Chiappa Firearms of Italy added several new rifles and pistol to their line up this year. Available on the US market this year will be their new CBR-9 (Chiappa Black Rhino 9)Pistol, a new 22 Long Rifle folding survival type rifle and several offerings of side-gate lever-action rifles. Of particular interest was the CBR-9 Collapsing Brace Pistol which was revealed last year and is rumored to have full-auto variants in the European market for law enforcement and military applications.

[SHOT 2020] The Chiappa Firearms CBR-9 Collapsing Brace Pistol

Leaked onto the internet in 2019, the CBR-9 uses a steel upper receiver that contains all the operating parts of the rifle except for the ejector and magazine. The polymer lower contains the pistol grip and houses the proprietary magazine that uses a unique feeding mechanism.

Chiappa CBR-9 Pistol Specification:

• Caliber: 9mm
• Operation: Gas Blow Back, Closed Bolt
• Capacity: Proprietary 15, 18 or 30- round magazines
• Construction: Steel Upper with Polymer Lower
• Trigger: Single Action
• Barrel: Pistol or Rifle Length Barrel (Dependant on ATF Approval)

The Pistol is held together with two pins that bind the upper and lower together. The removable muzzle device is held on by a locking tab that can be depressed with just your thumb. The threads will be able to host a suppressor and the handguard is far enough back so that the suppressor mount won’t interfere with the remainder of the gun.

The new CBR-9 comes in a straight pistol configuration but will also ship with a collapsible arm brace. This foldable brace turns the CBR-9 into a compact package that can still be fired from the collapsed position if the need arises.

The top Picatinny rail currently does not have flip-up iron sights but the Chiappa representative at the booth told me there are plans to have variants with iron sights as an option. Integrated directly into the Picatinny rail are a rear and forward set of fiber optic sights. Side rails also exist for lights, lasers or other accessories the user may want to include in their platform.

Chiappa is currently working with the ATF to get its final approval for this product to become available on the US market. They are trying for either a carbine with 16″ barrel, a pistol without stock or with a pistol brace. The pistol variant of the CBR-9 is listed as $1,969 MSRP.