I've had a 200D model since late last year. That's the 2" barrel with no external hammer. I haven't kept track, but I've probably put at least 800 rounds through it with no problems. Here are other details of my experience with it and my observations:
I'm not a pistol guy and I've never owned a revolver before. I've never even been interested in revolvers. I decided to get into the CHL thing early last year. I've been packing a Walther PPS. Great gun. Easy to conceal, accurate and reliable. It just loves to go back on target easily. The Rhino caught my eye purely on the gadget factor. The concept of a concealable and controllable .357 magnum was pretty nifty. I read the reviews and decided to try it out. I have got the impression there was an initial product release that was the weed out. Crazy heavy trigger pull and reliability issues. Everything seemed to point out to this changing in 2012. If you look at photos of them, you'll notice a difference in the sights. The 2012 and later models have a different front sight with the little fibre optic rod in it. Most gun sale sites will still show stock photos of the old models, even though they are selling the new models. Another noticeable change was that they have these moon clips to hold (6) rounds. In response to the customers completely disliking the crazy heavy trigger pull, they've made the stock trigger one of their previously optional trigger packages, so it's lighter.
Overall my experience has been good, so I'll start off with the bad stuff to leave this on a positive note.
1) The 200DS model has an external hammer that also functions as the rear sight. I'd read cocking the external hammers on these things was a bit of beast and I'm getting this for quick self protection, so I figured taking the time to cock an external hammer was never going to happen if I actually had to use it...so I got the hammerless version. No hammer to catch on things and thus more practical for concealed carry. Well, it has no rear sight and no way to mount one. This has been a little more of a problem than I figured it would be. I've had troubles aiming it. I thought the notched rail on the top of the gun would suffice as the V for a rear sight and it hasn't worked out. A buddy of mine finally pointed out to me how to aim it. Ignore the front sight. Use the gleam off the entire top of the gun to align it for the vertical. My next three shots were touching at 7 yards. I scattered around a bit after that...but that's just me starting to fire faster and not having good technique. You can only get rear sights on the models with a 4" and longer barrel. I really wish this thing had rear sights. I'm not regretting getting the hammerless version for it's better drag profile, but I sure as hell wish I'd got the hammer version for no other reason than at least I'd have something functioning as a damned rear sight. I can get good alignment using the gleam off the top of the gun but that takes more concentration and I might not be able to see that gleam in the dark.
2) The now factory stock trigger pull apparently is better than it used to be. It's 10 lbs. It's still too heavy. I'm accustomed to my Walther PPS with about a 6 lb trigger pull. Chiappa offers trigger packages to lower this to various levels. They refuse to install these on your weapon if it's the 2" model. I was on the phone with them and was told anything lighter was a "hair trigger" and "unsafe" for self defense, but OK for range target and competition work. That sucks. I'd be happy with an 8 lb pull. They did offer to "smooth" out the trigger for me. I sent it in to them and got it back quickly. I think they had it for a week or so. It was definitely a little better but still heavy. I've got some snap caps and I can watch the front sight slightly move when I pull the trigger. Walther has been making pistols since before these guys were born and they don't have trouble with a trigger pull being less than 10 lbs. I've read online reviews of others with 4" or longer barrels that have installed the "Stage 2" trigger package in their Rhinos and they've been pretty pleased with it. It's about a 7-8 lb pull. I'd be pretty darned happy with that, but instead I get to be disappointed it's not as idiot proof accurate as my Walther PPS that just loves to be accurate , even with crappy technique like mine.
3) Don't get excited about the moon clips. They are not functional for tense situation speed loaders. The rounds flop around in them. The gun comes with (3) of them. I have one loaded with snap caps, the second loaded with some Speer .38 special hollow points designed specifically for 2" revolvers and the third loaded with some Hornady .357 magnum hollow points. The moon clips make changing these out convenient. They're kind of thin and flex a lot. I'm scared I'll bend the crap out of them at the range, so I just load rounds normally at the range. You don't need to use the moon clips to use the gun.
4) It has a rod you can push to eject the rounds all at once. Usually I just tip the gun and dump them. Sometimes I'll get fancy and use the rod, but every once in a while, one round will be under the scalloped push plate and I have to pull it out.
5) The cylinder used to just fall open when I pushed the release. Now I have to push it open. It's not hard, but it does need to be pushed.
OK, now for the good stuff.
1) The recoil profile is unlike the other pistols I've tried. There's no muzzle flip. It pushes straight back and I get a little sideways movement with a .357 magnum. Not much of anything with a .38 special. Although I properly use two hands, I've tried one handing .357 magnums with it and it's no big deal. If something happens and I can't get a second hand on the gun in a tense situation, it's good to know that I can have the confidence to easily use it that way with man-stopping .357 magnums.
2) I use the same holster for my Rhino as I do for my Walther PPS. It's a cloth shoulder rig that basically has a bag that doesn't care what the shape of your gun is. I modified it to drop low so the barrel stops just above my belt. I don't get arm rub that way and it's comfortable for long wear. My Rhino fits in it fine and securely. I wear a T-shirt. Then I put the holster on. It's cloth and designed to be washable, but that'll just wear it out. I wear the T-shirt so it won't get sweaty and need to be washed. I wear a button up shirt over that. The very end of the handle seems to print a little unless I slide it towards my back more. Other than that, it conceals well. I'm either going to have to pop my shirt up from the bottom with my left hand to draw with my right, or just reach into my shirt from the front and downwards to draw (the way the holster was actually designed for). I'm not seeing myself ever pulling off an effective quick draw McGraw on anybody, so that's fine with me. I also have a shirt my wife got me as a present that has two built in holster pockets. It works great with that too. It really disappears when I use this.
3) The hexagonal cylinder makes it narrower for better concealment. I kinda wonder why everyone hasn't been making them this way.
4) The hand grip looks goofy, but it works out fine. It's comfortable to shoot and holds securely. Mine has a rubber grip. I've read the rubber grips are better for recoil absorption than the wood grips.
5) The cylinder release is in a location that totally makes sense for convenience to me. You use your thumb and it's right there.
6) It's pretty accurate and will go back on target quickly.
7) My original intention was to use it with .38 special rounds, so I got a bunch of them just as the ammo panic was starting. I've now decided to just go with .357 magnum. Part of the coolness of this pistol is that it's a practical and concealable .357 magnum, so why not? It's not like shooting .357 magnums is a problem in it. I go through 200-300 rounds of .38 every trip to the range and there's no discomfort. After I've burned up the .38 special and the ammo panic ends and I can load up on .357 magnum, I guess I'll see if this still holds for the magnums. I usually just run a cylinder or two of .357 magnums for the heck of it, but I don't have that much .357 magnum.
With the lightweight alloy frame, hexagonal cylinder and barrel on the bottom..I don't think I'd want to go with any other revolver after this one. It's a .357 magnum that's comfortable to shoot. Apparently that's not usually the case. I just wish it had damned rear sights and an 8 lb trigger pull. I can get all this with their 4" barrel model. I'm contemplating getting one, but that's just seeming like too much gun to conceal. If they made a 3" barrel model with rear sights and let me install the 8lb trigger, I'd be in heaven and have just what I want. The next time I go to a gun show, I'll probably check out another 2" barrel model and see if it's worth swapping mine out with a version that has the hammer lever just so I can at least have a rear sight.
