Charter 32HR 6 shot #73220

Im a HUGE Charter Fan .. most people know that here … I had contacted Charter probably 5 years ago .. asking for a 6 shot 32 H&R Undercoverette
And now they have it … and Im not buying

I really have zero patience… reason I like revolvers are they are stone cold reliable … and I just don’t see it with the newest production Charters
I purchased a Charter Bulldog 44 about 2 years ago
Actually a well made revolver.. I have had limited range time .. due to ammo shortage and health problems… health is great .. ammo isn’t now . But it will be about 1 year or so till I get another Charter .. hopefully they will have their ducks in a row

Honestly.. you can’t fix a problem unless you admit you have a problem…. Taurus has done that …
( sorta)
 
I love a good solid inexpensive pistol. I have had more problems getting a Colt Defender fixed than a Taurus 24/7 I had.

One thing I like about CA is that they actually fix and item and they tell you. The past seven Ruger LCP/LCP Max/LITE RACKs that has to be sent back from LGS all came back with the same letter, “replaced slide, barrel, and RSA. Shot 21 rounds test fired. Here is a complimentary gun cleaned rag.” And all had different problems. Must be a from letter they just print off and send in. With that said, I did just put a 7 shot GP100 4” in layaway. So Ruger does allow a diamond to slip through now and then.

I think I may take a chance on a CA in the next month or so. I’m really liking their Boxer, size shot 38. And always liked their UCs.
 
blue32 said:
.... good luck.
Click to expand...

I know, but I feel that way with any Ruger and Taurus these days too. But then higher end revolvers are starting to show up too. I just picked up a Kimber K6s and 7 shot GP100. Getting a Kimber K6 Target when it ships to my LGS. So might just stick to my SW Airweights as my cheaper options.
 
I received the heavier green mainspring from Charter last week but have only recently had time to shoot. Feels noticeably heavier but not enough to shake the sight picture. I loaded up another 90 rounds and headed out today.

Of the first 90 rounds, 34 ftf on first strike. 62% reliability.
Of those 34, 17 ftf on second strike. 50% reliability.
Of those 17, 6 ftf on third strike. 65% reliability.
Of those 6, 2 ftf on fourth strike. 67% reliability.
Of those 2, both finally fired on the fifth strike.

The rounds that fire are showing a discernable difference on the primers from the ones which are light strikes. I feel like sending the gun back to Charter a second time would be a wasted effort, and have since requested email notifications on numerous sites that list Federal CHR32A and CHR32B. I'll figure this thing out eventually. On the good side, the revolver is accurate and fun to shoot. After 260 rounds, I've learned where to hold and don't think filing the front sight will be necessary.

On the other hand, if anyone on this board has influence at Smith & Wesson, now would be a great time to reintroduce the 431PD/432.
 
blue32 said:
90 rounds later...

I'll start with the good: Feels really great in the hand and shoots well (when it shoots). I was able to shoot three rounds in a row in DA on two separate cylinders. Oh and the trigger doesn't bind anymore. This gun is a great training aid to see if you're flinching.

The bad:
View attachment 1083878
Sometimes it would shoot one.

View attachment 1083879
Sometimes it would shoot none.

It actually achieved less than 50% and while I didn't count, I would believe 40% - and that's being generous. On the way home I considered buying a box of the ammo Charter used for testing but came to the realization that a gun that only shoots factory ammo isn't going to work for me. Please understand I'm not bashing Charter but as one who reloads in order to be able to afford shooting, this isn't acceptable. I'll reach out and see if they'd be willing to ship me a mainspring. If that doesn't work I'm afraid I will be up the creek on this one.

* They are shipping a stronger mainspring.
Click to expand...
Just looking at the picture that's not a mainspring issue that gun is out of specs regarding alignment the cylinder is not properly lined up against the recoil plate (back of the frame) which is why you get light primer strikes and solid primer strikes in the same cylinder full.
 
JERRY said:
Just looking at the picture that's not a mainspring issue that gun is out of specs regarding alignment the cylinder is not properly lined up against the recoil plate (back of the frame) which is why you get light primer strikes and solid primer strikes in the same cylinder full.
Click to expand...

Passes dime test as best as I can tell. I'm not seeing the misalignment of the cylinder to the recoil shield you describe.
 
Is there any endshake with the cylinder? The space between the frame and back of cylinder might be too much. I had an Undercoverette repaired for misfires a few years ago (after several thousand rounds) and that was the issue.
Another thing I’ve noticed when I had light strikes/misfires is that they occurred exclusively with CCI primers. Win, Rem, Federal, and S&B were fine.
 
