Went looking for revolvers today 9 places, not one smith under 4inch, I need a snubbie.But I did see alot of eaa, charter arms.And alot of conflicting stories. I know ones made in germany ones made in america. What one is a better gun? in 38.special ? Gun snobs please dont attack me I have Sig-saur 229, Ruger Sp101, Smith 910,442.
EAA or CHARTER ARMS
- Thread starter dougbull
- Start date
lee n. field
New member
The Windicator, made by Weirauch.
Never seen one, myself. Gunboard hearsay says they're OK.
Look into Taurus. I picked up a 605 last year, it's been solid.
Never seen one, myself. Gunboard hearsay says they're OK.
Look into Taurus. I picked up a 605 last year, it's been solid.
I have an EAA .357 Windicator. Yep, they're made in Germany. That's my only revolver, so I know next to nothing about them in general. Less than 300 rds. through it. No problems. Seems well-built. Heavy for a pocket snub. I think they make them with two bbl lengths. Mine is the shorty.
I was looking for an SP101, couldn't find 1 that I could afford!
Saw and handled an EAA Windicator at a local hardware store, and almost bought it - the price was right - $320 BNIB, but it was a bit bigger than I wanted, as I was looking for a ccw.
But the quality of the gun was impressive, especially for the price. I'm a machinist, and picky, so checked the fit and finish, function, and trigger pull. All passed with flying colors. I emailed EAA about their warranty, and it has a lifetime warranty, can't beat that.
The only reason i didn't buy it was the size and weight. I'm still considering it, if it's still there, as a house gun for the wifey. I traded off an old S&W model 15-4 awhile ago, and as soon as she found out about it, she started *****ing! Said it was her favorite.... go figger. Never said a word about it before!
We'll see.
As far as the Charter Arms, I traded for an old .44 Bulldog awhile back. I guess you're looking at new 1s? The '1st generation' didn't have a manufacturing location on the barrel, up till the mid '60's. The next had Bridgeport, Ct. on the barrel, till the early '70's, which is what I got. CA then moved to another location in CT(started with an 'A', can't place the town right now - it's late! Ansonia?) till the early, mid '80's. Some of the later models form this plant started having problems, so some research on the date of manufacture would be in order from this era. I'd stay away from the Charco Arms era -late '80s -1997? when they went under for a few years. The co. was resurrected somewhere around 2000 for a couple of years, and failed again.
From most reports, the current management of Charter Arms has done a good job with the newer guns, with updated CNC machinery and quality control procedures. 'Couse there are always people who scream IT'S JUNK! that have never even fired 1....
The bottom line? I think the EAA is a damn good gun for the $$$. Every company can have a lemon, but I'd buy 1.
The new Charters? Probably a decent pistol as well. CNC machinery has enabled manufacturer's to hold tighter tolerances than ever before, and the processes aren't dependent on old, worn out fixtures and/or manually operated equipment, which rely more on operator's skill and attention to detail. I'd buy whichever 1 fit your hand and budget the best!
You could probably run a search on here, or any other forum to see what other have to say about them too - $$$ don't grow on trees!
Saw and handled an EAA Windicator at a local hardware store, and almost bought it - the price was right - $320 BNIB, but it was a bit bigger than I wanted, as I was looking for a ccw. But the quality of the gun was impressive, especially for the price. I'm a machinist, and picky, so checked the fit and finish, function, and trigger pull. All passed with flying colors. I emailed EAA about their warranty, and it has a lifetime warranty, can't beat that.
The only reason i didn't buy it was the size and weight. I'm still considering it, if it's still there, as a house gun for the wifey. I traded off an old S&W model 15-4 awhile ago, and as soon as she found out about it, she started *****ing! Said it was her favorite.... go figger. Never said a word about it before!
We'll see.As far as the Charter Arms, I traded for an old .44 Bulldog awhile back. I guess you're looking at new 1s? The '1st generation' didn't have a manufacturing location on the barrel, up till the mid '60's. The next had Bridgeport, Ct. on the barrel, till the early '70's, which is what I got. CA then moved to another location in CT(started with an 'A', can't place the town right now - it's late! Ansonia?) till the early, mid '80's. Some of the later models form this plant started having problems, so some research on the date of manufacture would be in order from this era. I'd stay away from the Charco Arms era -late '80s -1997? when they went under for a few years. The co. was resurrected somewhere around 2000 for a couple of years, and failed again.
From most reports, the current management of Charter Arms has done a good job with the newer guns, with updated CNC machinery and quality control procedures. 'Couse there are always people who scream IT'S JUNK! that have never even fired 1....
