I have enjoyed good service from affordable, but well-made, firearms from Italian maker Chiappa.
Among the most versatile is the folding .22/.410 Double Badger.
This is a neat trick, a firearm that qualifies in some ways as a gentleman’s rifle for small-game hunting and keeping pests off the property, but also qualifies as a backpacking firearm for those on a budget.
It is a useful truck gun as well. There are numerous combination guns with a rifle and shotgun barrel over the other.
Some are ‘survival’ guns, minimalist long guns that are frankly not easy to use well. The Double Badger is the opposite.
It is among the most useful and easy to use firearms I have fired in some time.
Double Badger Features and Specs
The .410 Bore shotgun barrel is tightly choked, making it effective for small game to perhaps 25 yards with the right load.
Birds, rabbits and squirrels are the natural game to be harvested.
Load the .410 barrel with buckshot and you have an effective combination for predators within its range.
The choke is tight and places the balls in a good pattern to 15 yards or more.
With the .22 rimfire barrel, you may train a young shooter in marksmanship or take small game to the limit of your marksmanship.
The sights are well-designed and the rifle barrel offers good accuracy potential.
Williams fiber-optic sights offer a big advantage. So is the fiber-optic front sight.
A Storage-Friendly Design
A note on easy storage — breaking the Double Badger open is accomplished by pressing the trigger guard forward.
Continue levering the barrel and the Double Badger is easily folded neatly in half.
At 5.75 pounds, the Double Badger is light enough for easy storage or carrying in field. As for fit and finish, the blued finish is quite nicely done.
The walnut stocks are well-oiled with checkering in the right place, providing good purchase.
The Double Badger is far more versatile than the single-shot firearms offering interchangeable barrels in .410 Bore and .22 LR — we have both cartridge and shell in one firearm.
Each barrel is a well-balanced 19-inch length.
Feel and Performance
The Double Badger is cocked by opening the action. The safety automatically engages.
The front trigger is for the shotgun and the rear trigger for the rifle barrel, a good set up. I have enjoyed firing the Double Badger.
In static slow-fire testing, the .410 full-choke barrel landed a pattern on rabbit and like-sized target sufficient for good effect to 20 yards.
Firing from a very careful solid rest, I was able to make center hits on the same target to 50 yards with the .22 rimfire barrel.
(A .22 Magnum barrel is also available and even a 20-gauge barrel combination.)
In the field, these results may not be realized, but the rifle is more accurate than most of us may hold.
I can see hunting all day with the .22, carefully squeezing off a shot and taking edible game with little damage.
Then, as light fails and you are heading home, that last long shot is afforded and the .410 does the business.
This is among the better choices for all-around outdoors use I have tested.
This is just simply a friendly firearm, one that offers more versatility than most and a certain amount of pride of ownership to boot.
Load Testing
Finally, here’s how the Chiappa Double Badger performed with .22 LR (reminder it has a 19-inch barrel):
| Cartridge | Velocity |
|---|---|
| CCI Quiet HP 40-Grain | 660 fps |
| CCI Stinger 32-Grain | 1,503 fps |
| CCI Mini Mag Segmented 40-Grain | 1,211 fps |
| CCI Suppressor 45-Grain HP | 923 fps |
| CCI Mini Mag 36-Grain HP | 1,254 fps |
| CCI Velociter 40-Grain | 1,401 fps |
What do you think of the Chiappa Double Badger? Let us know in the comments section below!
Is it safe to shoot Sovrano Series 36 gauge 7.5 gram slugs in a double badger .410?
How do these Sovrano Series slug perform compared to a Brenneke?
Do you know of any load testing or accuracy testing for shooting cci 22hp shorts through the Chiapas 22 lr barrel ?
How is it that Chiapa advertises a 3/8 dovetail for scope mounting while my double badger measures much wider and after a full year of searching I have had no luck in finding a mount that fits. Any suggestions?
