Hey Squat Squad! Chiappa is pushing one of the weirdest and coolest revolvers on the market into hunting season. The Hunter Rhino 60DS is a 6-inch, six-shot .357 Magnum Rhino with a Cerakote green frame, a blued cylinder and walnut grips. Chiappa’s pitch is simple: if you’ve been filling tags with the same rifle for years, bring a Rhino to hunt camp and make it interesting.
Quick note: this one is based on Chiappa’s press release and Chiappa’s own product page. I haven’t shot this Hunter version yet.
TL;DR
- What it is: the Hunter Rhino Revolver 60DS (SKU 340.282), a 6-inch .357 Magnum Rhino in a green-and-blued hunting dress.
- The Rhino trick: it fires from the bottom chamber, so the barrel sits low and nearly in line with your hand. Chiappa says that means less muzzle flip and faster follow-ups.
- Ammo: .357 Magnum, and the cylinder also chambers .38 Special for cheaper, softer practice.
- Weight: 2.06 lbs thanks to a machined 7075-T6 alloy frame.
- Made in Italy by Chiappa and distributed in the U.S. by Chiappa USA in Dayton, Ohio.
Why the Rhino is different
A conventional revolver fires from the top chamber, so the bore sits high above your hand and the muzzle wants to lever upward under recoil. The Rhino flips that around. It fires from the bottom chamber, which puts the barrel low and almost in line with your hand. Chiappa says recoil goes straight back into your palm instead of rotating the muzzle up. That’s the same idea behind every low-bore-axis gun people get excited about, just applied to a wheel gun.
Jay Putnam, General Manager at Chiappa USA, put it this way in the release: “The Rhino is the one people pick up and ask about. Then they shoot it, and they get it.”
Specs (from Chiappa)
- Model: Hunter Rhino Revolver 60DS, SKU 340.282
- Caliber: .357 Magnum (.38 Special compatible)
- Barrel: 6 in. (152 mm), 1:19 twist
- Overall length: 10.5 in. (266 mm)
- Weight: 2.06 lbs
- Capacity: 6 rounds
- Action: single/double
- Frame and parts: machined 7075-T6 alloy frame, steel cylinder and barrel
- Finish: Cerakote green frame, blued cylinder
- Rear sight: adjustable green fiber optic
- Grips: medium walnut
- Safety: internal
Who it’s for
- Handgun hunters who want a .357 for deer, hogs and predators at sensible distances. Chiappa specifically pitches it for whitetail, hogs and coyotes. Check your state’s handgun hunting and minimum cartridge rules before you head out.
- Guys who already hunt with a rifle and want a new challenge. With a revolver you have to get closer, play the wind and make every shot count.
- Revolver nerds who want a Rhino that looks a little more outdoorsy than the black or nickel ones. The green fiber-optic rear sight should also help at dawn and dusk.
- Hunt camp plinkers. Since it takes .38 Special, the whole camp can shoot it between hunts without beating up their hands.
Our take
I love that Chiappa is leaning into the “conversation piece” angle, because that’s exactly what the Rhino is. Nobody walks past one on a table. The low bore axis is a real thing. We saw the same idea in a semi-auto with the Laugo Alien, and on a magnum revolver it should make a lot of sense. A 6-inch barrel and an adjustable fiber-optic rear sight are the right setup for a hunting handgun, and at 2.06 lbs it’s not going to wear you out on a long walk to the stand. What I want to know is how practical it is in the woods: how it rides in a hunting holster, how easy it is to mount a red dot or a small scope, and how that famous Rhino trigger feels with cold fingers. For deer, .357 is a “know your limits” round, so this is a close-range, careful-shot gun. If you want something nobody else in camp has, this is it.
Where to find it
Chiappa sells through dealers, so check Chiappa’s Hunter Rhino 60DS page for the full specs. Online, GrabAGun has a listing for the Rhino 60DS in OD green (340282). Stock comes and goes, so check the page.
Related reading on SlavGuns
- Smith & Wesson Model 22 Classic and Model 22 of 1917 Classic: Two .45 N-Frame Revolvers With Military Roots
- Ruger Custom Shop First Look: 9mm Super GP100, Officer-Style 1911 and Billet 10/22s
- Laugo Arms Alien 9mm First Look (another low-bore-axis design)
Sources
- Press release via The Outdoor Wire: Chiappa Firearms Puts the Fun Back in Hunt Camp with the Rhino 60DS Hunter
- Chiappa Firearms: Hunter Rhino Revolver 60DS product page
- Chiappa USA: Revolver lineup
Would you take a Rhino to deer camp, or does a hunting revolver have to be a classic wheel gun? Let me know in the comments. Keep on squatting!
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