Charter Arms quality

I was given the OK to send it in (on my dime) for inspection.
 
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Threads like this are worth a thousand positive mentions by gunwriters and youtube personalities. Since the beginning of time, you get what you pay for actually means something, as a rule.

I am of the opinion that initial quality is my number one build concern and I'm willing (and fortunately, able) to pay up for that. Anyone can have a problem and backing it up with support is ok, but I'd much rather get it right first. To be fair to the lower-priced makers, they provide something affordable for those who need that. And they also compete by providing variations that others do not.

I've gone down the lower priced road on a few things, and I am glad they are available. But I want my guns to run like my toyota corolla. Not fancy, not cheap, not expensive, but pretty much solid and problem free from the get go.
 
unclenunzie said:
Threads like this are worth a thousand positive mentions by gunwriters and youtube personalities. Since the beginning of time, you get what you pay for actually means something, as a rule.

I am of the opinion that initial quality is my number one build concern and I'm willing (and fortunately, able) to pay up for that. Anyone can have a problem and backing it up with support is ok, but I'd much rather get it right first. To be fair to the lower-priced makers, they provide something affordable for those who need that. And they also compete by providing variations that others do not.

I've gone down the lower priced road on a few things, and I am glad they are available. But I want my guns to run like my toyota corolla. Not fancy, not cheap, not expensive, but pretty much solid and problem free from the get go.
Click to expand...

S&W 642 goes for about the same msrp as this Charter arms, but it isn't offered in pink nor does CT make pink laser grips for it. This was a gift for a female new shooter so cuteness mattered.
 
I'd be inclined to get it fixed and get rid of it. They put out a problem gun and they are to cheap to pay to have it shipped back to them? I got a Taurus that had a problem but at least they covered the shipping both ways.
 
I've purchased four in the past eight years or so? I guess one every two years, roughly. I bought all of them due to caliber.

32 H&R magnum (pink) - bought it used, no problems, good revolver for that caliber

44 special (shrouded hammer) - bought it used, no problems, carried it often for a while (due to wardrobe)

45auto - bought it used, had to go back to Charter, they fixed it and it's been fine since (just a range toy, though)

22lr - bought it new, had to go back to Charter, they "fixed it" not to my satisfaction, need to send it back to them when I get around to it

I've really liked the ones that work properly.

Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special

Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special

 
Tallball: That .44 special bulldog with the shrouded hammer looks like a really practical gun. That’s the one they keeps grabbing my attention.

I’m seems the consensus here is if you do buy charter arms get one of their steel models. It also seems like the Bull Dogs and their larger frame revolvers have “less” problems.

How are you going to ship the gun back? I haven’t shipped a hand gun in 10 years but when I did it was a huge pain in the ass.

Thanks,

Dan
 
My gun is packaged up at the local gun store for shipment back to charter today.

What I find ashamed is that with charter arms if you get a good gun you get a good gun and if you don't there's no way around it you simply don't. What I mean by that is that if there's a problem with the gun they try to fix it but it never is quite right.

With my gun what I believe is a crack in the frame means essentially a new gun. This means I have to pay FFL transfer fees again. And that means a whole new role of the dice on a whole plathora of potential problems. Or I might get one of their rare gems.
 
I have considered a Charter Arms revolver or two over the years but always ended up passing for something else. After this thread I am glad I went different directions. Even with the top end manufactures not every gun is going to be perfect but the design of the revolver shown "Pinky" doesn't look up to snuff to me. Where the frame cracked on Pinky looks like a weak spot in the design to me. It also looks like the top of the barrel is starting to pull away from the frame. I can see just a bit of a crescent shaped gap forming there.

I don't own any aluminum / titanium revolvers, is it common for the whole cylinder to be pushed back like that to the point that the ratchet on the cylinder imprints into the frame? My steel revolver don't do this... but I am no revolver expert.
 
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I have owned 2 bulldogs, 1 Bridgeport undercover and two other undercovers. No Charco's though. The only trouble I ever had was someone always wanted them more than I did.
 
I had a 357 charter 2000, my first revolver. Great customer service, but... they replaced my barrel and it shot worse when it came back, traded it off immediately. good luck I hope it comes back shooting great.
 
Emailed for an update. they've had it since May 22nd.
 
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unclenunzie said:
Threads like this are worth a thousand positive mentions by gunwriters and youtube personalities. Since the beginning of time, you get what you pay for actually means something, as a rule.

I am of the opinion that initial quality is my number one build concern and I'm willing (and fortunately, able) to pay up for that. Anyone can have a problem and backing it up with support is ok, but I'd much rather get it right first. To be fair to the lower-priced makers, they provide something affordable for those who need that. And they also compete by providing variations that others do not.

I've gone down the lower priced road on a few things, and I am glad they are available. But I want my guns to run like my toyota corolla. Not fancy, not cheap, not expensive, but pretty much solid and problem free from the get go.
Click to expand...
The variety of what they make does give Charter an edge and they're able to do that because unlike other revolver makers, all Charter makes is revolvers.

The reason I bought their 7 shot .32 Mag Professional? Nobody else is making a 7 shot .32 DA revolver. The reason I have an interest in their snubs with shrouded hammers? Charter is the only company making them at a price point below S&W, I just wish they would offer them in more calibers as then I'd buy one in .45 Colt.

The .357's I bought were older models from the 80s that I got because I didn't have any .357's at the time and was more interested in lightweight 5 shots, so that eliminated the SP101 at the time and Taurus wasn't on my radar then. If given the choice between a new Charter and new Taurus 5 shot .357, I would go Taurus, but the Stratford Charters are not bad at all.

I use to be a bigger fan of Charter, but the quality issues have driven me away from them and what they currently make doesn't interest me.
 
I've had a couple of the Stratford made ones that seemed to be pretty good though I never was real keen on some parts of them. Some of the later made ones reminded me of the pot metal cap pistols I had back in the late 1950's up into the 1960's growing up. Actually some of those cap pistol might have been a little better quality.
 
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