Charter Arms

here are mine, both work great, 44 bulldog and 38 southpaw(left handed) no problems with either, these are the third generation, its the second generation that had all the problems, but these are from the company owned by the son of the original owner charter 002.JPG
 
Brought my bulldog to the range yesterday, say what you will but my little pug ran thru 20 rounds shooting at shotgun hulls without a hitch and 50% hits offhand at 10yds. If I had younger eyes I'm sure I could have done better
 
IMG_5972.jpeg My Bulldog 44 is really Top notch.purchased it 3 years ago .. solid as any
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I have a extra hammer .. I switch it back and forth 🤣
My Pitbull 40 S&W has way to many rounds though it to count … 40 S&W is one of my favorites
I really can’t remember how long I have had it . I purchased it well used …Its on its second set of grips
IMG_9872.jpeg IMG_0295.jpeg
My 45 ACP .. has been a solid performer.. accurate.. great revolver… I do like big bores
This 45 acp weighs only 22 oz
 
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I’m hunting for a Bulldog Classic, but that’s it… hopefully I find one in good shape
 
I have a dozen or so Charter Arms revolvers. About twice that number of S&Ws.

Last two new production S&W revolvers I bought, had to be returned to the factory brand new out of the box. They were that bad. Here's a pic of my latest S&W Model 36 Classic, right out of the box:

IMG_2503.jpeg

In the same time period, I've purchased three brand new Charter Arms. They all work just fine, and without any production flaws:

IMG_1991.jpeg

IMG_2627 (1).jpeg

You cannot buy a new S&W revolver without a personal inspection. Forget ordering online, it's crap shoot. All the above Charters were ordered sight unseen.

A properly made and inspected current production S&W is - depending on model - aesthetically nicer to look at and appears more "finished". The engineering, especially on the Classics, is very good... but QC in Springfield has been falling steadily.

You do get what you pay for when it comes to aesthetics. You will see some tool marks and less-contoured angles on Charters. But they are functional and effective, at less than half the price. The latest Charter revolvers are very good, with tight lockup and good trigger pulls. Most of their models have gone over to aluminium frames, so you are not going to get the same long-term 20-year durability as steel. Yet they are all covered by a lifetime warranty.

You are also not going to find the range of models and calibres in small revolvers from anyone else, eg. .44 Special and .32 H&R Magnum. I personally prefer the grip frame shape on the Charters to the S&W J frames.
 
I bought a charter arms Pink Lady about a year ago. It went back to the factory twice (once right out of the box) and they finally replaced it with a new one.

I just bought this Smith and Wesson, and while it was a few $100 more than the charter arms version it shows far more quality and craftsmanship.

I've owned 6 charter arm revolvers in my lifetime. Two were very good (3" pathfinder .22lr. and a blued off duty .38) absolute gems. One was okay a once the company fixed it (3" Bulldog. 44 Bridgeport built) and three were embarrassments to the name (two Bulldog 44s) though one was a charco, and the Pink lady. 38.

To me charter arms is the company that you want to love but end up disappointed in. I am done putting my money on them.
 

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Boom Vang said:
I have a dozen or so Charter Arms revolvers. About twice that number of S&Ws.

Last two new production S&W revolvers I bought, had to be returned to the factory brand new out of the box. They were that bad. Here's a pic of my latest S&W Model 36 Classic, right out of the box:

View attachment 1173250

In the same time period, I've purchased three brand new Charter Arms. They all work just fine, and without any production flaws:

View attachment 1173248

View attachment 1173251

You cannot buy a new S&W revolver without a personal inspection. Forget ordering online, it's crap shoot. All the above Charters were ordered sight unseen.

A properly made and inspected current production S&W is - depending on model - aesthetically nicer to look at and appears more "finished". The engineering, especially on the Classics, is very good... but QC in Springfield has been falling steadily.

You do get what you pay for when it comes to aesthetics. You will see some tool marks and less-contoured angles on Charters. But they are functional and effective, at less than half the price. The latest Charter revolvers are very good, with tight lockup and good trigger pulls. Most of their models have gone over to aluminium frames, so you are not going to get the same long-term 20-year durability as steel. Yet they are all covered by a lifetime warranty.

