I wanted to address some questions and or concerns about my review of the Charter Off Duty and S&W 642. Some would say that the new revolvers across the board are superior. I find that to be true and false in some regards. So far I have tried out both new and old S&W and Charter revolvers. With that being said the new revolvers do say they can handle hotter loads now. Thats debatable to say the new revolvers are stronger than the old but it does clearly say +p on the 642 barrel and it does not say that on any of my older S&W barrels. So its safe to assume that the new revolvers are designed for higher pressures. That does make them better in my opinion so one point for the new revolvers. Although the older revolvers do seem to have a better fit and finish in some respects as compared to the new revolvers especially when comparing the Charter Arms revolvers. My old trusty Stratford built Charter Off Duty looks to me a better fit and finish than my new Off Duty. By the way I would like to do a comparison of the new Shelton Off Duty and the old Stratford Off Duty. Both ARE different but I digress because this is about the new Off Duty and 642.
WIN_20180203_07_06_47_Pro (2) by
dandy, on Flickr
I would like to discuss my bigger issue with the two revolvers and that is the trigger. Clearly the 642 has a better trigger and the Charter has given me this trigger lock up issue that I commented on before. This is the biggest concern for me about Charter revolvers. I have tried to duplicate this problem on my other Charter Arms revolvers and yes my new production 44 Bulldog did lock up on the trigger also. However I have not been able to duplicate this issue on my older Stratford Off Duty revolver. Further evaluation is needed on the Charters. ( I have since evaluated ALL the Charter revolvers old and new and they ALL have the same trigger. I can duplicate this trigger mechanism lockup on the older Charter Off duty also. You must ensure you have complete trigger reset when making follow up shots.)
What does this mean??? Well my double action shots with the Charter can get tricky especially in rapid fire and that is not far from reality in defensive shooting. Make no mistake about it these are defensive, up close and smell there nasty ugly breath, shooting type revolvers and I need all 5 shots! On the other hand with the S&W I do not have to ever worry about that trigger at all. The trigger pull and mechanics are always positive and the same every time. So one smiley face sticker goes to the 642.
In all fairness the Charter Arms revolvers are VERY appealing. One attractive thing about them is the fact they have the same round butt style frame on all there revolvers regardless of caliber and model. What does that mean??? Well that means you are able to put any kind of grip on any of the Charters. My new Off Duty is sporting Crimson Trace laser grips as we speak and I cant wait to test it out! One thumbs up for the Off Duty!
However the Charter you have to watch closer. Screws like to come loose on the CA but on the S&W I dont ever have to worry about that. Though the Charter is easier to work on in my opinion. For example I can change the hammer on my Charter in about 5 minutes but its much more complicated and a headache to do on my S&W. The trade off to this is the S&W is more complicated and I prefer the smoother time tested and proven workings of the S&W more. This also might explain why the Charter has such an atrocious trigger on it because of the simpler mechanics. Though the Charter is easier to work on overall in my opinion.
To conclude further testing needs to be done by me on the Charters, which takes time and money, and I dont have to worry about that with the S&Ws. I know, rely, and trust the 642. Its a really good revolver! Though I wish they would bring back the nickel plated Airweights again because my only real big complaint with the 642 is the painted finish on the frame not really holding up to well. So back on the Charter do I trust the Off Duty? Yes as long as you know what your getting into you will be fine after all there is far far worse out there. Even though I pick the 642 the Off Duty is a very close second. In the meantime more shooting is in order! Kampai!!!