RHINO 40DS is one of the most compact revolvers in the world.

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Hoplite 08/01/2020 2822

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The age of revolvers has not yet ended, so we can say that the revolver, as one of the options for personal weapons for the police, was updated at the end of the twentieth century and once again proved that Kovrov gunsmiths can create unusual solutions that improve shooting performance in all respects. So, in 1998–1999, the AEK906 “Rhinoceros” revolver was developed, which differs from others in its unusual barrel arrangement. The AEK-906 “Rhinoceros” revolver from the Kovrov Mechanical Plant uses a new layout with the barrel and drum lock located at the bottom of the frame, and the drum axis above the barrel. This design made it possible to create a weapon with excellent balance and accuracy of fire. Balance is achieved by bringing the center of gravity of the revolver closer to the axis of the barrel and lowering the line of fire relative to the shooter's hand, which reduces the recoil shoulder. This quality is especially valuable when conducting rapid fire to kill, since when firing, the throwing of the revolver up is reduced. This helps to quickly restore the position of the revolver for aiming and firing the next shot.

The accuracy and accuracy of fire is simply excellent - the short-barreled revolver offers a target range of 50 meters and minimal recoil at an effective firing range. How did you manage to do this? A classic revolver fires a cartridge into the barrel from the top of the cylinder. Here it was decided to lower the barrel and move the shooting point five centimeters lower. Due to this, it was possible to reduce the recoil shoulder, reduce the barrel throw to the side and turn the AEK906 into a powerful and very accurate revolver, with which you can successfully defend against the enemy. The initial bullet speed is 280–365 m/s, and the weight of the weapon is only 800 grams. For a revolver that is made entirely of metal, this is a pretty good indicator. The reinforced frame also makes it resistant to any physical stress.

Performance characteristics:

Caliber, mm: 9

Total length, mm: 210

Barrel length, mm: 145

Weight without cartridges: 800 g.

Initial bullet speed, m/s: 280 ms

Drum capacity: 6 cartridges.

In 1998 - 1999, the designers of the Kovrov Mechanical Plant developed another large revolver of a very unusual appearance (total length - 210 mm; height - 145 mm; thickness - 37 mm) for police weapons on the basis of the OTs-01 "Cobalt" revolver. It received the designation AEK-906 "Rhinoceros". The new six-shot revolver was designed to use both standard 9x18 PM pistol cartridges and more powerful 9x18 PMM and 9x19 Parabellum cartridges. Its design is distinguished by its originality, good balancing and accuracy of weapon firing, which were achieved by moving the barrel frame and drum lock to the lower part of the frame, while the drum axis is located above the barrel. Thus, Kovrov designers managed to bring the center of gravity of the revolver as close as possible to the axis of the barrel, reducing the recoil shoulder and lowering the firing line relative to the shooter’s hand. (by the way, a similar principle was used in the development of Swift). As you can see, the basic principles completely coincide with the revolver samples described above.

This design scheme made it possible to reduce the throwing of the revolver upward when firing and contributed to the rapid restoration of its position for aiming and firing the next shot.

Thanks to the presence of a double-action firing mechanism with an open hammer, the revolver can be fired either by self-cocking or by manually pre-cocking the hammer. The self-cocking trigger force is 3 - 3.5 kgf. Before loading the drum, the cartridges are inserted into a metal flat spring clip. For reloading, the drum tilts to the left. The drum latch is located on the left side of the frame behind the drum.

The revolver has non-adjustable sights, including a front sight and rear sight. The target firing range is up to 50 m. A laser target designator laser can be mounted under the barrel to improve shooting accuracy. The revolver grip is equipped with wide plastic cheeks. The trigger guard is equipped with a protrusion for the index finger of the second hand, which allows shooting with both hands. Along with the standard modification AEK-906 chambered for the 9x18 PM cartridge, Kovrov gunsmiths also produce its export modification AEK 906-1, chambered for the 9x19 Parabellum cartridge. The use of this cartridge made it possible to increase the initial speed from 290 to 365 m/s. The difference between this weapon and other revolvers of this class lies, first of all, in its excellent balance and accuracy of combat. Balance is achieved by bringing the center of gravity closer to the axis of the barrel bore and lowering the line of fire relative to the shooter's hand. This quality is valuable when conducting rapid fire to kill, since when firing, the throwing of the revolver up is reduced. It is used to defeat the enemy at a distance of no more than 50 meters (theoretical target range, although as you know, this is not a distance for a good shooter!). According to Russian and foreign experts, the AEK-906 “Rhinoceros” revolver is superior to foreign analogues in its accuracy and ability to penetrate personal protective equipment, thanks to its 9-mm caliber. Designed for use in law enforcement and security structures. The shape of the trigger guard allows for two-handed shooting, and a laser target designator can be installed above the barrel.

