I love the idea and the concept of the barrel firing from the bottom chamber is a fantastic idea. I've shot just one of them (also a 6-inch) and I was duly impressed with the way the recoil and muzzle flip is transformed.
That's all I can find that's good about it. I long, absolutely LONG for the day when Chiappa has gone belly up and sold the rights to Ruger or Smith & Wesson so that a quality gun maker can design a far better revolver around the concept of the bottom chamber arrangement.
I can live with the fact that Chiappa elected to willfully & forcefully make this thing as ugly as they could possibly manage. I can't understand WHY they would choose to do this, but it's train-wreck looks wouldn't stop me from getting one.
But Chiappa's reputation for poor quality and high prices precedes them and this one is no different. I've handled three of these in my own hands -- a 2-inch that belonged to an acquaintance, a used 6-inch that my buddy snagged, we shot, and now he's mostly afraid to use it much...
...and another 6-inch in the largest local gun store in the area, brand new in box, that BROKE in my hands upon the 3rd double action dry fire that I subjected it to, after asking the salesman. And yes, I was embarrassed -- but he was also, and he thanked me after I apologized and admitted that he's much happier it broke right there at the gun counter rather than on the first range trip of whatever poor sap spent money on it. And he was right.
I've also seen the cutaway/schematic and it seems like a pocket watch has less parts that are more robust. I look at the design and I don't see HOW one of these will last without breaking!
I think I'd buy a used one if the price was clearly under $400 out the door. I would expect and fully plan to break it with normal use, I would simply be curious about the round count before it happened.
If a major, proper and quality handgun builder ever made one of these, I'd be a buyer.
