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Info on Charter Arms revolvers.

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rec999allis

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I noticed for the first time in my latest issue of American Rifleman an ad for Charter Arms revolvers and I checked out thier website and they seem like they may be worth looking into as far as a next gun purchase goes for me. But I wanted to know from anyone who owns or has shot one if they are a good reliable and accurate firearm. And what is the going rate as far as prices go on a brand new one. I am looking at the .357 model. I would be using it mostly as a home defence gun. I would take it to the range every so often.
 
I don't know about the Charter .357, but I bought a Charter Undercover .38 snubbie new last year and like it very much. Other people on gun bulletin boards report spotty results, though.

Lou
 
Greeting's Sir-

First of all let me say that Charter Arms cannot decide whether or not
to stay in business? For ages it seems like, the company has been both
bought and sold many times over.:eek: The first "Charter Arms" company
produced a fairly decent gun, with the Undercover and Bulldog revolver
line.:) I had a Undercover "Off Duty" for awhile that was both reliable
and inexpensive. But, as the company folded so did the quality of their
firearms. They went under the name "Charco" for a short period of time,
and the guns manufactuered under this banner were as a general rule
"less than desireable". Today, they are back in business under the title
of Charter Arms and again the quality of their firearms is suspect.:uhoh:
 
I made a phone call to my dealers last Friday inquiring about the 44 Special Bulldog. Their distributor didn't have any yet and the price I was given was MSRP. At an MSRP of $320.00-$340.00 the margin is doubtfully much to speak of but I think paying MSPR is too high. Then again, for that kind of money, what does a 20-30 bucks matter, if you want one?
 
Last year my dad bought a nice stainless PUG in .44 Special.
We took it shooting and I was suprised about 2 things.


1> Lack of recoil with the factory lead ammo.

2> the almost crude action as compared to his S&W K-38...I'd rate
it equal with the Taurus 617 that I had for a few weeks.

If you are not a Smith fan and own a few Rugers or the Taurus..the action will be acceptable.

The Fort'e of the Charter Arms in this case is the chambering in .44 special..
and that it isn't a S&W.

They are cheap and work as reliable as any other wheelgun around.
 
I have a first generation 3" 44spl
charter arms and love it.When i
bought it the trigger was awful,it
was gritty and stacked real bad.
Now after a good cleaning and several
hundred round it's coming around but
it will be like my smiths.It's quite
accurate out to 20 yards with 240gr
LSWC's but it does have pretty good
muzzle flip with the heavy bullets.
All things considered,for the 150
bucks i paid it's one of my better
buys.
 
Well in the ad it appears that MKS Supply owns them, which is the same company that makes Hi-Points. Which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Cheap guns that go bang, and if the revolvers come with the same lifetime warranty as the Hi-points do then I'll have to look into one. :)
 
Old Charter

Some years ago I picked up a cheap 38 cal, 3"barrel, with surface rust all over. Put it in bead blaster where i worked, then gave it a cold blue...looked sorta like it was parked. Dang thing was a accurate as any small 38 I've ever owned. Why do we sell them, and then regret it later. :cuss:
 
Charter keeps changing it name

Charter keeps changing it's name to avoid paying off some of it's debts...a loop hole. The original Charters are generally decent but have seen some qaulity issues on some guns --used to own several-- ( they are stamped Stratford, CT. on the barrel). Charco's ( stamped Ansonia , CT.) are unbelievable pieces of sheit and the new ones ( stamped Shelton, CT.) are a toss up and the consistancy of quality varies gun to gun.
 
Other good small frame revolvers?

S&W are good if you want very light (13.5 oz), but you'll also get more recoil. I'm not wanting that much recoil. I'll pass. Also the price is high.

Taurus are great because the price is right, the quality is good, and the weight is light enough to carry, yet heavy enough to shoot, in my experience. Weight varies from 17 oz to 22 oz depending on model. I've shot their 3" barrel .38 Spl and want to buy one and also one of their 2" barrel .32 Mags, though I might shoot .32 Longs in it (reduce recoil).

Ruger SP101s are excellent midsize guns, but they're not small frames. They're midsize. I own one.
 
I purchased a new Charter Arms Undercover in 1970. (give or take a year or two).

