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Revolver help
- Thread starter JoeA
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I have the .44 Special Bulldog version. Nice lightweight carry gun. Powerful, yet easily concealable. It is my EDC.
Gidge
NES Member
I have the .38 Special version. Nice lightweight carry gun.
Powerful, yet easily concealable.
It is my EDC.
JoeA
NES Member
I had a feeling. Thanks the help.
JoeA
NES Member
You're probably right, thank you for the information
pinefd
NES Member
Not at all familiar with Charter Arms, and don't know your price tolerance, but I do have a variety of Smith & Wesson and Colt revolvers that I'm familiar with. And while they're all nice guns, my favorite is my Kimber K6s:
Frank
Frank
caboose84
NES Member
Over the years Charter has been inconsistent in quality. The founder was good from the 60's until the 80's then quality declined and they went bankrupt in 1996.
New company bought the rights and started up ~2000, didn't have the best reputation.
Passed thru a couple of hands since, MKS Supply was one.
Frame strength isn't an issue with them, they had timing issues over long periods
New company bought the rights and started up ~2000, didn't have the best reputation.
Passed thru a couple of hands since, MKS Supply was one.
Frame strength isn't an issue with them, they had timing issues over long periods
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Taurusssss
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Is the .357 magnum chambering important to you?
Most people would say that .357 is not useful in a snubnose, and that you only want .38 special in these small revolvers. I can think of some edge cases where .357 is useful in a snubby, but those cases don't apply to most people. In fact, most people find that hotter .38 +P rounds are a handful in a little gun, and don't even need to try .357 to know that it would suck. I could say more about this issue if you describe your specific needs.
There are many more options if you are looking for a .38. I personally would rather have a used Smith or Ruger than a new Charter Arms.
Another important question is steel frame or not. An aluminum frame 5-shot revolver is a very light and handy gun to carry. But the lightweight guns are a handful to shoot, even with .38 special rounds. A small gun that is all steel is easier to shoot because the weight helps tame the recoil. But the steel guns carry like a brick compared to aluminum or plastic.
Most people would say that .357 is not useful in a snubnose, and that you only want .38 special in these small revolvers. I can think of some edge cases where .357 is useful in a snubby, but those cases don't apply to most people. In fact, most people find that hotter .38 +P rounds are a handful in a little gun, and don't even need to try .357 to know that it would suck. I could say more about this issue if you describe your specific needs.
There are many more options if you are looking for a .38. I personally would rather have a used Smith or Ruger than a new Charter Arms.
Another important question is steel frame or not. An aluminum frame 5-shot revolver is a very light and handy gun to carry. But the lightweight guns are a handful to shoot, even with .38 special rounds. A small gun that is all steel is easier to shoot because the weight helps tame the recoil. But the steel guns carry like a brick compared to aluminum or plastic.
rep308
NES Member
I'm a 642 airweight person.Not at all familiar with Charter Arms, and don't know your price tolerance, but I do have a variety of Smith & Wesson and Colt revolvers that I'm familiar with. And while they're all nice guns, my favorite is my Kimber K6s:
Frank
I've looked at these and the build quality is execelent. I do not feel the need for a .357 over 38 +P, 6 over 5 shots is nice but not willing to take the weight penality
VetteGirlMA
NES Member
My hands hurt looking at those snubbies. They're a nice idea on paper but I'd need to be within arms reach to be accurate.
...yeah, not to pile on, but while Charter Arms might be okay, S&W and Ruger are okay.
When I was getting into .357, the reviews I saw all mentioned that Rugers are overbuilt for .357 compared to Smiths, meaning Smiths will fire a full .357 just fine... until the gun gets rattly, meaning it's best to train with .38spl through a S&W. Rugers, OTOH, will keep firing them forever.
I can't speak to that from personal experience, but it's always stuck with me. It's hard for me to suggest anything other than S&W/Ruger, given that they've got so many options at so many price points and their reputations tend to be so good.
When I was getting into .357, the reviews I saw all mentioned that Rugers are overbuilt for .357 compared to Smiths, meaning Smiths will fire a full .357 just fine... until the gun gets rattly, meaning it's best to train with .38spl through a S&W. Rugers, OTOH, will keep firing them forever.
I can't speak to that from personal experience, but it's always stuck with me. It's hard for me to suggest anything other than S&W/Ruger, given that they've got so many options at so many price points and their reputations tend to be so good.
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You wouldn't like my Charter Arms .44 Special then. A 22 ounce gun firing 246 grain bullets gets your attention. Those walnut grips certainly don't help either. OK, in all fairness, it was mean to be carried often and fired infrequently. For close range defensive shooting, accuracy is more than sufficient. It was originally used in the 1970s during the early days of the air marshal program. Unfortunately, it became infamous as the weapon used by serial killer David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz. I use mine for its intended purpose: EDC.
If you want a carry revolver, a lot of people recommend hammerless. Go DAO. And if you want .357, don't go as light as possible. The Ruger SP101 is a chonker but that's a good thing. Remember what Boris said - "heavy is good. heavy is reliable. if it doesn't work you can always hit him with it"
Exactly. I specifically bought a .38sp chambered SP101 instead of the .357 since I knew I would only be shooting .38s. A great soft shooting gun to hand off to the missus at the range and train double action fundamentals without having your lady wince in hand pain after every shot/bark.
I prefer S&W over the rest, but that is just my opinion
I had a 642, didn't care for the hammerless, stuck with a model 60 with Pachmayer grips
Even a Model 13 short barrel with .357 Mag rounds is a handful, again the one I had used Pachmayer grips.
If you do buy something chambered in .357Mag, I STRONGLY suggest 38 Spl +P rounds, your hands will thank you, and if you ever got into a use of force situation getting back on target will be easier
I had a 642, didn't care for the hammerless, stuck with a model 60 with Pachmayer grips
Even a Model 13 short barrel with .357 Mag rounds is a handful, again the one I had used Pachmayer grips.
If you do buy something chambered in .357Mag, I STRONGLY suggest 38 Spl +P rounds, your hands will thank you, and if you ever got into a use of force situation getting back on target will be easier
pinefd
NES Member
I, personally, like a snubbie with a little more heft to it, to help with recoil management. Another newer Kimber option that's marketed as being smaller and lighter than the K6s, is the DAO K6XS, which is a 6 shot, 38+P:
K6xs
THE K6XS™ IS AN EXTRA SMALL, ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT REVOLVER with all the features of its larger framed sibling the K6s™. The K6xs™ uses the same lightweight, non-stacking trigger system from the K6s™. Also features a fluted glass-bead finish cylinder and barrel slot cut to further lighten the K6xs™...
www.kimberamerica.com
Frank
I've owned a .44 Bulldog for many years. Carried it a lot. Every range trip it performed flawlessly. I think because it's cheap, some people think they're junk. I bought mine used at a Holbrook Gun Show about 15 years ago. No Problems, Buy it and shoot mostly .38. The .357 will hurt after a while.
I'm not saying cheap guns can't work, but Charter quality today is like Taurus quality 15 years ago. Other than a .45 Colt snub and a 7 shot .32 H&R Mag, there's nothing Charter makes that Taurus doesn't make better.
