Charter Arms buyers beware!

[dbrobert]

I am a huge fan of the older Charter Arms Undercovers. Heck, I collect em'. When I found out that the new Charter Arms had finally come out with the 4" Police Bulldog, I knew I had to have one. This past Monday, I happened to stop by a gun shop that had one for sale, brand new in the box. Without hesitation I bought the 4" bull barrelled wheel gun. Before going to the range I checked the gun for function. I quickly noticed that every sixth trigger pull was well in excess of twenty-five, yes twenty-five pounds! I opened the cylinder to find that the ejector left the factory with only five groves for the hand instead of the six it should have. Thank the good Lord that I discovered this serious problem before firing the gun.

Now I'm stuck with a brand new gun that doesn't work! I called Charter Arms, and of course I have to ship the entire gun back to them. They won't take just the ejector, which I'm sure is for liability reasons. I'm starting to think that I would rather just have my money back than a repaired new Charter Arms.

Dave

 

[Old Fuff]

I understand your frustration, but in fairness to the company, they need to have the whole gun because the extractor is indicidually fitted to each cylinder If they sent you an extractor it might, or might not fit correctly, and if it didn't you'd be even madder then you are now.

If you'd bought a Smith & Wesson or Ruger and found the same problem they would have said the same thing, "send back the gun."

Quality control is a problem throught the industry. Hopefully they fill fix your gun and you'll find it to be satisfactory.

 

[Javelin]

Well at least they are honoring their firearm.

 

[theNoid]

Well at least they are taking care of the problem. On the other side of the stick, when buying ANY gun, new or used, shouldn't a person check things out before hand? I realize that some dealers won't let you dryfire their merchandise, then ask for some snap-caps or the likes. If they still won't let you try it out somehow, there are always other dealers. If are indeed a collector of firearms, regardless of brand, it seems you should have known, and done this in advance.

Noidster

 

[dbrobert]

Noid,
I did check this gun for general function in the store, however, I did not stand there and dry-fire it through an entire revolution of the cylinder. However, you can bet that from now on, I will do so with any revolver.
Dave

 

[1 old 0311]

That is why you get a warranty. Even Rolls Royce has a service department.

 

[bannockburn]

Yeah, I know I should have done that when I bought a brand new Colt Agent years ago. Got it home and had the cylinder binding at the forcing cone, before it could make a complete revolution. Turns out (NPI), the whole crane assembly was improperly installed, causing the cylinder to be at a slight angle to the frame. Always check them out thoroughly before you become the new owner.

 

[chrisf8657]

I'm honestly not surprised you got your gun like that. I had a Mag Pug I bought about 2 years ago, biggest piece of sh1t revolver I ever saw. I went thru 2 trips to the factory and the problem STILL existed with mine before I gave it to a friend - yes, GAVE it to him...

I'd strongly suggest that you just get your money back, you will keep going thru trips to the factory and the quality is terrible unlike the old Charters - a gun leaving the factory like that obviously shows there is no inspection or quality control left...

My .02

 

[magsnubby]

I will not buy another Charter 2000 handgun. I had two (Undercover & Offduty) fail on the first cylinder full. Both had light firing pin hits. My buddy's locked up after the third round.

It's really a shame. The original Charter Arms guns, while not Smith & Wesson quality, were some good little guns.

They make what could be some great guns. If only they would get some type of quality control.

 

[Logan5]

Charter 2000 went under in 2005, and IIRC was the third incarnation of Charter Arms, after Charco. I think now they're Charter Firearms Inc.

I hate to speak ill of a local business, especially since they can probably see me from where they're headquartered. At least I know they can't hit me though.

 

[GaryP]

I purchased my Charter Arms 3" Bulldog .44SPL NIB back in 1980. I have never experienced an issue with this revolver in 27 years and 2000+ rounds out the barrel.

It looked like the new Charter Arms had improved quality but issues like this make me wonder!

I think now they're Charter Firearms Inc.

They are now Charter Arms Corp once again. The same name as the original company. (First Generation)

My Bulldog is a First Generation Revolver.

 

[jwr_747]

I too have a late 1980 3" Bulldog.lots of carry,lots of rounds,looks rough,but it goes bang every time I pull the trigger.good semi-medium size big hole producing carry gun. jwr

 

[GaryP]

dbrobert,

What is the company name stamped on the barrel of your NIB Charter Arms Police Bulldog?

 

[Rockrz]

Now I'm stuck with a brand new gun that doesn't work!

That's why you should always buy using a credit card...not a Visa or MasterCard branded debit card that is tied to your bank account...but an actual credit card that is tied to a line of credit.

One of the "perks" of buying on a credit card is that if you buy a defective product, you can do a charge back and the merchant has no say so in the matter...you will get your money back.

This is banking industry policy on all credit cards, and it's something the merchant agreed to by signing a legal binding contract when they signed up to accept credit card payments.

Best thing to do is ship the item back to the merchant via UPS, FedEx, or DHL (get plenty of insurance) so you can prove to your bank that you returned the item to the merchant.

Then, your bank can only put you off for 30 days max (some banks will do it the day you call them after the item has been shipped back to the merchant) and they will initiate a forced charge back where they debit the merchant's bank account where all his credit card transaction funds are deposited...and they put a credit back on your card.

I've been working in the card service industry for several years and this is a slick little perk that most don't know about. I buy all my major purchases on a credit card so I don't get screwed.

 

[bannockburn]

Logan5

Great post!

I actually had an old Undercover, purchased new (I think I paid about $80 for it), back in the mid '70's. I couldn't afford a Smith or Colt snubby, and the Undercover seemed like a decent enough gun. Key word here is seemed. While firing it for the second or third time, using Federal Match wadcutters (very mild target ammo), the gun decided to dissasemble itself. First the screw which held the cylinder crane in place, started to back itself out from the frame. This was followed by two of the frame pins starting to work their way out of one side of the frame. If I had continued much longer, I think I would have been standing there at the range with only the grip section in my hand, and a bunch of parts on the floor. This was not the way a gun should present itself to it's owner. I sold it sometime later.