My thoughts on a Charter Arms for the wife

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Blue Brick

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Pinal County, Arizona
Calibers in each frame

Small frame
22 LR (6 shot)
22 Magnum (6 shot)
32 Magnum (5 shot)
38 Special + P (5 shot)

Large frame
32 Magnum (7 shot)
327 Magnum (6 shot)
38 Special + P (6 shot)
357 Magnum (5 shot)
44 Special (5 shot)

Large frame with pistol calibers
9mm. (5 shot) (discontinued 6 shot)
40 S&W (5 shot)
380 ACP (6 shot)

XL Frame (all 5 shot)
41 Magnum
45 ACP
45 Colt

It seems to me the best option for overall concealment, capacity, effectiveness, recoil, pressure rating, ammo availability, ammo selection, reload speed, carry options, and continued compliance... is the standard small frame 5 shot 38 Special.

Here is what I am thinking and I would like your insight and opinion before I buy. I am mainly only looking at short barrels for conceal carry.


Small frames

22 (all)
Love this option with 6 shots in a small frame, but I could never live with myself if it wasn't enough to stop the situation. I believe she could control this the best and maintain the most accuracy with this caliber.

32 ( all)
I see no advantage for a 32 over a 38 Special. Capacity and size are the same.


Large frames
I think the small frame is the best option for her. My only concern is that the weight and size will discourage her from continued use on an everyday basis.

32 (all)
Same as above.

38 Special
Keeping with the idea of matching calibers, I have selected this model as my future carry option.

357 Magnum
Ported would not be my first choice, and truthfully since threats from wildlife are very low here in Arizona this would be a ported 5 shot 38 Special in a larger frame. The 6 inch model would be excellent for home defense, but would require a very large and organized purse to conceal outside the home.

44 Special
44 bullets won't shrink, but the ammo selection is low, less available, and more expensive, plus several of the premium ammo manufacturers recommend you Not use their products in a Bulldog 44.

9mm, 40 S&W, and 380 ACP.
Reloading speed is my concern with these models. These are really designed to be used as a back up weapon for a police officer. As I understand it, the rounds must each be snapped into place.


XL frames
This is just to large for her to conceal.

The 45 Colt and the 41 Magnum would be a great open carry option in the correct environment.
 
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Do you reload? Has some bearing on options. I'm a .32 fan these days but .38 is hard to argue against. If you stepped up in frame size you get an extra round with the .32 and likely something much easier to shoot.

If recoil is an issue make sure to get the softest shooting stuff possible for practice and then stock it hot for carry.

Going as small/light as possible isn't always the best idea as they get harder and nastier to shoot well. I think that is why lots of novice shooters get turned off, someone gives them a tiny little pink gun with poor sights that barks and kicks (and which I wouldn't shoot more than 2-3 cylinders out of) and they are out of the game after the first or second shot.
 
After watching some tests online with small revolvers, I think 9mm is a great revolver round


Cannot agree more. Cheap, plentiful, soft recoiling, a million options from factory loaded ammo, speed reloads with moonclips are faster and easier than speedloaders, and 9mm is perfectly adequate for self defense.
 
Shoot a .32 next to a .38 and you'll see the difference. Yeah, you can make extremely low recoil .38 loads, but they'll never have as little recoil as a comparable .32 will and I think the effect on target will be the same. The accuracy tho of the .32 will be better and it will shoot faster. Also, the .32 will have a better trigger than any of the rimfires.

I don't really like carrying .22 rimfires for self defense, not unless they hold 8 or 9 rounds. Shot for shot, there's nothing a .32 can't do better than a .22 other than be less expensive to shoot. Maybe be more accurate, manufacturers are obsessed with making the throats on .32's too big.

I agree on the Pitbulls, Charter had a novel idea with them, but in practice they can't be fun to reload and I imagine under stress you could break those ejector tabs if you push too hard. Idk who would be looking at getting a .40 Pitbull anyway, but the 9mm... if I really wanted a 9mm snub, I'd just get an LCR and have the option of using moon clips. My setup would be carry with a moon clip to make the ejection fastest, but reload with a speed strip. If after 10 rounds I need more ammo, I have bigger problems than any gun could handle.

I do like the .45 ACP tho as it's the cheapest DA .45 ACP revolver on the market.
 
I carry my Undercover stoked with ARX polymer/copper ammo. Much lower recoil than standard pressure .38 special and exceptional accuracy.

Honestly I haven't carried anything else in my gun since finding it worked so well.
 
