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Old 08-28-2012, 09:01 PM
zellerSC zellerSC is offline
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Default Charter Arms Undercover .38 spl?

Found this locally. 3" with box and appears to be unfired.

I was looking to carry this, but it's 46 years old per CA.... It's like it left the factory 46 years ago.

I know these aren't S&W quality, but I have a Bridgeport, CT snub and thought I'd add this to complete the collection.

So, is this a piece that should stay in box, or carry and get some character marks?
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Old 08-28-2012, 10:48 PM
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stay in the box and increrase in value
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Old 08-28-2012, 11:46 PM
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Originally Posted by zellerSC View Post
Found this locally. 3" with box and appears to be unfired.

I was looking to carry this, but it's 46 years old per CA.... It's like it left the factory 46 years ago.

I know these aren't S&W quality, but I have a Bridgeport, CT snub and thought I'd add this to complete the collection.

So, is this a piece that should stay in box, or carry and get some character marks?
Let it become a safe queen, better than leaving the money in the bank drawing .000000001 interest.

I like the looks of it actually.
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Old 08-29-2012, 03:30 AM
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I don't, necessarily, vote for carrying it, but if it were mine, I would at least shoot it once in a while. If you clean it well after shooting, and treat it carefully on the range, you shouldn't get any bluing damage, and it will stay almost new in appearance. I had one of the early Charter .38 Spl snubs when they first came out, and it was a pretty nice little gun, pretty well made, with a decent action and decent accuracy. Remember, it was born to shoot. Also, there isn't much collector interest in Charter Arms guns (at least that I'm aware of), and I really don't think it is likely to increase significantly in value simply on the basis of (possibly) being unfired (there is no way to verify that it hasn't been fired), as would a S&W. They are fun to shoot, why not enjoy that little gun, and let it perform the task it was born for?
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Old 08-29-2012, 03:57 AM
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Had a .38 undercover for awhile in the '90s. Nice backup gun. Lasted until a friend unknowingly handed me a +P and a +P+ round. The second shot bent the crane and put a 1/4" crack in the barrel at the forcing cone.
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Old 08-29-2012, 06:50 AM
zellerSC zellerSC is offline
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Thanks for the replies.

I'm not usually one for safe queens, as I don't have the room and like to carry what I want, when I want.

But this one may stay in the box. Fondeled then oiled from time to time.
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Old 08-29-2012, 07:10 AM
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Thanks for the replies.

I'm not usually one for safe queens, as I don't have the room and like to carry what I want, when I want.

But this one may stay in the box. Fondeled then oiled from time to time.
Myself, I have no safe queens. I would do exactly what you are going to do, can you buy one just like that anywhere?
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Old 08-29-2012, 08:49 AM
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Myself, I have no safe queens. I would do exactly what you are going to do, can you buy one just like that anywhere?
I'm not a betting man, but I'd bet that there's not one in this condition with matching box this side of the Mississippi (sp).
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Old 08-29-2012, 09:03 AM
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If you do not need to carry (have other guns for that) why not just leave it as a Queen?

True they're not the most valuable gun but yours certainly seems LNIB so I would keep it that way.
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Old 08-29-2012, 09:28 AM
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I'd have to take it to the range at least once to see how it shoots, twice if I like it. As 310Pilot said, If you clean it well after shooting, and treat it carefully on the range, you shouldn't get any bluing damage, and it will stay almost new in appearance. Charter Arms guns aren't usually collectables but if you find the right person it may be worth a little something to them.
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Old 08-29-2012, 10:12 AM
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Originally Posted by MOONDAWG View Post
No safe queens "en mi casa" especially when it comes to a working man's tools.

And the homely but durable Charter Arms products fit that category.

Shoot the hell out of it and enjoy it!
Homely is in the eye of the beholder!! This is a classic piece of American art we're talking about!!!
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Old 08-29-2012, 10:55 AM
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That's a very nice piece. I don’t think the old Charter Arms handguns will increase in value like many of the older S&W’s and Colt’s but a near-new CA like the one you have is hard to find these days.

