Welcome to another episode of “Gun of the Week.” We’re on the range today with the new Chiappa Rhino 60 DS. These are just some of the most unique-looking revolvers ever made, and Chiappa has finally released a model chambered in 10 mm. This is a revolver that has a very unique design for people who aren’t familiar. Instead of the traditional revolver set up where the top chamber in the cylinder fires, the barrel has been relocated to make the bore axis lower, so it actually fires from the bottom cylinder. The idea with the whole Rhino concept is that where the firing is happening lower in the gun and it’s sitting lower in your hand, it’s going to reduce some of the felt recoil.
And I have to admit there’s really something to the concept, and the company has come up with a few different designs. You’ve got moon clips that are going to hold six rounds of 10 mm, and you can actually use these moon clips as speedloaders by themselves. The entire setup, moon clip and six rounds, is going to sit on the rear face of the cylinder itself. And, that’s what allows that extractor star right there to remove all of the spent cases from the cylinder at once—it makes it pretty quick and easy to remove the spent cases from the cylinder.
There are a couple of unique elements to the manual of arms on this gun. On the left side of the frame here, you see there’s a little lever there that is your cylinder release. So you just pull that down and that’s what pops out the cylinder. That’s what allows you to access the ejector rod there. It is a double-action/single-action mechanism, but it’s a little different than the typical DA/SA setup that you normally see. When you fire the gun in double action, the hammer is forward and you just pull through and it fires. But, for single-action mode, you can thumb the hammer back, but it does not stay back. In fact, what your indicator is, is you’ve got a little red popup there just forward of that hammer spur, and that tells you that the gun is cocked and you’ve got that nice crisp single-action pull there. The trigger shoe is all the way back and then it just lets off—so nice.
Your manual of operation is going to be similar to traditional DA/SA revolvers, but it’s going to look a little different, and feel a little different, accessory wise. You’ve got your Picatinny rail up front here, so if you want to put a red-dot or something on it, you can. You’ve also got a section of Picatinny rail on the bottom side of this barrel here for lights, lasers, whatever. And, then Chiappa has this great single-piece walnut grip with laser-engraved text stringing on the side there, and then it just allows it to anchor in the hand really well, along with lightening cuts here on the barrel rib.
This is a sweet-shooting revolver. It has nice fiber-optic sights that are also adjustable, and for fans of the 10 mm this is a great option if you want to pair it with a carbine. There are some new 10 mm lever-action rifles out there, too. Ruger just released one in the Marlin 1894 Trapper line, so you could get your modern cowboy on with the Chiappa Rhino and a 10 mm lever-action.
For more information on the new Chiappa Rhino 60 DS in 10 mm, visit chiappafirearms.com. And for the latest in new guns and gear, stay tuned to Americanrifleman.org.
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