You may have noticed that TTAG has given the new Chiappa Arms Rhino a fair amount of coverage. (The “. . . of the Day” probably gave it away.) In fact, we’ve been accused of slipping over the line into fan-boyism. Suffice it to say, the Rhino’s an innovative weapon in an industry where genuine innovation is rare. Revolver. 1911. Glock. Done. In the interest of objectivity, I’d like to point out that I can’t hit shit with the Rhino. Even from five yards. And yet Chiappa Firearms Prez Ron Norton kept assuring me that his pug-ugly gun was more accurate than a laser-guided missile (paraphrasing). It was TTAG’s resident terrorist-zombie-gopher hunter who set me straight. I now know the secret of hitting things with the Chiappa Firearms Rhino . . .
It’s the same answer as shooting ANY revolver. Put the Rhino’s trigger on the distal joint of your finger. Pull. D’oh! Did I really forget to move my trigger finger placement from the pad of my first finger to the first crook of my index finger when firing a .357 caliber revolver? Truth be told, yes, I did.
All you DA guys have my full permission to snigger (as if you need it). In my own defense, if I line-up the Rhino with the axis of my shooting arm, I can’t reach the super-wide trigger sufficiently to get it onto my distal joint. So I put gun-in-hand placement first, trigger positioning second. Here’s a comparo between the design of my Smith & Wesson 686 and the Chiappa Rhino in terms of reaching the trigger.
Anyway, the video at the top of this post is the end result of a modified grip facilitating proper double-action finger placement. I let loose the dogs of .38 Specials from five yards. Previously, using a semi-style trigger finger placement, I missed the Shoot-N-C target entirely. New trigger finger placement, new result. Practice should tighten that group, but hal-a-friggin-lujah. Here’s my hit parade from the same distance shooting .357s.
Better, but not great. Practice! And I’m left wondering if the Rhino’s trigger is too far away for most people. Watch this space.