For me the little revolver was fine. It was as accurate as any J-frame Smith or Colt D frame (Detective Special/Cobra) and seemed a bit smaller and lighter.

I kept it until just last year when I gave it to an Uncle of mine who installs AC's in homes in Savannah, Georgia and needed it for personal protection more than I did.

I think you can still find new CHARTER ARMS UNDERCOVERS on wwwgunsAmerica.com. In fact I saw one on there recently in what looked like stainless, but probably was "satin" something. It looked very nice and wasn't too expensive. I can recommend an original Charter Arms Undercover without reservation, but wouldn't touch any of the later reincarnations. (Charco, etc.)

I think I've become a bit of a "gun snob" in my doteage, as I lean towards Smith & Wesson J-frames, and Colt Detectives, or Cobras now.

If you take your time you can find a very nice used Smith or Colt for probably not much more than you would spend on a Charter. If you ever expect to resell the firearm you will certainly do better with either than the Charter.

Still, if someone came along and offered me another original undercover for a cheap price I would buy it in a heartbeat. I do NOT consider the original Charter Arms Undercovers as junk by any means.

Best Wishes,

JP :D
 
I have owned

a Charter Arms undercover since 1982 when I bought it from my brother for $100.00. I have put untold numbers of rounds through it and never once had any problems. Still looks new and I carry it often. I have touched it up around the bullet comes out end with some cold blue. Even back then they had an undeserved bad rep. Mine locks up tight and shoots well for a 16oz 2" snubby.
 
I've a Charter Arms "pug" 2-1/2" 5-shot .357 mag. Got it because it was the lightest .357 on the market circa 1985. Carried a lot, shot little, but its alwyas worked when I tested it. Been retired since I got the S&W SC360 Scandium .357 which is much ligher. Shot it for grins last year, it still works :)

My wife (before we were married) bought a Charter Arms stainless "off duty" .38 Special. It gave her piece of mind when home alone for many years. Once we got married and she started shooting recreationally with me it didn't hold up very well -- cylinder didn't always rotate when the trigger was pulled. Numrich didn't have a replacemnet hand in stock at the time, and I wasn't willing to pay the price for a replacement cylinder (the ratchet "gears" on the back didn't look right in a couple of places) so we junked it.

--wally.
 
The price of the Charter arms seams to be really close to Taurus. Taurus has been around a long time and their customer service is preaty good. If I were spending my hard earned cash on a little 38 or 44sp in the same price range. It would be the Taurus..My opinion...Rich
 
Nick, the CEO of Charter Arms said...

The quality of their products should be improving quite a bit over the recent "Charco" offerings. His promise for a 4 and 6-inch version of the Bulldog in .357 S&W Magnum and .44 S&W Special will be of the same quality as their earliest offerings. These will be available in both fixed and adjustable sight versions.

Along with the former, he'll be offering the .32 H&R Magnum on the Bulldog frame, in both 2 1/2" and 4" barrels. The latter will have the options of fixed, or adjustable sights.

I hope that this helps,

Scott
 
BTW...

I wouldn't give up my Charter Arms stainless steel Bulldog with a 3" barrel for ANYTHING Taurus has to offer.

Good shootin'

Scott
 
CharterArms "police Undercover", the 6 shot undercover model functions flawless, very fine finish and fit.
Very high quality for very low dollar!

I carry mine around the house and farm, as its a bit lighter than my Millenium Pro.

Taurus is also a failsafe choice imo.

later, ip9.
 
Charter Arms has risen from the dead more times than Dracula.

Their quality is spotty.

If they really knuckled down and produced a quality 2 inch .38 Special Undercover and a 3 inch .44 Special Bulldog, they could make lots of money. Some companies do very well with a narrow specialized product line.

I have an old CA Undercover. It works very well. I won't give it up. However, other owners have had less success.
 
After stumbling across their website last year I had one of the SS 44spec Bulldogs ordered. The quality is great with the fit and finish. The accuracy is impressive. I have run around 300 rounds through it and have had no problems. It is the 4th Charter that I own from the series of "Charter" including an old Undercover from the "Asylum Road" address days. I paid less than $300 for the new one and think it's a great bang for the buck.
 
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