What’s new about the Chiappa Rhino .357 Magnum revolver? Everything. Forget everything you ever thought you knew about magnum revolvers, or snubnose revolvers, or handgun recoil, or concealable stopping power. If Chiappa can iron-out a few wrinkles in its execution (ergonomics, anyone?), the Rhino could be to conventional revolvers what HMS Dreadnought was to capital ships. Even the Ruger LCR already seems quaintly backward by comparison . . .
TTAG’ers already know that the Rhino’s a small six-shot .357 Magnum with a funky design that puts the barrel at the bottom of the cylinder, instead of the top. Some lucky TTAG’ers got to shoot it at The American Firearms School last month. This lucky scribe got to shoot it yesterday. I think it just might change everything in the revolver world. Did I already say that? It’s worth repeating then.
The Rhio conceals nearly as well as a snubnose .38 Special. It spits out death and destruction like a full-size .357 Magnum service revolver. And it recoils like, well, nothing. I’ve never shot a centerfire pistol that recoils so gently, except maybe my old 6” Taurus Model 66 firing .38 special target loads. Try concealing that. Or stopping an attacker with a .38 caliber lead trashcan poking along at 750 fps.
The Rhino also offers outstanding inherent accuracy—if you can sidestep its ergonomic shortcomings. For instance, if you dab the front sight with Sight Bright and fire it single-action, pretty soon you’ll be rewarded with groups like this:
Except for that one flyer at the top of the X-ring, it just doesn’t get any better than this. In Single Action (SA) mode, the Rhino consistently grouped under 2”, and the sights were perfectly regulated for full-power 125-grain .357s. In fact, the Rhino was more accurate in SA fire than our reference .357, a 4” L-frame Smith & Wesson 686. Yep: the 25-ounce alloy-framed Rhino with inferior sights and a 2-inch barrel was more accurate than the 41-ounce forged stainless S&W with better sights, a bigger grip and a 4” barrel.
Here’s the best group from the 686 [top target]:
Cocking the Rhino’s external hammer is actually fairly difficult; the hammer is small and smooth and the mainspring is extremely strong. We gave up on SA shooting and fired the Rhino a few times using a deliberate, slow, ‘staged’ DA pull. (Just the kind of action that Chiappa president Ron Norton told us not to do.). It actually worked fairly well, although it was neither fun nor practical. The groups opened up to about 4”, and stayed reasonably centered at the point of aim.
Slow shooting is for paper targets and tin cans, however, and the 2” Rhino is meant for concealed carry. So how does it shoot when seconds count? Very quickly; here it is with full-power 125-grain .357s. Muzzle climb? Gone. Target? Shredded.
And here’s our reference .357, a 4” Model 686, with the same loads. Wayne isn’t going for speed with this group, but it does show the difference in muzzle climb. The 686 was considerably more difficult to shoot quickly, due to the increased recoil.
But as we sped things up, some ergonomic problems started to make themselves felt and the Rhino’s groups opened up. Our 2” SA groups spread out to 4” or even 6” when we switched to quick DA shooting, and they started to move downward from the point of aim.
This is partly due to the design of the gun, and partly due to our own erroneous technique. The Rhino’s trigger pull is not straight back, as with conventional revolvers; it is back and slightly upward. Look at the angle of the finger groove in the frame for reference. When you pull back on the trigger (inconsistent and very heavy, at least 15 pounds) it levers the muzzle downward.
Then combine this effect with my own instinct to muscle a big pistol down from recoil and back onto the target. This is probably a bad shooting technique, but when I’m shooting a big pistol quickly it’s what I tend to do.It seems to work with conventional pistols, but with the Rhino it’s just not needed because muzzle climb is nearly nonexistent.
Yanking the trigger thusly, I tended to group low and stay low:
My friend Wayne, however, started perfectly centered on the target and then walked his successive shots downward and off the paper:
This is basically the reverse of what an untrained shooter does with a conventional pistol under the recoil of rapid firing, as the muzzle climbs higher and higher with successive shots. But that’s what you are when you pick up a Rhino for the first time: a noob, with some bad habits to unlearn.
