I have always been a revolver guy, until right after I got my ccp. I went looking for a small 357 as I've always shot and open carried larger 357. the deal at my shop was too good on the Nano to pass up so I bought two back in February for $279 otd each. they have been great with all ammo, so good that a friend of mine who's also been a revolver guy bought one. his too has been great but the other day he was offered either a charter arms 9mm or charter 357 both snubs for his Nano and he is thinking on it. the charters looks good and has about 50rds thru them, his nano about 100rds. what do ya'll think of this deal?, and if you did trade which would you trade for? after shooting the snub 357 i'm glad i got the nano as they are not like the larger frames for sure. myself, i have already told him i wouldn't trade but he wanted other opinions. i figured if it ain't broke don't fix it, he has a reliable gun don't part with it. thanks
Nano for Charter arms?
- Thread starter old fart
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ivankerley
Member
im a revolver guy at heart, ive always wanted a charter bulldog in .44 that being said ive read alot of QC concerns about charter throught the years, though if im reading yer post correctly 2 charters for one nano might be something id take a chance on if the revolvers checked out in person, not a fan of the pocket automatics so much myself
so yeah if it was 2 fer 1 i myself might roll the dice and do it
best of luck
gene
so yeah if it was 2 fer 1 i myself might roll the dice and do it
best of luck
gene
ivankerley
Member
then that's not such an easy choice, if the revolver checked out I still might do it as I said I'm not much for the smaller autos, personally I go the 357 route
though I've read the 9mm charters are fairly sought after, dunno
imagine fit and finish on the charter is gonna be noticeably rougher than a berreta, only handled a few berretas but both were nice pistols
gene
though I've read the 9mm charters are fairly sought after, dunno
imagine fit and finish on the charter is gonna be noticeably rougher than a berreta, only handled a few berretas but both were nice pistols
gene
Lord Teapot
Member
i'd never trade a Beretta for a charter, anything. if the charter was in .44 or higher and the beretta was a .22, i might consider it. too many horror stories of charter arms products failing to function.
The current Charter Arms are fine revolvers. Carried a Bulldog as my EDC for a year without issue. Check out Hickock45s review of it. U.S. made with a lifetime warranty.
The only reason I don't have it anymore is that I found my S&W Model 69 carried just as comfortably all day, I felt it was redundant and used it as part of a trade.
The only reason I don't have it anymore is that I found my S&W Model 69 carried just as comfortably all day, I felt it was redundant and used it as part of a trade.
xxjumbojimboxx
Member
Yeah that charter 9 would fetch 350 minimum around here. 9mm revolvers are few and far between. That said, I despise the nano. Tell your buddy to make the trade!
bannockburn
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I looked at the Nano and the CM9 at the same time and liked the CM9 so much more. Not a big Charter Arms fan as I greatly prefer S&W revolvers. Tell your friend to go with what feels and works best for him.
Well Jeff went and traded the Nano for the Charter 9mm and bought the Charter 357 this morning. the guy didn't want to come out to my place to shoot them so he just met the guy in town and done the deal. so Jeff comes down and we go out back to check them out good. The good news: the guns looked great, thats it. the bad news: the 357 shot a foot low at 10yds we had to point the barrel up above the target to hit anywhere close, it did shoot good groups if we held the same sight picture though. it spit lead fragments and when i checked alignment, the cylinder holes were off slightly with cone on lockup. The 9mm shot true to sights but would only work if the hammer was cocked extremly slowly both in single and double action, if it was tried in normal motion to cock, the cylinder would not rotate completely and a turn with your hand was required to lock it up. he contacted Charter and they will fix them but he has to pay to ship them since he didn't buy them new. he is now without a carry gun, but if they get fixed maybe he will have two good ones. I wished he had listen to me as i too have made bad trades and have finally decided if it broke don't fix it. I too wanted a revolver for my ccw but with my Nano working great I ain't going to mess with it. thought I would update, thanks.
MICHAEL T
Member
Charter will repair them and he will have 2 good pistols.
JERRY
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if its a gun for gun trade, I'd only do so if I could fire some rounds in the Charter Arms first. I have a bulldog .44 and its a keeper, but even with good customer service, I'd rather not have to go through the frustration of sending it to the factory and hoping the problem(s) are corrected when it returns.
Zendude
Member
I would have traded for the 357. Revolvers that fire rimless ammo are a bit quirky by nature. Recent Charters are quality firearms. The Charter 32 H&R mag that I bought new last year has been absolutely trouble free. I've got over 1,000 rounds through it and no sign of it getting loose or any other problems.
Buying a used gun is always somewhat of a risk though.
Buying a used gun is always somewhat of a risk though.
Lord Teapot
Member
on the bright side your buddy, and you, now know first hand how bad charter products are so you'll never waste money or time on them again
i made the same mistake on taurus some years ago, never again.
