Chiappa Rhino 357

I very much want to soften my stance on these. I can offer good and bad:

GOOD: the bottom chamber/barrel concept is completely amazing in my opinion, it absolutely re-writes what your hands believe to expect when you light off a .357 Magnum. For this reason and this reason alone, I dream and beg for the day when a quality manufacturer can tackle this project. I've handled three of these and shot two of them.

BAD: look at a cutaway diagram or exploded parts view... the design is intricate, it looks extremely fragile and ill-conceived. As built right now, I'm still worried even if a better manufacturer produced exactly this design.

WORSE: Chiappa makes two levels of products... junk and overpriced junk. I think the Rhino is of totally suspect quality and yet, I think it's better quality than the other guns Chiappa makes. Their 1911-looking rimfire pistol is such a joke that it redefines the term "joke." I would be embarrassed to have the name of my company on that rimfire pistol.

CATASTROPHIC: I broke one of these Rhino revolvers at the counter of my biggest LGS, right in front of the salesman and immediately after asking his permission to dry fire. Second DA trigger pull and the insides locked up. I was mildly embarrassed and I apologized-- he actually apologized to me and then said that it was far better to break then & there rather than on a customer's first range trip with it, and I definitely agreed.
 
"Their 1911-looking rimfire pistol is such a joke that it redefines the term "joke." I would be embarrassed to have the name of my company on that rimfire pistol."

Is it ever. I have one, nearly brand new. The best I can say of it is that it functions well. It has a very hard trigger pull (I doubt it can be lightened), and if you get a shot in the black at 50', it is purely by accident. More of a noisemaker than anything else. I paid $200 for it and would be happy to sell it for $100.
 
I watched my friend have his thumbnail removed while shooting one. He was using a sort of thumb forward hold with his supporting hand as with a semiauto, and the gas from the cylinder gap did a number on his thumb.

He didn't make that mistake again :)
 
I'm not so quick to criticize it without ever having shot one. My main concern is the complexity of the lockwork. I remember seeing a picture of it once and my first thought was "I'd hate to have to work on that."
 
I find the firing from the bottom of the "cylinder" concept interesting. But over a century of firing from the top of cylinder has shown that that it works quite well. What you have here is a complicated solution to an imagined problem. You could also make a semi auto, self cocking revolver. WHY? In firearms, as well as most other things, the KISS theory usually wins out.
 
TomkinsSP said:
Oh, and it seemed to me to be nearly as bulky (but not as long) as that 4" K frame.
Click to expand...

In case this might be of interest to the discussion:
rimg.php
 
I was at a writers round table several years ago when Chiappa first introduced a firearm. It was a 22LR of 1911 styling. It was terrible, wouldn't reliably function more than 2 or 3 rounds in a row, even from a sandbag couldn't hit a 12" group at 25 yards. Visibly not well finished and of "pot metal" quality. They explained the parts were all made in a foreign country and sent to the US where they were assembled, "Made in the US".

About two years later they brought them back, and they did function most of the time, but accuracy was still about as bad. The finish had improved some, but still did not give one a warm feeling of quality.

They have had some innovative designs, and if the quality has improved (I haven't handled one in over 5 or 6 years) may be a useful.
 
WOW!!! Lots of info posted there. Thanks to all who replied. I agree, a face only a mother could love!! Their 22's and 1911 offerings make me run the other way and fast. Not much good being said about them. As for the Yankee Marshal, he does call it as it is on almost everything i've seen of his reviews. And after all, "He is a grown a$$ man".:D Going today to reshoot the 20ds and look it over real well for wear as its a range rental gun. They are an odd bunch. I have seen the internals pics/videos. A lot going on there to say the least. They make a few models in SAR (single action only, CA & CT approved) and I wonder if it might cut the internal parts down to say, under 300 in that offering. Im still researching at this point and leaning towards the 50ds or 60ds if making a purchase. Im kicking around the SAR model as a safety precaution in the respects of it being different and if sharing with others on range day as to not put someone into a situation where the burnt thumbs can occur if not understanding its layout. ( Please no bashing on last statement, just thinking safety first as it is unusual). Please keep your thoughts and comments coming. Knowledge is King!!!

Thanks, Ron
 
Definitely watch the digits near the cylinder gap :)

I have a photo of the mangled thumb somewhere - if I find it I will post it.
 
I kind of like the fact that it looks like no other modern gun,
but I've read too many bad reviews, I'd never buy one.
Plus they're expensive (and maybe difficult to resell if you don't like it).
 
Sevens said:
I very much want to soften my stance on these. I can offer good and bad:

GOOD: the bottom chamber/barrel concept is completely amazing in my opinion, it absolutely re-writes what your hands believe to expect when you light off a .357 Magnum. For this reason and this reason alone, I dream and beg for the day when a quality manufacturer can tackle this project. I've handled three of these and shot two of them.

BAD: look at a cutaway diagram or exploded parts view... the design is intricate, it looks extremely fragile and ill-conceived. As built right now, I'm still worried even if a better manufacturer produced exactly this design.

WORSE: Chiappa makes two levels of products... junk and overpriced junk. I think the Rhino is of totally suspect quality and yet, I think it's better quality than the other guns Chiappa makes. Their 1911-looking rimfire pistol is such a joke that it redefines the term "joke." I would be embarrassed to have the name of my company on that rimfire pistol.

CATASTROPHIC: I broke one of these Rhino revolvers at the counter of my biggest LGS, right in front of the salesman and immediately after asking his permission to dry fire. Second DA trigger pull and the insides locked up. I was mildly embarrassed and I apologized-- he actually apologized to me and then said that it was far better to break then & there rather than on a customer's first range trip with it, and I definitely agreed.
Click to expand...

AS IF A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE LIKE THIS, NEVER HAPPENED WITH A BRAND NEW S&W REVOLVER.....

JUST NEVER IN FRONT OF A FACTORY REP---BUT MORE THAN ONCE, ON A CUSTOMERS FIRST RANGE TRIP......IIRC
 
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