We’d tried to borrow a conventional snubnose .357 (a S&W Model 60) to test against the Rhino, but had to settle for a .38 Taurus snubby instead. I was amazed that the Rhino kicked less with .357 loads than the steel-framed .38 snubby kicked with standard 158-grain FMJs. Watch for yourself:
Conclusions:
Our test gun is pinpoint accurate and built like a brick shithouse. We couldn’t duplicate RF’s accuracy problems, possibly because I have long pianist’s fingers and Wayne is simply a giant.
Reliability was 100% through over 200 rounds fired. (We had planned for a longer shooting day, but the weather went from bad to worse and we bugged out when the drizzle turned into steady rain.) It even ejected long .357 cases with authority, which is extremely unusual for a concealable .357.
The Rhino lives up to its hype. It carries almost as lightly as a steel J-frame although it’s a bit chunkier, and it shoots with the ballistic authority and the accuracy (almost) of a service revolver. And it does all of this with almost no recoil.
It sounds too good to be true, and it almost is. The ergonomics are pretty awkward, and if there’s a single deal-breaker it’s got to be the DA trigger. It’s probably the stiffest I’ve ever worked, and it’s got two or three distinct stages before it stacks up even harder and finally breaks. This trigger pull renders the gun’s outstanding inherent accuracy all but inaccessible for defensive shooting.
And that’s a pity. Such an inherently accurate and mild-shooting gun virtually screams for a smooth DA trigger, even if it’s heavy. The Rhino punches well above its weight, and if Chiappa can smooth out the trigger pull, this will be a gun that truly does it all. Accuracy, ballistics, firepower, concealability and mild recoil. All in one package. If the Rhino is a success, the future might hold a 5-shot .44 Magnum snubnose, that recoils less than an all-steel 1911 and hits like a .30-30.
The Rhino’s unconventional geometry puts it decades ahead of conventional revolvers. The best of the rest, like the S&W 686 and the Taurus .38, are superior executions of an inferior and obsolete design. If Chiappa can get the Rhino just right, and at the right price point, it will eat them alive.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Caliber: .357 Magnum
Barrel: 2 inches
Overall Length: 6 inches
Weight (unloaded): 25 ounces
Grips: Rubberized black synthetic
Sights: Black ramp front, fixed black hammer notch rear
Action: DA/SA revolver
Finish: Anodized alloy
Capacity: 6
Price: $795
RATINGS (Out of Five):
Style * *
Brutal Klingon aesthetics make it cool but still don’t make it pretty. I don’t care.
Ergonomics * *
Low-visibility sights and an inconsistent 15-pound trigger almost cancel the juicy goodness of this recoilless hand cannon. Nothing feels right *until* it goes bang, and then it all feels perfect.
Reliability * * * *
This pistol is rock-solid, but subtract a star because it doesn’t have a production track record. That will probably change.
Overall Rating * * *
Challenging trigger and ergonomics keep it from redefining what a concealment pistol is capable of. It’s only a trigger pull away from greatness.
Sounds like this could be a paradigm-changer if Chiappa can do something about that trigger. For the sake of comparison, I just measured the DA pull of my S&W 686 SSR (which has about as sweet of a DA pull as any stock .357 out there, and as good as any I've ever fired). A hair over 10 lbs, with a crisp, barely staged pull. In SA, 4.5 lbs. with a break that would shame any 1911 short of a Les Baer. Sounds like that's what the Chiappa needs to be a truly killer app.
The grapevine is whispering that Chiappa has developed a trigger upgrade, and I hope it's true. Just as you say, there's nothing inherently wrong with a heavy DA trigger, as long as it's smooth and not *too* heavy.
If the Rhino becomes popular, it's a gimme that Wolff Springs will sell a spring kit (probably not user-installable) that could lighten the trigger pull by a few crucial pounds. Wolff springs can work miracles on pistols with balky triggers.
I just picked up a Rhino yesterday. The SA is pretty light. However the DA is pretty heavy. Ilike how ell the gun is made and finished,. Reminds me of the quality of my H&K PSP, Even comes with a quality leather holster. The clock work is very different from Colt or S&W revolver. Not sure how to change springs to improve the DA.
Pingback: Rhino - INGunOwners
Am an FFL andwould like more info on ChiappaRhino.