Just for grins I tested some CCI primers in my CA-ett this morning. First pic are CCI 550, small pistol magnum, all were struck well and fired on the first DA hit. The second pic are CCI 450, small rifle magnum and only the center primer fired on the first DA hit. The other two took 3-4 SA hits but finally went off. The pistol has the original blue hammer spring. I also took a pic of the firing pin protrusion to compare with your pistol blue32. Could also take measurements of the pin protrusion and the head-spacing if you'd like.

spm.jpg srm.jpg pin.jpg
 
Thanks guys. CCI is all I have. I have no way of measuring headspace. I'm going to step away from this one for a while until I can get some factory ammo. May have to wash my hands of Charter altogether.
 
blue32 said:
Thanks guys. CCI is all I have. I have no way of measuring headspace. I'm going to step away from this one for a while until I can get some factory ammo. May have to wash my hands of Charter altogether.
Click to expand...

Ok, so that I get this right: the problem is NOT with factory ammo? I am of the carry a lot, don't shoot near enough group of folks so I just use factory ammo and spend the extra coin. Mostly S&B WC finished with one cylinder of my carry ammo (GA Arms 32 H&R 100gr). So far I have not had problems but these post have made me wary of carrying the U'rette. Would love to though since the 3oz less than the LCR make a difference pocket carrying - especially in the lower pocket of cargo shorts.
 
axman64 said:
Ok, so that I get this right: the problem is NOT with factory ammo? I am of the carry a lot, don't shoot near enough group of folks so I just use factory ammo and spend the extra coin. Mostly S&B WC finished with one cylinder of my carry ammo (GA Arms 32 H&R 100gr). So far I have not had problems but these post have made me wary of carrying the U'rette. Would love to though since the 3oz less than the LCR make a difference pocket carrying - especially in the lower pocket of cargo shorts.
Click to expand...
you have to wonder why S&W and Ruger aren't having the same problems with whatever primers...
 
While I'm thinking about it - suppose it is endshake. I haven't seen any bearings that are advertised as compatible for Charter. Where would I get those?
 
Another thought - What do the primer strikes on the brass that Charter test fired look like? Is it similar to what the strikes look like on your ammo?
 
chicharrones said:
That's really bad news @blue32 . I'm blessed that mine is working (for now), but I feel like the current Charter Arms folks just can't make a good gun. No matter how nice those folks may be and how easily they take a gun back for repair, their reputation as a gun maker is not impressive at all.

Color me full of regret that I didn't buy something else. I'll shoot my Undercoverette sparingly, which isn't a hard thing to do considering the lack of ammo availability.
Click to expand...
My feelings as well. I REALLY want to be a customer of theirs but I’ve had too many issues.
 
CA longs on the right. My CCIs on the left (when they do fire on the first strike).
IMG_0418.jpg

These are my rounds that have only been struck once and did not fire.
IMG_0411.jpg
 
keeping this Charter Arms saga going.... I've found that the ejector rod will unscrew itself and not allow the cylinder to close all the way and bind up the gun. I've tightened it by hand but will put a drop of blue locktight on it soon.
so the legacy holds true with Charter Arms shooting themselves loose. check ALL those screws after and before every range trip.
 
My thumbpeice screw has that problem. I was able to get 2 boxes of the ammo CA used to test my gun and might be making an over priced primer purchase if it works.
 
My Bulldog needs to be checked every cleaning, its a recoil thing. My Professional .32 does not have an issue. I do have a 629 that will loosen up at the cylinder latch after a good workout. It is what it is.
 
So I put 50 rounds of Magtech 98 WC factory ammo through the gun today with the lighter blue spring. Only four failures to fire. They all went on the second strike. I switched to the heavier green spring on the second 50 round box and experienced twice as many failures to fire. I went back to the blue spring in the middle of the second box and had another two failures to fire in just as many cylinders.

A sub-$400, light and small six shot 32 HR. I completely fell for it. You probably shouldn't.
 
blue32 said:
So I put 50 rounds of Magtech 98 WC factory ammo through the gun today with the lighter blue spring. Only four failures to fire. They all went on the second strike. I switched to the heavier green spring on the second 50 round box and experienced twice as many failures to fire. I went back to the blue spring in the middle of the second box and had another two failures to fire in just as many cylinders.

A sub-$400, light and small six shot 32 HR. I completely fell for it. You probably shouldn't.
Click to expand...

its not the spring or all rounds would have light primer strikes. in one cylinder full half had good strikes half had shallow strikes. that indicates that something it not properly fitted/machined/lined up right.
 
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