Charter Arms questions

joeintexas

joeintexas

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Been looking at a Charter Arms Undercover Lite for pocket carry. Anyone have any experience with the new CA line, quality, customer service, etc.? I did a search here but didn't find any info on the newer Undercover Lite line. Just from what I saw in the gun shop they sure don't have S&W appearance but do seem to be solidly made. Good price on them. Appreciate any feedback, at 12 oz. they seem like a decent pocket carry.
 
I have also been looking at the 638, the Concealed available hammer doesn't bother me. I think that's the only difference between it and the 642. I sure could be wrong. Main interest in the Charter was the 12 Oz. Weight. 15 OZ shouldn't be that much heavier.
 
I have a pathfinder 22lr with 2" barrel, its definitely a little rough around the edges compared to a smith or a ruger, but it shoots and functions as it should and is reasonably accurate. That's the only charter arms experience I have, but based on that I would not hesitate to pick another one up.
 
I own 3 CA guns and have had nooooo trouble with 'em. Here's the CA ''Police Undercover'' alongside a SW k-frame. Roughly the same size; the CA weighs just 20 oz. So it's lighter than the k, but it offers 6 rounds vs 5 for the j - frame.

All 3 of my CA guns have been bought new in the last 3 years; the .44 special Bulldog's had 3000 rounds down the pipe without a glitch of any kind. Very reliable, very accurate out to 15 yards or so.

Charter does not have the spit and polish of SW, Ruger, etc. That's a given. The triggers on all
three CA's started out gritty, but smoothed out nicely after dry - firing and range time. My first choice is SW, but I do like CA too, for ''bread and butter'' guns.

Don't hate me. lol
 

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Cal44 said:
To me, buying from CA only makes sense if you buy something you can't get from S &W or Ruger. CA is not enough cheaper to win on price alone.

I would consider a Bulldog 44 or their 40 S&W revolver, however.
Click to expand...

Ruger, as many may know, now makes the GP100 in .44 special. But it's about 12.6 times heavier than the Bulldog. :)
 
...I bought a Charter arms Santa Fe Sky a little while before I found my Model 36...definitely no comparison in fit and finish or over all quality...but it is a decent little revolver that will serve the intended purpose...I'd a lot rather it get banged up than that wonderful Chief's Special...and it is kind of a novelty with the color anodized frame...very light also...

wm_7623512.jpg
 
ParadiseRoad said:
...I bought a Charter arms Santa Fe Sky a little while before I found my Model 36...definitely no comparison in fit and finish or over all quality...but it is a decent little revolver that will serve the intended purpose...I'd a lot rather it get banged up than that wonderful Chief's Special...and it is kind of a novelty with the color anodized frame...very light also...

wm_7623512.jpg
Click to expand...

Boy, that is BLUE. Just showed my wife the pic. She said it really BLUE her away. :)
 
I have never had a lite model, but have had 3 of their 44 Bulldogs. The only real problem I have ever had is that the little post screw that functions to press out the center rod on extractor to release cylinder seems to wear out enough that it will not release the cylinder. A new one fixes that easily. But, just unscrew it with a small screw driver that fits inside the frame window. DO NOT remove the thumb piece. There is a tiny spring and plunger inside the thumb piece itself and it is VERY difficult to resemble everything correctly. How do I know that you ask? LOL
 
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I think I have just about decided on getting the S&W 638. Going on vacation in a couple of days, will have time to decide when I get back. Darn, that 642 feels nice too though....
 
George28 said:
I own 3 CA guns and have had nooooo trouble with 'em. Here's the CA ''Police Undercover'' alongside a SW k-frame. Roughly the same size; the CA weighs just 20 oz. So it's lighter than the k, but it offers 6 rounds vs 5 for the j - frame.

All 3 of my CA guns have been bought new in the last 3 years; the .44 special Bulldog's had 3000 rounds down the pipe without a glitch of any kind. Very reliable, very accurate out to 15 yards or so.

