Charter Arms Durability

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Mr. Mosin

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Regarding the Charter Arms Undercover and other .38 Spl models... how do they hold up compared to a Smith, Ruger or "Other" round count and timing wise ???
 
You kind of answered your own question when you compared the Charter to the S&W or Ruger. The Charter will never match the other two in a head to head shoot out. But for concealed carry and every day use the Charter will be fine. Just keep the Buffalo Bore loads out of it and do most of your practice with low pressure loads and it will give years of service. And if you are on a budget its a logical choice. But if you can swing a little more money I would buy one of the other two and never look back. You only have to buy once if you buy quality.
 
300 hundred rounds and the mainspring (hammer spring) on my MagPug failed to ignite 1/3 or more rounds. Replaced with a Wolff extra-heavy version, and now down to 1/4 failures. Charter was zero helpful. Piece of junk as a carry piece. Garbage. Just waiting for a local buy-back event. So, don't expect the long-lasting performance exhibited by quality makers.
 
Don't know since I've never had a S&W or Ruger as long as I've had my charter arms (going on 40 years now). First or second year of production. Back in the mid 80's it got a steady diet of almost +P 158 grain loads (probably in excess of 5 - 6 thousand). It still goes bang each and every time I pull the trigger. Did put a 3" barrel on her a couple of years ago but it's still stock other wise.
 
The Charter Arms revolvers are mostly light-framed carry revolvers, so I have certain expectations regarding them. I have one that's always functioned correctly, and I've gotten five or so years of service out of it. It's been my EDC lately, and I trust it. Once it starts getting loose or out of time, I'll put it out to pasture.

I know that it's not a service weapon like a Model 10. I don't expect to shoot tens of thousands of rounds through revolvers like the Charter Arms, or the S&W Airweight, or Ruger LCR. I might shoot 50 rounds a month through it, at the most. If a light carry revolver only lasted me 6,000 rounds (admittedly not a lot), that would be ten years of daily carry and monthly practice. I wouldn't be too upset if my EDC was worn out after ten years. That's fair dinkum.

If I want an EDC revolver that will last a bazillion rounds, I'll carry my SP101. It's also heavy like a boat anchor. in my mind, that's part of the trade-off between lightweight versus heavyweight revolvers.
 
The Charter Arms revolvers are mostly light-framed carry revolvers, so I have certain expectations regarding them. I have one that's always functioned correctly, and I've gotten five or so years of service out of it. It's been my EDC lately, and I trust it. Once it starts getting loose or out of time, I'll put it out to pasture.

I know that it's not a service weapon like a Model 10. I don't expect to shoot tens of thousands of rounds through revolvers like the Charter Arms, or the S&W Airweight, or Ruger LCR. I might shoot 50 rounds a month through it, at the most. If a light carry revolver only lasted me 6,000 rounds (admittedly not a lot), that would be ten years of daily carry and monthly practice. I wouldn't be too upset if my EDC was worn out after ten years. That's fair dinkum.

If I want an EDC revolver that will last a bazillion rounds, I'll carry my SP101. It's also heavy like a boat anchor. in my mind, that's part of the trade-off between lightweight versus heavyweight revolvers.
Offhand, has Charter Arms ever made a variant of revolver w/ a 4" unshrouded barrel and 6x shot capacity of .38 Spl ?
 
I have three Undercover revolvers, dating from 1966, 1985, and 1987. They're all solid and lock up tight (the 1985 stainless practically welds itself solid during lockup testing.) They're not the type of gun I would hammer several thousand rounds a year through, even if I did get to shoot that much, but I wouldn't want to shoot a J-frame that much, either. I'll never shoot any .38 snub enough to wear it out, so I'll never know the answer firsthand.
 
A Wildlife Officer I know carried a Charter Arms pathfinder snubbie in 38 Special. The crane screw had worked its way out and was lost!.. The Officer had a face that could have been shaped by a ball peen hammer, and as he said "I intimidate them" . As an ex combat Marine, he did not take civilian threats all that seriously. But, we fellow shooters nagged him to replace that pistol, and get something he could at least reload without the crane falling out! Eventually he did get something better.

It has been my experience that the crane screw has to be checked periodically in Charter Arms pistols. These are carry much, shoot little firearms. They are, what they are.

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Offhand, has Charter Arms ever made a variant of revolver w/ a 4" unshrouded barrel and 6x shot capacity of .38 Spl ?

Yes the Charter Arms Police Bulldog 4” 6 shot. Has pencil barrel. Fixed sights. There is one on Gunbroker now.
 
Charter Undercover and the aluminum S&W j frames are similar in durability just from what I gather on different forums. Both have very good customer service, so anything that goes wrong will be repaired. I have a couple of Charters and they have both withstood somewhat high round counts well with non magnum ammo. For 357, don’t expect extreme durability from any lightweight small revolver.
 
Can't vouch for CA 38's, but I stopped counting at nearly 5000 standard velocity rounds awhile back in my 44 2.5" Bulldog. Shoot the heck out of them (standard loadings) and enjoy like any other revolver. The bad rap, " carry often shoot little" lore, comes from folks overloading them when they first came out and shooting them loose. CA's are not the gun to experiment with over pressure level loadings. Feed it right and they will last longer than most shooters.

