[SHOT 2026] Now The Chiappa Rhino Comes In .44 Magnum

by Zac K

Published: January 21st, 2026

One of three color choices available on the new Rhino. [Zac K.]

The Chiappa Rhino is one of the most recognizable handguns in the world, and certainly one of the most modern revolvers you can buy. It has appeared in anime, film and television as the hand cannon of choice for good guys and bad guys alike—but it was never available in .44 Magnum, long the standard revolver chambering for people who mean business. Thankfully, that long-standing error has been rectified. Today at SHOW Show, Chiappa was showing off a Rhino chambered in .44 Magnum. It follows a version in mid-2025 that was released in 10mm.

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You might wonder why Chiappa had not released such .44 Magnum version of the Rhino previously, and the answer is simple: Chiappa had to design a new frame to accommodate the power and size of the .44 Magnum cartridge.

This frame was purpose-built to handle forty-four mag, including a new cylinder hinge. [Zac K.]

The frame itself is aluminum but barrel, cylinder and recoil shield are all made from stainless steel. This means the gun is lightweight where needed, and beefed up in other areas that see more pressure. There are other changes to the design, too—small things, but noticeable if you had a previous-production Rhino.

Part of the reason for the Rhino’s weird design is the configuration of the low barrel. [Zac K.]

A full-length optics rail to go with the fiber optics. [Zac K.]

This includes a push-forward cylinder release on the left-hand side of the frame, instead of the release lever design from the older revolvers. The hinge connecting the six-shot cylinder to the frame has also been beefed-up, to handle the added recoil. The grips were made for the Rhino by Hogue.

Custom-made grips! And check out that weirdo cylinder design. [Zac K.]

The revolvers come in double/single-action, with a loaded chamber indicator atop the action. The front and rear sight are both pinned, with non-adjustable front and adjustable rear. There are fiber-optic inserts for both front and rear, for shooting in low-light conditions. For now, it’s available in a 6-inch barrel with a Picatinny rail augmenting the fiber-optic sights. Available colors at launch include white nickel, black and gold finishes for the new revolvers.

For the shooter who has *everything* in their life, bet they haven’t seen one of these. [Zac K.]

There’s also a multi-color Special Edition available at launch, but they’re only make 440 of these pieces. Better buy one fast, if you want it. But we don't know prices yet, and they're not on Chiappa's website at time of posting.

Zac K

Professional hoser with fudd-ish leanings.

More by Zac K

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2 of 10 comments

Uncle albert on Jan 28, 2026

With that low bore line, if you want one, do yourself a favor, find a friend with a T/C Contender 14" in .44 Mag & shoot 50 rounds thru it first.
It will be painful, as the recoil comes straight back instead of up, and you will develop the shooters equivalent of "Tennis Elbow" !
I speak from experience, I used to shoot a Contender in IHMSA and that recoil effect is no fun !
I shoot .44 Mag revolvers all the time, no wimpy loads, and they're fun. But the lower straight-line recoil impulse is not fun at all.

1 Reply
Sla85185673 on Jan 31, 2026

Nice! I’ve had the .357 for years and it’s one of my favorite wheel guns. Been waiting for them to release a .44.

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