I picked this one up today for $150. Why? I wanted one to go with my Henry Survival Rifle, and to see if the terrible reviews were accurate. This one had been subjected to a gloss black paint job without even taking off the grips it was dirty, and dry when I got it. I took it home loaded up the mag without cleaning it function was spotty. I decided to strip the paint off and see what was underneath. The wear wasn't that bad about what you would expect. I plan on flushing out the action tomorrow, and relubing the action, and cleaning the barrel tomorrow, and shooting it again. If any of you have, or have had one please feel free to report your experience both good, and bad. Here is the one photo supplied by the seller, and mine after the paint strip, my wife remarked it was the ugliest gun I now owned lol.

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Randy

I bought several of these Explorer pistols when they were clearing them out. Seems they were $35 dealer price if you bought 5 or 6. I was always buying close outs and blowing them out a few bucks over cost. Pistol was no target gun. One was doubling but wore in and settled down after about 100 rods. If I remember right the barrel off pistol wouldn’t fit AR-7.

That doesn't look so bad to me... It reminds me a bit of the Mauser C96 Broomhandle, only more modern.

My ugliest handgun is the Taurus Judge Magnum.



Although I must admit that it's odd stretched-out Revolver look is also kind of impressive-looking to me as well.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I've had one of those as well sold it, but at least I got to try it out. It sort of fits with another goal which is to shoot as many different guns before I expire lol. I once had a Luger one whole week just so I could experience shooting one...

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Randy

I think my ugliest is a Charter Arms too.


Got it for free from a B-I-L that just wanted to get rid of it. My “yard work” gun.

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SWCA #1917

Well, wear gloves and safety glasses when you fire that thing!

I don't think I've ever owned a gun that was truly ugly. But this Walther P-4 is definitely not winning any beauty contests.

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Come and take it!!

The ugliest gun in the house belongs to my wife and it is ugly. Good shooter tho.

Pikers.


Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

To the original question on Explorer II pistols... I have had five and currently own three.

One thing to remember with these guns is that the feed ramp is built into the magazine. Do not hold the magazine while shooting or you drop the bullet nose down and will FTF. I have two magazines for each of my three handguns and original Armalite rifle. All run 100%. So if you have feeding problems find another magazine...

As for accuracy, from the bench I have no problem braking clay birds on a bank at 55 yards. I have in the past used the side mount to scope one of the pistols.

Barrels came in 6", 8" and 10". I have one barrel that was shortened and was able to have a smith thread the end of the barrel and put a steel suppressor adapter on it.

This is a thread I started some time ago. Post 23 shows the handguns...

ARs... | Bushcraft USA Forums

Bob

Merl67, that gun's not that ugly. And, I think it was pretty handy of the engineers to incorporate a beer bottle opener in the trigger guard!

Charter Arms may not have the panache of a S&W or Colt, but they'll never be beat by any manufacture for most "bang for the buck"; tough and reliable. I carry my Undercover cross draw when in my old ranch truck; if I drop it, I won't cry like I would if I'd dropped a nice Chiefs Special. I wouldn't call it ugly; just sort of blue collar.

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John

Glocks are butt ugly, but great pistols.

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SWCA #3713

They did make some cool ones back in the day..
Heres my original 1962 Armalite AR-7 T-62 Tommy Gun and Maxwell Smart with his

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Charlie

Well I cleaned, and oiled it this morning. I've fired Federal bulk box, Remington Thunderbolts, Winchester Super X, Aguila Super Hyper, and Federal Champion it ran flawlessly with all. Once I settled in with the trigger getting 2 inch groups @ 20 yards wasn't very hard to do. I do have a question for those that own these it seems I am missing a part to hold an extra mag in the grip recess. I think I have located one at GPC (see photos) is this the correct part?

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Randy

Well, ugly is as ugly does, to paraphrase Forrest Gump. I shot a Charter Arms AR-7 quite a bit, nothing much to look at but acceptably accurate and worked well.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Any Ruger pistol (other than their Mark series .22s) or double action revolver should come in right at the top.

My Hi-Standard Sentinel .22LR revolver. Looks like a cap-gun

Some years back I came very close to buying an Explorer but didn't. I think it was priced around $60-$70 at the time. I'm attracted by unusual guns.

A friend had one. Only good thing was it was cheap to shoot because it took forever to shoot a box of .22s. FTC, FTE, stovepipes. You name it, it did it. I think his was a Charter Arms.

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I told you not to use Lifebuoy

Quit sending pics we have a tie between Judge and Charter Arms. We would have a shoot off but liability of bystanders getting hurt with flying debris is to great. Well just call it a draw.

UGLY ??? That's is beautiful.

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John

I think the newer DA revolvers are nothing to write home about. The Security Six looks okay to me. Ditto the original Redhawks.

Agreed about the pistols. All centerfire pistols and the MkIII and MkIV look like ****.

The MkI and MkIi are classics in my book.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

Never seen one of those before. If they are that cheap, I'm going to have to get one to make a poor man's version of one of these

Han's heavy blaster pistol | Wookieepedia | Fandom

Did someone say ugly? How about an 8mm Rast-Gasser? I bought it just because it is so ugly, including the name.

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Here is my ugly gun. S&W M12-2, 1972.

Hey, the grips match!!

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

I can’t believe I’m the first one in the ugly gun parade with a Hi-Point!

Thirty bucks and it always shoots.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I think your in 1st place

I didn't even know about some of these ugly guns and wish I still didn't.

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low speed, high drag

and for the win...

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I like the stock, it brings back memories of shop class in high school.

I wonder if they still offer shop class in school.

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U.S. Coast Guard, retired CPO

That should be it...

When I bought my second one from a large shop near here, the salesman handed me the gun after checking it was unloaded...while handling it I noticed the extra magazine was still in the butt-trap...pulled it out...and it was fully loaded... His eyes got real big....

Bob

Maybe not in the same league as that Rast-Gasser, or muddy girl Hi Point, but this one belongs in here somewhere:

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I bought one of those for my Dad at a gunshow maybe 10 years ago. He likes older Charter Arms guns and has one of their AR7s. The Explorer was NIB, still had the hang tags, and came with 6" and 8" barrels, I gave $150 for it. As far as I know it still hasn't been shot, it's a kind of cool oddball conversation piece.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

Sorry. And I don't mean to be offensive, but I think all black plastic guns are ugly.
Unless they shoot Greenie Stickum Caps.

It reminds me of an old single shot, hand pump BB pistol I had as a kid...

Granted that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but...All of them? You've got to be exaggerating. Sure, most polymer-framed guns aren't aesthetically pleasing, but then again, most of them obviously aren't designed to be.

There are however, a few polymer-framed guns in which more time was devoted towards making them look nice. For example, Ruger makes a lot of polymer-framed firearms with clean lines, curves, and greater attention to detail like the Ruger LCP, LC9, SR9c, etc with looks which are to me at least, pleasant.

Also, what about polymer-framed firearms which are literally just older firearms with polymer frames like the various 1911s like the Rock River Arms Polymer 1911 or the Kimber Eclipse, are they ugly too?

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

My .455 Webley won't win any beauty contests but it was so irresistible I just had to buy it. It must have some appeal because there is a judge down in Maryland who wants to buy it.

I had an Explorer II as a kid. I figure my Dad let me get it because he didn't think I could conceal it as ungainly as it was. It was reliable and fairly accurate and I shot it a lot. Can't remember now what I traded it for in the LGS but I know they had a heckuva time selling it.