Neat little gun. Never heard of one before. It would be a nice alternative to my SP101 which my daughter appears to be quite fond of... It would also check the box for the supply of .40 HST sitting on the shelf in the loading room. How’s that cylinder latch work out? Looks like it would be hard on your thumb, especially with a stout load.
Last edited by entropy; 03-13-2022 at 09:30 AM.
Working diligently to enlarge my group size.
While quite neat, it is far from nice. I would not recomend one to anyone here except as a practice piece for garagineering. That said, I am appreciating the chance for a prper howdy-do so I can help any future novice asking me to help them get up to speed with an already purchased Charter Arms.Originally Posted by entropy
As for the cylinder latch, it is far enugh away from my locked-down thumbs to pose no risk. Pushing it to release the cylinder requires practice, though, The screw and plate remain stationary and I have cut myself on an aquaintance's 32 S&W Long model before. Using the Ohio/Taylor reload like Michael DeBethencourt seems more fitting to the design and I've had no problem with this Pitbull:
SCCY Marshal,
I enjoy these offbeats trips into WECSOG land. Half fitz on the trigger guard could be a nice addition to try as well.
Looking at the gripframe at the front of the guard where it nests in by the crane, I might relieve about 1/3 the trigger guard width. I'll lightly scribe a line and have a bit of a think before committing.
Bummer. Not on the same level as the Taurus then huh? I was hoping I could run it as a low round count carry piece...I got a bunch of .40.
Working diligently to enlarge my group size.
The Taurus 856 is a better gun to the point you can tell just handling them dry. If someone already knows their way around a revolver, isn't afraid to call customer service or do their own wrenching, is willing to gamble a relatively small sum, and doesn't expect to pull a carry gun out of the box, a Charter might be worth buying.
As an example, my buddy got this one cheap from the used rack. He just wanted to check it out, have some fun, and maybe tuck it under his leg at the drive-through ATM with a wheel full of HST if it vetted well. If one were married to the idea/availability/price of a Charter for defensive use, I've found the 32 S&W Long, 32 H&R Magnum, and 22WMR guns to be a better fit for the - erm - quality.
If you do decide to put money down on the gamble, I would suggest you leave at least some hammer spur for unlocking the cylinder stop and spinning it to check for binding on proud case heads. Also, if it does bind up while shooting, cocking to single-action would beat grinding through a stiff or unusable double-action in a pinch. Being a make with earned reputation for short service life, I'd also suggest the lion's share of shoting be reduced-power handloads. Lobbing a 180 grain pill somewhere between 750 and 800fps would still be equivalent to a fat and flat nosed 38 Special Super Police load bumming around the back forty.
Run any 180gr HST thru it yet? Curious on that since that’s what’s on the shelf.
Right or wrong, I haven’t run either one of my snubs very hard. I’ll run a box thru every few months and that’s what I shoot to qualify for my CCW. But....if I need it to work...it needs to work. Period.
It sure looks tempting tho. If one can be found is another question entirely. Sarah15 has one up on GB right now, but it’s about to close and I got to think a bit on this one.
Working diligently to enlarge my group size.
I've stuffed five HST 180 grainers in the cylinder to make sure they fit and the case heads don't drag. Holding off on shooting any until I have shimmed the cylinder to try widening the gap and filed the front sight a bit.
SCCY Marshal, attached (I think as this is my first post) is my .45 Pitbull. I did similar mods to yours. Bobbed the hammer, smoothed the trigger. In the pic I have Charter boot grips but I didn't care for them. I wound up with Pachmyer Compacs and they are just right. I used Skinner Sights orange and white markers to get a bright orange front sight (at 71 I need all the help I can get <G>) I've had it for a couple of years and put a few rounds through it. First problem was at about 300 rounds and the barrel started clocking. Sent it back and they quickly fixed it and returned it. Started having light primer hits so I got a "green" mainspring from Charter and that solved it but at the expense of a pretty heavy trigger. The gun is accurate. Holsters are tough to find but maybe the 40 uses the smaller frame. I got a Don Hume and a Bell Charter Oaks that fit. Turns out my summer special for an N frame works also. I carry +P HST. At the Gunsite revolver round up, Chuck Haggard shot gel with it. Good penetration, didn't expand but turned 180. I think I chrono'd it in the low 800's. I hope your friend likes his. It's a decent gun, but I wish it was better. The story of my life <G> FWIW, Ed
So what exactly is wrong with it? Or did I miss that part?
Being a make known for a short lifespan....what era? Hasn't there been like 4 or 5 different owners/manufacturers of that name?
Just curious. No stake in it, don't now, and never have, owned a Charter Arms. Just curious because sometimes the problems seem to be more visual than physical. I don't like the way it looks vs it's not working.
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