You may have noticed that TTAG has given the new Chiappa Arms Rhino a fair amount of coverage. (The “. . . of the Day” probably gave it away.) In fact, we’ve been accused of slipping over the line into fan-boyism. Suffice it to say, the Rhino’s an innovative weapon in an industry where genuine innovation is rare. Revolver. 1911. Glock. Done. In the interest of objectivity, I’d like to point out that I can’t hit shit with the Rhino. Even from five yards. And yet Chiappa Firearms Prez Ron Norton kept assuring me that his pug-ugly gun was more accurate than a laser-guided missile (paraphrasing). It was TTAG’s resident terrorist-zombie-gopher hunter who set me straight. I now know the secret of hitting things with the Chiappa Firearms Rhino . . .
It’s the same answer as shooting ANY revolver. Put the Rhino’s trigger on the distal joint of your finger. Pull. D’oh! Did I really forget to move my trigger finger placement from the pad of my first finger to the first crook of my index finger when firing a .357 caliber revolver? Truth be told, yes, I did.
All you DA guys have my full permission to snigger (as if you need it). In my own defense, if I line-up the Rhino with the axis of my shooting arm, I can’t reach the super-wide trigger sufficiently to get it onto my distal joint. So I put gun-in-hand placement first, trigger positioning second. Here’s a comparo between the design of my Smith & Wesson 686 and the Chiappa Rhino in terms of reaching the trigger.
Anyway, the video at the top of this post is the end result of a modified grip facilitating proper double-action finger placement. I let loose the dogs of .38 Specials from five yards. Previously, using a semi-style trigger finger placement, I missed the Shoot-N-C target entirely. New trigger finger placement, new result. Practice should tighten that group, but hal-a-friggin-lujah. Here’s my hit parade from the same distance shooting .357s.
Better, but not great. Practice! And I’m left wondering if the Rhino’s trigger is too far away for most people. Watch this space.
Ron Norton specifically instructed me NOT to stage the trigger. Go figure.
If Mr. Norton is paying attention, there might be time for a minor redesign of the grip to allow for a proper in-line grip AND a proper pull with the first joint of the trigger finger. Or maybe a retrofit for guns already sent out for sale. Just like you, the 686 fits my hand like a glove.
I'll guess that Ron Norton was teaching you self-defense shooting.
When I teach folks self-defense shooting with a DA revolver, it's just straight pull.
The staging is for target or match shooting, making them groups look all purty.
I have the 200DS and my hands while not small are not overly large and the trigger, with medium size grips lays slightly behind my right distal joint. How you can miss with this gun is beyond me. All you have to do is point it like your index finger (finger slightly right of target) and fire. At twenty ft. shooting from the hip puts six rounds on target. Not the best groups, but in the target area each time. That is the best advantage of this gun in my opinion. Its point and fire capability.
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