Chiappa Rhino

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One fellow was telling me that the only way to be fast and accurate with a snubby was with a hammerless j frame because you can hold it higher, therefore controlling the recoil.

I am sure that he and his ilk are going to be throwing away their 642s (and the like) to buy these
 
Well, this seems to be a better mousetrap in design, but why oh why have so many big name companies passed this design up? It makes all the sense in the world to put the barrel low and in line with the arm to reduce recoil, but there must be a down side for Ruger, S&W, Colt and Taurus, etc... not to already manufacture them.. Kind of curious why.. The other side of the coin is that this revolver with a revolutionary design and an astronomical price tag is being sold by a distributor that specializes in lower priced hardware.
I must admit that I am sceptical, but still curious..
I'd LOVE to shoot one, though....
It is an ugly little bugger, too...
 
I talked to a dealer at the Dayton gun show a few weeks back and he had only held a non firing version of it. From what he told me, they are going to be somewhat pricey too. $700 range IIRC. Hopefully that's just a MSRP and they sell for a lot less. I think they are rather ugly but in a sort of "I have to have one" sort of way.
 
Ron,

First off, let me say that I have not shot one or anything like it so understand that this is all speculation.

The low barrel design would make your wrist take all of the recoil. The ability for the gun to rotate up makes the recoil more comfortably absorbed.

The conversation concerning bringing the gun out of recoil which I was referring to was a guy that played the gun games. Besides, I don't see Jerry Miculek whining that the barrel is too high on his revolver.

I believe that Jeff Cooper once said that the double action semi auto handgun was "an elegant solution to a nonexistent problem".

This falls into that category.
 
Thanks. True, if Jerrry don't need it, you don't either! I liked the quote "an elegant solution to a nonexistent problem".
So true..
Now, quit making me think about this gun so much, because that leads to curiosity, which goes straight to infatuation, leading directly into "gotta have it" and always ends with "I've got one of those!".
My wife will kick my butt if I show up with another gun this week, and I'm going to send her your way..:D
 
Ron,

I think this gun is probably a bad idea. Ever shot a 12 gauge with a pistol grip? Not fun on the wrist. Same principle (although a lot less energy)

As to the quote, Col. Cooper was quite quotable. A great man.
 
They are made in Italy....

by a company that also makes excellent high-end shotguns and sporting rifles. The price of these are over $1000.00 and should be available soon according to those who were at the recent SHOT SHOW. I beleave they are a .357 magnum carry gun with less felt recoil according to the article I read. I am not sure who is marketing them now in The U.S.
 
Based on their website ...

the Rhino weighs 24 oz and is about the size of a "J" frame snubby. The design is supposed to lighten the recoil of the .357 magnum round. Their website is Chiappa firearms.
 
I have handled one and they are out on the market on shelves today. One of the shops who got an advanced order is selling them for 733 dollars. The trigger in double action feels to be about 18 pounds realistically. To cock this revolver for single action use is just unreal. The wife was not able to pull the hammer assembly back for single action use, and I do not have a semi automatic that she is not comfortable with, meaning some women struggle with racking slides and she doesn't.

The balance has a center feel to it. It also looks to be and feels very solid, it is my opinion longevity will not be an issue.

I was not that fond of it to pay $733 dollars for one when a 4 inch 686 was sitting on one side and a GP100 was sitting on the other for way less.
 
The reason the major companies aren't hopping on a design like this, or any new design is because most of us buy guns more based on sentimentality and comfort level, rather than effectiveness and innovation.

Whether this particular design is more effective than the normal bore axis or not is highly irrelevant and frankly I have no clue, but take a look at how often the polymer framed pistol has to prove itself and tell me whether you would come out with *any* radical and new design while keeping the regular customer base in mind.
 
One fellow was telling me that the only way to be fast and accurate with a snubby was with a hammerless j frame because you can hold it higher, therefore controlling the recoil.
Click to expand...

You probably misquoted him.

If the grips on a 442 do not enclose the backstrap, it does allow a higher grip. A higher grip results in less muzzle flip. So one can shoot a gun set up this way fast-ER and more accurately than the standard grips allow on, say, a Charter Arms .38 Undercover. However, for there to be a measureable difference, the shooter needs to have the skill to fire the gun rapidly. If the shooter is taking 1/2 second per shot, then there should be no difference whatsoever between the two.

In my informal tests I ran in the Spring, I discovered that the times were very close between the two guns listed, with the 442 being 13/100th's faster than the Charter Arms. However, the BIG difference was the size of the group. The 442 didn't squirm around quite as much and the hits were twice as tight (2.5" compared to 5" groups) , aside from being a touch faster.

With this in mind, I doubt the Rhino revolver would really offer much as far as speeding things up, since it's still a DA trigger and I don't see much room for practical improvement over the 2.5" group the 442 acheived. (especially when 3 of the 5 shots formed a ONE inch group)

Jerry doesn't set many world records using aluminum frames guns shooting +P+ ammo, so his choices for the gaming fields are moot. Interesting, perhaps, but moot.
 
That gun reminds me of what women's dress designers do.. They come up with the most outrageous, ugly, things they can think of and then sit around and laugh their butts off as the women pay even more outrageous prices for their products.

So guys and gals, here's your chance at the latest fashion statement in guns.:evil:
 
You know what I love about this gun??

It actually looks like a Rhino... well in the animal cracker sense at least.

But look..

Python looks like a big revolver... and so does King Cobra... and Charter Arm Bulldoggy looks just a revolver too.
 
the Rhino weighs 24 oz and is about the size of a "J" frame snubby. The design is supposed to lighten the recoil of the .357 magnum round.
Click to expand...

If you want a 24oz snubby that handles .357 recoil well, get a SP101 and save money :D
 
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