(Image source.)

Thanks to Sam L for giving us a heads up to this manly example of gaming geekdom.  As the original source states, it just has to do better than 1D8 damage.

I’ve been searching the dark corners of the Internet, trying to see if such decisive weaponry is available for sale.  Unfortunately, I’ve come up empty.  Many people post the image without knowing where it came from, and there are some rumors that the sweet bashing implement is originally from Australia, but there doesn’t seem to be anything like this offered by the various fake weapon manufacturers.

I have no use for such an item, as I don’t LARP and my days slinging rattan for the Society are long, long gone.  But I would still shell out some hard earned for a D20 mace in a heartbeat!  How could any self respecting gamer not?

Not only don’t they play Dungeons and Dragons, they don’t play any tabletop games at all!

Bryan was kind enough to leave a question…

“What do you think about the Chiappa Rhino?”

Before we answer that, we have to explore which gun is at the heart of the question.

Chiappa Firearms is sort of an odd duck when it comes to firearms manufacturers.  Based in Italy, it started out by making replicas of famous guns, such as cowboy arms.  Most of those were chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge.

They also offer shotguns, air guns, blank firing guns, and a whole lot more.  But for our purposes today, we need to focus on what is probably their most famous gun.  That would be the Rhino, a really nifty and innovative revolver.

There are a lot of interesting features about the Rhino, but the one thing that seems to surprise people the most is that the barrel is slung down low on the frame.  Instead of the top chamber in the cylinder firing, the bottom chamber is the one where all the bang happens.

(Picture source.)

The idea behind this is that the majority of the recoil will be pushed straight back in to the hand of the shooter, keeping muzzle flip to a minimum.  In theory, this should allow for faster follow up shots and greater accuracy.

But wait, there’s more!  The cylinder is squared off, though I’m not sure why.  Cutouts that function as mounting platforms similar to a picatinny rail allow one to mount a variety of accessories, the standard factory sights are highly visible, the gun can be had in a wide variety of configurations and finishes, and one can find models chambered for an interesting array of cartridges.  (9x21mm in a revolver?  Really?)

By all accounts, the good people at Chiappa have come out with an innovative, finely made revolver that functions very well indeed.  So what is my opinion on the gun?

Well, I really don’t have any opinion concerning the Rhino at all.  You see, I have never fired one.  In fact, I have never even seen one except for pictures on the Internet.

How can this possibly be?  Am I not an expert?  Did I not accrue a quarter century of experience in the shooting sports?  Have I not shot everything to be found under the sun?  (Am I not, Did I not, Have I not!  Not not not!)

Nope, haven’t.  Sorry to disappoint.

One of the major reasons why I never came across a Rhino is because we don’t run in the same circles.  My experience is with low income folks who are operating under extremely limited means.  As of this writing, a bargain basement Chiappa Rhino retails for about $750 USD (£520, or €665).  This is a bit more than twice the price of a no-frills revolver from Taurus.

To put it another way, you can buy two self defense revolvers from Taurus, as well as a box or two of ammo.  Or you can buy one Chiappa Rhino and throw it at the bad guys because you can’t afford any gun food.

So where to go to find out about the Rhino?  I would start here.  The author seems to know his stuff, and he has actual hands-on time with the gun.  That certainly puts him head and shoulders above me!

I previously discussed retiring my old defensive tool, a 9mm autoloader from the firm of Taurus called the PT111 Millennium Pro.

Or maybe it was called the Millennium Pro PT111?  Can’t remember.

Well, doesn’t matter.  The guns aren’t made anymore, and the company that made them had to recall massive number of defective guns.  Looks like I was lucky to bail before having to use mine to defend life and limb, huh?

Anyhoo, I decided to switch things around a bit. Why not carry a revolver for a time instead of an autoloader?

This actually isn’t something new for me.  I prefer autoloaders because they usually have a greater ammo capacity than revolvers, and because they are easier and quicker for me to reload, but a number of my students like wheelguns over something fed from a magazine.  This is why I always make sure to carry revolvers for at least one month out of the year, so I can give advice based on experience.

The sixgun I usually carry is a pretty big Magnum.

The size didn’t bother me all that much, mainly because I carry it in a shoulder holster.

But this time around I wanted to carry something smaller, mainly so I wouldn’t have to wear a jacket all the time to cover up the gear.  Lucky for me I have just the thing.

It is a snub-nosed revolver that was made back around 1952 or so.  All steel construction, and a standard sized frame so the grip and the guts are the same as a common duty gun of that era.  The only difference being that the barrel was two inches instead of four.  But, standard size or not, it was still a great deal smaller than the Magnum.

So, hey, let’s do it up old school.  I had visions of off duty cops and G-men on the job as I strapped it on.  This is what those tough old birds used to rely on when the Cold War was in full swing!  Should do a good job for me!

So how did it stack up to my defunct autoloader?  What was the main difference?

Continue reading →