Chiappa Rhino
- Thread starter The_Guy
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tryshoot
Member
No but I would like to know myself.
I own the 6-inch version in brushed aluminum and I shoot it all the time. The gun is absolutely fantastic with no issues so far (pushing 1,000 rounds through it now). Accuracy is good when I can get my act together. The best part is that the felt recoil doesn't seem to change much between low-powder .38 Special target loads and full-power .357. I have found my single action trigger to be very light - although I don't know the actual pull weight - and the double action pull to be very smooth. The worst part about the Rhino IMO is the cocking lever, which is very stiff, especially at the end of the stroke.
Overall, my opinion of the Rhino is that is a fantastic revolver. I have often wondered why no other manufacturers make a revolver like it.
I have already done a review here on THR of my .38 Special loads through the gun and I have been planning to do a review featuring full-power .357 Magnums. Currently the only thing stopping me is a lack of time to load all the rounds.
Overall, my opinion of the Rhino is that is a fantastic revolver. I have often wondered why no other manufacturers make a revolver like it.
I have already done a review here on THR of my .38 Special loads through the gun and I have been planning to do a review featuring full-power .357 Magnums. Currently the only thing stopping me is a lack of time to load all the rounds.
Tophernj
Member
My buddy has the 4"(I think). I shot a few rounds thru it.
The gun is nice. Well made and lighter than it looks. Although the grip angle looks odd, in hand it feels nice. Accuracy seems decent enough. Recoil pushes back rather than flipping which is a little disconcerting but certainly not unpleasant. All in all a nice gun.
The only downside to them that I can discern is that I shoot thumbs forward. With the grip angle it puts my bottom thumb forward of the cylinder. Since the round exits the cylinder on the bottom the burn is... less than pleasant. More of a mental freak out when it happened to me. Not all that much pain but certainly woke me up. It's for that single reason that I won't buy one. I don't want to have to change my grip from gun to gun. I don't have to with my other revolvers and to have the one gun that I would have to change grip... not for me.
C
The gun is nice. Well made and lighter than it looks. Although the grip angle looks odd, in hand it feels nice. Accuracy seems decent enough. Recoil pushes back rather than flipping which is a little disconcerting but certainly not unpleasant. All in all a nice gun.
The only downside to them that I can discern is that I shoot thumbs forward. With the grip angle it puts my bottom thumb forward of the cylinder. Since the round exits the cylinder on the bottom the burn is... less than pleasant. More of a mental freak out when it happened to me. Not all that much pain but certainly woke me up. It's for that single reason that I won't buy one. I don't want to have to change my grip from gun to gun. I don't have to with my other revolvers and to have the one gun that I would have to change grip... not for me.
C
RetiredUSNChief
Member
I had to look this one up. This is a FASCINATING design!
What are the typical retail prices of some of these things?
EDIT:
Never mind...just found a link with a typical suggested price range. About $750 -$950.
But LOOK at the pic of the side view of one of they things...is that REALLY a HUGE gap between the cylinder and the barrel in the first pic right under where they mention the price range? Good lord!
http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2010/01/21/chiappa-rhino-revolvers/
What are the typical retail prices of some of these things?
EDIT:
Never mind...just found a link with a typical suggested price range. About $750 -$950.
But LOOK at the pic of the side view of one of they things...is that REALLY a HUGE gap between the cylinder and the barrel in the first pic right under where they mention the price range? Good lord!
http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2010/01/21/chiappa-rhino-revolvers/
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farm23
Member
They are an interesting concept but they have a lot of moving parts. I wonder how available service is?
Chief, the cylinder gap isn't very big at all on my example. I checked the link you provided but all I can see in that picture is the forcing cone, which does stick out quite a bit. I don't have feeler gauges at the house, but the cylinder gap isn't more than a few thousandths. Remember, it shoots from the bottom.
Farm23, Service is supposed to be spotty at best, but I have never needed it. Some gunsmiths won't work on any Chiappa designs.
Farm23, Service is supposed to be spotty at best, but I have never needed it. Some gunsmiths won't work on any Chiappa designs.
RetiredUSNChief
Member
Chief, the cylinder gap isn't very big at all on my example. I checked the link you provided but all I can see in that picture is the forcing cone, which does stick out quite a bit. I don't have feeler gauges at the house, but the cylinder gap isn't more than a few thousandths. Remember, it shoots from the bottom.
Farm23, Service is supposed to be spotty at best, but I have never needed it. Some gunsmiths won't work on any Chiappa designs.
