AZAndy
Member
Before I start, I should mention that I've never owned or even examined a Charter Arms revolver before. Thus, some of the stuff I have to say will already be well-known to CA fans. I'd always been a bit leery of the brand because of the low price and a few disparaging comments on this and other sites, so I never even asked to see one at a gun shop. Since the bad stuff I'd read and heard about Taurus turned out to be true with my first one of those, I figured I'd just stay away.
And then the .32 H&R Fans Rejoice thread happened. It mentioned that CA was announcing a 7-shot .32 Magnum, and that got my interest. I have an inexplicable love for .32 Long and have been wanting to do some hot-ish loads in that chambering, so I had the idea of the new revolver percolating in the back of my mind. As I kept an eye on the thread, some troubles cropped up here and there with new adopters, so I decided to wait a bit.
Something reminded me a few days ago of my slumbering interest, so I ordered one through Davidson's last Saturday. It arrived at the shop this morning, so here it is:
Details: Postal scale says this is 21 ounces unloaded. DA is 11 pounds, SA is 5. Cylinder gap is .004". 3" barrel, 7 round capacity, nitride finish. MSRP is $438, and through Davidson's and a local shop it was $377.86 (not including sales tax.) Fiber optic front, channel and slot rear.
I'll get a range report up tomorrow, but without having fired it, I can make a few observations.
-- The trigger is really pretty good. A little stacking at the end of the travel, but fairly even and smooth. The DA isn't any stiffer than new S&W J-Frames I've bought. The face of the trigger is grooved, which I'm not a fan of, but the ridges are smooth enough that it doesn't give me any trouble. The face is wide enough to be quite comfortable, to me.
-- Fitting is much better than I expected after having read some "this is junk" comments about CA. Lockup is quite tight, no endshake, and no more wobble than a new S&W or Ruger would have. No gaps in the grip.
--Bore looks good, with nice sharp-edged rifling. An even number of lands (8), so if I have to slug it, it'll be easy.
-- Finish isn't 100% perfect, as there's a little wear streak at the top of the yoke and a tiny burr there, but that'll smooth off in ten seconds with an Arkansas stone. I don't see any other flaws. Whether the finish can stand up to holster wear remains to be seen. No sharp spots with a well-done rounding of edges.
-- The grip: when I looked at photos of this gun here and there, I was pretty sure that the grip would have to go. I was wrong. I thought the "shelf" at the top would make my usual folded-thumb grip uncomfortable, but it doesn't stick out as much as the photos make it seem. It's slender enough for my medium-sized hands, with a nice palm swell for a solid feel in the hand. The finger contours fit my hand okay, though if you have really skinny or heavy fingers, they might not for you.
-- CA fans already know this, but I was pleased to see that the cylinder rotates inward, Colt-style. Not that it makes a big difference, but it's a nice touch.
Overall, I'm impressed with this fellow, especially at this price. I didn't expect such a nice solid feel, and crisp action, from a bargain revolver. I think it looks good; the full underlug is nice, as is the curve below the muzzle.
I already had a couple of holsters that fit it just fine; one was for a Kimber K6 and the other for a Ruger SP101. That should give you an idea of the frame size if you haven't encountered this size Charter before.
And then the .32 H&R Fans Rejoice thread happened. It mentioned that CA was announcing a 7-shot .32 Magnum, and that got my interest. I have an inexplicable love for .32 Long and have been wanting to do some hot-ish loads in that chambering, so I had the idea of the new revolver percolating in the back of my mind. As I kept an eye on the thread, some troubles cropped up here and there with new adopters, so I decided to wait a bit.
Something reminded me a few days ago of my slumbering interest, so I ordered one through Davidson's last Saturday. It arrived at the shop this morning, so here it is:
Details: Postal scale says this is 21 ounces unloaded. DA is 11 pounds, SA is 5. Cylinder gap is .004". 3" barrel, 7 round capacity, nitride finish. MSRP is $438, and through Davidson's and a local shop it was $377.86 (not including sales tax.) Fiber optic front, channel and slot rear.
I'll get a range report up tomorrow, but without having fired it, I can make a few observations.
-- The trigger is really pretty good. A little stacking at the end of the travel, but fairly even and smooth. The DA isn't any stiffer than new S&W J-Frames I've bought. The face of the trigger is grooved, which I'm not a fan of, but the ridges are smooth enough that it doesn't give me any trouble. The face is wide enough to be quite comfortable, to me.
-- Fitting is much better than I expected after having read some "this is junk" comments about CA. Lockup is quite tight, no endshake, and no more wobble than a new S&W or Ruger would have. No gaps in the grip.
--Bore looks good, with nice sharp-edged rifling. An even number of lands (8), so if I have to slug it, it'll be easy.
-- Finish isn't 100% perfect, as there's a little wear streak at the top of the yoke and a tiny burr there, but that'll smooth off in ten seconds with an Arkansas stone. I don't see any other flaws. Whether the finish can stand up to holster wear remains to be seen. No sharp spots with a well-done rounding of edges.
-- The grip: when I looked at photos of this gun here and there, I was pretty sure that the grip would have to go. I was wrong. I thought the "shelf" at the top would make my usual folded-thumb grip uncomfortable, but it doesn't stick out as much as the photos make it seem. It's slender enough for my medium-sized hands, with a nice palm swell for a solid feel in the hand. The finger contours fit my hand okay, though if you have really skinny or heavy fingers, they might not for you.
-- CA fans already know this, but I was pleased to see that the cylinder rotates inward, Colt-style. Not that it makes a big difference, but it's a nice touch.
Overall, I'm impressed with this fellow, especially at this price. I didn't expect such a nice solid feel, and crisp action, from a bargain revolver. I think it looks good; the full underlug is nice, as is the curve below the muzzle.
I already had a couple of holsters that fit it just fine; one was for a Kimber K6 and the other for a Ruger SP101. That should give you an idea of the frame size if you haven't encountered this size Charter before.
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