Charter does not have the spit and polish of SW, Ruger, etc. That's a given. The triggers on all
three CA's started out gritty, but smoothed out nicely after dry - firing and range time. My first choice is SW, but I do like CA too, for ''bread and butter'' guns.

Don't hate me. lol
Click to expand...

I have one of those .38 Police Undercovers and the all stainless steel .38 Undercover, and both have been solid revolvers. The little Undercover shoots as good as an J-frame that I've ever owned with the Police Undercover close behind. The only problems I've found is that usually they shoot too low to the point of aim, and the grips just plain suck. However, filing the front sight a little and a set a Pachmyer Compact grips cures their ails, and they are quite serviceable. I really hate to say this, but the Charters have functioned from day one without any problems excepting those mentioned above. I can't say that about the last J-frame I bought a few months ago. My new Model 60 had a rebound problem with the trigger not returning to the full forward position. It took some work with the proper stones to polish the rebound block to get it to functioning correctly. I, also, had problems with a Taurus 85 having light primer strikes, which I couldn't cure. The Charter Arms guns are really quite good for the money paid, and yes, I know, they're not as "finished" as the Smiths, but I believe they will save your bacon when it counts......
 
The j-frame is historically a sound, reliable gun. But for me, it's too small for my hands. I don't mind recoil, but in a gun that small, no thanks. As previously stated, the CA ''Police Undercover'' is larger, a little heavier, AND offers 6 rounds over 5 for the j. CA even offers a bobbed hammer on their website which one can easily swap with the standard hammer to facilitate CCW.

I did have to send one CA in because the cylinder stop wasn't engaging; the company paid roundtrip shipping AND got the gun back to me, repaired, in less than a week. They even sent along a CA t-shirt and a handwritten note from Dee Eckert, the wife of the CEO. Great customer service.
 
i have a charter off-duty 38 revolver,,,had it for a few years..if i had to sell all my guns but one including a 638 s/w j-frame and various ruger revolvers and other semiautos, i would keep the charter. it is very light, high quality and 100% reliable. I think the quality of the fit and finish is as good or better than any other manufacturer. It is hands down my favorite. 12 ounces in the front pocket, all metal, great grip. whats not to like?
 
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Talk about your customer service. Several years ago I bought the
Undercover concealed hammer .38 spl. It came with the short boot
grips. I called Charter early one morning and a man answered the
phone. I told him I couldn't shoot it very well with those little
grips and my big hands. He told me about the rubber combat grips
that I could get all my fingers around. Then he said I'll just send
you a set. I said can you do that? He said I should be able to, I'm
the president of the company. Sure enough here came a package
with the combat grips, a set of walnuts, and a set of Barami Hip Grips.
I have another older Bodyguard with an exposed hammer.
 
Hello, I bought the bulldog 44, a few months ago and love it, after 500 dry fires the trigger smoothed out a lot, I love 44 cal and SW or Ruger doesn't have a 5 shot 2.5" SS that weighs 20oz for under $400 with a lifetime warranty. I'm just saying
I would buy the lite in a minute but right now my lite 5 shot 38 is a Ruger LCR, and yes I have 3 j frames and one I frame but don't usually carry them, the Bulldog is in my pocket right now.
SEMPER PARATUS
 
I have an old Bulldog Pug .44 sp. that I carry and put a box through once in a while. I have had it 25+ years without a problem. The trigger has always been pretty good. Better than my model 60 but not as good as my model 65 with a duty tune. But....
I see use 642s for less than $400 so....
 
I'm a fan of 32 caliber revolvers.'

CA has had one called the "Undercoverette" for a while. I even saw a new one in a LGS last week. Surprise, surprise it's on the Cali approved list.

But the price was $429 and a few weeks ago I picked up a LCR 327 for $460.

The LCR is a much nicer gun IMO, and it handles six rounds of 327 Federal whereas the Undercoverette is a 5 round 32 H&R magnum.

Again, I'd rather have the Ruger than the CA for nearly the same price.
 
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