Back when I was into backpacking up in Maine and the Adirondacks, I used to carry one loaded with a 240 SWC handloaded to about 900 fps. Not a fun load to shoot at all, but made for a very nice power to weight ratio gun incase something big and furry wanted to play.
Shot the above load sparingly, but put a lot of 200 grain SWC behind red dot powder at about 700 fps as a practice load. Enough kick to let you know you were firing a big bore, but pleasant enough to enjoy. One of the few guns I have sold out of many that I wish I had kept.
These days, my mostly shorter day hikes with camera gear are covered with a lightweight 1911 loaded with stiff hard cast SWC's loads.
I always thought the Charter was a little flimsy compared to a Smith or Colt, but that gun proved me wrong - It held up fine through quite a few rounds. If I remember right, it was a Stratford, CT gun.
If you like the CA, take a look at the .22 Pathfinder. Owned one also. Not as accurate as a model 18 or decent target semi, but not very expensive, light weight, reliable, and plinking accurate. Sold mine, and replaced it with a Ruger Bearcat to carry as a woods bumming gun when bear and moose protection was not a concern.
Larry