"Shoot a .32 next to a .38 and you'll see the difference. Yeah, you can make extremely low recoil .38 loads, but they'll never have as little recoil as a comparable .32 will and I think the effect on target will be the same. The accuracy tho of the .32 will be better and it will shoot faster. Also, the .32 will have a better trigger than any of the rimfires. I don't really like carrying .22 rimfires for self defense, not unless they hold 8 or 9 rounds. Shot for shot, there's nothing a .32 can't do better than a .22 other than be less expensive to shoot. Maybe be more accurate, manufacturers are obsessed with making the throats on .32's too big."

Preach it! I'm not necessarily referring to this thread, but I've read so many "So-and-so can't shoot 38's or 9mm's, so I/they are going to get a 22lr for SD." IMHO, 32 revolvers are an excellent suggestion for that particular niche.
 
I know everyone says this but it's because its true. Your wife should pick her own gun. Even if she decides it was the wrong choice later it's her mistake to make. We have all done it and that's how we learn. I'm sure the "little woman" is capable of picking what she likes.
 
"Shoot a .32 next to a .38 and you'll see the difference. Yeah, you can make extremely low recoil .38 loads, but they'll never have as little recoil as a comparable .32 will and I think the effect on target will be the same. The accuracy tho of the .32 will be better and it will shoot faster. Also, the .32 will have a better trigger than any of the rimfires. I don't really like carrying .22 rimfires for self defense, not unless they hold 8 or 9 rounds. Shot for shot, there's nothing a .32 can't do better than a .22 other than be less expensive to shoot. Maybe be more accurate, manufacturers are obsessed with making the throats on .32's too big."

Preach it! I'm not necessarily referring to this thread, but I've read so many "So-and-so can't shoot 38's or 9mm's, so I/they are going to get a 22lr for SD." IMHO, 32 revolvers are an excellent suggestion for that particular niche.
I think a lot of that anti .32 sentiment is due to the price of the ammo being more than .22 or 9mm. People apparently have this notion that the smaller the caliber, the less it must cost. I don't blame them, but there's a point you have to reach where you're willing to pay for better performance, which in this case is ease of shooting to increase the effectiveness of each shot.

I can't accept paying $2 more a box for .25 ACP vs .32 ACP because it's such a weak caliber, but I can accept paying $2 more a box for .32 ACP than 9mm. For .32 SW Long, it's a harder pill to swallow because the cost is higher, but it's not a buck a round or even half a dollar a round.

The one benefit of Walmart dumping ammo sales is it's going to force people who buy so much common ammo there to either go online where prices are just plain lower or go to local gun stores where .32 is on the shelf, priced exactly the same as the .38.
 
I'm not sure if people go only think of 38 or 22 because of ammo costs, or just because the young folks don't really know about 32's.

Yeah, if you don't reload, 32 S&W long or 32 H&R magnum are somewhat spendy, though not as bad if you order online.

Step One is that Wifey tries it out (or at least handles it) and likes it.

A really nice Step Two is to also have a similar 22lr version around for cheap practice. :)

 
Charter Arms use to know how to make a 6 shot .32 on the small frame. why they went to making it a 5 shot is beyond me.
 
Try asking her what her opinion is. My wife likes shooting full power fire breathing 357mags out of a L frame so we keep a 686 loaded up in the bedroom.

I used to assist a friend in teaching a Concealed Carry class.
I can't tell you how many times a woman would show up with a gun that she couldn't handle.
Usually they were 380s.
One couple - he had a 1911 & she had a 380.
She couldn't rack the slide.
So she borrowed her husbands 1911 & got a better score than he did.
 
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Charter Arms use to know how to make a 6 shot .32 on the small frame. why they went to making it a 5 shot is beyond me.
That was a .32 S&W Long that was a 6 shot, much lower pressure than the 5 shot .32 Mag, and at the time they made that there was no .32 Mag, so taking the .22 they were making at the time and expanding the chambers to .32 was not a problem.

They could still make that gun today, but Charter has obviously concluded that there is no interest in a 6 shot .32 S&W Long revolver, even tho every used one that shows up on gunbroker ends up selling for almost $300 with shipping fee included.
 
When we moved back to the country my wife wanted a gun that could be used for bear defence, people defence and not have horrible recoil.

We chose a Taurus Tracker 4 inch 357mag. The porting and the stupendous ribber grips make it a really soft firing gun, she shot full power magnums magnums with ease.

And with an ammo change it'll be effective with everything that can be a threat in our area
 
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