I'm no expert, but as I understand it, Bridgeport was the original home of Charter Arms, so yours is probably one of the older ones. I've got a Stafford, Conn gun, which is where the factory next moved to. To the best of my knowledge there is no real way to tell exactly when a gun was made, other than rough estimate.
Over the years Charter Arms has been bought and sold several times. The ones marked as "Charco" and "Charter 2000" are considered "hit and miss" on the quality (if not downright poor). The company once again is in the hands of the original family at this time, and although I've never shot one of the current production models, the ones I've looked at seem to be well made.
The one I've got shoots just fine but with those tiny wooden grips it will batter my knuckles bloody, even with wadcutter loads. I contacted Charter, and was told the current crop of neoprene grips will fit the older guns. They are a HUGE improvement. Yes, you give up some concealibility, but they're worth the trade-off. About $25.00 from Charter. They'll fit most any holster made for a J frame Smith.