Unfortunately, the Rhino never found widespread use, despite the promising nature of the design. Abroad, the automatic revolver “Mateba” was made according to a similar design. Thanks to the lower position of the barrel, it also has increased accuracy.

Source: guns-book.ru

Many thanks to AmmoLand for the photo! I’ve been interested in this topic for a long time, so I picked it up on the Internet for you, comrades! Read and enjoy!

Italian revolver Chiappa Rhino 200DS

Chiappa Rhino 200DS from Armi Chiappa (Italy) is a compact six-shot revolver for concealed carry. High-performance .357 Magnum cartridges are used for shooting. The revolver frame is made of light alloy. The Chiappa Rhino 200DS is built according to an unusual design for a revolver - the breech of the barrel is located opposite the lower chamber of the cylinder. This design of the weapon makes it possible to minimize the toss during a shot. The Rhino drum, with a capacity of six rounds, is made hexagonal and has rounded edges in order to reduce the weight of the revolver, compactness and ease of concealed carry.

To load and extract spent cartridges, the drum tilts to the left. The drum is fixed by a lever located next to the false trigger on the left side of the frame. The trigger mechanism is hammer type, double action. The protruding false trigger is the cocking lever located behind the lower chamber of the drum in the lower part of the frame. The Rhino 200DS can also be fired using the .38 Special cartridge. There is also a modification of the Chiappa Rhino 200DS for pistol cartridges 9x21 IMI and .40 S&W.

Sights consist of a rear sight and a replaceable front sight. The rear sight is a longitudinal groove located in the upper part of the frame. A light alloy is used to make the revolver frame. The barrel, drum and some parts are made of steel. The Hard Chrome version of the 200DS revolver is chrome plated. Rubberized synthetic material is used to make the monolithic handle. The handle has a wood-like surface texture. The poor ergonomics of the Chiappa Rhino 200DS revolver does not affect shooting accuracy.

It is much easier to shoot quickly from the Rhino 200DS compared to revolvers with a “classic” barrel arrangement - opposite the upper chamber of the drum. This is due to less recoil and barrel kick. When shooting with the hammer pre-cocked, the accuracy is about two inches (51 millimeters); when shooting with a self-cocking gun, this figure doubles and is about 102 millimeters. In self-cocking mode, the trigger force is approximately 7 kilograms.

A special feature of the Chiappa Rhino 200DS revolver is that during high-speed shooting, the bullets land slightly below the aiming point. The main reason for this phenomenon is the direction of the trigger force - slightly upward and backward. When the trigger is pressed, the barrel deflects down. In addition, the shooter’s instinctive effort to suppress recoil plays a role, which is developed by training with self-loading pistols and classic revolvers.

The compact Chiappa Rhino 200DS revolver for self-defense has high operational reliability, sufficient firepower and shooting accuracy, does not have strongly protruding parts or sharp edges, has low recoil, and when fired there is almost no barrel kick-up. The cost of the Chiappa Rhino 200DS revolver in the United States is $749.

Main characteristics of the Chiappa Rhino 200DS revolver: Caliber – 9×21 IMI/.40 S&W/.357 Magnum; Length: pistol - 165 mm; barrel: 51 mm; Weight: 700 g (without cartridges); Magazine capacity - 6 rounds.

Prepared based on materials from armory-online.ru

Hitting the Range

The Rhino 40DS is a fun gun to shoot. It looks cool, and it's very comfortable. As I mentioned above the weapon has minimal muzzle rise and its perfectly pleasant to shoot with .357 Magnums. It can also handle .38 Special and with .38 special loads its perfect for teaching new shooters how to handle a revolver.

.38 Special vs .357 Magnum

The red fiber optic front sight is very easy to pick up and small enough to avoid covering small targets at longer ranges. This sight makes it easy to reach out and touch a target. Speaking of, the gun is plenty accurate for shooting out to 35 yards on smaller targets.

On man-sized targets, the sky is the limit, as is your skill level. Out to 75 yards, I bet you won't have issues hitting a man-sized target especially if you cock the weapon into single action mode.

The trigger is nice, nothing super special in terms of revolvers, but more than adequate. The double action is more impressive than the single action. The double action is heavy, but it feels shorter than you'd expect. The single action is a solid meh, nothing special compared to most revolvers.

If this weapon is going to serve a defensive role the double action is much more important than the single action. As a revolver, the Rhino is reliable as a gun can be. It ignites ammo both cheap and pricey, including Tula .357 Magnums and their overly hard primers.

