequently, I can only offer an educated layman's opinion. I've owned four guns of any note over the years - a Churchill Utility and a Regal, a Webley and Scott 700 and a best quality AyA boxlock (these were only made for a year or two c1964 and were called the "Churchill" before they were downgraded a tad and evolved into the XXV boxlocks. I would rate the Chapuis alongside any of them. There is a thread on here which boasts that you will probably be able to get spares for a Miroku MK 60 in 20 years time. My 54 year old AyA has yet to need any and I'm hopeful that the Chapuis will be similarly blessed although I shan't be around to find out.

Edited December 30, 2018 by wymberley

[grahamch]

Looked at a 525 20 bore recently found the handling and wood superb but the action with the silver inlays were far to bling for me. Makes it look like a hair dressers gun

Edited December 30, 2018 by grahamch

[Whitebridges]

It's such a personal thing guns. I've had hundreds over the years. I like barrels, the lock and a proper trigger. The rest is cosmetic.

[Jason_ox]

Very personal indeed. I took my old man to look at a few guns and his remarks were that the barrels all look too glossy black almost painted. I thought they looked ok personally. Also the fact that most were 30” plus barrels and he’s still stuck in the opinion of shorter the better! 

[figgy]

I like the look of the crown with the silver Inlays, but £4500.00 for a Browning 525 your up near the side plated heritage model.

They're obviously selling but to me they're 1k over price for what they are.

The made to measure Chappius seems a bargain at under 3k.

Jasonox if your going pigeon shooting shiny barrels are not good also some prefer shorter barrels so not to snag In the hide netting. If your game and clay shooting shiny glossy barrels look nice.

Edited December 30, 2018 by figgy

[222mark]

17 hours ago, wymberley said:

Although I was taught to file flat and later in life was a finishing tool-maker "filing" with a chisel edged piece of hickory and diamond paste I still don't qualify as a 'smith. Consequently, I can only offer an educated layman's opinion. I've owned four guns of any note over the years - a Churchill Utility and a Regal, a Webley and Scott 700 and a best quality AyA boxlock (these were only made for a year or two c1964 and were called the "Churchill" before they were downgraded a tad and evolved into the XXV boxlocks. I would rate the Chapuis alongside any of them. There is a thread on here which boasts that you will probably be able to get spares for a Miroku MK 60 in 20 years time. My 54 year old AyA has yet to need any and I'm hopeful that the Chapuis will be similarly blessed although I shan't be around to find out.

Thanks wymberley, seems your on the same page as me. As i said i'm a browning man but something is drawing me towards the chapuis .

[wymberley]

56 minutes ago, 222mark said:

Thanks wymberley, seems your on the same page as me. As i said i'm a browning man but something is drawing me towards the chapuis .

My pleasure.

Perhaps a timely word of caution though. Again as said, these appear to reflect the French walked up style of shooting with regard to weight. My C 35 is (apart from the barrel orientation) the identical spec to my W&S 700 yet they both weigh the same at 6lb 9oz (and the Chapuis is HP steel proofed). With the SbS, 1oz or possibly a gentle 1&1/16 is a sensible limit for me - muzzle flip more than recoil really - but the Chapuis is good for the 1&1/16 all day long but the 1&1/8 is also good if you're not shooting tooooo many. Consequently, if you should have a look just check on the probable weight of the configuration you're after if you're looking for either a high rate of fire for clays or a larger load for game use. One thing that you can virtually guarantee is that in all probability you'll be looking at at least a pound difference (if not more) between the Chapuis and the Browning. As ever, therefore, it's horses for courses.

Edited December 31, 2018 by wymberley