Be well folks.
 
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Had an early Undercover bought new back in the mid '70s. First time at the range, using standard velocity ammo, the frame pins started walking out on one side of the gun and the crane screw worked itself loose; so much so that the cylinder was out of alignment and was no longer operable! All this in 50 rounds or less! Fixed the pins and the crane screw but didn't have as much confidence in the gun after that. Started buying used and then new S&W J frames after that and never looked back.
 
Have noticed the cylinder locks and the hands on my two stainless Undercovers are stampings. Compared to my non---CA revolvers, they're very thin. Don't know how well they'd hold up.

OTOH, both revolvers lock up like bank vaults and have excellent triggers. Thinking about it, a thicker lock or hand might wear better, but problems would surface by the time the wear got noticeable.
 
Verify reliability and then just carry it daily and don't shoot it a lot. They will not hold up to use like a S&W. Jeff Cooper said "carry it a lot and shoot it a little". He was right. They are VERY lightly built. I have carried one since 1987 but it has low range hours on it. DO NOT install light springs in one.
 
I like my 38spl undercover, shoots great. But it has a serious issue with the cylinder latch release screw continuing to back in and if I let it go too far it locks the cylinder and I have end up taking the cylinder off. It's a bear to get out with it being locked in place because of the latch screw. And if it does it with unfired ammo, it's not an over safe disassembly. I've tried locktite, clear fingernail polish (my dad's suggestion) and nothing seems to last for more than a couple of range trips, about 100-150 rounds. At the range, I bring a small screwdriver and if the cylinder started getting harder to open, I back out the screw some. I sure wouldn't depend on it for self defense.
 
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That is just another issue with Charter revolvers. EVERY SINGLE threaded fastener WILL loosen from recoil if you shoot it a lot - trust me on this. Loc-tite will help but not eliminate it. All you can do is carry a set of drivers in your range bag and check those screws constantly. This is how I have dealt with these guns. On one of my Charters I thoroughly degreased the threads on that cylinder release screw and placed a drop of red Loc-tite on the threads. This has held up for many years so far. If I ever have to tear it down it will require heat to get the screw to come out but it stays in place now. There's an old adage about Charter revolvers being just like Harley Davidsons. Parts are always vibrating loose and falling off. That's why Harley Davidson's came with a built in tool box for many years. You should carry drivers and watch them screws. FWIW I carried and depended on a Charter for 10 years and I had full faith in it but only because I constantly checked the screws. Forget about checking them and it will come apart.
 
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My grandpa bought a charter undercover in 38 spcl the year I was born 82. And carried it until his death in 2017. Never gave him any trouble. He didn’t shoot any Competitions with it. Just a few box’s every year.
 
My only CA is the stainless 45 Colt, 2.5" BullDog on the XL/PitBull frame. It has swallowed about 500 standard pressure 45Colt loads without any drama or things coming loose. The trigger has definitely improved with use, though it is by no means a target pistol. If they made one with a longer barrel, adjustable sights, or maybe offered one with an extra fitted 45ACP cylinder/crane I would likely buy one. It is quite alot of fun to shoot.
 
I have owned 4 CHARTER ARMS revolvers and my experience is that they are as well designed as a S&W or RUGER, but not overbuilt like the RUGER SP-101. I carried an UNDERCOVER for many years interchangeably with a S&W model 38 BODYGUARD or S&W model 36 CHIEF'S SPECIAL. The real difference as far as I am concerned is with the quality of the trigger pull. I shot my sister in laws UNDERCOVER'S (she has two of them) and the triggers were gritty to the point that I would not have bought them. It used to be, back in the late 1970's, when you bought a CHARTER, the first thing you did was replace the grips and then second was get an action job to smooth the trigger, not lighten it.

I bought a used one about 5 years ago and it is still going strong. The other one was from 27 years ago and it frequently rides in my car.
Due to their light weight, I would avoid the +P loads. They can be a handful to shoot.

Jim
 
I have owned 4 CHARTER ARMS revolvers and my experience is that they are as well designed as a S&W or RUGER, but not overbuilt like the RUGER SP-101. I carried an UNDERCOVER for many years interchangeably with a S&W model 38 BODYGUARD or S&W model 36 CHIEF'S SPECIAL. The real difference as far as I am concerned is with the quality of the trigger pull. I shot my sister in laws UNDERCOVER'S (she has two of them) and the triggers were gritty to the point that I would not have bought them. It used to be, back in the late 1970's, when you bought a CHARTER, the first thing you did was replace the grips and then second was get an action job to smooth the trigger, not lighten it.

I bought a used one about 5 years ago and it is still going strong. The other one was from 27 years ago and it frequently rides in my car.
Due to their light weight, I would avoid the +P loads. They can be a handful to shoot.

Jim

The triggers on my two stainless Undercovers, acquired new in 2019 as I recall, are fantastic. One has a DA pull that equals any Smith I own. Could be CA cleaned up its act...er...triggers.
Bob
 
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