What's the dirt on Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull?

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Orion8472

Orion8472

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As the Title states, what is the dirt on the Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull? Are they okay? Is there anything that I should know about it? There's a used one at a local FFL for $440.....has walnut grips.

I'm guessing that 9mm is more snappy than a 38 Special round.
 
Compared to the Ruger LCR, I believe you'll find fewer instances of that crimp jumping.

However, the way the Pitbull extracts the empty brass leaves me to believe that they will not hold up to frequent shooting and that's fine because they were intended as a backup or off duty carry gun.

If you want a shooter's 9mm revolver, best to look at Ruger's convertible Blackhawk or the S&W offerings.
 
Pokajabba,....I think I know what you mean,....and I think I may agree. It looks like the only way it pulls the empty casings out is by those tiny little nubs that hold the casing in the chambers in the first place. Very little to grab on and potentially a point of failure.

What do you mean by crimp jumping? More or less likely with the Charger Arms?

I may take a look at the blackhawk convertable. Thanks!
 
Make sure it's chambered for 9mm Parabellum. There once was a 9mm Pitbull chambered for 9mm FEDERAL, a rimmed version of the 9mm Para. Ammo for it is nearly nonexistent.
 
Orion8472 said:
What do you mean by crimp jumping? More or less likely with the Charger Arms?

I may take a look at the blackhawk convertable. Thanks!
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In regards to crimp jump,,,

Under recoil, the bullet can creep out of the shell. This can and does happen with rimmed or rimless rounds but is more common on rimless rounds because of the type/lack of crimp.

As the recoil occurs, it pulls back on the shell and the bullet wants to stay in one spot. Kind of like when you stomp on the throttle of you car. The car/seat pulls your body forward but your head wants to stay in 1 place.

Ruger has said try a lighter weight bullet because it will want to move with the shell easier. Some have reported that heavier bullets seems to have less bullet creep as there is more surface for the shells neck tension to hold onto.

Others have said while all rounds will do this to some degree, they have mainly had a problem with Federal 9mm in general.

The charter is a bit heavier than the LCR and therefore have less recoil. The issue seems to be more common with the lighter weight guns.

The Blackhawk, being much heavier, should cause it the least.
 
danez71, that was a rather thorough post. I understand the concept much better now.

Thank you, sir! :)
 
No problem Orion. I'm glad it helped.

Hopefully I'll be able to test this out myself soon. I've been reading up on it so it's fresh on my mind.

I'm also curious if/how much difference a tight grip vs looser grip would make.
 
In regards to crimp jump,,,
The Blackhawk, being much heavier, should cause it the least.
Click to expand...

The S&W 929 is heavier than some Blackhawks, a few ounces lighter than the longest barreled version, but the 929 has a compensator on the end of it, and I don't think crimp jump is that big of an issue anyway.

I haven't had any problems with bullets jumping crimp in the PITBULL and I've even used Federal Aluminum in it and haven't had bullets come out and that's saying something considering it was Fed Aluminum.

I had a bullet fallout of a Fed Aluminum case just clipping it into a moon clip. Just sitting in the box I noticed the bullet was wobbly. I clipped it into a moon clip, (fairly gentle process) when I picked up the whole moon clip, the bullet fell out.

But I've never had a bullet jump crimp in the PITBULL.

I've never heard of bullets jumping crimp in the Taurus 905. I'm not saying it never happened but I follow the 905 pretty closely and I haven't heard of it happening.

The only revolver I've heard of it happening in is the Ruger LCR.
 
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C0untZer0 said:
The S&W 929 is heavier than some Blackhawks, a few ounces lighter than the longest barreled version, but the 929 has a compensator on the end of it, and I don't think crimp jump is that big of an issue anyway.

I haven't had any problems with bullets jumping crimp in the PITBULL and I've even used Federal Aluminum in it and haven't had bullets come out and that's saying something considering it was Fed Aluminum.

I had a bullet fallout of a Fed Aluminum case just clipping it into a moon clip. Just sitting in the box I noticed the bullet was wobbly. I clipped it into a moon clip, (fairly gentle process) when I picked up the whole moon clip, the bullet fell out.

But I've never had a bullet jump crimp in the PITBULL.

I've never heard of bullets jumping crimp in the Taurus 905. I'm not saying it never happened but I follow the 905 pretty closely and I haven't heard of it happening.

The only revolver I've heard of it happening in is the Ruger LCR.
Click to expand...


My Blackhawk comment being the least because its the heaviest was meant in the context of the guns mentioned so far.



Question - Doesn't the 9mm PITBULL head space off the neck of the shell or does it use the ejection star/system on the rimless groove? (I hope that made sense.)
 
I like CA , even had an older bulldog which I wish I still had. Opt for the. LCR just a better gun and your in the same hood for pricing.
 
