Opinion needed UPDATE

[Fox Mike]

Wondering how Charter Arms revolvers are? Need honest appraisals.

 

[Gator89]

I have a couple, they go bang when the trigger is pulled.

My battery includes, a steel Pug 44, an alloy 44, a target 44, a 41 mag and a Pathfinder 22 mag.

They are in the middle between S&W and Taurus.

JM2CW

What model are you consIdering?

 

[Fox Mike]

I have a couple, they go bang when the trigger is pulled.

My battery includes, a steel Pug 44, an alloy 44, a target 44, a 41 mag and a Pathfinder 22 mag.

They are in the middle between S&W and Taurus.

JM2CW

What model are you considering?

No particular model yet. Just wondering how they were and it is nice to know that they are better than Taurus. Wondering about fit and finish. Their prices seem reasonable.

 

[farley]

I own three. An original Undercover .38, and Off Duty .38 and a .44 Bulldog. No problems with any of them.

 

[peachhead]

They are like everything else. They have their fan base. Been around for a long time and as you pointed out, their prices are reasonable.
Seems to me, those who like them, really like them.

 

[gnappi]

I'm in the "not my cup of tea camp" due to a sour experience I had which was more with the company "support" than with the inferior firearm.

 

[Uncle Howie]

New/modern revolver, or used/vintage revolver?

Seems to me that it kind of depends on the age of the revolver, and possibly what iteration of the company built it..

I believe Charter Arms/Charco/Charter 2000/Charter Arms (again) are all different names for the same(?) company, over time.

The revolvers that I have looked at from them have seemed to vary in quality.

Gun writer Hal Swiggett had scoped one in .22, either a Pathfinder or similar earlier model. I’ve always been intrigued with it, having seen it mentioned in several articles about small game and/or varmint hunting, over the years.

 

[Cholo]

The current ones are supposed to be pretty good. Most have a ridiculously sharp pointed front sight.

IMHO, Charter Arms really shines with their 21 oz. 44 Special revolver. I have one of the original 3" blued 20 oz. models and wouldn't trade it for anything. It does bark so it's not for everyone.

With that said, if I were looking for anything other than their 44 Special I'd be looking elsewhere.

 

[MaxMan]

Don't have onebut it sounds like you pays your moiney and takes your chances. Higher price guns would have a better gurantee of a quality firearm.

 

[gnappi]

Don't have onebut it sounds like you pays your moiney and takes your chances. Higher price guns would have a better gurantee of a quality firearm.

Definitely! My CA .44 was down for way too many months waiting for a replacement firing pin, this was made worse by the tech telling me that no spares were available because they were all going to production. Talk about a slap in the face.

 

[rugerguy]

when we had our shops , the Charter Arms was our better, (and most affordable) seller, AND the ones we worked on the 'least'...............

 

[Yaworski]

Don't have onebut it sounds like you pays your moiney and takes your chances. Higher price guns would have a better gurantee of a quality firearm.

Not always. My $299 Norinco 1911 has never given me a problem. I used to laugh at the guys with their multiple thousand dollar guns that would only feed this ammo or that. Norc ate it all and never burped.

 

[WanderLust]

I recall looking at a few over the years. My impression, based on just the ones that I handled, was they were a little bit stiff with harder pulls than comparable brands, and cheaper without being of poor quality. Of course, those issues can be worked on and made better, and the price-to-quality ratio seemed to be their calling card.
Like anything else; once you've had a better example of something, you tend to be more selective about smallish issues or variances. It really does depend on your proposed need for the gun. Boat gun or truck gun? Perfect for that. Daily carry? I would upgrade. But that's just my opinion.

 

[WAYNO]

I've had many Charter's, and they've all been fine.

 

[Rclark]

I have one .44 Special Bulldog. Light and compact. Works good for what I intend it for which is CC/truck/car/house gun. Doesn't get fired often nor should it. I have other .44 Special revolvers for the range and the field open carry.

 

[pawncop]

Owned several over the years. Do not have any now. No issues but the .44 Special is a handful. Nothing unmanageable but not the most pleasant to shoot.

 

[mr surveyor]

I've had three, maybe four, CA revolvers in the last twenty years ... they are all gone. Not planning to try again.


jd

 

[Fox Mike]

Owned several over the years. Do not have any now. No issues but the .44 Special is a handful. Nothing unmanageable but not the most pleasant to shoot.

Not afraid of recoil but not a 'recoil junky' either. My SP101 in 357 is about as much as I care to handle. I was looking at the 9mm (no moon clips) to use as an EDC.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

If I could find another Tiger Striped 44spl....I would buy it.......

 

[magnum0710]

I've considered their revolvers a few times at different points. Not too long ago I could've got their 357 mag pug pretty cheap. Every time I just can't get past some of the things I've heard about them. Basically they'll work but they're carry a lot and shoot very little guns. A lot of people say they're good for shooting loose and won't handle a high round count. I know this is second hand and normally I don't buy into gun snob hate but this is different. I have a Taurus that's completely reliable and have owned some really cheap revolvers (EAA Windicator, Rock Island 206). The carry a lot and shoot little consensus comes from actual owners of Charter revolvers. It's hard for me to get past that when it's not the usual "I'd never own a Taurus cause my cousins best friends sister got a lemon in 1997" bs.

I would honestly go for a current production Taurus before a Charter. I know quite a few guys who own Taurus revolvers that are very happy with them and none have implied they have an issue with longevity. In fact the owner of a LGS I frequent was carrying a Taurus 627 the last time I was in. He could legit carry any gun he wanted but was carrying a Taurus. I was considering a Taurus 605 cause I wanted a small 357 for summer carry but I just can't right now.

