Who makes the low end revolvers?

Although not what I consider low end Charter Arms has less expensive revolvers.

Charter Arms was very popular and considered a good choice back in the 70s. They went through several owners after that, one worse than the other. The original team is back at Charter Arms including the Ecker family and the company is again top rate IMO.

I bought a Police Undercover .38 Special and was extremely pleased with the quality of the gun.

No, I do not have anything to do with the company. Just my opinion and answering the OP.

The Philippines company is Armscor, aka Rock Island. You can find reviews and discussions on the net, including some right here on THR.

Here is what American Rifleman had to say: https://www.americanrifleman.org/ar...sland-armory-m206-38-special-revolver-review/

Heritage Arms also has the Rough Rider line of single action 22s. They are nothing fancy, but they are good plinkers for a low price.

I've heard good things about the EAA Windicator in .357 with a price right around $300

Wasn't this covered in this thread?

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/best-budget-revolves-under-350.818149/

C0untZer0 said:

Wasn't this covered in this thread?

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/best-budget-revolves-under-350.818149/

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Yeah and about 100 others in the archive......the search function is your friend. Most of the mentioned models are probably more middle of the road than el-cheapo......except the rough rider which is functional but extremely cheaply made.....my brother has one and the front sight fell off the first time at the range.

ArchAngelCD said:

The original team is back at Charter Arms including the Ecker family and the company is again top rate IMO.

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I bought a Charter Model 73820 Stainless .38Spl back in 2009
Unfortunately for me, it was not good.
I sent it back & it was returned looking even worse.
The crane was hand ground & it looked like a 5 yo did it.

A couple of years later I sent it back again & contacted Dee Ecker.
When it was returned this time it was better than new.
Its as accurate as anything I have.
I'd definitely buy from them again, but beware, there are some bad Charters out there.

Hondo 60 said:

I bought a Charter Model 73820 Stainless .38Spl back in 2009
Unfortunately for me, it was not good.
I sent it back & it was returned looking even worse.
The crane was hand ground & it looked like a 5 yo did it.

A couple of years later I sent it back again & contacted Dee Ecker.
When it was returned this time it was better than new.
Its as accurate as anything I have.
I'd definitely buy from them again, but beware, there are some bad Charters out there.

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Yes, there were some really bad owners in the past, especially when they were Charter Arms 2000.

They are going above and beyond IMO because they are honoring warranties from the other owners, not only the guns they sell. If that's not a good way to build customer loyalty and trust nothing is.

IIRC, the original Charter Arms company invented the transfer bar safety but refused to apply for a patent in favor if allowing all makers to use it to make the industry safer. (I think)

I would look into an Armscor, or RIA as they are branded too. Based on a design standpoint, they are close clones the Colt MKIII/MKV action, in the Colt DSII(D frame) size package. Based on the ruggedness of the Colts, these ones may not be bad. Of course it would be totally dependent on the quality of materials they use, which given today's tech should be good. I wouldn't mind trying one, but only to try. I prefer to stick with v springs though.

The Alfa Proj revolvers from the Czech Republic have me curious. The trouble is I have never actually seen one. Availability is hit and miss as the brand works toward name recognition and consumer acceptance, in the US market.

3 nightmares with the armscor/ria m206 junk.

First one shaved and spit lead and jacket back at my face the very first day out. It was way out of time and struck primers and sides of bases. Dealer sent it back for me and we didn't eat anything for weeks after it arrived.

Everytime I would call about it I would get transferred around until I was ultimately hung up on. It took my dealer setting a timer and having his guys call every hour until they finally got through. The gun had been lost after the received it... They sent another and it did the same thing. Dealer sent it back again and we waited. They eventually sent another gun that literally looked like it had been carried for decades and then drug behind a truck.

At this point I didn't even care about what it looked like at long as it ran. It didn't and eventually jammed up.

I was put in touch with a Gunsmith through my dealer and he fixed the gun and I turn around and sold it for a loss.

I have plenty of ria 1911s but these are junk. I have rohms that run better than these. The eaa windicator in 38 is a much better choice even if it is a aluminum frame. At least those work. And it isn't too much more to get a new production charter.

When I read the title of this thread my mind went immediately to the Rohm/RG revolvers. Those truly were cheap.

The other thread about revolvers under $350 is an entirely different animal, at least in my mind.

Analogkid said:

3 nightmares with the armscor/ria m206 junk.

