S&W 642 vs. Charter Arms Off Duty

[Cocked & Locked]

SA/DA or DA only...easy choice and changeover with a Charter Arms.

Same goes with the .44 Bulldog, Pathfinder .22, etc.

 

[max503]

Full-size, high quality revolvers are one thing. Small frame, concealed carry revolvers are another. I'm a life-long S&W fan. My EDC is an S&W 638. HOWEVER. If I was to do it again I would look strongly at the CA offerings. Why? Because they are both reliable, and you aren't going to get a glass-smooth action in a J frame Smith so why pay the extra.
YMMV.

edit: If I didn't own several S&W j frames I would be buying me a 12 oz Charter Arms in a heartbeat.

 

[washerman]

Full-size, high quality revolvers are one thing. Small frame, concealed carry revolvers are another. I'm a life-long S&W fan. My EDC is an S&W 638. HOWEVER. If I was to do it again I would look strongly at the CA offerings. Why? Because they are both reliable, and you aren't going to get a glass-smooth action in a J frame Smith so why pay the extra.
YMMV.

edit: If I didn't own several S&W j frames I would be buying me a 12 oz Charter Arms in a heartbeat.

I have a 638 and a charter arms off duty...Charter is a 12ounce DAO gun..In my opinion it has a better grip and a better trigger than the 638. the Charter gets carried because of those 2 reasons. Just can't go wrong with the newer Charter Arms revolvers and i have 3 of them so have some experience not just internet chatter

 

[dandyrandy]

SA/DA or DA only...easy choice and changeover with a Charter Arms.

Same goes with the .44 Bulldog, Pathfinder .22, etc.

It looks like you put in new spurless hammers in old Charter revolvers. Is that true? I wish Charter made the older spurless hammers that still had that little bit of serration on the top in case you want to go single action. i cant find those hammers anywhere! If they did I would have to say it would be just about perfect.

 

[indie_rocker]

I've had a new production 642-1 for about a year. The trigger is great and I can put nice groups together with the right ammo. But I'm not happy with how the finish is wearing. I typically carry it in a hybrid IWB holster, the trigger guard and just in front of the rear sight are looking rough.

All this positive talk about CA has me interested. A bulldog will probably be my next firearm purchase. Thanks guys.

 

[shouldazagged]

The only grips that I found to be as close to perfect as possible for the S&W J frame is the pachmayr compact grips. No one likes them because they are the heaviest of the grip options and everyone thinks they are ugly. I could care less about that and I care more about shooting the gun reliable and accurately than what the guns looks like. All other grips are terrible for shooting. Everyone likes the original little bitty S&W and Charter Arms magna grips. They look pretty and the conceal very well but they suck for shooting accurately and they kill your hand after a lot of rounds. I agree Charter Arms has better grips than what is offered for the S&W. Charter makes a sweet set of wood grips the are a little bigger than the magnas but a little smaller and lighter than the pachmayr's. They are as close to perfect as you get.

I've carried Pachmayr Compacs daily for eighteen years. I love them.

Yes, they weigh four ounces. Yes, they are bigger than boot grips. But they are not hard to conceal, and make a huge difference in control and comfort when shooting .38 Special +P.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

It looks like you put in new spurless hammers in old Charter revolvers. Is that true? I wish Charter made the older spurless hammers that still had that little bit of serration on the top in case you want to go single action. i cant find those hammers anywhere! If they did I would have to say it would be just about perfect.

Yes...correct. The blued gun is an older .38. The stainless is a 2 year old .44.

The pictures do show double action only spurless hammers from CA. These do not have the option of cocking for single action.

AS you state, I don't think CA has available any longer the hammers you mention. Might be worth a phone call to inquire.



I also like the Pachmayr Compac grips on some handguns including S&W 642 and CA Bulldog .44.

 

[elm_creek_smith]

My brother purchased a Charter Arms Undercover back when they were new. He carried it on any number of missions over Vietnam and later when working with the US Military Mission in Potsdam. After decades of use in SE Asia, Europe, Turkey, and a farm, it looked to be in sad shape. In the midst of one of his divorces (Hey! Don't judge!), he had me lock it up with some other guns in my safe. When everything got sorted out, I gave him his guns. In the meantime I had Riley Gilmore's gunsmith go through it for a refresh, clean it up, and Parkerize it. When my brother saw it (on his birthday) his eyes leaked a bit. I'd also fixed up a little fitted wooden box with velvet inside for it with a duplicate of his wings on the top. Good times.


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[dandyrandy]

My brother purchased a Charter Arms Undercover back when they were new. He carried it on any number of missions over Vietnam and later when working with the US Military Mission in Potsdam. After decades of use in SE Asia, Europe, Turkey, and a farm, it looked to be in sad shape. In the midst of one of his divorces (Hey! Don't judge!), he had me lock it up with some other guns in my safe. When everything got sorted out, I gave him his guns. In the meantime I had Riley Gilmore's gunsmith go through it for a refresh, clean it up, and Parkerize it. When my brother saw it (on his birthday) his eyes leaked a bit. I'd also fixed up a little fitted wooden box with velvet inside for it with a duplicate of his wings on the top. Good times.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cool stuff! Do you have any pictures of the Charter that you can share?

