The Chiappa Rhino 60DS

Just picked up a Chiappa Firearms Rhino 60DS in .357 Magnum/.38 Spc. Got to fire it last Sunday and am very happy with it. The 6 shot revolver fires from the lower cylinder at the 6 o' clock position, rather than at the 12 like most revolvers. The Chiappa Rhino was designed by the same man who designed the Mateba Autorevolver. The Rhino has an internal hammer to accommodate the lower barrel axis. The cocking hammer that is exposed on the weapon is only to cock the weapon for single action use. When the weapon is fired the exposed cocking lever does not move.

The design of the weapon greatly minimizes the felt recoil when fired. The .357 Magnum round feels more like a subdued .38 Spc and the .38 Spc feel very much like a .380 ACP. Over all this weapon is very fun to shoot. It is very accurate for being a revolver. I believe this will make an excellent open carry and home defense weapon, which is what I intend to use it for.

The Rhino comes in 2, 4, 5, and 6 inch models. I chose the 6 inch for both accuracy and aesthetics.

For the first couple of years Chiappa made this weapon they ran into some production issues that affected reliability. Those issues have been tooled out of their production line for the most part. When the weapon was introduced in late 2008 I became very interested as it was a weapon designed by the same man who designed and built the Mateba Autorevolver. Mateba weapons in general were designed by Emilio Ghisoni. His weapons also inspired designs found in Japanese anime such as Ghost in the Shell SAC and Trigun. But I was skeptical of Chiappa. Mateba had established itself as a designer of functional and useful firearms. But Chiappa was new to the game and I had no intention of buying a new weapon from a company that hadn't worked out its kinks. After waiting 6 years, I believe the Rhino has been fine tuned and evolved enough as a weapon to be worth my money.

Below are images of my weapon:

Very cool. I haven't ever seen one except for online.

The lower bore placement puts the recoil more directly into your palm and into your arm instead of trying to twist.

So i have to ask, how was the accuracy and reacquisition of the target over multiple rounds; compared to a normal 357/38?

a reply to: shaneslaughta

Reacquisition of target was very seamless compared to some of the revolvers I've fired of similar size and caliber.

The sights on it are very nice, high visibility fiber optic sights. The rear sight is fully adjustable for elevation and windage so you can really fine tune this weapon for accuracy.

a reply to: projectvxn

Looks like a nice stable design over all. How about the trigger? Is it a two stage trigger? I didn't see nothing about it on the specs on their site, though i admit i didn't dig too deep.

I would LOVE to shoot one

The lower barrel will be sweet for recoil control...

Nice buy

a reply to: shaneslaughta

I think its actually a single stage trigger. But don't quote me on that I didn't check on it. The internal design of the Rhino is such that I wouldn't be able to identify whether it is a 1 or 2 stage system.

The trigger is very smooth. It's a wider trigger than you normally have on a double action revolver, and it pulls consistently at 10 lbs. The single action trigger pull is just under 4 lbs and breaks with very little play.

a reply to: projectvxn

Most Excellent!

Thanks for the info OP.

a reply to: projectvxn

A bit bulky wouldn't you say, for open or concealed carry?
...And ugly as sin.

Star and flag from Lj01.

I really enjoy your detailed description of your firearm threads.

Looks different and I like it.

Keep up the great work.

a reply to: Aliensun

This is an open carry weapon for me. It is a large weapon to be sure. The frame is made of aircraft aluminum. It is very light for its size. As for it being ugly, I happen to appreciate its aesthetics. I find traditional revolvers ugly which is part of the reason I've never owned one.

a reply to: projectvxn

Very cool looking pistols...
I love this one...
snub nose

a reply to: coastlinekid

They are also currently testing and working to produce the poly-Rhino. A polymer framed version in .38 spc only. Should be an interesting gun.

The only thing I don't like about the Chiappa is that you do have to be fairly conscious of how you place your supporting hand. If you get a finger too close to the cylinder gap while firing, you are probably going to burn the crap out of yourself.

In my case, I tend to keep my supporting hand thumb sticking out there. And since the cylinder sits so far back in relation to the trigger, it means my thumb is usually dangerously close to getting cooked.

a reply to: allenidaho

It is a point to get used to.

But the adjusted grip isnt that big of a point for me since I have never used thumbs forward grip on any weapon.

I tend to wrap my non firing hand thumb around my firing hand thumb and tucking both down for a firmer grip. Moving from other revolvers and autos was not a change for me really.

a reply to: projectvxn
I often wonder why no one built and functional "Trigun" replica?
Kick the bottom of the grip back a bit and a few cosmetic changes and it would sell well.

a reply to: cavtrooper7

I sometimes wonder too.

Though I personally would prefer it chambered in .357 instead of .45 long colt like on the show

They look great, but my preferred gimmick is taurus' 7 shot .357 mag. Something about that chiappa just screams blade runner to me...which is pretty epic imo.

a reply to: osowareru

Its definitely a good shooter. I've place a lot more rounds of different types of ammo since writing this post. Still no malfunction.

a reply to: projectvxn

I am going to pick one up I really like the idea. I wish they made it in 44 mag....



Well I guess 357 will have to do.

a reply to: SubTruth

Did you ever wind up picking one up?