Chiappa Rhino | |
---|---|
Type | Revolver |
Place of origin | Italy |
Production history | |
Designer | Emilio Ghisoni & Antonio Cudazzo [1] [2] |
Designed | 2008 |
Manufacturer | Chiappa Firearms |
Unit cost | $775-$1652 MSRP (depending on version) [1] [3] |
Produced | 2010–present |
Variants | 20D, 20DS, 30DS, 40DS, 50DS, 60DS, 60DS Charging Rhino (competition version for 9x19mm) All variants in Black or Hard Chrome finish. Charging Rhino version only in Black. [4] [5] |
Specifications | |
Mass | 20D/20DS: 700 g (24.7 oz) 30DS: 771 g (27.2 oz) 40DS: 850 g (30 oz) 50DS: 895 g (31.6 oz) 60DS/60DS Charging Rhino: 936g (33 oz) [6] |
Length | 20D/20DS: 164 mm (6.5 in) 30DS: 190 mm (7.5 in) 40DS: 215 mm (8.5 in) 50DS: 241 mm (9.5 in) 60DS/60DS Charging Rhino: 267 mm (10.5 in) [6] |
Barrel length | 20D/20DS: 51 mm (2.0 in) 30DS: 76 mm (3.0 in) 40DS: 102 mm (4.0 in) 50DS: 127 mm (5.0 in) 60DS/60DS Charging Rhino: 152 mm (6.0 in) |
Cartridge | .357 Magnum/.38 Special 9×19mm Parabellum .40 S&W 9×21mm [7] |
Action | DA/SA or DAO revolver [6] |
Feed system | 6-round hexagonal cylinder [6] |
Sights | Fixed open sights [6] |
The Chiappa Rhino is a series of revolver s produced by Italian manufacturer Chiappa Firearms. The Rhino's frames are CNC-machined from a solid block of high-tensile aluminium alloy and all internal parts are CNC-machined from steel.
Chambered for the .357 Magnum/.38 Special, 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, or 9×21mm cartridges, their most distinctive feature is that the barrel is on a much lower bore axis, as the Rhino fires from the lowermost chamber of the cylinder rather than from the topmost chamber in conventional revolvers. [8]
Designed by Emilio Ghisoni and Antonio Cudazzo, the Rhino differs from traditional revolvers in a number of ways. Stylistically it resembles Ghisoni's earlier design, the Mateba Autorevolver, and was his last design before his death in 2008. [1] [2] [9]
In order to reduce weight, the frame of the Rhino is made of Ergal (an aluminium alloy), and the receiver is CNC-machined from a solid block of high-tensile aluminium. Virtually all components are CNC-machined as well; this manufacturing process yields a very precise fit with minimal tolerances. For models other than the 20D, the trigger may be used in either single-action or double-action mode. Only the 2-inch 20D model comes in double-action only. [10]
The external cocking lever is not actually a hammer as on most revolvers. Instead, it is merely a linkage handle used to cock an internal hammer, and immediately falls back into place after cocking is complete, minimizing the number of externally moving parts and reciprocating mass. An additional feature of this gun is, unlike most revolvers, it comes with an accessory rail (except for the 2-inch and 3-inch models), on which tactical lights and laser sights can be mounted. [10] The aluminium-based revolver is available in anodized finishes resembling traditional bluing, as well as a version resembling electroless nickel finish referred as the "White Rhino". [3] A gold-colored version was displayed at the 2014 SHOT Show. [11]
Firing from the lowermost chamber in the cylinder as opposed to the uppermost is intended to reduce muzzle flip by aligning the recoil more into the shooter's wrist, rather than above it. [8] A downside of this design is that it increases the vertical distance between the sight line and the bore axis (sight height), meaning the gun will have a greater parallax error when aiming at close range. Another distinctive feature is that the cross-section of its cylinder is hexagonal (though with rounded corners) instead of circular; this is intended to narrow the weapon's profile in concealed carry applications. [3] [6] [12]
Chiappa manufactures the Rhino in a number of sizes, barrel lengths, finishes, and calibers, including a frame that is made from polymer instead of aluminum.
A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six cartridges, before needing to be reloaded, revolvers are commonly called six shooters or sixguns. Due to their rotating cylinder mechanism, they may also be called wheel guns.
The Colt Single Action Army is a single-action revolver handgun. It was designed for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and was adopted as the standard-issued revolver of the U.S. Army from 1873 to 1892.
The Mateba Model 6 Unica is a recoil operated semi-automatic revolver, one of only a few of this type ever produced. It was developed by Mateba, based in Pavia, Italy. Inventor Emilio Ghisoni (1937–2008), who was also famous for later designing the Chiappa Rhino, is listed as the owner of U.S. patent 4,712,466 which details the operation of the weapon.
An automatic revolver also known as semi-automatic revolver, is a revolver that uses the recoil energy of firing for cocking the hammer and revolving the cylinder, rather than using manual operations to perform these actions. As semi-automatic firearms, the shooter must manually operate the trigger to discharge each shot.
The Smith & Wesson Model 19 is a revolver produced by Smith & Wesson that was introduced in 1957 on its K-frame. The Model 19 is chambered for .357 Magnum. The K-frame is somewhat smaller and lighter than the original N-frame .357, usually known as the Smith & Wesson Model 27. A stainless steel variant of the Model 19, the Smith & Wesson Model 66, was introduced in 1971.
Mateba, a contraction of the Italian words Macchine Termo-Balistiche, was an Italian machine manufacturer based in Pavia, Italy. It is better known for its low-barrelled revolver pistols that it produced under the leadership of Emilio Ghisoni. After a change in ownership and poor sales, the Mateba company closed in 2005, but reopened in 2014 in Montebelluna under the ownership of Domenico Libro. In 2022 this latest incarnation of Mateba was shut down, owing to allegations of fraud and violations of Italian firearms law.
A rim is an external flange that is machined, cast, molded, stamped, or pressed around the bottom of a firearms cartridge. Thus, rimmed cartridges are sometimes called "flanged" cartridges. Almost all cartridges feature an extractor or headspacing rim, in spite of the fact that some cartridges are known as "rimless cartridges". The rim may serve a number of purposes, including providing a lip for the extractor to engage, and sometimes serving to headspace the cartridge.
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A snubnosed revolver is a small, medium, or large frame revolver with a short barrel, generally less than 3 inches in length. Smaller such revolvers are often made with "bobbed" or "shrouded" hammers and there are also "hammerless" models ; the point is to allow the gun to be drawn with little risk of it snagging on clothing. Since the external movement of the mechanism is minimal or nil, shrouded and hammerless models may be fired from within clothing. The design of these revolvers compromises range and accuracy at a distance in favor of maneuverability and ease of carry and concealment.
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Chiappa Firearms, Armi Sport di Chiappa, is an Italian firearms manufacturing company based in Brescia. It was founded in 1958 by Ezechiele Chiappa as Armi Sport. Total unit production is around 60,000 per year. Its U.S. headquarters are in Dayton, Ohio.
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