Chiappa Rhino

The Chiappa Rhino is a double and single action revolver from the Italian maker Armi Chiappa, chambered in .357 Magnum with a six-round cylinder. It was designed by Antonio Cudazzo and Emilio Ghisoni, the latter also the designer of the Mateba revolvers, and was first offered in a short concealed-carry version with a 2 inch barrel, with 4, 5 and 6 inch barrels also listed. Its defining feature is that it fires from the bottom chamber of the cylinder rather than the top, giving a very low barrel axis that sends recoil straight back into the shooter's palm and reduces muzzle jump. The cylinder has a hexagonal cross-section to keep the gun slim, and the hammer is fully concealed inside the frame, with a cocking lever at the rear of the frame acting as a false hammer for single-action fire. The frame is made of aluminum alloy and the cylinder and barrel are steel. The cylinder swings out to the left and an ejector rod pushes out all six cases together. An unloaded 2 inch model weighs about 720 grams.