Charter Arms revolvers vs Taurus revolvers

My limited experience with Taurus has been a positive one. Serious question, how is charter arms warranty? Taurus' is pretty good.

I know the old argument is "if they built it right the first time they wouldn't need a lifetime warranty" but we are talking about budget guns here..
 
Have a Stainless Charter Arms 44 spl Bulldog 2 1/2 inch. It is accurate but not a lot of fun to shoot as it is very light weight shooting a heavy bullet.
 
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WHICH Charter Arms? The older one in the 80s? Absolutely, had an Off Duty 38 snub that was a great revolver. Charco/Charter 2000? Wouldn't walk across the street for one. The name has gone through some incarnations over the years. I have no direct experience with Charter Arms current incarnation, but I have heard good things. Taurus I have had decent luck with wheelguns, carried one for a few years WAY back in the day.
 
I had one of the original Bulldogs which I liked very much given that it was a 19oz .44 Special revolver.

Charter has gone off the deep end with their girly leopard skin and multi-colored little revolvers. This appeals to women but a lightweight handgun is not the best option for female shooters. Sorry, but every time I see these in gun store display cases it make me queasy. The only 9mm I have that my wife will tolerate is my 34oz Star BM.
 
An important thing to remember is that "Charter Arms" revolvers cover a pretty broad range of variations and quality control over many years of production
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The same point can be made for Taurus. I have a Taurus model 80 (patterned after a S&W model 10, as I understand) from the 1970s that is still in nice shape. Not the most accurate handgun I own, but not the least so, either..
 
Had to use Charters CS twice. Both times they were awesome with FAST FAST service.

But keep in mind, I had to use Charters CS twice. The gun was a CA BD-44 and out of box the timing and carry up were awful. They fixed it ASAP but had to send it back soon after as the cylinder release was developing issues.

Taurus has similar problems, lots of bad reports, and their customer service is not as good. Even though I had problems with that BD-44, I'd still buy a Charter before a Taurus, but really I wouldn't buy either, I'd much rather have an old pre-lock S&W or Ruger.
 
Anecdotally - I had a Taurus revolver that locked its cylinder tight and had to go back to the shop. This was in the 90's. I sold it.

I've seen a Charter Arms 38 SPL snubby make it through an intensive snubby course.

YMMV
 
Imo, it really depends on the individual gun. While Brand A may be better than Brand C, a well assembled/executed Brand C will be better than a poorly assembled/executed Brand A.

But...the Brand A will always be a Brand A if resale is a factor.
 
In my experience, Charter Arms is total junk. Poor quality and poor customer service. I would never buy one again. My wife has a Pink Lady and the cylinder will not close even after sending it back.
 
"Ruger will be nice nice nice on the phone, but they don't fix anything."[/I]

Recently, I contacted Ruger about a chipped grip panel for a newly purchased Blackhawk. Within a couple of days they sent me a new pair grips without a question. Can't do any better than that. :)

If I had to choose between Taurus or Charter Arms , I'd chose Charter Arms.
 
Ruger's customer service has been top notch for me on the 2 occasions I've called.

I wish charter arms would make their front sights replaceable, at least on some models.
 
The same point can be made for Taurus. I have a Taurus model 80 (patterned after a S&W model 10, as I understand) from the 1970s that is still in nice shape. Not the most accurate handgun I own, but not the least so, either..
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I have a model 84 from the 70s and it is the same as the 80 except it has adjustable sights. It's as tight and solid as it was when it was new. I traded for it with a Hi-Point and it is the reason I have bought 2 new Taurus pistols.
 
CA Revolvers

Have 3 CA revolvers one from Stratford from the 70s had I problem with the grips on the old one took it to the factory about 6 miles from me, replaced the grips and serviced the pistol at the cost of the grips!! Have the Bulldog and Pitbull both have over 1500 rds thru them no problems
 
1911_Hardball said:
Sorry, but t this is a bit like asking "Which smells better; dog poop or cat poop?
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That's a good one. AFAIK, if a person wants a .44 Special in the size/weight of the CA Bulldog, he needs to choose between CA and Taurus. I know there's the new Ruger .44, but IIRC it's heavy.

Another thing is I haven't been hearing all good things about recent J-frame S&W models.
 
jerryd said:
Have 3 CA revolvers one from Stratford from the 70s had I problem with the grips on the old one took it to the factory about 6 miles from me, replaced the grips and serviced the pistol at the cost of the grips!! Have the Bulldog and Pitbull both have over 1500 rds thru them no problems
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Which Pitbull? 9, .40, or .45?
 
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