Designed by
Emilio Ghisoni and Antonio Cudazzo, the Rhino differs from traditional revolvers in a number of ways. Stylistically it resembles Ghisoni's earlier design, the
Mateba Autorevolver, and was his last design before his death in 2008. In order to reduce weight, the frame of the Rhino is made of
Ergal (an
aluminium alloy), and the receiver is CNC-machined from a solid block of high-tensile aluminium. Virtually all components are CNC-machined as well; this manufacturing process yields a very precise fit with minimal
tolerances. For models other than the 20D, the trigger may be used in either
single-action or
double-action mode. Only the 2-inch 20D model comes in
double-action only. The external
cocking lever is not actually a
hammer as on most revolvers. Instead, it is merely a
linkage handle used to cock an internal hammer, and immediately falls back into place after cocking is complete, minimizing the number of externally moving parts and
reciprocating mass. An additional feature of this gun is, unlike most revolvers, it comes with an
accessory rail (except for the 2-inch and 3-inch models), on which
tactical lights and
laser sights can be mounted. Firing from the lowermost chamber in the cylinder as opposed to the uppermost is intended to reduce
muzzle flip by aligning the
recoil more into the shooter's wrist, rather than above it. ==Variants==