# Chiappa Rhino .357



## TAPnRACK

Anybody have any experience with these Italian revolvers?

I've been looking at them for almost a year but have not held one since they are not popular yet being a new revolver. Been considering the 4" version... my gun stores can order one, but have none for viewing.

Any advice or experience is appreciated.


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## TAPnRACK

Close up of unique cylinder (hex shaped) with lower barrel for recoil reduction.


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## Overkill0084

My LGS had a couple in stock a while back. I played with one a bit, but I have not yet had the opportunity to fire one. 
I think they are too weird for my taste. The action is quite different from a "Normal" revolver. The hammer isn't a hammer, more a cocking lever. The trigger seemed decent. It struck me as a bit of a Rube Goldberg designed action. What problem was this the solution to? The low bore is a decent concept. but I fail to understand the need to reinvent the concept of what double action should be. IMHO, revolvers should be simple. Chaippa has taken a simple idea and made it unnecessarily complex. Mitigating recoil is a lovely thing. Maybe they should have stopped there. 
Having 5 other revolvers of a "normal" design, I'm not really sure if I could adapt well to them.
Before you spend a bunch of money, you need to handle one at the very least. Shooting one would be better.


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## TAPnRACK

Agreed... just haven't had an opportunity. The concept of the lower barrel is an older Italian design that never came to fruition. Heard about the hammer/cocking device and know the reviews on it are mixed.

My attraction to this revolver is its look... which is debatable... some see it as a thing of beauty & others see it as the "ugly revolver". Reduced recoil in a .357 is also appealing for a target gun where quick follow-up shots are used.


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## schuman1018

ARMSLIST - For Sale: chiappa rhino 200d. I love shooting my 2in. .38 is like shooting co2 and .357 is little to no kick depending on the grain.


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## raveneap

Still haven't had the opportunity to handle/fire one but have to admit it's probably one of the ugliest revolvers I've ever seen. And must agree; most revolver actions are fairly straight forward; why complicate things?


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## pic

raveneap said:


> Still haven't had the opportunity to handle/fire one but have to admit it's probably one of the ugliest revolvers I've ever seen. And must agree; most revolver actions are fairly straight forward; why complicate things?


I agree, the thing has unneeded changes to a revolver. Plus the changes made are causing issues.
How is the primer being struck? The hammer looking unit is on top ,when the cartridge is located on the bottom.


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## TAPnRACK

Internal hammer... where a normal hammer would be is a cocker to put it in SA. It's actually based on a much older revolver design from Italy... so it's not a new concept. Semi-auto's were frowned upon at one time too (too many moving parts). 

Not saying the Chiappa is gonna revolutionize revolvers... but I remember similar things being said about the Glock over 20 yrs ago. Plastic gun? It's ugly... Look at that trigger. 

Still hoping to get one this Fall... once I get to check one out in person of course. If I don't like it, I'll most likely get a GP 100 or a Raging Judge.


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## pic

TAPnRACK said:


> Internal hammer... where a normal hammer would be is a cocker to put it in SA. It's actually based on a much older revolver design from Italy... so it's not a new concept. Semi-auto's were frowned upon at one time too (too many moving parts).
> 
> Not saying the Chiappa is gonna revolutionize revolvers... but I remember similar things being said about the Glock over 20 yrs ago. Plastic gun? It's ugly... Look at that trigger.
> 
> Still hoping to get one this Fall... once I get to check one out in person of course. If I don't like it, I'll most likely get a GP 100 or a Raging Judge.


I have not held one either , might look for one next time out. The only thing that really seems functionally interesting is the barrel being on the bottom below the top weight , should be a great recoil reducer for the 357 mag


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## ITGeekgal

I have held and dry fired one, it felt great. I am shopping for a revolver that doesn't recoil too much as I have arthritis. I would love to test fire a rhino, does anyone know of a place that rents them?


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## TAPnRACK

My shop got one in 2 weeks ago.. dry fired trigger felt great, very crisp break with little to no take-up (slack). Sights looked awesome and with a blacked out rear notch... the fiber optic front was easy to aquire quickly. The fit & finish was also outstanding with no machine marks or other apparent "short cuts". All in all, a very impressive looking firearm.

Only thing seperating me from purchasing the Rhino 40DS was $1,200... for now.