I collect old Charter Arms Bulldog .44’s, mainly 1st generations form the Bridgeport, Connecticut plant. The one pictured here is near mint. I purchased it in 1969 and it has a few thousand rounds through it.

I shoot all the ones I own and enjoy them. To shoot or not to shoot is up to the owner.


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Old 08-29-2012, 11:39 AM
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That's a very nice piece. I don’t think the old Charter Arms handguns will increase in value like many of the older S&W’s and Colt’s but a near-new CA like the one you have is hard to find these days.

I collect old Charter Arms Bulldog .44’s, mainly 1st generations form the Bridgeport, Connecticut plant. The one pictured here is near mint. I purchased it in 1969 and it has a few thousand rounds through it.

I shoot all the ones I own and enjoy them. To shoot or not to shoot is up to the owner.


Very nice....and to been shot a few thousand rounds, hardly a visible turn ring. Guess a few cylinders wouldn't hurt, just to make sure it works.
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Old 08-29-2012, 01:13 PM
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Very nice....and to been shot a few thousand rounds, hardly a visible turn ring. Guess a few cylinders wouldn't hurt, just to make sure it works.
Don't do it, he is baiting you.
He knows yours is worth more money than his.
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Old 08-29-2012, 02:26 PM
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Don't do it, he is baiting you.
He knows yours is worth more money than his.
You're right! should have known.
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Old 08-29-2012, 07:11 PM
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I believe that a savings account at a local bank will accumulate value faster than a CA handgun. Mine currently pays less than 1% per annum. This isn't a S&W it was made to be used.
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Old 08-29-2012, 09:15 PM
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They are out there, I got this at an estate sale for $25 from a lady who found it in her fathers nightstand after his passing, she didn't even want anything for it, just wanted it gone. I made her take the money for it and opened it up, it was loaded, without so much as a turn ring....I promptly gave it a good cleaning and took it to the range and put fifty rounds through it....decent trigger, shoots decent, has been taken out and shot numerous times since then, it's a fun little gun. To me, that's the real value of it, it's worth more for the fun factor than it ever will be cash wise in my lifetime.....I say shoot it and enjoy it.....
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Old 08-29-2012, 11:49 PM
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Nice Charter Arms in this thread! I've got a couple but without the boxes.

I recently bought this 3" CA Pathfinder .22. It looked so nice, even without the box, that I decided not to shoot it. That lasted two days. Now it is my favorite .22 shooter. It was made in 1965.




I bought this Undercover .38 a few years ago. And liked it...shoots great and seems smaller than a J-frame but probably isn't.



Then a couple of months ago I discovered that Charter Arms Co. sells a double action only hammer for the older guns. I bought one of those and switched it out. The new hammer is not only spurless...it actually changes the gun to DAO.

The old hammer has a large diameter hole as seen in the pic below. The DAO hammer does not have that hole but is solid in that area. I'm guessing that assures the hammer has enough mass to hit the firing pin hard enough to ignite the primers.



Now it spends a lot of time riding in my right front pocket.



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Old 08-30-2012, 08:24 PM
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They are out there, I got this at an estate sale for $25 from a lady who found it in her fathers nightstand after his passing, she didn't even want anything for it, just wanted it gone. I made her take the money for it and opened it up, it was loaded, without so much as a turn ring....I promptly gave it a good cleaning and took it to the range and put fifty rounds through it....decent trigger, shoots decent, has been taken out and shot numerous times since then, it's a fun little gun. To me, that's the real value of it, it's worth more for the fun factor than it ever will be cash wise in my lifetime.....I say shoot it and enjoy it.....
Well ya, for $25 I would be shooting it also
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Old 08-30-2012, 08:43 PM
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I believe that a savings account at a local bank will accumulate value faster than a CA handgun. Mine currently pays less than 1% per annum. This isn't a S&W it was made to be used.
It's not the gun it's the condition. Not shooting it won't make you rich but it will make you money. Condition is everything.
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Old 08-30-2012, 09:33 PM
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Well ya, for $25 I would be shooting it also
It WAS more than ten years ago, now i'd have to give $30 for it, probably....
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