Chiappa Rhino Review: Spaghetti Blaster for Space Cowboys

The Chiappa Rhino will instantly make you feel like a space cowboy. This futuristic sixgun has stepped out of the future and into my hands and maybe my heart…well, we’ll see about the second one in our Chiappa Rhino review.

I reviewed the Chiappa last year, but I recently had the chance to spend more time with it, and I took full advantage of that opportunity. After firing off hundreds of rounds with this gun, my opinions on it have shifted slightly. So, let’s jump into the updated review of this gun.

Chiappa Rhino Background

I love weird and off guns. They try to do things differently, and different is rare in the modern gun industry. The Rhino traces its origins back to Italy. The production and design of this gun started there, and the famed revolver designer Emilio Ghisoni worked with Antonio Cudazzo to produce the Rhino. If you know about the Mateba series of semi-auto revolvers, you’ll recognize the name.

The Rhino would sadly be the last gun he’d lend his modern flair to. The weapon was designed in 2008, and he passed away a short time later.

The Chiappa Rhino’s goal was to become a modern revolver in every sense of the word. Most revolver technology isn’t much different than it was in the early 1900s. The biggest differences often are safety-oriented and improved metallurgy. The Rhino earned its space cowboy reputation by being something truly different.

The biggest design difference was orienting the bottom of the barrel with the bottom cylinder of the revolver. This lowers the bore axis and nearly aligns it with your wrist. This is said to create less muzzle flip and more recoil transferred rearward into the wrist than upward and off target.

The weapon has a hammer, but the thing that looks like a hammer isn’t a hammer. Think of it more as a cocking tab. When you pull it to the rear to cock the gun into single action, it drifts back to its original position, but the gun is still single action. It doesn’t move as you pull the double-action trigger, either.

Another neat feature is the presence of optics and accessory rails. Depending on the size of the Rhino, you’ll have a rail for lights, and with the 60DS model, you even get an optic rail. The Chiappa Rhino comes in .357 Magnum, 9mm, 40 S&W, and 9x21mm. I’ve seen talk of a .44 Magnum Rhino, but I’m not sure if it was ever produced or at least released in the United States.

Rhino

1 Accessory Rail

For lights, lasers…bayonets, maybe.

2 Bottom Mounted Barrel

Contributes significantly to reduced muzzle flip.

3 Adjustable Sights

But you could get crafty and put an RDS on it. Maybe.

4 Wood Grips

The disparity between a futuristic design and wood grips makes it look even more cool.

Models and Variations of the Chiappa Rhino

Other versions of the commercial Chiappa Rhino are mostly named for the length of the barrel and the action, i.e., the 20D is a double-action-only pistol with a 2-inch barrel, whereas the 50DS is a double/single action with a 5-inch barrel. This is applied across all standard calibers.

Chiappa Spaghetti Blaster –  Our Take

Rhino 40DS in Action

Let’s talk shootability. The big claim to fame of the Rhino is the bottom-mounted barrel that reduces muzzle flip and makes the gun softer to shoot. I loaded up some 125-grain .357 Magnums and took the Rhino to task. I’m not a revolver guy, but I’ve shot a fair number of .357 Magnums. Is there a noticeable difference between the Rhino and a standard .357 Magnum revolver?

Oh yes, a big difference. In fact, I’d say it makes a .357 Magnum handle more like a .38 Special at most. It’s quite the difference and a nice, impressive reduction in recoil, straight and manageable. I enjoy the lower recoil and muzzle rise, and it makes me feel like I know how to handle a normal revolver when I very clearly don’t. It’s a nice touch, and it goes beyond a gimmick.

One small improvement they could make to make these guns more shootable is a more aggressive grip texturing. This would make the gun even easier to handle.

Shooting Straight

The downside of the design is that we get into a height over-bore situation at ranges inside five yards. The barrel is quite a bit lower than the sights, so at these close ranges, you’ll hit low from your point of aim.

Outside of that, we have a decently accurate gun that doesn’t quite live up to its potential. The double-action trigger pull is very heavy but admittedly smooth. It’s not bad, but it gets whipped by gun triggers like the LCR. The gun can be cocked into single-action, but holy crap, is that one stiff cocking lever.

It takes two thumbs to cock the gun into single action. And I don’t have small hands.

This stiff cocking lever means I would never use the single-action outside of the range. Although in single-action, the trigger is very nice, light, and short. The adjustable sights also help to dial in some precision, and the high visibility front sight is quite nice. This is a revolver that will make you a very good revolver shooter with a strong trigger finger.

Ergonomically Inclined It’s Not

You need to forget everything you know about traditional revolvers when handling this one. Several design elements immediately stand out, for better or worse.

The cocking lever demands attention, and not entirely in a good way. I need to emphasize this: it’s stiff. Despite having decent grip strength, engaging it required a lot of effort, bordering on absurd, often needing two thumbs. Compounding this is its small size and minimal texturing, making it hard to get a good purchase when you need to manually cock the hammer.