The bottom line? I think the EAA is a damn good gun for the $$$. Every company can have a lemon, but I'd buy 1.
The new Charters? Probably a decent pistol as well. CNC machinery has enabled manufacturer's to hold tighter tolerances than ever before, and the processes aren't dependent on old, worn out fixtures and/or manually operated equipment, which rely more on operator's skill and attention to detail. I'd buy whichever 1 fit your hand and budget the best!
You could probably run a search on here, or any other forum to see what other have to say about them too - $$$ don't grow on trees!
I have a CA that is one of there lite 13oz guns that i rotate with a pf-9 for carry . Good gun ,no problems with it. I have close to 500 rounds through it and the trigger lends itself to ccw well. I would buy another new CA. I have handled a windicator but thats all ,feels good but like others side ,seems to heavy to carry but might make a good range gun..
armoredman
New member
I have a 850 CIA I might be selling soon, good gun, just not real fond of it.
Shoots OK. 7 yards offhand standing.
Never tried a Windicator, never heard anything really good about them.
Shoots OK. 7 yards offhand standing.
Never tried a Windicator, never heard anything really good about them.
First off, I've have a 605 and my In-law has a Windicator and I have shot both. The 605 is a much nicer firearm IMO and has a way better trigger than the Wind. For the money, the Windicator is a good reliable firearm that always seems to go bang. It's fairly lightweight (.38spl) but too bulky for pocket carry. It would make a good nightstand gun or car gun or even a carry piece for that matter in a waist holster.
I did not find it to be very accurate, the trigger is terrible, it's all riveted together so you can't take it apart, and overall it looks like a toy gun. But it does shoot every time you pull the trigger and that's a lot more than can be said for some higher priced handguns out there.
I wouldn't turn one down as a second gun.
As far as the small frame Taurus goes, Mine has been good for me and is my preferred carry gun.
I did not find it to be very accurate, the trigger is terrible, it's all riveted together so you can't take it apart, and overall it looks like a toy gun. But it does shoot every time you pull the trigger and that's a lot more than can be said for some higher priced handguns out there.
I wouldn't turn one down as a second gun.
As far as the small frame Taurus goes, Mine has been good for me and is my preferred carry gun.
oneounceload
Moderator
It seems that you already HAVE a snubbie - the 442...
A little further research on the Windicator seems to indicate that they are of "alloy" construction, and that generally means that alloy is ZAMAK, aka pot metal, which is the same stuff your window cranks are made of.
It seems as though this is just a face lift of the Arminius junk that was sold here 25 or 30 years ago.
Common sense would dictate that a pot metal gun isn't going to stand up to a whole lot of punishment, and, in fact, can become downright dangerous, especially if the pot metal starts to corrode. For that matter, you can melt pot metal with your propane torch.
It seems as though this is just a face lift of the Arminius junk that was sold here 25 or 30 years ago.
Common sense would dictate that a pot metal gun isn't going to stand up to a whole lot of punishment, and, in fact, can become downright dangerous, especially if the pot metal starts to corrode. For that matter, you can melt pot metal with your propane torch.
Mark Milton
Moderator
Back in the late 70s or early 80s my dad was a cop and he swapped off his big, heavy service revolver for a Charter Police Bulldog in .357.
We shot that gun for years.
Only problem with it was the finish wore off easily and it was so light the recoil would get your attention.
He finally traded it off on a deer rifle, but that gun took a lickin' and kept on tickin'.
I have a Taurus CIA that I paid about $305 and it's a good gun. It has a cylinder/yoke lock up that my model 60 Smith didn't have.
I have no qualms about recommending a good CA or Taurus. Ive shot plenty of both makes.
We shot that gun for years.
Only problem with it was the finish wore off easily and it was so light the recoil would get your attention.
He finally traded it off on a deer rifle, but that gun took a lickin' and kept on tickin'.
I have a Taurus CIA that I paid about $305 and it's a good gun. It has a cylinder/yoke lock up that my model 60 Smith didn't have.
I have no qualms about recommending a good CA or Taurus. Ive shot plenty of both makes.
the 38 windicator is alloy, but the 357 is on a steel frame. i have owned both recently and there is a weight differance you can tell. both shot good but trigger pulls were rough, i only traded them cause i got a good deal on a gp100. you can check the eaa website it shows that the 38 is alloy and the 357 is steel. if it came down to eaa or charter my decision would be based on price. if the price was equal then i would get the eaa 357, you can still shoot 38's in it and it a bit heavier in case you want to fire 357. if you just want a 38 then get the charter it will conceal better and is lighter. both carry a lifetime warranty and from what i've heard they have great c.s.