I own a double badger .410/.22 and I love it
I am 75 years old and decided to give all my guns to my sons and now the double badger is the only gun I have so it is like downsizing to a smaller home
However, I do have one major complaint and it does not have anything to do with the double badger but it is very difficult to find ammunition for .410s
.12 gauge shells are cheaper and more available than .410
If I realized before I bought this one I would have selected a .20 or .12 gauge over .22
I tried hand loading .410’s but that did not work out for me
I own a Double Badger and I am very happy with it. I like the way it feels in my hands and it is just plain fun to shoot. To me it is an excellent “camp gun” and it is quite capable of bringing in some small game for the stew pot. It is just a versatile and unique little firearm that is a joy to own.
Seems like an improvement over the M6 Scout. Much lighter I’m guessing and a easier to use. Also a bit more costly. By the time I’m ready to buy one ($) someone will come out with something even better.
Have an H&R w/.22 hornet my Brother brought back from his last tour. The.410 has taken a few dozen rabbits in the desert clearing out a friends farm untold squirrels for true Brunswick Stew. Extremely accurate to 15-25 yards with the right load. Anything Chiappa guns have yet to find 1that I’d trust my life too.
Along with other wishful thinking,I wish the Savage 99F rotary magazine,tang safety rifle in matte stainless/synthetic or laminated stock/fully adjustable rear sight in: 7.62×51 NATO[not 308Win]/ 7mm08/9.3x62Mauser would come out !!
I have both the Badger and Double Badger and love them both. I put Red Dots on both of them and they are so accurate. I hunt mainly snowshoe and partridge here in CA, so the DB fits my choice to carry. 22lr for the SS’s and 410 for the partridge. Never had any problems with either one.
While it isn’t a Savage 24C, it is a nice little rifle. When Chiappa first came out with their single shot .22LR only Little Badger, I got him one right away. We’ve modified it using 100 foot of para cord and some leather to be a really neat little backpack gun. I’ve been interested in picking one of these up, but it’s a little pricey for what it is and the quality; as are most Chiappa firearms. If I ever have a cool $500 bucks I don’t care about, not likely anytime soon, I’d probably pick one up.
I bought one a few years ago. The thing started falling apart as soon as I started taking it out in the field. Screws were falling out, parts falling off. Chiappa sent me replacements but holy smokes, I’ve never had screws & parts fall off a gun in the field before. Sights are terrible. Yeah they work adequate for the shotgun. I originally bought this for my grandkids to take afield, now I use it occasionally. Main problem for me, I have to remember which trigger is for which barrel. Rear = .22mag, front = .410.
Will the choke allow firing of slugs or .45 Colt? My grandfather had a Savage 20ga/22magnum. I wish I could find where that gun ended up. I would love to have it now.
I also have a Savage 24 with unregulated barrels. I would like to see these test results in the review. I question the wisdom of a cock-on-opening 22. It leaves you with the choice of storing the firearm with the hammers back on empty chambers, or dry firing to relieve the hammer springs. Can the Chiappa 22 chamber be dry fired empty without risk of damage?
I’ve owned this firearm in .22 mag/.410 for a couple of years and love it. The gun is light, very accurate, and great to have on the farm. I agree with Wilburn- the sights are among my favorite, very quick to acquire targets. They work well for both rifle & shotgun. Construction reminds me of my mini 14, feels solid although a bit rudimentary. I sanded down the stock to mate to to the action and oiled it. I finally found a proper sized sling as most were too large for the gun. I expect this to be in the family for many years. Would definitely buy this again.
Have a SAVAGE model 24, in .22LR/20 gauge. Too bad it was discontinued. Hope that CHIAPPA can do justice to to the Double Badger, and equal the quality of the prior SAVAGE 24.
“Truck Guns” and gun racks were popular about 40+ years ago in many parts of the country. With today’s discord, a “Truck gun” must be hidden or else become a target for a break-in. Worse, the need for a “Truck Gun” is greater today for personal protection. than 40+ years ago. Carrying a handgun in most states is almost impossible, but a Double Badger (unloaded!) hidden in a backpack or similar carrier seems to be the modern substitute “Truck Gun”. Also not illegal to have it in your vehicle (unloaded) in almost every state.
Looks similar to the Savage 24 series
Questions:do both barrels shoot to same point of aim,when using shotgun slugs?-Savage’s 24 series don’t[including their centerfire 24V,24F],what is triggr pull and length of pull?,how fully adjustable is the rear sight?
I’d only go 20ga,not 410
The ONLY 410 advantage=firing 45 Colt cartridges