Will the Chiappa rhino design take over the revolver market?

Will the Chiappa rhino design take over the revolver market?
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The answer to this is most likely "yes", given enough time, BUT ONLY IF the following conditions are met.

#1, it has to do EVERYTHING the traditional revolver does, as well as the traditional revolver does.

That means it has to be able to shoot the same range of cartridges, be as accurate, AND as durable. It has to have sights and a trigger pull within the accepted norms.

It has to do all this, in order to survive in the market. In order to take over the market, it has to do all that AND BE SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER than conventional revolvers.

Comparable performance in every aspect, and significantly cheaper is the only way I can see it would stand a chance of taking over the market.

And I don't mean 10 or 15% cheaper, I mean significantly more in order to attract the buyer. Build a gun as good as the worst thing S&W or Ruger puts out, and sell it for $250 you have a chance. Otherwise, not so much, I'm thinking.
 
I don't think it would need to be cheaper. Comparable price would be enough. I know some people think they're ugly, but the biggest pitfall from comments I've seen is the price being way high.
 
Nope.

Never seen one or held on in person.

Revolvers have and continue to fall out of fashion with the advent of simply better semi-autos (not to start a war here, my opinion, and I love revolvers but find semis are just more practical for self/home defense). I'd guess that revolvers make up maybe 20% of the entire handgun market, and probably less. When you factor in LEO and military markets, gosh I wonder...

It does really nothing important that the much more attractive and proven Rugers, SWs, etc. don't already do.

They are sinfully ugly and I have no interest in one, if that matters.
 
I don't think so.

I do, however, believe that ugly can only go so far towards killing off a gun. Look at some of the ungodly looking garbage that is being released in the semiauto market, and so forth. Some of the things being sold right now I wouldn't even throw at a rabid dog. For example, the tactical Rossis. They put out a 92 lever carbine and a coach gun, both in black plastic tactical format with three picatinny rails.

The bad guy should die just by looking at one of them.
 
Heck no

Ugly

Needlessly complex

Less durable / rugged than a conventional 50-100 year evolved and proven wheel gun design. (IMO)

So whats to love? Oh and revolver guys tend to be comservative and treasure simplicity and reliability.....
 
So whats to love? Oh and revolver guys tend to be comservative and treasure simplicity and reliability.....
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If that doesn't say nearly everything that needs to be said, nothing else can.

He's right. Revolvers are mostly the domain of either people seeking rifle energy out of a handgun, or those who have a dislike for the less traditional products like the glock, or even the 1911. People who consider the revolver as a large part of their kit aren't exactly the type who flock to the new and weird.

It'd be interesting to see the complete demographics of those who buy the rhino. Age range, income range, employment, education level, home locations, and yes, I'd like to know if they drive a prius.
 
I'll just say two things.

One, I hope NOT.

Ugliest darned gun I've ever seen (or close to it). Overly complicated and designed to fix a "problem" (high bore axis) that is not really a problem, anyway. Simply a matter of grip and training.....and bore axis ceases to be an issue.

Two, even if it does "take over".......I WON'T be buying one.
 
I don't think it will take over but after seeing it I kind of hope it lasts. I like things that are different. We basically have two types of revolvers that vary based on the type of action.

Also, the Chiappa looks like a Taurus 627 or even the Magnum BFR with the mounting portion over exaggerated. It's not too far from the norm.

and darn it, now I want one.
 
Maybe looks ugly to a traditional old fogey. Us more open minded slightly younger guys think it looks sci-fi.
I don't give a crap what it looks like, really. I bought it because it does a better job. Every time I see some comment on this forum about how using hot .357 rounds for self defense is a bad idea because of control issues..I get to laugh that off as untrue horse hockey. The hexagonal cylinder makes it a lot slimmer for concealed carry and the alloy frame makes it lighter.
I pack Hornady XTP 158 grain rounds for self defense. I can accurately single handed and off handed shoot .357 magnum no problem with it.
 
The hexagonal cylinder makes it a lot slimmer for concealed carry and the alloy frame makes it lighter.
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Ah, now we're comparing carry guns. This or any wheely can't compete for most people against poly semis. So it really fails to dethrone both markets.
 
Yes, it looks ugly to many of us "traditional old fogeys". :D Oooooh....it looks "sci-fi". Wow, a Star Trek revolver ! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha ! (Kiddies and their sci-fi.....:rolleyes:)

Just messing with ya. :D


To each his own. I'm glad that someone tried something different. I just don't find them attractive, myself. They are very complicated. Besides, the "traditional" revolver designs are as reliable as they are, because they've had more than a century to be perfected. I see goodness in that. A fine traditional revolver is as much a work of art, as a gun, in the view of this old fogey, anyway.

But, new and different certainly is not inherently bad. It has to be proven, though, before I will support it. The Rhino ain't there yet.....
 
open mindedness isn't a matter of choosing something by either looks or perceived benefits. Open mindedness is a matter of choosing what works for you and not wasting time continually trying to find the coming thing. I'm open minded. I carried my own .357 and .38 because I was open to the idea that tried and true worked. Tried and true usually works pretty good, and I later bought a high power. A 70 year old design. Then I bought a glock. a 40 year old design. That's pretty darned open minded.
 
Like the rest of the "ole fogeys" some of my my best shooting and hunting memories center around a traditional wheel gun. The Rhino can never replace those memories and I'm to old to start on a new batch.
 
After seeing those photos from the magazine of the conversion, I must wonder why Chiappa went so much more complicated. The magazine conversion looks rather conventional, with a twist.
I went with a .357 magnum revolver for concealed carry because it can also be used for hunting...and it's a scary looking mean pistol too. I've had guns drawn situations inside my house, the street directly outside my house and just around the corner from my house. Nobody died in any of the cases and the situations were resolved advantageously. There's something to be said for intimidation.
With Hornady XTP 158 grain .357 magnum, I just need to make sure I can hit and the round will do a lot more than many other rounds to flexibly resolve the situation. I feel more confident it will get the job done than my Walther PPS.
 
It's price is too high, way too high. The longer barrels look better, but I'm sorry, the snub is flat out ugly...looks too much like a taser. After reading some reviews, a $700-900 revolver with a heavy DA pull (Truth About Guns estimated it at over 15lbs) paying an additional $100 for Chiappa to lighten the DA pull is not an option for most buyers. They also claim, it's harder to pull the 'hammer' into SA than a traditional wheel gun. I bought a Polish P-64 for under $200 and can happily live with that heavy DA, but for $700+ I'm not about to fork over another $100 to lighten one. It should come out of the box that way.
I carry a revolver for SD because I can buy (or modify) one to function smoothly and lightly in DA...and I like them better them semi's. A far less expensive S&W J-frame sounds like its got a better trigger and is easier to conceal. The longer barrel model isn't a design step forward if it isn't as easy to cock as a traditional revolver or if the Rhino' trigger pull is that heavy, even if it's accuracy is as good as I read.
 
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