One of the nicer, yet unusual, features is the relief cut that allows access to the trigger. This makes it easier to get more of your finger on the trigger and reduces the trigger reach overall

The rear sight is easily adjustable. The green fiber optic front sight is highly visible, and its intuitive positioning felt natural to my line of sight, reducing strain and promoting a more comfortable shooting stance.

The cylinder release is placed directly below the cocking lever. Although the positioning is unconventional, it proved very easy to use. When pressed, the cylinder pops out cleanly, making reloads straightforward, and the ejection rod easily tosses out the spent casings.

The grip itself is adequate, not bad, and plenty comfy. However, it desperately needs more aggressive texturing! While the basic shape is fine, better texturing is necessary to lock the gun into the hand, especially given the force required by the stiff cocking lever.

Blasting Away

Man, I see why I don’t shoot revolvers often. The ammo is expensive! Even .38 Special costs significantly more than 9mm. Oh well, I guess that’s the price of admission. After a few hundred rounds of .38 Special and a box of .357 Magnum, I can say the Rhino lives up to one normal part of revolver usage: it’s reliable!

The gun didn’t have issues digesting the mix of Remington and Winchester white box ammo I put through it, and it always went bang. More than that, the cylinder always popped out easily, and rounds left the cylinder without a problem.

They are proud of this thing when it comes to value. Consider it a value if you can pick one up for less than a thousand dollars. These are not cheap guns. I don’t mind paying a good bit of money for a nice gun, but I have a hard time justifying the cost of the Rhino. The heavy trigger and hard to cock single action really make me lean more toward an S&W Performance Center than a Rhino. But the Rhino did make our list for best 357 Magnum revolvers.

Chiappa Rhino Pros and Cons 

Chiappa Rhino Gun Deals

Chiappa Rhino Review- FAQs

What caliber does the Chiappa Rhino 40DS use?

The Chiappa Rhino uses the .357 Magnum caliber. It can also fire 9mm rounds. This dual compatibility gives you the flexibility for different shooting preferences and situations.

Is the Chiappa Rhino suitable for concealed carry?

Yes, the Chiappa Rhino is suitable for concealed carry. The lightweight design and the compactness make it a good choice for your personal defense.

How does the Chiappa Rhino handle rapid firing?

When it comes to rapid firing, the Chiappa Rhino delivers. With its bottom-mounted barrel, the Rhino fires smoothly and consistently even during rapid shooting sequences. It gives you a reduced muzzle flip, allowing for faster follow-up shots and improved accuracy.

Is the sight picture on the Chiappa Rhino good?

When you aim with the Chiappa Rhino 40, you’ll notice a sight picture that works really well. You get a fixed red fiber-optic front sight and an adjustable rear sight with vibrant green fiber-optic inserts. Together, they create a clear three-dot sight picture that’s easy for you to see. This setup makes it easy for you to line up your shots, even when it’s dark out.

Ammo: Feeding Your Rhino

Feeding a Rhino can be expensive. And loud! But here are some suggestions.

Rhino Accessories

Rhino Accessories

1. X300 UWeapon Light		1000 lumens TIR lens for far-reaching light Attaches with Universal and Picatinny rails	On Amazon
2. Streamlight TLR-2		Flashlight/red laser combo 1,000 lumen output 283m beam range	Check price
3. Paragon Optic Cleaning Lens Cleaner		Clean your optics and weapon light lens 5ml Weapon Light Cleaner 10ml Optic Lens Cleaner Micro Fiber Cloth	Check price
4. The first half of “Eyes and Ears”		Proper eye protection is critical and should always be worn Ballistic-rated, not just sunglasses	Compare top eyepro
5. The second half of “Eyes and Ears”		Ear protection is also critical. Protect your hearing! Many styles (some stackable) are available	Compare best earpro
6. Appropriate cleaning kit		For cleaning, care, and maintenance Not all kits are created equal	Compare top kits
7. Dark Angel D.A.R.K. Trauma Kit		You should always have medical gear when shooting (any gun) External Tourniquet for easy access Pull handle for rapid deployment Vacuumed sealed insert to keep your contents protected Kit content scalability	Check price
8. Handgun Master Cleaning Station		Fits .22 to .45 as well as some oddball cartridges. Wide range o Fits .22 to .45 as well as some oddball cartridges. Wide range of tools for maintenance and cleaning. Big work area but stores small. Tools for maintenance and cleaning. Big work area but stores small.	Check price
9. Suitable biometric safe		Biometric scanners are a plus but only one 0ption Securing an off-body handgun is paramount	Compare biometric safes

The Chiappa Rhino is a neat gun with a smart design that tries hard to push the revolver forward. It fails to some degree, but I can honestly say good luck finding something that competes with it.

Care and Feeding Your Rhino

A reliable handgun requires regular maintenance and cleaning. Check out this video to help you with that task.

Suggested Resources

• 357 vs. 9mm
• Choose a holster
• Lighting the way
• Rhino owner manuals