Recently I acquired a Chiappa Little Badger to test some .22LR ammo alternatives. Otterman Outdoors messaged me online and told me he had designed some Chiappa Little Badger upgrades and offered 3D-printed versions. I bought the set and it makes the Chiappa Little Badger better.

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The Chiappa Little Badger is a budget truck gun and range plinker. But that does not mean we can’t enjoy it. Otterman Outdoors’ Chiappa Little Badger upgrades help make the little gun more practical and comfortable to shoot. In my excitement for these parts, in particular, I didn’t notice the handguard at the time I took the following pictures.

The focus of parts for my Little Badger upgrades are the pistol grip and cheek rest with integrated tube holder as well as Otterman Outdoors’ ammo holder. The Chiappa Little Badger has an accessory rail just behind the trigger guard but unfortunately, it is not Picatinny. You can see how narrow it is to a Picatinny rail in the photo below.

Otterman Outdoors’ Little Badger upgrades start with his pistol grip. It has a channel designed into it to allow the barrel to sit inside when you fold the gun.

You slide the grip into the accessory rail and screw in the bolt that comes with the grip. The grip has a palm swell but I find it unnecessary. The grip could lose this bump on the back but it is not a deal breaker, just a personal preference.

Next up on the Little Badger upgrades is the cheek rest. It has an integrated tube holder to hold tubes that are 1″ in diameter. Installation is easy. You just slide it down over the upper factory stock bar. Then slide it back against the butt pad. Install and tighten the screws.

The integrated tube holder makes these Little Badger upgrades worthwhile. 

Something separate from the Little Badger upgrades is the ammo holder Otterman Outdoors designed. It is designed to fit into the cheek rest like the suppressor. 

The ammo holder has six tubes that hold six rounds of .22LR each for a total capacity of 36 rounds. It has a rotating cap that selects the tubes and lets the ammo out.

Just tilt the ammo holder down and the rounds slide out.

With regards to Little Badger upgrades, it was these three pieces that attracted me the most. I did not think of the handguard because I thought I wanted to use the accessory rails to attach . . . well, accessories. But in actuality, the rails are undersized and get in each other’s way. If you have something attached to the top rail, it is almost impossible to use the side rails. If I mount anything to the bottom rail, this makes folding the Little Badger compromised.

The allure of the potential to add accessories made me blind to the benefits of the Otterman Outdoors handguard. Once I saw it in the box, I decided to try it for due diligence. I am glad I did, it completes the Little Badger upgrades. I did not realize the handguard has a slot in it, this helps it fold tighter.

You have to remove the bottom and side rails. Then press the handguard on and screw the two bolts on. With the bottom rail removed, this allows the trigger and action release to sit closer than the factory, it touches the barrel.

Now that the Little Badger can fold tighter, the barrel can fit down into the channel designed into the pistol grip.

The grip has ridges on either side that snap over the barrel holding it in place when folded.

It does not seem like a big difference when you see it side by side. But the snapping of the barrel into place is when the Little Badger upgrades reach their final form.

Final Thoughts On Little Badger Upgrades

Other than the Otterman Outdoors Little Badger upgrades, I got the Longshot MFG top rail. It is machined aluminum and replaces the factory top rail and factory rear iron sight for a continuous rail. Before the Little Badger upgrades, I was able to fit an Olight Baldr Mini. It is small enough that it fits the factory bottom rail and still allows the gun to fold completely. But nothing holds the barrel in place and there is no grip.

As I mentioned earlier, I got the Chiappa Little Badger to test some alternate ammo. I have seen some people use .22 caliber blanks, typically used in nail guns, to drive .22 air pellets. I plan to do some tests to see which pellets work well and what different power level blanks can do.

If you are interested in the Otterman Outdoor Little Badger upgrades, you can get them from their website. The furniture kit is $88 and the ammo holder is another additional $22.