CHIAPPA RHINO
AS TOUGH
AS THEY
COME
BILL STEPS BACK INTO THE WORLD OF THE SILVER SCREEN , AS HE INDULGES HIS PASSION FOR REVOLVERS AND GETS HIS HANDS ON A BIG OLD WHEELGUN THAT BECAME FAMOUS BOTH FOR ITS UNIQUE LOOKS AND ITS MANY MOVIE CAMEOS AND FINDS THERE ’ S MUCH TO LOVE ABOUT THE AIRSOFT TAKE ON THE MIGHTY CHIAPPA RHINO !
There are few firearms that stand out as the
choice of movie armourers when it comes to portraying “ guns of the future ”. The Steyr AUG springs immediately to mind , from the movies and TV series of my youth , making appearances as it did from classics like “ The Fifth Element ” and “ Robocop ”, to far-reaching space-operas such as “ Space : Above and Beyond ”. Many “ prop guns ” have started out quite unassumingly , like Han Solo ’ s Mauser-based “ Blaster ” and Deckard ’ s “ LAPD 2019 ” “ Frankengun ” that was the fusion of a humble Charter Arms Bulldog revolver ( somewhat bizarrely ) mated to a Steyr Mannlicher bolt-action rifle !
And , as a child of that time , I come from a generation where , to many , the revolver , or “ wheelgun ” is still an absolute favourite when it comes to pistols and I ’ ve dipped in an out with different models over the years . More recently , the airsoft world has been dominated by semi-auto models like the ( not a ) Glock and , of course , the venerable 1911 in all its glorious forms , so you might well ask if the revolver is dead to us as players ?
Personally , I ’ d say not and even today there are new revolver models coming to market in the real firearms world , amongst them the “ Rhino ” from Italian master-gunmakers Chiappa and , like the AUG , this futuristic looking wheelgun has attracted movie and TV armourers , given its unmistakeable silhouette and its sheer on-screen presence !
The history of Chiappa Firearms began in 1958 , when Ezechiele ( Oscar ) Chiappa opened his company . Initially an artisanal workshop , the company has grown over the years to become a thriving gunmaking entity . Still wholly owned by the Chiappa family , their firearm models are now available in 60- plus countries , competing with the biggest companies in the world !
The Chiappa Rhino is undoubtedly one of the most innovative developments in revolver technology for quite some time , with improvements that move the revolver forward into the 21st century ! Unconventional in appearance and with superior performance , the Rhino fires from the bottom of the cylinder rather than the top , as is usual with most revolvers . An aluminium alloy frame and barrel shroud make the Rhino ( relatively !) lightweight and easy to shoot , whilst an accessory rail on the bottom of the barrel shroud takes it into regular lights and laser-indicator territory . The snag resistant “ hammer ” is actually a cocking device because of the Rhino ’ s innovative , completely enclosed firing mechanism , which can be fired either single or double action . A cocked indicator is clearly visible to indicate the internal hammer status . Another innovation is the hexagonal cylinder which keeps the revolver ’ s width to a minimum .
WHEELGUNS IN AIRSOFT
I spoke to my friend and fellow AA contributor Andy N , an aficionado of airsoft revolvers , who shared his
48 MARCH 2021