Availability, dealer cost etc..
Thanks Mr. Dumm for accurately identifying the Rhino’s appearance:
“Klingon aesthetics”!
I live near Chiappa’s U.S. location and have been waiting for the Rhino to become available for sale. The trigger seemed likely to be the weak point as it appeared there were too many moving parts between it and the striker. Hopefully, someone can simplify the mechanism.
Dude this thing is awesome, just picked one up at kellys pawn in sanchez montana and it rocks, walked out the door with one in a 380 cal for 119 plus tax, must have put like 20 rounds through it at thr range would like to get one in a 22 cal for my wife to carry
Huh….? They don’t make a 380 and they cost over $600
Troller….D Y Sanches…DirtY Sanchez…get it? sigh.
Pingback: found my next revolver: Chiappa Rhino
Great gun 2 inch Rhino, I have one, however Distrbutor in Ohio’s lack of customer support will doom the Rhino. They don’t respond to e-mails or phone calls. Unable to purchase support items or ask tech questions….2 thumbs down…Rhino will fail without customer support!
I feel your pain Dick T. The lights are on but no one’s home. It would be a shame if such a spectacular innovation disappeared because the company is too small for the big time. They seem to be resolving things like the trigger, mines pretty smooth. A lot of parts doesn’t bother me, a swiss watch has a lot of parts too. Lets hope they are hireing on more staff to handle what I predict will be the glock of revolver designs.
I agree, I bought my Rhino 2 weeks ago and everyone says the same thing, if the trigger was smoother, this thing will make all other revolvers obsolete. Its dead accurate in SA but when you hammer down it goes down and to the left for me since im left handed. Im untraining my normal grip and stance and its getting better. you have to forget everything you know about revolvers to make this gun work right. But for 357mag power with 0 recoil, im doing it. im able to rapid fire it and hold a 10 inch group at 21 feet now compared to a 16 inch group when I first got it. And thats taken me over 400 rounds to do it. Ive seen it done online and kept in a 4 inch group but im gonna have to practice more to do that.
Pretty much right on about factory support. When I got my new DS 200 I loaded it with six rounds of .357 Magnum ammo. Of the six rounds, only two went off. Of the two, one case split the full length. On inspecting the primers, the firing pin strike is off center. Yes it hit the primer but not close enough to center for reliable ignition. I am a retired tool and die maker and have kept my precision measureing tools. Loaded, new ammunition measures .375 in diameter. The chambers of my old Smith & Wesson measure .380 inside, while the Rhino measures .386. No wonder why the case split.
I sent the gun back, heard nothing from them for a bit over a week. Took several calls to have a live person pick up. Was told that the gun was to be replaced. Couple weeks later, called again. Several calls needed, finally left message, was called back. Waiting for parts from Italy. Tried calling four times on May 3rd. four more times on May 4th. answering machine only. Called a couple time today May 7th. Finally left a message, was called back. They hope to be assembling guns later this week. May be getting one in a couple more weeks.
Nice gun, great concept, poorly exicuted. Poor customer support, poor factory support. My advice, wait a year or two till they get the bugs worked out before you buy. With all the monkey business wish I could get my money back and get something from a more reliable company.
Pingback: Style or Substance? | Yankee Gun Nuts
Pingback: Gun Review: S&W Governor (Take Three) | The Truth About Guns
Just got mine. The factory trigger pull is smooth as silk; fluid, firm and solid. The SA is is absolutely sublime. Note the cylinder breakover? Maybe they just got lucky. The breakover engineering is second to none. It’s the reason the DA repeating fire stability is so exceptional. The breakover character is the most remarkable feature of the revolver.
It’s the 1911 of wheel guns. Even the manual cocking feels perfectly tuned for the task. The sights are no problem. The weapon presents effortlessly and flawlessly IF you treat it like a pistol and forget about it being a revolver.
