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news

Chiappa Rhino Revolvers

chiappa rhinoChiappa Firearms was showing off their new series of Rhino revolvers at the 2010 SHOT Show.  When you see the Rhino for the first time, you know that it is definitely a different revolver than what you have known previously.

The Rhino’s barrel is at the bottom, no the top, of the frame.  The cartridge in the bottom of the cylinder is the one that fires.  This design is supposed to reduce muzzle flip and enhance shooter comfort.

Four models of Chiappa were shown: a 2” DAO, 4”, 5” and 6”.  All models except the 2” have a Picatinny rail under the barrel for a white light or laser attachment.  All models except the 2” also have pinned front sights and adjustable rear sights.  The 2” Rhino has fixed sights.  All are chambered in .357 Magnum.

I have a few concerns about the Rhino.

First, the exposed “hammer” isn’t really a hammer.  It is used to manually cock the internal hammer into single action mode.  After you pull the “hammer” back,  it then falls back into the “down” position.  There is no way to know the gun is cocked and in single action mode.

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Ammunition

Silver State Armory 6.8 SPC Ammunition

Silver State Armory announced the production of three new 6.8 SPC loads: a plinking round, a tactical/law enforcement round and a specialized armor-piercing (AP) round.  This collection of new 6.8 SPC rounds offers a broad range of options for different applications in a tactical situation.

Silver State Armory 6.8 SPC ammo
This is the 97 grain armor piercing, tungsten carbide bullet.

The tactical round uses an 85 grain Barnes TSX bullet traveling at 3070 fps from a 16” barrel.  When fired into 10% ballistic gelatin, the bullet has an impressive wound cavity in the first eight inches, and penetrates a total of 17.38”.  The recovered diameter of the bullet averaged 0.546”.  This performance is what a lot of people are looking for.  Silver State Armory was unable to provide me with additional performance details, such as how it worked through auto glass, etc.  Those tests are very relevant for what this cartridge was designed to do.

Categories
Rifles

New Mossberg Maverick Bolt Action Rifles

Mossberg Maverick rifle

Mossberg was showing its new value-priced Maverick bolt-action rifles at the 2010 SHOT Show.   The Maverick rifles will be available in long and short actions, starting with .270 and .30-06, and .243 and .308 respectively.

The Maverick rifles have black synthetic stocks and can be had with the adjustable length of pull system.  The rifles come standard with Weaver-type mounts for easy installation of a scope.

The Mavericks will have a standard trigger, not the adjustable “Lightning Bolt Action” system that Mossberg is putting on many of its rifles and shotguns.  While the LBA trigger is definitely a nicer trigger, there is nothing wrong with the standard trigger provided out of the box from Mossberg.

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news

Taurus Protector Polymer: a Polymer Revolver

taurus_poly_protector_02

Taurus introduced a polymer revolver in .38 Special at the 2010 SHOT Show.  The “Polymer Protector” is a revolver with a polymer frame and blued steel cylinder and barrel insert.  The new Taurus revolver only weighs 18.2 ounces and is rated for +P ammunition.

Streamlined for concealed carry, the hammer is shrouded, but can still be cocked for a single action shot.  The grips are polymer, but are wood colored, and actually look good in person.

The front sight is a red fiber optic sight, and the rear is a notch.  The barrel is 2.5″ long.

Categories
news

Smith & Wesson’s New 640 Revolver

Smith & Wesson 640

Smith & Wesson is showing a new model 640 revolver at the 2010 SHOT Show.  The very popular 640 is a five-shot, .357 Magnum “hammerless” revolver.  S&W tweaked it for 2010, adding several new features that should prove to be popular.

First off, the old fixed sights have been replaced by a set of tritium, three-dot sights.  Additionally, the sights are now dovetailed into the frame, meaning you can replace them without major gunsmithing if you so desire.  These sights are a huge improvement over the standard plain ramp and shallow notch found on the previous 640 revolvers.