Doesn't the 9mm PITBULL head space off the neck of the shell
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Yes. The cartridge headspaces off the case mouth. Each chamber is machined slightly wider toward the rear to fit the 9mm case, forward of that the chamber is narrower. This creates a "shelf" that the case rests on. The extractor star has spring loaded plungers that fit in the extractor groove of each cartridge to hold them in place and the spring on the ejector rod applies pressure to keep the cases snugged up against the shelves in the chambers.

I just got back from firing the PITBULL this morning - I haven't even cleaned it yet, but here is a picture looking into the cylinder, you can see the shelf or ridge where the chamber narrows:

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A closeup of the plungers from guntests.com

http://www.gun-tests.com/gow/handguns/Charter-Arms-Pitbull-9mm-79920-9mm-Luger_14738-1.html

attachment.php
 

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I have a six shot 9mm Pitbull. It has been very reliable. The newest 9mm Pitbulls are now a five shot version. Charter made this change to help with extraction of fired casings. Ejecting six steel, or aluminum fired casings was difficult, but brass casings slip out easily. So I shoot brass, and have no issues.

Recoil from 9mm in a revolver is pretty sharp, almost as heavy as 357, so be prepared for that.

Loading the Charter Pitbull cylinder is a bit "quirky", It helps to tilt the cartridge a bit as you start it into the hole, this gives you a little leverage to press back the tab, then the cartridge needs to be pressed completely in to engage the tab into the rim. There is no way to fast load the whole cylinder, but with a speed strip, you can load two at a time, then press them completely home, then two more, and so on.

My experience with my 9mm Pitbull has been positive. Its a little different than a conventional revolver, but the tab/ejector system works well, and isn't flimsy. It will take a bit of experimenting with different ammo, and technique, but once you find what works well, the revolver is well made, accurate, and shoots the cheapest centerfire ammo available
 
I'm pretty sure he's referring to that the 9mm Pitbull was originally a 6 shot.

Some were have extraction problems and Charter Arms starting replacing the cylinders with 5 shot version.


Of course, I could be mistaken so I'm interested in what he says too.
 
After all I have read here, I'm rather hesitant on buying the Charter Arms. :uhoh:
 
I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not,......but the one at my LGS is a 6 shot cylinder. So, that would potentially mean it could have extraction issues?
 
My Charter Arms PITBULL won't extract steel cased ammo, but if I had a choice between having 5 shots and the ability to extract steel cased ammo versus 6 shots and the inability to extract steel cased ammo - I'll take the 6 shot and just avoid shooting steel cased ammo out of it. I sometimes have problems with aluminum too.

I can usually fire 5 cylinder's worth of brass before things get sticky. Probably if I brought a bore brush and a bore snake with me and cleaned out the cylinders after 30 rounds I wouldn't have any trouble although I've yet to test that...
 
C0untZer0, I don't see any reason to think it wouldn't work to have a brush to run through the cylinders.

Thanks for the input. :)
 
Orion8472 said:
After all I have read here, I'm rather hesitant on buying the Charter Arms. :uhoh:
Click to expand...

Orion8472 said:
I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not,......but the one at my LGS is a 6 shot cylinder. So, that would potentially mean it could have extraction issues?
Click to expand...


Since you have one to fondle, IMO, as long as fit and finish (smoothness of operation) is OK to you, I wouldn't be scared off of the 6 shot.

As C0untZer0 said, just avoid using steel and aluminum. And since brass is by far the most common, that should be very easy do.

Another thing, for me, if having more than 5 or 6 rounds very quickly is the goal, there's no denying an auto loader is the better choice. There's pro's and con's to both.



I was living in AZ at the time when the 9mm PITBULL came out and I was really interested in. But I had other things I needed 1st and revolvers, in general, are lower on my list.

Since then, Ive moved to CA and having a revolver has crept up the ladder as far as a 'want'. Unfortunately, CA doesn't allow the PITBULL in so I'll have to choose the Ruger LCR.

Moon-clips vs no moon-clips... again, there's pro's and con's to both.

The PITBULL has a hammer and the LCR doesn't. Pros and cons for both.



All that to say that if its the pitbull with no moon-clips and having hammer that's peeked your interest,,,, if it checks out OK in person, I wouldn't be hesitant.
 
Orion8472 said:
After all I have read here, I'm rather hesitant on buying the Charter Arms.
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Orion, it would help if you listed what your intended purpose for the CA Pitbull is. Is this for carrying? Is this for plinking? Is this a SHTF/Apocalypse gun? Do you just want a 9mm revolver?

The intended purpose of a gun is what determines if it's a good fit for YOU and not whether it's a good gun or not. The Pitbull with it's quirks can still be the best gun for you, but we don't know what you're thinking about how you want to use it.
 
Pokajabba, mostly must for range. And only because I was a bit fascinated by the way the 9mm rounds went in [without moon clips]. But if I'm honest,....if I do something in the revolver mechanism,.....I'd rather get a Ruger Vaquero. :D
 
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