Best part of Rhino’s CC advantage is the incredible mass and facial sections of the build with the barrel located on the bottom. It’s the mother of all clubs. One could avoid the aftershot legal mess altogether should they whip out they Rhino and whoop it up the side of they assailant head. “Damn” was the first thing I thought when I picked up my Rhino for the first time. “I may not even have to pull the trigger. They way it fit my hand, my whole body knew I could pistol whip a perp into dreamland — or the afterlife — and never pull the trigger. It’s so solid and so totally locks in the hand, it’s still a lethal weapon when empty. Could this be the first triple-action CC revolver? Maybe so. You’ll know it when you hold it.
Pingback: Gun Review: American Tactical Imports VK-22 | The Truth About Guns
I have to say that if you need a gun for ‘retiring’ replicants, this is obviously your first choice. Just make sure they fail the voight-kampt test first.
I have shot the Rhino in .357 Magnum and I like it. My question is, in the interest of my wife, when might the Rhino be available in 22 LR ?
Thank you
Bloviating About The Chiappa Rhino
——————————————————————————–
Review by Bill Schroeder – November 2011
In 2010 Chiappa released the Rhino Revolver. Initially this product was available in very limited supply and quality control was far from stellar. That problem now seems to be solved, and the two Rhinos I now own work flawlessly. I have two of the Model 200D, this is a 2 inch, black, fixed sights, double action only (DAO), with the standard medium grip of a molded “rubber-like” material.
The Rhino’s design is revolutionary in that it has the barrel aligned with the BOTTOM chamber of the cylinder rather that the top chamber. It is chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge, the cylinder release is a “down-press” thumb lever, the six tube cylinder is a hexagon, the trigger is smooth, and almost 1/2 inch wide, the aluminum frame is mid-sized with steel inserts as needed, weight is only 25 ounces, easily concealable size at 6.25L x 4.85H x 1.35W, the grip is at an odd angle, and the grip itself is some kind of rubber.
I’m going to call this design a Bottom Barrel Revolver (BBR, or BB Revolver), it seems like we need a new name for this handgun design.
What I will now tell you about this gun YOU SIMPLY WILL NOT BELIEVE, unless you actually spend an hour with this gun, and shoot 100 rounds through it. I have shot other versions of this gun, and they do behave somewhat differently, specifically the SA/DA version. All of my observations here will be in direct reference to the Rhino Model 200D product, with serial numbers greater than 2800.
This gun generates very little muzzle flip or perceived recoil upon firing, even with 357 Magnum loads at rated at 500-600 foot pounds of energy. This fact, and the unusual ergonomics that cause almost natural pointing of the weapon are the features that make this handgun design unique and desirable.
I want to state something that no one else has put forth about the Rhino because I think they have missed the most important point about this gun. I believe that whether you love or hate this implementation of a BBR, it makes no difference to the fact that this gun is going to change firearms history… It is not that THIS gun is perfect (because it is not)… but it is clearly a PROOF-OF-CONCEPT… After shooting it a bit, even the dim bulbs among us will realize that this BBR design WILL be pursued. Taurus loves to try new things and copy things, with their own twist, so they are likely to be next to offer a BBR, but don’t be surprised if S&W, Ruger, Springfield, Colt or some of the minor manufactures offer up their own visions and versions of the BBR after this true proof-of-concept firearm lights a fire under their firearms engineers.
Some users have complained about the trigger on the Rhino. I did try Models 200DS and 400DS that each had serial numbers below 800, and they were terrible in Double Action, and very difficult to cock for use as Single Action. Although after the hard cocking the single action trigger was pretty good. However, I would not own a DS Model of this gun. After you cock it for single action this “cocking lever” (that looks like it is the hammer) goes back to what looks like a definitely uncocked firearm. There is a little red flag that pops up on the left rear of the frame to indicate the cocked condition, and that is fine… IF YOU CAN SEE IT… IF YOU NOTICE IT… and IF YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS… This is not a safe system. It would have been just as easy for them to have the “cocking lever” stay back to look like a “cocked” conventional revolver, and then fall forward on firing.
My two Rhinos are the “D” models, which are true DAO guns. They contain none of the SA action system parts or cocker. The triggers on mine are just fine, for self defense use. They are fairly smooth and consistent at 10-12 pounds.
