New 638 vs wife's CA Undercover

[frank_drebin]

Hello all, I am new here and am also a new S&W 638 owner. I have never owned a carry revolver before and recently saw the $50 rebate ad so I decided to pick up a new J-frame. With rebate I paid $350 total for the gun. So far I have only put about 50 rounds through it. In addition i have probably dry fired it 500 times so far. The gun shoots fantastic and conceals very nicely IWB appendix or left ankle. I love the shrouded hammer on this gun and have been practicing cocking it to SA on the fly.

That being said, my wife has been carrying a ahem... pink....Charter Arms Undercover Light in her purse for the last year and a half. In total her gun has had 200 or so rounds through it and has functioned perfectly for her so far. I bought her the CA last year in an attempt to get her to carry more. It worked so I can't complain. She drives a convertible and keeps it by her right hand in a holster that we discreetly mounted on the side of the console. When I compare our two guns I found things about each that I like. I found her's to be noticeably lighter and I actually like the way the DA trigger feels better than my new 638. It was both lighter and smoother. The SA trigger pull is a no brainer with the 638 being the undisputed winner though. It is more "crisp" and easier to anticipate than the CA. Trigger reset is long on the CA as well making rapid fire more difficult.

In the construction catagory there are huge differences, most of which are probably insignificant in terms of function but are hyped up as being "big deals" by the CA marketing department. The gunsmith at a local range said that he has a CA 44 pug and a 340PD that he rotates his carry with and says that he's had both torn down dozens of times and sees no advantage one way or the other. He cites the solid frame and full lug as a plus for the CA but prefers the non-sleeved barrel and historical reliability of the SW.

Her CA was roughly the same price as a new SW J-frame (with rebate) and she is happy with hers. My question is this, what makes one truly "better" over the other in your experience?

Here's a picture from the CA site that lists their brand's features.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Shoot em both back to back and you will see.

 

[MSgt G]

Come on, Frank. One's a Smith and ones a CA. It's obvious which one is better

I haven't shot or even held a CA in many, many years and can't give you an objective answer.

 

[Elmer]

If she likes the CA and shoots it well, she's fine. Just don't shoot +P's in it, or shoot it a lot. If she's only shot 200 rounds in a year and a half, that doesn't seem to be a problem, though it would be nice if you got her to shoot a bit more often than that. If you get some factory 148 grain wadcutters, they actually work fairly well for defense, (they penetrate better than a lot of the light +P hollow points), they're easy and fun to shoot well, aren't loud or smokey, and they won't be hard on the gun or her.

The quality on S&W's is definitely better, especially in the longevity department, but you don't have to run out and replace it today....

Unless you want to hang out here a lot and have any of us talk to you........

 

[handgunner356]

Check the auction sites and see the resale value on both.

 

[JayDubya]

If something goes wrong with your 638, Smith & Wesson will make it right at no cost to you -- not even shipping. Their warranty service is the industry leader. As to Charter Arms, I have no experience.

Cordially,
Jack

 

[10mmillie]

The differences in my experience have been the last CA I had new was in 1994. Fired it two rounds double action and it broke. Cylinder wouldn't open and I had to pay to send it back with the live rounds in it. Got it back and immediately traded it back from the dealer I got it from. As for a S&W revolver I have owned about 20 over the years lock and pre-lock and have never had a single problem with them. As long as your wife likes her's and can hit what she is aiming at then that is great but to me there really is no comparison. S&W is the best.

 

[frank_drebin]

You see, here in lies the problem. I have both, I KNOW the S&W is better but I'd like to know what physically maes it better. I have shot them both. They both shoot to POA about the same and both have roughly the same recoil. They feel the same in my hand ut the triggers are different. I called Charter and they said I could shoot +P in it all day and that their warranty is lifetime with free shipping as well. What are some specific, concrete thngs that are better about my 638 over the CA Undercover (besides color).

 

[photoman]

You see, here in lies the problem. I have both, I KNOW the S&W is better but I'd like to know what physically maes it better. I have shot them both. They both shoot to POA about the same and both have roughly the same recoil. They feel the same in my hand ut the triggers are different. I called Charter and they said I could shoot +P in it all day and that their warranty is lifetime with free shipping as well. What are some specific, concrete thngs that are better about my 638 over the CA Undercover (besides color).

Run a couple of thousand rounds through the CA and report back. I would like to know how reliable those guns are.

 

[Grog]

I couple thousand rounds of .38spl will cost much more than the gun will

 

[Combat_Diver]

My daughter in law also has a Pink Lady. I got a chance to shoot it last month and managed to hit my 6" dueling tree plates with it DA at 15 yds with no problems. I only did fire two cylinders however but my son and DIL put another 100rds without issue. Two days later after they left I picked up my 442 Pro and did the same. My son paid about the same price for the CA then what I did on the 442 (40% military rebate). My DIL enjoyed shooting her CA and I gave her my one HKS speedloader for it. The Pink Lady (conventional DA/SA) is about 2ozs lighter then my 442 (DAO).