 

[contender]

I just received pictures of a Charter Arms .44 Bulldog that blew up. The load was such that a double charge would have spilled way too much. Not sure what happened yet but it interesting.

 

[jav]

I never had experience with charter arms the one I hear most about is their 44 bulldog suppose to be a good gun heard good things about them. I own 4 revolvers all smiths

 

[JohnL]

I know a few people who depend upon their Bulldog. I thought about buying one some time ago. Never heard any complaints.

 

[Threespears]

I bought a CA “pink lady” for myself. Yes , I am safe with my masculinity. It is GREAT to carry, ok to shoot, but the quality IMHO is less than desirable. Cylinder is loose. Barrel is not centered. (Looking at the front of the barrel there is more barrel material on the left side than on the right. The price of the CA should tell you all you need to know.
I prefer Taurus over CA. S&W or RUGER over Taurus… just my personal opinion

 

[Fox Mike]

I would honestly go for a current production Taurus before a Charter. I know quite a few guys who own Taurus revolvers that are very happy with them and none have implied they have an issue with longevity. In fact the owner of a LGS I frequent was carrying a Taurus 627 the last time I was in. He could legit carry any gun he wanted but was carrying a Taurus. I was considering a Taurus 605 cause I wanted a small 357 for summer carry but I just can't right now.

I have shied away from Taurus after a neighbors recurring problems and their customer service.

 

[magnum0710]

I have shied away from Taurus after a neighbors recurring problems and their customer service.

How long ago are we talking? I know over the last few years they've taken a lot of steps to improve their QC and CS. In the way of a revolver I would inspect one at a local shop and don't take possession until you're sure everything's good, which I'd do with any gun.

The thing no one keeps in mind with Taurus is that every company can send out a lemon. I had an S&W 642 that was junk and that's compared to some cheap revolvers I've had. It had the absolute worst double action trigger I've ever pulled, the barrel shank had a small chip in it, and the side plate screws needed tightened constantly. I had to tighten them every 2 or 3 days of carry and after every range trip. I was going to loctite them until I saw some of the threads were broken off. I couldn't even get them to send me a few screws! I didn't want to send it in cause they wouldn't let me have it shipped to my work address. I kept missing FedEx the last time I had to send a gun in and had a hard time getting it back. When I told them that and asked them to send me the screws they ignored me. I ended up trading it to a LGS with the disclosure that it worked but should be sent back to S&W. So not only was the gun horrible for being an S&W their CS was a joke and this was only about 8 or 9 months ago.

So far I've had the 642 and a Ruger EC9s that had issues, yet my G3c is still here. In fact the G3c is my nightstand gun because Mrs. Magnum wanted something with a manual safety in that role.

If you're really not willing to give Taurus a chance I would look at the Rock Island 206 (or 200) or the EAA Windicator. The RIAs are 38 special but the EAA can be had in 357. I had the Rock Island 206 and the EAA 357 snub. Neither were pretty at all but they were both reliable. The 206 is better and cheaper but I don't like being limited to 38 only so I actually like the EAA better. I carried the EAA for about a year, I traded it to bring down the price of my Security Six. I regretted it because the 4 inch Security wasn't nearly as easy to carry. I ended up getting a Speed Six that needed some TLC but if I found a used EAA at a good price I'd buy one again. If you're good with 38 special the 206 is really good especially considering the price. I got the spurless version for $250 out the door. Both were better than the 642, I can't even say the 642 had a better finish because the finish started to peel. The Rossi RP63 might be worth a look too, they're distributed by Taurus but the design is different. I'm pretty sure they're actually made by Rossi themselves.

I just think going with Charter would be a mistake, yes Taurus has had their issues in the past but their current product is a lot better than it used to be. Everything I've heard bad about Charter came from actual owners of their current product. The biggest one I hear is "carry a lot and shoot very little". I've heard complaints about them shooting low because the front sights are too high also. Sure they can be filed down some but it's still kind of ridiculous. I would look at anything else before a Charter personally.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I’ve had a few CA with never a problem. The specific model I’ve had the most are the 44 Special Bulldogs both the Blue and Stainless. Currently I’ve got 2 stainless. I’ve had a target model as well. I think the potential biggest issue is the heavier 44 Specials on the market, that people tend to go with hotter loads, that really aren’t prescribed for the lighter model. That can be a mistake.

 

[ArizonaTea123]

If anyone is interested there is a like new Charter Arms Target Bulldog 44 Special in stainless at the Super Pawn on north Rancho.
They're asking $400 (managers special) but you may be able to get is for $350 if you negotiate.

 

[Sam Summey]

I have shied away from Taurus after a neighbors recurring problems and their customer service.

Since 2005, I have returned more Taurus firearms to the factory for service than all of the other manufacturers combined. Taurus refuses to send me parts to repair their products.

The longest I have had to wait for a replacement firearm was 14 months. A trigger pivot pin on a Raging Bull broke off the frame. Not repairable in USA by Taurus because it is made in Brazil, no replacement parts are imported to the US.

 

[ArizonaTea123]

Yep, I have a Taurus 44 Magnum in polished stainless. I had an issue with a drag line on the cylinder. Sent it to Taurus twice and they said it was "normal".
I tried to order parts from Taurus and they said no, only licensed, bonded, insured gunsmiths could order parts.
So I found some parts on eBay and Numrich and fixed the damned revolver myself.