Charter Arms Pathfinder 22lr

They have always been considered "sleepers" in my view, every one I have owned over the years have been good firearms, some just needed shot in, or a little TLC in the action, nice one

Thats is a small frame right?

I agree. Mine is my favorite 22lr snubby. The trigger is nice and it's as accurate as the small sights (and my middle-aged eyes) allow.

It's small and light and easy to carry. I far prefer it to the LCRx 22lr that I used to have (much better trigger).

I have a 2” Pathfinder that I shot for the first time last night. Function was flawless. The SA trigger is fantastic. DA is heavy, hopefully it lightens with wear. Mine was shooting low. At a dueling tree at about 25’ I had to cover the paddle with the muzzle to hit it, with both Federal bulk pack and Mini Mags. Maybe switch over to Stingers or some other hyper velocity ammo.
One thing different from others shown here is mine is an 8 shot rather than 6. I don’t know when or why they switched. Last time I checked their site they were listing them as a 6.
What a nice little revolver. If I’d been shooting my S&W 63s or 17 I’d have been fighting ejecting the empties but my CA worked without a hitch.

Charter Arms is becoming my "Go To" source for snub nosed revolvers. Very happy with a pair of Undercovers acquired this summer. One has an exceptional trigger. The Pathfinder is on my list.

Besides, who wants to rattle around with an heirloom Smith or Colt on their hip?

I have this older .22 magnum charter path finder that is a light woods walker revolver that I like, its lighter than my S&W K-22 and has more power. I think I paid 150.00 for it years ago and I still think it was a good buy.

I'm kicking myself for not grabbing a 4" .22 mag that was on sale at the LGS a few months ago. I love the .22 mag round. I keep a NAA in my pocket every day. Out of a 4" barrel, it would be one fun trail gun.
I've found that I'm really happy with my CA guns. I was going to be getting in and out of the truck and didn't feel like messing with strapping on an IWB holster for my single stack .45 today. Instead, the DAO Undercover just got dropped in my coat pockets. Loaded with ARX ammo, it's ridiculously accurate and easy on the pocket.

The more I look at these little snub nose .22s, the more I want one as well. CA are just inexpensive enough that I can splurge a bit on a whim if I want to, but the value they offer far outweighs their cost. I don't think I'll ever part with my .45 Pitbull.

I have a 4” version of this. I like it a lot too. Just wish it had 8 rounds and I’d carry it more.

ACORN said:

One thing different from others shown here is mine is an 8 shot rather than 6. I don’t know when or why they switched. Last time I checked their site they were listing them as a 6.

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I would buy an 8-shot Pathfinder in a heartbeat if they still produced them. I just double checked their website and all of their current production models appear to be 6-shot.

My neighbor has a new Pathfinder.. And yes, his has a unusually light trigger for a rimfire....
A Charter 22 LR is on my short list ..,
That would put me at a 1/2 dozen Charters in my safe

I'm not surprised about your liking your CA Pathfinder,,,
Four or five years ago I bought the 4" version,,,
I've been very pleased with it's performance.

I shoot it just as well as I do my vintage S&W 63 and 34.

Aarond

.

I was hot and heavy for a 4” pathfinder a couple of years ago but ended up shying away because I could never find one for sale in a shop locally to look at first. I didn’t want to take a chance on something I may or may not like the feel of. I ended up finding a used SP101 .22 for $150 more than the pathfinder and went for that instead. Its been a decent gun.

Taurus 617 CCW said:

I was hot and heavy for a 4” pathfinder a couple of years ago but ended up shying away because I could never find one for sale in a shop locally to look at first. I didn’t want to take a chance on something I may or may not like the feel of. I ended up finding a used SP101 .22 for $150 more than the pathfinder and went for that instead. Its been a decent gun.

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I feel very blessed to live in an area with about 50 LGSs within an hour's drive. Some have a rather small inventory some very large. ALMOST any gun I want to see and hold before I decide to purchase is just a phone call away.
To be fair with my local dealers I never look at a gun in their shop then go order it elsewhere. I think that's just wrong. And honestly most of the time they can get real close to the all-in price of ordering from elsewhere anyway.

A LGS near me listed 3 Pathfinders in their used listing. Hard to believe they had them listed for a few weeks. I went to look at them and they were all still there. I had the pick if the litter, so to speak. All three were stainless steel frames and 8 shot in the case with papers and spare grips. I wonder if they were factory reworked or maybe older 8 shot model the factory was clearing out? Just kind of unusual to have 3 identical guns all show up at the same time.

eastbank said:

I have this older .22 magnum charter path finder that is a light woods walker revolver that I like, its lighter than my S&W K-22 and has more power. I think I paid 150.00 for it years ago and I still think it was a good buy.

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The gen 1 Charter's are great revolvers for the money. I'm thinking about getting a .22 LR even tho I hate that it only holds 6 rounds.

I don't currently have any Charter Arms revolvers, but they come and go with me every other year it seems. I owned 3" Pathfinder long ago that was top notch. 2 old school .44s that rattled loose in little time, and an Off Duty that was top notch. when time came for my daughter to have a house gun I looked for the 8 shot Pathfinder that they made for a short time but none were to be found. I ended up with the LCR.

I've got an older CA Pathfinder .22 Like it just fine.

Wishoot said:

I would buy an 8-shot Pathfinder in a heartbeat if they still produced them. I just double checked their website and all of their current production models appear to be 6-shot.

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FYI- Nick Ecker, President of Charter Arms, just posted they are currently producing the 8 shot 22lr pathfinder again.

Biblethumpncop said:

FYI- Nick Ecker, President of Charter Arms, just posted they are currently producing the 8 shot 22lr pathfinder again.

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Can't find anything on their website. Do you have a link?

I looked at the Ruger side by side with the Pathfinder and the S&W Model 63.

The Charter Arms had the tightest lockup of all three. The Ruger had the worst lockup of all three.

I thought that even in single action the Charter Arms had the worst trigger of the three. . But it definitely had the tightest lockup.

The Smith had the best SA trigger and that was going to be how my daughter shot mostly so I went with the S&W Model 63

Congrats on the 63. They are fine guns. I have 2 myself. The Pathfinders are a notch below the Smiths, but they’re half the price. I wanted my CA for woods walking, biking etc. I’m not as sure footed as I once was and if I fall and bash mine off a rock or lose it in a creek I won’t feel as bad as if it were one of my S&Ws.

I acquired the same model a couple of weeks ago. Have only had it out once, but enjoyed it and it's only failures were probably ammo issues. The inexpensive Charter Arms was a good solution for what I wanted. A plinker 22 snubnose.