 

[dandyrandy]

The Smith and Charter showdown continues! Earlier I went and shot the revolvers some more and I had a revolver JAM!! I wanted to talk more about that. It was on the Charter Arms Off Duty. This was my first real jam on a revolver in all the many years of shooting revolvers and its of concern to me since this is primarily a self defense gun....

However the jam was not the fault of the revolver but the ammunition. After further inspection to find out WHY a revolver completely jammed on me I noticed that one of the lead round nose bullets I was trying to shoot had a nick on the front of the bullet nose. Looks like the bullet was not fully seated into the casing during manufacturing and jammed up the cylinder rotation by the nose of the bullet hitting the cylinder crane.

I learned a few things about this experience besides inspecting your bullets. I put some of the bullets into the Smith and the gun shot all the rounds just fine which showed me that the cylinder on the Smith 642 is slightly longer than the cylinder on the Charter Arms. Is that a big deal to me? Not really but it did tell me you may want to inspect your carry ammo before you put it into the cylinder of the Charter.

 

[dandyrandy]

Here is a close up of the Charter cylinder with the extra long bullet in the chamber. You can see it sticking out just enough to jam the cylinder.

 

[OLDSTER]

I shoot my early Bridgeport CA Undercover better than my J frames.

 

[rich5674]

"Over rated and over sold" How so?

Hah dandyrandy! You can send me my image usage fee later.



Here's the other side of the Model 642 that lives around here.


And, a photo of the revolver with the choice of "totin' " ammo.


At the end of the day I'll take the Smith & Wesson J-Frame rendered in steel over any alloy-framed revolver. Shot a circa 1980 Charter Arms Undercover .38 Special on an occasion years ago and it was alright though not as good as the Smith & Wesson J-Frame. Don't know about current Charter Arms Off Duty.

Don't really care for the Model 642 for that matter. Think they are overrated and oversold. But, my wife came to love the revolver in the photos.

My personal notion of the best 5-shot .38 Special revolver is the Smith & Wesson Model 49 or Model 649.

What makes you say "over rated and over sold? I have SS, aluminum and scandium Smith's, I think they are all of good value. 442's can be had for $300 plus fees. 340s, 360s and 640s are about $600

 

[dandyrandy]

The S&W 642s and the 442s have been a great value! Sometimes I have seen them slightly BELOW the price of a new Charter Arms revolver. I would not hesitate to buy another one if I saw it new for $300 bucks... Just sayin...

 

[dandyrandy]

I shoot my early Bridgeport CA Undercover better than my J frames.

I cant shoot the little Charter as well as the S&W 642. Main reason is because I can point the 642 down range at my target and stack the trigger to where its virtually at single action and shoot my precisely with the revolver. I couldnt do that with the Undercover unless I cock the hammer back in single action I guess... All that really dosent make much difference though in an "up close and personal" defense shooting scenario. So with that being said both revolvers are pretty much at equal playing fields and its down to user ability really... Kind of like how in Korean War air combat the USAF F86 Sabre was at the same playing field as the Russian MIG-15s with a few differences that made no real big difference in the long run and where it came down to pilot dog fighting skill/ability that won the battle.

 

[skipnsb]

Long ago I read the Red Baron physically verified all his ammo would chamber and extract. Probably not a bad idea for my self defense loading.

 

[bmcgilvray]

What makes you say "over rated and over sold? I have SS, aluminum and scandium Smith's, I think they are all of good value. 442's can be had for $300 plus fees. 340s, 360s and 640s are about $600

Just now saw this reply.

'Course this is only one person's opinion.

The revolvers are amazingly inexpensive relative to J-Frame prices of decades ago and are a good value.

What I view as pitiful is the notion that a piddly little steel-framed J-Frame is considered "too heavy" by so many these days so that they have to go to the various lightweight aluminum alloy versions or they'll herniate presumably. At least to hear all and sundry tell it on firearms forums.

The various steel-framed 5-shot Smith & Wesson revolvers are much better for practice and they're still flea-weights to tote. Perceptions have really changed in a generation.

I view the entire lightweight tribe as handguns for specialists for special purposes, yet they're what is mainstream these days.

Doesn't really matter to me, for if ever-smaller, ever-lighter guns advance the cause of gun ownership then I'm all for them. It isn't that I can't manage shrunken lightweight revolvers for I have managed them. For me though they are an inferior choice for personal defense. I'm grateful I'm not required to either tote one of the things or gun fight with it.

People flock to acquire them when they could do better.

 

[hardknocks]

Lock up

Unload show clear than put some empties in that 38 and see if you can replicate the trigger lock up I described earlier. Report back to me ASAP with your findings sir and thanks!

My off duty has this trigger hitch as does my friends new colt cobra.
I never noticed until I read this thread and tried to replicate the lock up, and I have had a few charters over the years.

 

[dandyrandy]

My off duty has this trigger hitch as does my friends new colt cobra.
I never noticed until I read this thread and tried to replicate the lock up, and I have had a few charters over the years.

My ancient old Charter Undercover and Off Duty does the same thing with the trigger so its not a problem just on the new revolvers.