Already exceeded my firearm budget for the year with my Sig P226 Tac Ops & CZ 75BD Police... plus replenishing the ammo stock. This is at the top of my list for next year though.


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## Cait43

The best of this weapon is the barrel on the bottom..... It is too bad the other revolver makers did not accept the concept....

With the barrel on the bottom the weapon does *not* "fly" up on recoil.... It recoils straight back through your arm..... In the attached UTube you can see the difference in recoil with a Colt and Rhino firing 357 magnums...(Test firing starts at 11:30)
Chiappa Rhino 40DS "White Rhino" .357 Magnum Revolver Review - YouTube

Iim waiting to build up a $1000.00 to get me the 6" model..........


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## DJ Niner

I'm also interested in getting one of these revolvers, being an old wheelgun fan from way back when.

I think I'm going to wait a bit, as a few of the earlier models showed some minor glitches, and I dislike being a beta-tester for any company. Plus, as mentioned above, I gotta save my pennies for a while.


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## Donn

Handled one at a gun show. It's not as cumbersome as it looks. A word of caution. Quality control might be an issue. My LGS won't handle them specifically for that reason.


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## bisbob

Shot the 4" version. Felt good. Grip fit my hand nicely. $880 out the door; tax included. BUT.....I did not take the deal. The wife also tried shooting it while at the range. She could dry fire it. But just lacked the strength to pull the trigger when fully loaded. Can't explain it beyond her lack of hand strength. Main point of having a revolver is to also serve as a nightstand gun when I'm not home. Not much good if she can't pull the trigger. BAck in the hunt now for a S&W. And yes, we priced a trigger job on the Rhino. $40-120 depending on what we had done to it. Just cannot envision spending more on this gun than I did on my 1911.


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## TAPnRACK

That's a great price if the Rhino 40DS is NIB. How is dry fire trigger lbs any different than when it's loaded?


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## lead

I'm one guy who likes the look and feel of the gun. I think it's an interesting concept. I may never own one though. I can't justify the $1000 price my local shop wants, and, I did buy one of Chiappa's .22lr Beretta copies, the M9-22. It was a jam-o-matic. I was very unimpressed with it and it left a bad taste in my mouth for anything made by this company.


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## pic

The bullet will shoot two inches lower then the sights. Unless you install a laser


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## Grove

I just ordered the 4" model. Studied long and hard and decided to go for it. Will give a review once received and taken to the range.


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## hillman

I have a 5" version. Shot it accurately 'out of the box'. No quality issues. Very little muzzle flip with .357 158gr, 13.9gr Unique behind it.

I have read that the design had growing pains, but it is adult now.

Double action trigger pull is heavy, but feels no heavier than my Tanfoglio Witness. That female must have weak hands. The cocking lever action is also heavy, but when using a 'standard' 2 hand shooting grip, the pull is no problem for the off hand thumb. Single action trigger is clean and _not_ heavy.

About the only thing I found disconcerting is that after the gun is cocked, the lever returns to the down position. It is near the center of your vision when the gun is 'presented' of course, so it takes a little getting used to.

The barrel and cylinder are the only massive parts of the gun that are steel; the frame and barrel shroud are aluminum alloy. Makes for a light gun; if it were a conventional revolver it would be 'lively' in the hand while shooting. I have a holster purchased from Chiappa US, and the gun carries easily; the 2" version ought to be easily concealable.

The firing mechanism has quite a few parts in it, but probably not a multiple of the parts in a 'standard' double/single action revolver. The engineering problems had to do with design, not number of parts.

Purchased the gun from Bud's Gun shop, along with their extended 'lifetime' warranty.


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## Tanshanomi

Annie Walker has carried a Rhino 20DS on the past three seasons of _Covert Affairs_, and she's a dead-sexy CIA spy, so it's got to be good. :mrgreen:


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## Steve M1911A1

If it's used by some charismatic character in a phony-bologna TV shoot-'em-up, I am automatically prejudiced against it.

TV: There is no reality there.


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## Steve M1911A1

pic said:


> The bullet will shoot two inches lower then the sights. Unless you install a laser


...But then, even with a laser installed, it will still shoot two inches lower than its sights.

Remedy? Adjust its sights. Learn the exterior-ballistics curve for the ammunition you use.

BTW: Two inches lower? Insignificant at self-defense distances.


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