Rhino revolver question

Dr. Dingus

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Oct 23, 2023
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I just got a brand new chrome Rhino 40ds revolver, and I noticed something. The face of all six chambers is absolutely dirty to hell and back. I thought guns were test fired once, not six time. Hell, the black rings look like it was fired repeatedly. Do any other Rhino owners have information on this?
 
Different Mfg.'s have different test firing practices. I believe Ruger test fires every chamber of their revolvers, S&W for a time and maybe still only fires every other chamber, I've heard some Mfg's only fire one.
If the rest of the gun is fine with no wear marks, just wipe it off and commence.
 
Different Mfg.'s have different test firing practices. I believe Ruger test fires every chamber of their revolvers, S&W for a time and maybe still only fires every other chamber, I've heard some Mfg's only fire one.
If the rest of the gun is fine with no wear marks, just wipe it off and commence.
It's definitely full blown caked on circles on all chambers.
 
Trying to guess how many rounds were fired based on fouling is kind of tricky unless you know exactly what kind of ammo was used. I used to be able to buy one brand that would foul less in 200 rounds than my more commonly preferred round would foul in a couple of cylinders' worth.

If you know what the test ammo they use was, you can get some (preferably from the same lot), take pictures of the current condition of your gun, then clean it very thoroughly, then shoot the test ammo until you reproduce the conditions you saw in your original picture. That will give you a reasonable estimate of how many rounds were fired while testing the gun.

My question is, "What are you going to do with that information?"

I seriously doubt you will convince Chiappa to alter their test fire procedures. Most people are probably happier about having a manufacture test a gun thoroughly given the problems with getting one fixed if it comes to them defective. Especially an imported firearm.

If you're going to try to prove the gun is not new, doing so based on an estimate of how many times the gun was fired before you got it probably isn't going to get too much traction unless you know with some reasonable certainty how many times Chiappa says they shot it. For example, if Chiappa said they didn't do any test firing at all, or only fired a single round, then you might be able to at least make a complaint to the gun store to see what they would say.

So, how does it shoot?
 
Once you get your gun clean, wiping the front of the cylinder with a silicone gun cleaning cloth every time you finish shooting or clean will help with removing fouling later on.
 
So, its dirty, stop worrying, move on, and make it a lot dirtier. They are cool guns and good shooters. :)

Just an FYI about them though, watch where you put your off-hand thumb when you shoot, that little chamber at the cylinder gap bites if you arent paying attention. ;)
 
I like wiping the dirty gun off with a stained but clean terry cloth, then finish with a nice white cloths!

when the clean white terry becomes stain, it’s has a new job
 
Flitz and an old sock will clean the cylinder face right up so it looks like new.

Then the first time you shoot a full cylinder, it will look just like it does now. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
I have never stressed over getting the front of revolver's cylinders clean enough to look new or the same thing for brass you are going to reload. Just clean is OK as both will be dirty again as soon as shot. I can find more productive ways to fill my time.

I probably stepped on some toes with this post but that's my opinion and you all know what those are worth. None the less my method has worked quite well for me for many years.
 
As long as your cylinder gap is good its not really an issue. If that gap is tight, and especially if youre shooting lead bullets, it could/can become a problem, and more so if you don't keep up with you cleaning. Ive had two Ruger Blackhawks go back for just that issue, and before Ruger corrected things, they would start to bind up to the point you couldn't cock them, in less than a box of ammo.

Its one of the reasons I got in the habit of keeping the face of the cylinder clean and continued to do so and with all my revolvers. I just look at it as part of cleaning them and when you keep after it, it usually only takes a couple of swipes with a bronze brush and some Hoppes. I use the same brush to clean around the barrel and frame where it protrudes.
 
I have never stressed over getting the front of revolver's cylinders clean enough to look new or the same thing for brass you are going to reload. Just clean is OK as both will be dirty again as soon as shot. I can find more productive ways to fill my time.
Agreed, I never saw a point in doing either.
 
Me neither, thats why i added it is a rather futile chore, as it gets dirty with the very next shots. (To me its a lot like wiping armor-all on your tires’ tread.)

But some folks like their stuff spotlessly clean, and that’s perfectly fine with me, too. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
Suggest scrubbing with a brass brush & solvent before resorting to chemical compounds. I used to use a stainless brush for a stainless Ruger SS. I won't try that on a blued one. I even ued lead out cloth on stainless guns; but never blued one.
 
I never Armor All, but I heard it works on old Pac grips
Back in the 80’s I had a couple of 70’s cars. I learned the hard way that once you use Armor All on a dash or vinyl top you must always use it from then on or the dash would crack and the vinyl top would crack and shred in the wind. The same went for motorcycle seats.
I really don’t know what it would do for or against a rubber grip and I will never know.
Armor All hasn’t seen a bit of my money since the late ‘80’s nor will they ever.
 
I have no problem with people that want things to look new. I have always used Hoppe's #9 to wipe cylinder faces. WD-40 does make a fair drilling and tapping fluid if you are out of tap eez. I also use it to clean windshield wiper blades and it makes them last longer too.
I am not a fan of armor all at all. I never had it make anything fall apart but it doesn't last long plus it collect dust like crazy. I use 303 protectant on my jeep fenders, running boards, and any other plastic parts. I haven' thought of a use for it on guns.
 
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