Chiappa Rhino Revolver

ok so what do you guys/girls think about this new revolver? I think it could be the start of a new era of firearms. Yes it may seem ugly but maybe thats just because we are so use to revolvers looking a certain way.

http://www.chiappafirearms.com/product/725

I think this would make a great first gun for beginners. Its a .357, 6 round cylinder, and boasts little to no recoil do to its inovative design.

Tried one out at a dealer's range a couple of months back. Mixed feelings on it,myself.
Expensive as heck #1, has a rather strange balance to it-compared to what we're used to-but in a positive way. I like the cylinder,and the low bore-axis aspect of it.
But--the action..the mechanisms that function the action seem way complicated for a revolver. Lots of little bits n pieces going on-moving parts/metal-to-metal contact, etc.
Seems a recipe for eventual mechanical failure, or at least some expensive wear-and-tear bits that will need replacing,or servicing down the road. And the way Murphy works-someone will discover this @ the worst possible time..

And that, seems to kind of defeat the purpose of a revolver.

It's definately ugly, but I'm impressed with both the ergonomics of its bottom-barrel design, as well as it's internal/external hammer differentiation.

The model you pictured is a 2" barrel, but it comes in 4", 5", and 6" barrel versions, as well.

Reminds me of a Mateba Unica.

Curtis said:

Reminds me of a Mateba Unica.

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Yup, designed by the same guy actually. I haven't fired one yet, but I've held one. I thought it felt pretty good. It felt better than I expected. The cylinder lock was pretty stiff, and its' a bulky thing, but I'd like to try it out before I cement my thoughts on it.

Regarding the internals: the lockwork on any revolver is pretty complicated. There's a lot of little parts which have to work exactly right, or things just don't work. I'm not sure it's that much worse with the Rhino.

Ugly as sin, but interesting. I've advocated the bottom barrel design for a long time to help reduce perceived recoil, but gun makers are very resistant to change.

My only gripe about the Rhino is that they should just go ahead and bob or shroud the hammer.

CO-Joe said:

Regarding the internals: the lockwork on any revolver is pretty complicated. There's a lot of little parts which have to work exactly right, or things just don't work.

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I'll say! I'm not a gunsmith, and all but one of the firearms I've cleaned could be broken down only so far before gunsmithing tools were required. They're not all that complicated, but I'm still impressed whenever I break down the only firearm I can down to each and every component part. It's an Italian-made Colt .44 cap and ball replica. Even for an SA-revolver, it's still a wonder of engineering, especially for something designed so long ago.