Yeah, I remember it shoots from the bottom.
The picture I'm referring to is the one where you can see a profile shot of a gun being held by a hand, right below the paragraph citing the pricing range. Take a look at the gap between the barrel (or the frame, in this case, since you can't see that end of the barrel) and the cylinder.
If you don't see what I mean, let me know and I'll post a pic circling what I'm seeing.
I see what you mean now. My eyes apparently deceived me on the first look. That appears to be a display model with the forcing cone missing. Mine is pictured below. I will try to get a better picture posted later so you can see the forcing cone.
Not trying to bash chiappa, but do they have any other centerfire handguns with good reputations? I have read mostly positive things on the Rhino, but every review I have seen on there other handguns (22lr if I am not mistaken) are not good at all. Is this their first attempt at a serious gun?
I don't know about the rest of their product line, but I also owned a Chiappa 1911-22 at one time and it was utter garbage. I ended up selling the stupid thing for $90 - it wouldn't reliably feed, locked back on full mags and had a 14-pound trigger pull (actual pull weight). I know they also import several shotguns with their name on them that are produced by other companies.
Grayrock
Member
Jerry Miculek did a review of one and burned the thumb of his left hand during filming due to the cylinder gap being at the bottom of the cylinder rather than at the top. OUCH. As he stated- lucky he was using .38 Specials instead of full power .357 Magnums.
Riomouse911
Member
I saw the below you tube review of JM shooting the Rhino...naturally hitting everything in rapid succession. He did scald his thumb, and I shoot revolvers with that same grip..so despite overall good reviews I'll pass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbDUWACwRqk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbDUWACwRqk
RetiredUSNChief
Member
Thanks!
Yeah, that's a LOT better than the horrific gap evident in the link I found!
I have no idea why anybody would bring out anything less than their best for such an article. Seems counterproductive. Can you imagine pulling the trigger on a wheel gun with that kind of gap between the cylinder and the barrel? Especially on this type of revolver, if you're holding it incorrectly!
Ouch!
wally
Member
My experience with Chiappa's "warranty" on my 1911-22 means I'll never even look at a Rhino.
Use the search, I given the gory details several times. Every bit as bad as EAA, but at least EAA did fix the gun.
dusty14u
Member
I have the snubby and I have really liked it. I started carrying it over the SP101 because follow shots are way faster and it has 6 shots instead of 5. It is easier to conceal and the holster that comes with it is rather nice. I purchased an IWB holster for it and it is comfortable to wear all day.
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moonman16
Member
The SNUBBY looks, and works just fine.
It actually comes with an Italian Leather OWB Holster.
It actually comes with an Italian Leather OWB Holster.
Tony_the_tiger
Member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2011
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- 905
That SP101 looks like it is about to beat the crap out of that Rhino.
black_powder_Rob
Member
LOL Tony I was thinking the same thing. I think it is a cool concept but/B] I will wait and see how durable they really are, there are a lot of moving parts in there and it is not a proven design yet. But hey who knows there might be one in my future.
Why do people purchase snub-nosed .357 magnums? Are people not aware the .357 Magnum cartridge is moving under 1000fps and produces just over 200 ft lbs of energy to 300 from a 2" barrel? Powder can't even burn off. You would have the same ballistics from a .380 pocket pistol with +P's without the massive boom, flash and recoil.. 9mm eclipses.
RetiredUSNChief
Member
I'm sure many do understand this. People who generally buy/carry a snubbie do so because of the concealability aspect that the shorter barrel has, figuring that the tradeoff is worth it to them, for whatever reasons they may have.
Those reasons may be as simple as liking the cartridge and/or liking revolvers. Many of us make the choices we do based on similar reasons. To each his/her own.
silicosys4
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My 3" sp101 .357 puts 158 gr. warm hand loads out at 1200fps. Don't know where you get the .357 mag snub <1k fps and 9mm eclipses thing, but that is not correct. My pm9, with a comparable barrel length struggles to break 1000fps with hot 125 gr. hand loads. Thats WITH polygonal rifling. The "9mm vs .357" argument is an old horse that is regularly beaten, but what i have experienced, with comparable barrel lengths there is no comparison.
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I have the snubby and I have really liked it. I started carrying it over the SP101 because follow shots are way faster and it has 6 shots instead of 5. It is easier to conceal and the holster that comes with it is rather nice. I purchased an IWB holster for it and it is comfortable to wear all day.
Is that foreign writings on the side of the Rhino
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