FireInCairo
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- 710
I'm convinced that a Beretta Nano that eats ammo reliably is the best concealed carry choice out there.
IMO&E - no comparison between Beretta and Charter. After YEARS of wanting one, looking and waiting, I finally bought a new, CA Bulldog Classic. There were issues with QC. I contacted CA and never even got a response. In fairness, the gun shoots well enough, but: I had to repair it to function; I had to fit the stocks so they didn't wiggle; the bore is the absolute nastiest of all the guns I own; I had to file down and re-blue a badly pitted front sight; and there are inconsistencies on the finish.
I called CA and was told to send an email with pics - which I did - and I never even got the courtesy of a response. I'm in manufacturing and IMO, the QC issues in a modern manufactured product at this price point is inexcusable.
It's too bad because IMO the design and engineering in CA is fine, and - it's American made. But the 1/2-assed QC is unpardonable at their price point. Frankly, I'd be embarrassed to send out such a product.
I called CA and was told to send an email with pics - which I did - and I never even got the courtesy of a response. I'm in manufacturing and IMO, the QC issues in a modern manufactured product at this price point is inexcusable.
It's too bad because IMO the design and engineering in CA is fine, and - it's American made. But the 1/2-assed QC is unpardonable at their price point. Frankly, I'd be embarrassed to send out such a product.
ThomasT
Member
Well now you know why he didn't want to go to your place and shoot them.
MachIVshooter
Member
Well, that sucks. I have a 2013 manufacture bulldog .44, which has been fantastic. Charter is generally reputed to have been good since the ownership change a few years back, but maybe not 100%.
OTOH, maybe dude was playing hollywood with them, spinning cylinders and slapping them shut. That'll eff up most any revolver in short order; bent cranes, damaged hands and cylinder stops, etc.
OTOH, maybe dude was playing hollywood with them, spinning cylinders and slapping them shut. That'll eff up most any revolver in short order; bent cranes, damaged hands and cylinder stops, etc.
I was beginning to wonder what he had done to damage a revolver to cause such poor performance and odd shooting characteristics? If you are only paying for the shipping, I think that, comparatively speaking, you'll likely be "getting off light". (I know this is little consolation, considering the value of the Beretta Nano).
I am firmly convinced that Nick Ecker will correct the problems you are experiencing with the Bulldog Pug, and you will have a pair of excellent revolvers that will be more than "up to the task" when called upon to bring an altercation to an abrupt stop.
All the best, and let us know when you have the revolvers in hand.
Good luck and my God bless.
weblance
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- Sep 15, 2011
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- 912
I wonder why Charter continues to put that ridiculously tall front sight on the fixed sight snubs? My Bulldog, Police Undercover, and Pathfinder snub all have a tall front sight that causes them to shoot low if a proper sight alignment is used. I sent the Pathfinder in for this reason, and it came back with the front sight shaved down so much, its almost gone. It does shoot to point of aim now, but its just not an elegant solution. When I shoot the Bulldog, or Police Undercover, I use a sight picture where half the front sight is above the rear sight line. It works ok like this, but inexperienced shooters think the guns shoot low because of a mechanical fault.
My 9mm Pitbull has a much lower front sight, and shoots perfectly to point of aim.
My 9mm Pitbull has a much lower front sight, and shoots perfectly to point of aim.
Hondo 60
Member
The current Charters are of good QC.
The stuff from 5-10 years ago, were iffy at best.
I bought a .38 Spl about 7 years ago.
BUT - after a trip back to the mother ship about 2 years ago, it's FAR & AWAY BETTER than it was when it was new.
Charter has made a believer of me.
The stuff from 5-10 years ago, were iffy at best.
I bought a .38 Spl about 7 years ago.
BUT - after a trip back to the mother ship about 2 years ago, it's FAR & AWAY BETTER than it was when it was new.
Charter has made a believer of me.
Cocked & Locked
Member
I've got three Charter Arms revolvers...a first generation Undercover .38, .22 Pathfinder, and new Bulldog .44. No problems with them here.
I'd much rather carry a gun named a Bulldog than one called a Nano.
215 grain wadcutters
I'd much rather carry a gun named a Bulldog than one called a Nano.
215 grain wadcutters
If you're going to go with a Charter go with either .38 Spl. or .44 Spl. Any magnum load in a Charter will beat it to death quickly and teach you to flinch really badly. Don't even think about using any type of +P loads in a Charter. You probably won't blow it up but it won't last long. I have been carrying and working on Charter revolvers since 1987. They are not in the same class as S&W or Ruger but they are affordable and give good service if sensible loads are used. The wadcutter load shown above is a VERY good load in a .44 Spl. snub. I was amazed when I tested them on soft targets.
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