Chiappa Rhino

Chiappa Rhino
Type	DA/SA revolver
Land of Origin	Italy
Specifications
Frame	Ergal (a high-strength aluminum alloy)
Length	164 mm / 6.5" with 2' barrel
Barrel length	2,3,4,5, and 6-inch
Weight	720 g / 1.58 lbs with 2" barrel
Cartridge	.357 magnum; .38 Special
Action	upside-down double-action/single-action; DAO
Trigger pull	SA: 5 lbs.; DA: inconsistent and very heavy, up to 15 lbs.
Chambers	6
Rifling/Twist	9 grooves, 1:18.75" RH twist
Feed	6-rd swing-out cylinder
Sights	Fixed open sights
Sight Radius	barrel length + 2.75" (approx)
Production History
Designer	Antonio Cudazzo and Emilio Ghisoni
Design Date	2009
Manufacturer	Armi Chiappa
Unit Cost	US$ 775-980
Produced	2010-present
Fires from the BOTTOM chamber, instead of the top. Weird.

The Chiappa Rhino is a revolver produced by Armi Chiappa (Chiappa Firearms) of Italy chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. This revolver was designed by Antonio Cudazzo and Emilio Ghisoni, the latter also being the designer of a line of Mateba revolvers, including the Unica semi-automatic revolver.

Its most distinctive feature is that the barrel is on a low axis compared to most other revolvers, since it fires from the lowermost chamber of the cylinder, rather than firing from the topmost chamber. This is intended to reduce muzzle flip by directing the recoil in a direction directly along the shooter's forearm, rather above and parallel to it. Another distinctive feature is that the cross-section of the cylinder is hexagonal instead of cylindrical (though with rounded corners); this is intended to lower the weapon's profile in concealed carry applications.

The Rhino, which was initially offered in a "pocket-carry" self-defense version (longer barreled versions soon followed), was designed from scratch to provide the most controllable and accurate shooting, thanks to its specially designed trigger/hammer system and extremely low barrel axis, as the gun fires from the bottom chamber of the cylinder, rather than the top one. It's worth pointing out that while this odd setup is quite rare, it is not unique - the Mateba Unica revolver also fired from the bottom chamber, and so did the Russian OTs-38.

Design details

The overall layout of the revolver is optimized for concealed carry, with the cylinder made in a hexagonal (rather than round) cross-section, to make the gun thinner. The low barrel axis also helps to manage recoil, as its force goes straight back into the shooter's palm, and does not cause the muzzle of the gun to jump up as much as happens with traditional revolvers, where recoil force is applied above the holding points, causing the gun to rotate up (jump) under recoil. The downside of this layout is that the Rhino revolver has a (ahem) somewhat complex trigger setup.

The Rhino is a double/single action with a swing-out (to the left) cylinder. The frame is made of Ergal (Aluminium alloy 7075), while the barrel, cylinder, and other vital parts are made from steel. The trigger may be used in either single-action or double-action mode. The external cocking lever is not actually a hammer, as on most revolvers. Instead, it is used to cock the internal hammer and then falls back into place, minimizing the number of externally moving parts, but making the revolver a buttload more complicated internally (see images). The gun is available in blued and stainless versions.

Reloading is done by swinging the cylinder to the left, then pushing the ejector rod to extract all six spent cases at once. Fresh cartridges can then be loaded into the cylinder individually or using the speedloader. The cylinder latch lever has a somewhat unusual location, installed at the top rear of the frame, co-axially with the cocking lever (the "false hammer"). To unlock the cylinder for opening, the operator must push the latch lever forward with his or her thumb.

Trigger

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The trigger setup is unusual in that it features a fully concealed hammer which is located inside the frame. To provide single action firing (manually cocking the hammer before each shot), the Rhino is fitted with a cocking lever (a false hammer) which is placed at the top rear of the frame, where the hammer is usually located on more conventional revolvers. This cocking piece/false hammer is connected to the concealed hammer via a push link. To cock the hammer in SA use, the operator must pull the spur on the cocking piece/hammer back as far as it will go, and then release it. This movement cocks the concealed hammer via internal linkage, but the false hammer will return to the forward position once it is released. For Double Action, the operator can pull the trigger as usual, and this will first cock the internal hammer and then release it at the end of the trigger pull.