First one shaved and spit lead and jacket back at my face the very first day out. It was way out of time and struck primers and sides of bases. Dealer sent it back for me and we didn't eat anything for weeks after it arrived.

Everytime I would call about it I would get transferred around until I was ultimately hung up on. It took my dealer setting a timer and having his guys call every hour until they finally got through. The gun had been lost after the received it... They sent another and it did the same thing. Dealer sent it back again and we waited. They eventually sent another gun that literally looked like it had been carried for decades and then drug behind a truck.

At this point I didn't even care about what it looked like at long as it ran. It didn't and eventually jammed up.

I was put in touch with a Gunsmith through my dealer and he fixed the gun and I turn around and sold it for a loss.

I have plenty of ria 1911s but these are junk. I have rohms that run better than these. The eaa windicator in 38 is a much better choice even if it is a aluminum frame. At least those work. And it isn't too much more to get a new production charter.

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THIS ^^^^ kind of experience is precisely why I stay away from the inexpensive revolver brands. Noticed a nearby gunshop (< half mile from my home) stocking the Rock Island branded revolver during my last visit but I didn't handle one. I just don't want to bother with stuff like this anymore, but that is where I started with handguns for the most part. Don't blame anyone for following the same path.

Kendal Black said:

The Alfa Proj revolvers from the Czech Republic have me curious.

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Their Holek rimfire revolvers were a dime a dozen around here in the 90's, making the name synonymous with a cheap piece of crap. Trappers still use them for putting out animals caught in traps. I'm not sure if the quality has improved since.

22-rimfire said:

THIS ^^^^ kind of experience is precisely why I stay away from the inexpensive revolver brands. Noticed a nearby gunshop (< half mile from my home) stocking the Rock Island branded revolver during my last visit but I didn't handle one. I just don't want to bother with stuff like this anymore, but that is where I started with handguns for the most part. Don't blame anyone for following the same path.

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I don't really have a issue with cheap guns as long as they are of decent quality. There are tons of options out there in this price range either used or new to choose from. I have 4 of the Eaa windicators. They are of decent quality save for the finishes but even then they are night and day to the RIA revolvers.

My two newish charters put them to shame plus they actually make things right if they aren't. I have a nice little Rossi in 38 that has been great as well. It is a few years old. Cheap and functional are one thing. Cheap and garbage are another.

There's tons of surp revolvers coming onto the market that are super good quality for not much coin.

Kendal Black said:

The Alfa Proj revolvers from the Czech Republic have me curious. The trouble is I have never actually seen one. Availability is hit and miss as the brand works toward name recognition and consumer acceptance, in the US market.

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Just for fun, I wrote them and asked if they proof the guns sent to the USA to SAAMI or CiP levels. They immediately wrote back and said CiP. This means their .38spl guns are proofed at about 1650 bar, or 24kpsi, compared to SAAMI standard around 21kpsi.

Useful checklist to find out whether a revolver (new or used) is more or less in working order:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=695644

My best deals in buying revolvers (cost and quality considered) have been on used Smith and Wessons. Note that the external appearance of a gun is inconsequential if you are going to carry it concealed.

Kendal Black said:

The Alfa Proj revolvers from the Czech Republic have me curious. The trouble is I have never actually seen one. Availability is hit and miss as the brand works toward name recognition and consumer acceptance, in the US market.

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They could sell a lot more revolvers in the U.S. if they'd prioritize it and produce more. Dan Brown only gets a handful a year and they sell out almost overnight. I bought the 9231 and I like it...

Ahhh.... here is another picture:



I wouldn't exactly call them cheap, their alloy 38 is $299.00 The Windicator is somewhere around $265.00 The Armscor M206 goes on sale for $199.99 I've seen the Taurus 85 on sale for $250.00

I have multiple examples of Taurus, Rossi, and Charter that are a good shooters and reliable. Over the years I have owned one bad Taurus and two bad Rossis. I have never had an Armscor revolver.

How is the trigger on those Alphas? I am tempted by one in particular.

Heritage used to sell SA revolvers in larger calibers too. I don't know if they still do. They were made in Germany, IIRC.

I thought that Iver Johnson invented the transfer bar safety. I could easily be mistaken.

C0untZer0 said:

Ahhh.... here is another picture:

I wouldn't exactly call them cheap, their alloy 38 is $299.00 The Windicator is somewhere around $265.00 The Armscor M206 goes on sale for $199.99 I've seen the Taurus 85 on sale for $250.00

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The Armscor isn't even worth the $199.