I also got back my old CA 3" Bulldog that my BIL brorrowed ten years ago. I never got a chance to pick it back up in Texas so my mother brought back up when she visited. CA can build a decent working revolver but the class isn't there. CA has is working hard to get rid of their CHARCO reputation and back to the orginal company. I'll take a new CA over a Taurus but prefer my Smith.

CD

 

[ACP230]

I have a Charter Pathfinder .22 that was refurbished by the current charter factory. It shoots very well and seems solid. I was just shooting it yesterday, in fact.

My daughter has a Charter Undercover .38. It seems a bit more fragile than my Smith J-frames and isn't as well finished. It is holding up well, so far, however.

 

[Dale53]

I couple thousand rounds of .38spl will cost much more than the gun will

NOT if you reload!! Every person that shoots any reasonable amount of ammo, at all, SHOULD reload.

FWIW
Dale53

 

[jessegpresley]

I love the shrouded hammer on this gun and have been practicing cocking it to SA on the fly.

Is it a common training technique somewhere that has you cock a double action revolver?

 

[Grog]

NOT if you reload!! Every person that shoots any reasonable amount of ammo, at all, SHOULD reload.

FWIW
Dale53

The reality is, many people are not able to reload for various reasons.

 

[JayDubya]

"Is it a common training technique somewhere that has you cock a double action revolver?"

I agree. I have two S&W revolvers (637, 686+), and I shoot at least one of them weekly. Many thousand rounds through both (stopped counting). I probably have fired a dozen rounds single action from each over the years, and was dissatisfied with the results. A half-century ago, when I was in bullseye shooting at 25 and 50 yards, I cocked the hammer for best results at those distances. Now, a supergeezer with HD/SD in mind, I practice how I would use these weapons in real time. And I am pretty good at it.

Cordially, Jack

 

[AKAOV1MAN]

I have a bunch of Smiths, and 2 Charter Arms. One CA is from 1965 serial #369, I have a few thousand rounds through it and it is perfect. I bought it because of the sights which were light years ahead of Smith at that time-still are. The other CA is a .327 magnum 2.5" barrel, I have only put 100 rounds through it, 50 .32 Magnum and 50 .327. It has broken in nicely, but is still a little stiff. Trigger is good in DA, great in SA, and the price was right. It will not compare to my M16 4" S&W .32 Mag, but it is an excellent SD/CCW weapon. If I use it and lose it, no problem, I would not feel that way about any of my Smiths.
I know CA has had its QC problems and the company has changed hands a few times, but my 2 are good shooters, if not in the S&W/Colt class, more of a Ruger utilitarian gun.

 

[frank_drebin]

My daughter in law also has a Pink Lady. I got a chance to shoot it last month and managed to hit my 6" dueling tree plates with it DA at 15 yds with no problems. I only did fire two cylinders however but my son and DIL put another 100rds without issue. Two days later after they left I picked up my 442 Pro and did the same. My son paid about the same price for the CA then what I did on the 442 (40% military rebate). My DIL enjoyed shooting her CA and I gave her my one HKS speedloader for it. The Pink Lady (conventional DA/SA) is about 2ozs lighter then my 442 (DAO).

CD

Thanks for the information. Since originally posting this we have put about 250 rounds through each and both still shoot about the same. The CA has longer grips on it so is a little easier for her to shoot but all-in-all they are both 100% acceptable out to what I consider SD distances.

Is it a common training technique somewhere that has you cock a double action revolver?

I have no idea if it's a common training technique. I do it with my 1911's so it's natural for me but this shrouded hammer is a little harder to get a good purchase on. To be honest, after shooting it for a while now I can say that I would have been just as happy with a 642.

 

[russp1]

When I first started shopping for small carry guns for my wife and I, I looked at Charter knowing the wife would like the pink versions. Because of the large difference in manufacturers pricing, I thought the Charter was a much better deal (S&W 642 at $616 vs Charter Undercover Lite at $470). When I actually got to the stores, I found the S&Ws were actually selling for only about $100 more and with the $50 rebate; I couldn't see buying the Charter. I did have to get the wife's with pink grips though.

 

[watchmanjimg]

Is it a common training technique somewhere that has you cock a double action revolver?

Actually, I recently watched The Enforcer and it appears this technique was SOP in the Hollywood Division of the San Francisco P.D.

I have no idea if it's a common training technique. I do it with my 1911's so it's natural for me but this shrouded hammer is a little harder to get a good purchase on.

I'm not flaming or lecturing you here, but I'm sure many here will join me in advising against such a practice. I doubt that most legitimate defensive encounters would call for SA shooting of a DA revolver, so cocking the hammer "on the fly" only increases the risk of an unintended discharge. Depending on where the bullet lands, this could be very unpleasant.