Charter Arms 38 spec

Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Are these any good? I have not ever had one or know of anyone that has one. One of my aunts has one of these new in the box. Her husband bought it right before he passed. She does not want it as she is not a gun person. She wants me to sell it for her. But I don't know what it is actually worth.

It is this model. https://charterfirearms.com/products/23872-the-old-glory

I am thinking I might just keep it for something else to play with. I know they have changed hands a few times for ownership. I know some in the past were junk. Or would I be best served by using the $ for something else? It does not speak to me like other guns. So it does not matter if I sell it.
 
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Jeff H

NW Ohio
Their resale value is not one of their otherwise many wonderful traits.

Try it. Use it. Shoot the snot out of it and see what you think.

If it's an older Bridgeport or Stratford-production gun, it's probably a GEM. If it's a current Shelton gun,... maybe.

Regardless, they have been using the same parts inside since 1964 and they are easy to keep working if you find a messed up part. They will also go to lengths to make it right if it isn't.

I LOVE that danged things and all of mine have been more accurate than a short, "cheap" revolver has a right to be. I like the design and the light-weight/compact form. They are pretty durable despite what I read online when the occasional hater chimes in with a horror-story, who might have owned ONE or maybe NONE.

It won't hurt the resale value to shoot it, so shoot it and find out if you get along with them.

This fella has a pretty good line on their lineage and is a really great guy:

Bear in mind that W. B. Ruger COPIED this design when he came up with the famous Security/Service/Speed-Six line. If he were alive, I'd say it to his face and he'd probably laugh and tell me he's no fool. The man recognized good engineering and had no qualms about not reinventing the wheel. Yes, he beefed it up a LOT and made some improvements, but the design is solid.


EDIT: OK, I clicked the link. That's just awful to look at. The Flag is the Flag and I don't care for the idea of plastering it all over everything for the sake of sales, but I stand by my original comment regarding the design. The Bridgeport/Stratford eras were the best for actual worthy execution thereof.
 
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Glaciers

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
I’ve owned 4 or 5 Bulldogs in the past 35 to 40 years 2”, 3, and 4” target model. Still have my wife’s 3”, BIL has the 4” now and if I didn’t have a Rossi 720 3” I’d have another Bulldog. If I run across a 2” at a good price I’ll own it.
Have never shot or owned any other calibers in the CA pistols, but I like them. They aren’t a Smith in the looks department, but neither is the price.
Charters I will add to the herd someday are a 32 H&R Professional, and the Pathfinder in 22LR. A little lightweight 38 would be a welcome addition as well.

Edit: I should clarify that when I say “Bulldog” I’m referring to the 44SPL.
Didn’t know that Bulldog came in other calibers until I just read the link that Jeff provided.
 
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Rushcreek

Well-Known Member
My only Charter Arms experience has been decades ago but the .44 Bulldog was good, the .38 Undercover was good, the .22 Pathfinder was good but I hated the fat sights.
The AR7 pistol was a jammin’ joke.
 
Rick H

Rick H

Well-Known Member
I have not owned a CA but have fired a few .44 Bulldogs that were carried by co-workers. While not finished to pre- '75 S&W or Colts standards they were solid accurate guns. Certainly not junk.
 
Mitty38

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
We only had one issue with my wife's Charter.
After 3 years regular use. About 3k rounds.
The ejector rod got bent. Started to stick a bit.
Called them and they sent me a new rod. Had it in 6 days.
Only reason we got rid of it was the wife hated the sights and wanted a Bersa with a Lazer and target sights. So traded it in.
 
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Jeff H

NW Ohio
Mitty38 said:
We only had one issue with my wife's Charter.
After 3 years regular use. About 3k rounds.
The ejector rod got bent. Started to stick a bit.
Called them and they sent me a new rod. Had it in 6 days.
Only reason we got rid of it was the wife hated the sights and wanted a Bersa with a Lazer and target sights. So traded it in.
Click to expand...

The shrouded ejector rod thing seems a bit overrated to me. I've rarely heard of it happening and only had it happen to ME once - on a stainless, 3" Bulldog and I think it was that way when I got it. It should not manifest itself as a serious problem as easily as some other designs might because the front of the cylinder is supported on its axis - the ejector rod itself, not the crane. If the rod is bent while the cylinder is closed, it can only bend so far against the barrel and the cylinder should still turn OK, but maybe with some increased resistance. Less likely to be a show-stopper in the middle of a desperate situation. Crazy stuff can happen during a desperate situation too though, so never say never.

I replaced the bent one on mine because I had it all apart - and you don't really want to take one of these that far apart unless you need to. My "need" was just being picky and wanting to know everything was ship-shape inside. I had bought it used and had maybe a thousand rounds through it when I decided to do that.
 
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Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Jeff H said:
The shrouded ejector rod thing seems a bit overrated to me. I've rarely heard of it happening and only had it happen to ME once - on a stainless, 3"
Click to expand...
An underbarrel shroud for the ejector rod is a double-edged sword. Some people like them, others don’t. However, ejector rods seldom get bent when the cylinder is closed, unless you’re using the gun as an impact weapon.

Ejector rods get bent when operators abuse the gun when the action is open; not when the action is closed. Slapping the ejector rod off center will bend it. A shroud does little to prevent this type of damage.

A bent ejector rod will interfere with the extractor and if bent enough, will interfere with the rotation of the cylinder when the action is closed.

On guns that the ejector rod can loosen and tie up the action (like S&W or old Ruger DA Six’s) a shroud makes it more difficult to thread the rod back in when the action is closed. (It can still be accomplished so that the action can be opened but it tougher with a shroud)
 
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Was looking it over last night and it has been shot. Her husband must have shot it as she said she never has. It looks like he shot one cylinder full and put it away.

Cycling it, the single stage is scary lite! DA it is typical 12lbs or more. Being it has already been shot I am going to take it with me the next time I go shooting.
 
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