You are also not going to find the range of models and calibres in small revolvers from anyone else, eg. .44 Special and .32 H&R Magnum. I personally prefer the grip frame shape on the Charters to the S&W J frames.
Click to expand...
I ordered all of my 4 S&W revolvers online. I guess I got lucky, or maybe if I let some of the people on gun forums inspect them, they could find problems I don't see. IDK... I do hear a lot of QC complaints about those who purchased their S&W revolvers brand new, so I wonder if I'm just lucky or not. Then on the otherhand, lots of people (the majority) swear by S&W revolvers old and new above all others.

As fat as Charter Arms go, this thread has scared me away from them. I see a some good experiences, but the majority of experiences from those who still own them for a while or those who just purchased them brand new seem to be negative. 🙁
 
My LGS has had an old Stratford stainless "undercover" 2" model for quite a while. It's marked $400+ and I considered it until he showed me a pre model 10 snub.
 
In the 20+ years I have been frequenting gun forums I have heard a lot of negative things all those years about Charters. But the sell guns and stay in business. I have old 3 inch Bulldogs to newer 44's with no issues. They are easily worth their price point. They could finish them better and upgrade their parts but most probably wouldn't want to spend 1-2 hundred more for them. With all the ramping up manufacturers have done these past few years making errors is just a part of increased manufacturing. Same thing happens in every industry.
 
balin said:
In the 20+ years I have been frequenting gun forums I have heard a lot of negative things all those years about Charters. But the sell guns and stay in business. I have old 3 inch Bulldogs to newer 44's with no issues. They are easily worth their price point. They could finish them better and upgrade their parts but most probably wouldn't want to spend 1-2 hundred more for them. With all the ramping up manufacturers have done these past few years making errors is just a part of increased manufacturing. Same thing happens in every industry.
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It's not about ramping up, it's about meeting demand and dealing with high turnover rates. Charter's biggest competition is Taurus and the biggest selling point is Made in USA, the problem is Charter's quality is inferior to Taurus and apparently the turnaround time for repairs is reaching old Taurus levels all on a product (the revolver) which has quickly gone out of fashion the last 10-20 years.

Charter is in a real pickle.
 
stonebuster said:
My LGS has had an old Stratford stainless "undercover" 2" model for quite a while. It's marked $400+ and I considered it until he showed me a pre model 10 snub.
Click to expand...
$400 is too much for a used CA. A local shop has a used CA for $295 and one for $265. I was looking for an older one without the ramp front sight, being I have a factory spurless hammer for one. Unfortunately the one I wanted had a huge scratch on the left side.
 
Styx said:
What's the consensus on Charter Arms revolvers? Good or bad?
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I tried a CA Bulldog made in Sheldon, it was a POS I sent it back to CA. CA sent me back the same POS I'm done with Charter Arms:thumbdown:
With me you get one chance to make it right, if you screw that up I'm done with you.
 
I am certainly no expert on the newer ones but I have 1 Bridgeport, 3 Stratford’s and one Shelton. They have all been perfect. I carry one twice a day walking the dog. It’s just hard beating a 19.5 oz. 44 Special. Nothing else on the market like it!
 
I have a Undercover Lite 38 Special that's my bedside and around the yard gun. Had it for several years, and the only problem I had with mine was after about a box of rounds, it started to have light strike problems. I ordered a new hammer spring, and the problem was fixed. I hand load for the 38, and mostly use wad cutter or SWC bullets. I take it out once in a while and shoot a few rounds to familiarize my self with the trigger.Not sure about the new ones, but mine has an aluminum frame. Not polymer! It's not a target gun, but dependable for up close SD.
 
TTv2 said:
It's not about ramping up, it's about meeting demand and dealing with high turnover rates. Charter's biggest competition is Taurus and the biggest selling point is Made in USA, the problem is Charter's quality is inferior to Taurus and apparently the turnaround time for repairs is reaching old Taurus levels all on a product (the revolver) which has quickly gone out of fashion the last 10-20 years.

Charter is in a real pickle.
Click to expand...
For the last few years there has been far more demand then production capabilities. And every commercial firearms manufacturer has been ramping up production. The number of sales has been higher then years past. After decades of working in manufacturing I see the same thing in every industry. Accelerating production leads to increased errors being made. And the acceptable amount of errors goes up as the profits role in as it is deemed worth it.
 
Boom Vang said:
Last two new production S&W revolvers I bought, had to be returned to the factory brand new out of the box.
Click to expand...
I bought a Pitbull in .380 – it felt cheap, flimsy, and poorly made.

I got rid of it as soon as I could.

I also had two Smith revolvers that needed to be sent back straight out of the box.

But what I got back were two revolvers that felt well made, robust, strong, and reliable.
 
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