10Ringmagic
New member
I am partial to my S&W 638, works great for me and can be thumb cocked for a SA shot if wanted.
.38 Revolvers
- Thread starter Panfisher
- Start date
lowercase said:
Its a fine budget revolver. I have been very happy with it. The trigger is nice, the gun is accurate. Recoil is modest. All Charter grips interchange, so there is a lot of grips to choose from. The spurless hammer for the Bulldog works great if you want a DAO snag free draw option. Charter does not offer the Police Undercover this way, but its an easy swap. The HKS 10-A speedloader works perfectly.
Its a budget revolver. Charters are fine guns that will stand up to a lot of abuse. They have a lifetime warranty, are made in the USA and Charter has excellent customer service.
Here are a couple pics. The last one to compare size to my SP101
I agree.
If you plan to pocket carry, find something with an enclosed hammer like a S&W Centennial or Ruger LCR. Ruger makes an SP101 with a factory bobbed hammer, but it's heavy.
If you plan to wear it on your hip, then you have more options both in terms of size and hammer configuration.
Personally I've never had any luck with Taurus or Rossi revolvers. I've never tried a Charter Arms. For a carry piece, I would pay a bit more for a S&W or Ruger all day every day.
If you keep your eyes open, you can often find a S&W 442 or 642, used but in great condition for $300 to $350 (private sale). A lot of guys buy these guns for themselves or for their wives, shoot them once, absolutely hate them because of the recoil, and up for sale they go.
These are not fun guns to shoot at the range. Great carry guns though. Quality. Point, click, bang ====>>> bullet hits point of aim.
These are not fun guns to shoot at the range. Great carry guns though. Quality. Point, click, bang ====>>> bullet hits point of aim.
I also would have to recommend the Ruger LCR 357. I have one and it's a very good little shooter with a very good trigger pull. I purchased the 357 for the weight and shoot 38 special mostly. Although I have shot 357, it's not something that I enjoy. I cast 124 grn and load for it and through the chrony I'm getting around 800 fps, with a very controllable recoil.
Doc Holliday 1950
New member
Rossi makes an excellent 2" 38 spec or 357/38sp. Never had any problems with the 3 i've owned over the years. The Rossi is under $300 & weighs 24 ozs. which will handle any 38 or 38 +P ammo like candy and the 357/38 model takes light 357 mag loads very well.
Doc
Doc
How would I carry it? It would likely spend most of it time in the console of my truck. With a holster that could easily be tucked IWB if desired, and occasionally simply dropped into a jacket pocket. The role it is going to fill has been filled in past with a Taurus 94, nice little gun after some trigger work but a Co worked really wanted it and I wasn't attached to it so I let him have it for what I gave for it 5 years ago. Most recently the role was filled by a Walther P22 that i got in a trade. although it shot well I never really liked it and when someone offered cash they took it home. Now looking for a generic duty revolver to fill that void. Would like it to be CCW able in addition to doing all the duties of a truck pistol. I have no real perfect pistol in mind, but don't want to drop a lot of $ on a console/truck gun.
The issue with Rossi and Charter is that their quality control has varied throughout the years. Charter has changed hands 3-4 times and gone bankrupt twice since it was started. Rossi has changed hands at least once. I don't have personal experience with either brand, beyond handling them over the counter. This doesn't mean they don't make great guns now even, but when getting experience from others it is important to know when theirs was specifically manufactured.
YMMV of course. You can get either the LCR or a 442/642 for $400 out the door if you are patient enough, or willing to buy online and ship to a FFL.
YMMV of course. You can get either the LCR or a 442/642 for $400 out the door if you are patient enough, or willing to buy online and ship to a FFL.
lee n. field
New member
S&W 442/642. Surprisingly inexpensive.
I have an Interarms Rossi 88 snubby. It is surprisingly heavy, all steel. When I had an action job done on it, my gunsmith said that internally it was an exact copy of a Smith & Wesson. It shoots great and is heavy enough to handle serious ammo. You better settle for the grips though, because what you see is what you get. I like mine.
Yeah for sure, the factory boot grips are awful. The web of my thumb would start to bleed after about 10 rounds.
I went with the Uncle Mike's 3 finger grip that covers the backstrap. This made all the difference in the world. The Delta grip looks interesting. I might have to try it one of these days.
Cosmodragoon
New member
Versus the SP101, absolutely. The LCR has been a game changer, at least for me.
ScaryWoody
New member
I carry the Ruger LCR or a S&W 438. Both are great little revolvers. The Ruger rattles (transfer bar).
Cosmodragoon
New member
People complain about this and it happens when you shake it, but carrying one I never notice. Maybe the pocket and holster muffle it? I know my hearing is decent and I always wear protection when I'm shooting.