You will learn to shot a Rhino WELL in 30 minutes or less. Even a novice shooter will put all six rounds in a 9 inch paper plate at 25 feet by the end of first box of ammo. You can pull it from it’s provided holster and fire it before you even raise it and hit a near target, every time. As you raise it to a target it comes naturally to the target, no long term training or weekly practice needed with a Rhino. The weapon is almost magically deadly.
After you have put a couple of boxes of ammo through a Rhino… try this… Load it and pick it up in you WEAK hand and quickly empty it at the target… again you will be deadly with the Rhino, weak handed, no practice. Think about how life saving this could be if your strong hand or arm were injured when critical defense action was required.
Both of my Rhinos have been 100% reliable out of the box. I have fired only factory ammunition, about equal 38 Special and 357 Magnum. Over 2,000 rounds through one and about 1,200 through the other. Both of mine have serial numbers in the 2800′s.
It is a fact that it is very, very unlikely for the average person, or even police officer, to ever find themselves in an actual gun fight. But if you are, the chances are very high that it will be a 3-3-3 event… that is – it will last 3 seconds or less, involve 3 or less shots from you, and have your opponent at 3 or less yards of distance… and if that is the case then the perfect weapon for the average person is a BBR in 357 Magnum, loaded with strong 38 +P or moderate 357 defense specific ammo.
This is the ONLY firearm I have ever used where I can confidently say that the average shooter, CCWer, Soccer Mom, or LEO could actually be very effective in its use, every time, even if they shot just a single box of ammo once a year.
The BBR is much more than a fad or a novelty… for CCW and LEO the BBR is a giant step forward… now we just need the BBR design concept to evolve…
As the BBR design develops it would be nice to see a 35-40 ounce version, in all stainless, 4 inch barrel, as a “service” revolver, and a 6 incher for hunters (drilled and tapped for scope mounts or a rail). The 2 inch version that I have would be perfect if it had a little lighter trigger pull, lost about 4 ounces of weight, and lost about 1/8 inch of width.
The .357 Magnum is without a doubt the most versatile revolver chambering, but hopefully the future will bring some different chamberings to the BBR world.
One other thing that must change in the BBR world is the grip availability. My Beretta PX4 Storm pistols all came with 3 backstap inserts. That is what BBR guns are going to need, as the grip size and trigger reach are very important to user acceptance of the BBR design. It must fit you correctly (like a shotgun). A BBR should come from the factory with a medium grip installed (as the Rhino does) and it should be supplied with easily user changeable “small” and “large” versions of the grip, as standard, included accessories. This would make the gun a winner for 90-95% of the market instead of the 40-50% that the gun properly fits with the standard grip. The standard medium grip on the Rhino happens to fit me perfectly, but the trigger reach is way too much for my wife.
If I am ever in a situation where I must be the one forced to stop the continued actions of one or two really bad actors, then I want to be pulling out a 357 Magnum BBR… and for now that means the Rhino 200D.
Last point… a BBR is certainly NOT a full-on “combat” weapon… it is a civilian type emergency defense weapon, suitable for carry and use by persons that rarely engage in weapons training or practice… if I have the need for true battlefield combat weapon, I would always turn to a quality semi-auto pistol in 45 ACP… but that’s just me…
~TMBS~
Bill Schroeder – November 2011
My concern is with the complex internals. We could go back and forth about the apparent reliability of the weapon based on torture tests and whatnot, but I wonder how easily, if at all, the internals could be accessed for cleaning. What if mud or sand or all kinds of other crud gets down into the clockwork? Can the handle be removed and all the moving parts be cleaned easily if it gets all dirty down there? Will the gun still fire if it’s less-than perfectly clean? I live in Alaska, and when you’re out in the field you get dirty, wet, and cold real quick.
In my opinion, reliability is more than simply making a bullet come out of the barrel every time you pull the trigger. It’s also about how well the weapon performs in austere conditions.
I just bought a Rhino and I love it. It is the perfect CC firearm for the everyday gangsta. I cannot wait until I can bust a cap in the first fool that steps up at the local wzally M.T. Believe Bruv.
When they say 9mm/357 combo, what do they mean? moonclips for the 9mm? would the 357 rounds require moonclips? This would be the first revolver I plan on buying if I can find it. I like the looks of the big ones but the snub seems more practical.
Because you are an idiot.