Ironically, the Rhino is uncocked just like conventional revolvers: while maintaining a grip on the cocking lever, pull it rearward while depressing the trigger. Then ease the cocking lever and the trigger forward together. This reverts the revolver to double-action operation.

The Rhino’s trigger pull is not straight back, as with conventional revolvers; it is back and slightly upward. Look at the angle of the finger groove in the frame for reference. When you pull back on the trigger, it levers the muzzle downward.

Safety features

The Rhino can be considered one of the more “safety conscious” revolver designs to come along, offering four different safety features:

• Cylinder/Hammer: The cylinder/hammer safety functions when the cylinder isn’t properly closed by blocking the firing mechanism.
• Cylinder Rotation: This safety operates when the cylinder doesn’t reach the correct position when rotating. The cylinder stop won’t engage the cylinder notch, not permitting the trigger to travel its full length and release the hammer. This safety will prevent any shots from firing while the cylinder isn’t fully aligned with the barrel, thus preventing lead splatter or timing issues.
• Hammer Block Safety: This device will not allow the hammer to hit the firing pin in case of an accidental release in either single- or double-action mode. The internal hammer is thought by some to be safer compared to revolvers with an external hammer. The Rhino’s internal hammer can reach the firing pin only when the trigger is completely depressed, and if this doesn’t happen, the Rhino design features a mechanical interference between the hammer and trigger.
• Single-Action Cocking Indicator: If the hammer is cocked in single-action mode, a red indicator (plunger) will appear in the upper rear corner of the frame, warning the user the hammer is cocked.

Of course, safety is a function of the brain, not a mechanical device. Always follow the four rules of firearms safety, especially keeping your finger off the trigger unless you intend to shoot, and always keeping any gun pointed in a safe direction. No internal device will ever replace a focused shooter who concentrates fully on the gun they’re working with. It only takes a quick second for tragedy to occur, so whenever any firearms is handled, give it your complete attention — period.

Criticisms

While the ergonomics are pretty awkward, they're not insurmountable. Shooters with small hands or short fingers, however, will have considerable difficulty with this firearm.

If there’s a single deal-breaker for this gun, it’s got to be the double-action trigger. It’s stiff as a board and has two (or three?) distinct stages before it stacks up even harder and finally breaks. Many reviewers have complained that, while the Rhino has shorter trigger travel than most other revolvers (about half that of a standard revolver, thanks to the Rhino's lockwork), its trigger pull force when firing double-action can be both very inconsistent and heavy as hell - up to 15 pounds. While the width of the trigger (almost a half inch wide) mitigates this somewhat, it is still problematic.

Also, because the grip axis is closer to the cylinder, you need to make a mental note to keep the thumb of your non-shooting hand behind the gap between the cylinder and the barrel.

Resources

Gun Owners' Resource has the following relevant documents available for free download for the Chiappa Rhino and/or its variants:

• Chiappa Rhino User's Manual.

The following images are also available for reference:

• 

  The peculiar innards of the Rhino

• 

  Still peculiar

• 

  Exploded view of the Rhino, with parts legend.

See also

• Mateba Autorevolver

External links

• Manufacturer: Armi Chiappa 39-030-974-9065;
• Importer: Chiappa; (937) 835-5000;
• Product Page with images

Chiappa Rhino is part of a series on Weird guns
Rifles	Heckler & Koch G11 | CornerShot | Periscope rifle | Krummlauf
Shotguns	Pancor Jackhammer
Pistols	Duck's foot | Protector Palm | AF 2011
Revolvers	Chiappa Rhino | Apache Revolver
Others	AO-46 PDW | Harmonica gun