I will say the biggest downside, in my opinion, is the gun's grip. It looks nice, it points nicely, but it doesn't feel my hand very well. It's just too small for me. I do have big hands, and I think a bigger grip would benefit me.

The grip is also excessively smooth and feels like it wants to slide around in my hand. If it wasn't for the low bore axis, the Rhino 40DS has I feel like it requires me to shift grips every few shots.

By the Numbers

Reliability 5/5

It's a flipping revolver. It's either a 5 or a 1, and there is no in-between! It's certainly not ammo or primer picky, and it goes bang when you pull the trigger. The cylinder always opens, the hammer still cocks, and it all just works.

Accuracy 4/5

The gun is plenty accurate, and you can reach out and touch a target. The gun points very well, the sights are small but easy to see, and the rear sight is adjustable. I knocked one point off just because the single action is very meh. The Rhino is not a cheap revolver, and I'd prefer a crisper SA design.

Ergonomics 4/5

The gun is plenty ergonomic. The controls are well thought out, and you can tell the design is from a shooter for shooters.

Note the release lever and cocking hammer

The hexagon cylinder makes it easy to grip when reloading with a speed loader, the hammer cocking device is easy to reach, and of course, the cylinder release is perfectly placed. It loses one point for the smallish grip in my gorilla hands.

Looks 5/5

I mean c'mon, this thing is cool as hell. There are a few reasons why it ends up in movies like Ghost in the Shell, Suicide Squad, and Total Recall. It looks like it stepped out of the pages of a comic book and I can't help but love it.

Customization 2/5

There isn't much you can do, you can change the grips, add a light maybe, and that is about it. It gets two because of that rail and how rare a rail is on revolvers.

Bang for your Buck 3/5

This is a pricey revolver, with the average price of the 40Ds being around 800 bucks it's a tough sell. At least to me, it is. For 800 bucks and some change, you can get a 686 Plus Performance Center revolver with more rounds, a better trigger, and comparative sights.

Overall 4/5

Overall this is one of my favorite revolvers. It's not perfect, but it is just so freakin' cool. It's fun to shoot, easy to hit your target with, and the futuristic look and design make it a unique experience.

Mass culture

Games

Films and TV series

• This is one of the weapons used by Annie Walker in the third season of Covert Ops.
• The Chiappa Rhino 50DS is featured in the movie Total Recall (2012), where it is used by the main and supporting characters.
• In the movie Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn owns an ornate Rhino 60DS.
• The Chiappa Rhino 50DS is used by Detective Miller in the TV series The Expanse.
• Rhino series revolvers appear in the film Divergent.
• In the TV series Altered Carbon, protagonist Takeshi Kovacs uses a heavily modified Chiappa Rhino 50DS

Parting Thoughts and Final Shots

The Chiappa Rhino is an ultra-cool gun. As far as revolvers go, it's tough to take the concept and improve upon it, but two Italian designers managed to find a way. The Rhino is also more than just a gimmick.

Plenty of guns come out with a gimmicky feature and rely solely on that feature. The problem is they lose focus on how to make a good gun. The Rhino is a good gun. It's more than just a low barrel profile.

The gun features excellent controls and ergonomics, a decent trigger, and several innovations that leave most revolvers in the dust. The Rhino isn't perfect, but I'll be damned if it isn't my current favorite revolver.

What's your take on the Rhino? Is it cool enough to enter your collection? Otherwise check out our other favorites in Best .357 Magnum Revolvers.

The Rhino's Unique Edge

Outside of the lower barrel height the Chiappa Rhino 40DS sports a Picatinny rail for attaching lights or lasers. Rails are a very rare feature for revolvers. The 60DS even has a small rail for attaching an optic.

Lots of pistol red dots in our Best Pistol Red Dot review!

The interesting design features don't end there. The “hammer” for example is not a hammer. It doesn't move as you fire the gun. This hammer appearing thingy is a hammer-cocking device that you can thumb the gun into single action mode with. The device will then go back to what appears to be an uncocked position.

A red indicator sticks up when the gun is cocked into single action mode. Positioned behind the 'hammer' is a lever that releases the cylinder and makes it easy to open the cylinder with one hand.

Cylinder flats

Additionally, to reduce the profile of the gun the cylinder is hexagonal and not round like a traditional revolver.

The sights are fully adjustable, and there are a variety of sight options out there. These sights are blacked out in the rear, and the front is a red fiber optic sights. The grip is wood, which is somewhat cool on such a modern revolver.

The Chiappa Rhino 40DS is a big gun but looks bulkier than it is. The 40DS weighs 1.87 pounds, which makes it lighter than most of the 4-inch revolver competition out there. The weapon has a 4-inch barrel and is 8.5 inches overall.

Shiny fiber optic front sight