what's your take on a.....

O

oriley

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Charter arms undercover .38spc 5 shot? I believe it was the model used to kill john lennon? But hpw do you feel about? Self defense, carry, recoil, maintenance wise?
 
It's a good solid reliable utility gun. It does what it was designed to do quite well.

It's not a S&W but it doesn't cost like one either. I'd carry one for personal defense if that's what I had and have no worries about it doing its job.

A Charter 44 Bulldog is still on my want list so clearly I believe in the brand.
 
Over the years, Charter has gone through some pretty big swings quality wise. If you are serious about the gun, try to find out when it was made then match that up with Charter's "bad" years and "better" years to lessen your chance of getting a looser.
 
Thanks for the insight.. I use to have a s&w .44 long and snub both wobder pieces but honestly I felt like I was over doing it. I had a S&W .357 snub with a laser that I completly feel in love with. But it was stolen from me :-(
 
I carried an original Charter Arms Undercover back in the days and it worked well. I've heard thru the years that QC varied greatly. Good luck in your search. tom. :cool:
 
Charter arms undercover .38spc 5 shot? I believe it was the model used to kill john lennon? But hpw do you feel about? Self defense, carry, recoil, maintenance wise?
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How do I "feeeel" about it? How about what I think about it?

I picked one up at the end of June. Part of what I wanted to do was compare it to my Taurus snub, and see if this was a good enough gun to be able to recommend.

Interesting design. Very simple design. Cylinder and crane can be easily removed, as can the hammer.

Be warned: the trigger can be easily removed. It's a three hand job involving a good deal of hand strength getting the trigger, trigger spring, trigger spring bushing, hand and transfer bar alll back together right.

Unlike Taurus, the machining is rough, in places that don't matter, much better in places (like the ejector star) where it does.

I've had some light strike failures. I;ve tried to address that. If it turns out not to work well, the gun will probably go back to Charter.

My pics: http://s1279.photobucket.com/user/lee-n-field1/library/CA%20undercover

(I've tried to annotate the pics, but Photobucket does not always save them.)
 
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Word on the street is to avoid any Charco or Charter 2000 guns. But the old and new Charter Arms revolvers are pretty good for the money. I have a Bulldog and Pathfinder and enjoy them both.

The Bulldog was a pawn shop rescue and was giving me trouble with a tight cylinder gap. I shipped it to Charter and they fixed it, no questions asked. Had it back to me in two weeks flat. The newer guns are backed by a lifetime warranty and the company stands behind that.
 
I believe it was the model used to kill john lennon?
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is this important to you? why? Some people do collect guns of the types used in various historical, or even fictional instances. Nothing wrong with that, nor with using those guns as regular working guns, either. Was just curious.

The Charter revolver is generally a sound, basic gun, although, as mentioned, overall quality has varied over the years. If you get a good one, its a good gun. Not on the same exact level as S&W, Colt, etc. but neither is the price.

had some experience with a 3" Target Bulldog some years back. Nice enough, but not spectacular. Shooting .357s it was quite jumpy in the hand. Any that small will be.

All the small guns like the Charter are meant to be carried a lot and shot a little. used that way, they generally give good service. If you want something to put thousands of rounds a year downrange with, you should look in a different direction.
 
CA Bulldog .44spl ....

To my limited knowledge, Lennon was murdered with a .44spl 5 shot revolver.
I thought the guy who killed John Lennon wanted a .44 Bulldog like "Son of Sam" serial killer; David Burkowitz.

Many brands or types of weapons become identified with the people who use them. Colin Furgison(check spelling) used a Ruger P85 9x19mm on his shooting spree on the LIRR system, killing several passengers & causing a huge anti-gun push in the 1990s.
Major Hassan, the US Army officer & medical doctor, shot & killed approx 17 US Army soldiers in the Fort Hood Texas incident. Hassan used a FNH 5.7x28mm pistol. The entire incident was considered "workplace violence" by the US Dept of Defense, :rolleyes:.
I, for one, could see that tragic event to be a issue in a use of force trial/civil wrongful death court case if the armed citizen used a 5.7mm FNH. It seems unfair but lawyers like to win cases & some will take any cheap shot they can.
The George Zimmerman criminal trial is a great example.

Clyde
 
I have had one since the early 1980's and had to change the grip to fit my hand but other than that it has been a good revolver and my oldest daughter carries it today
 
Good servicable revolver. Not as refined as a S&W or Colt but they seem to have a reputation for working well.
I for one am an advocate of the .38 Special, it's low recoil standard 158 gr load is proven and todays lighter high preformance HP loads are very good also.
HTH,
BPDave
 
Like others have said, it's a no-frills, servicable revolver. I enjoy mine, which is considered one of the "good years" gun with a serial# around 500,000. It's light, accurate and carries well. The oversize grips makes it easy to shoot and has become the favorite of the woman in my life because of the grips. I would not hesitate using this as a CCW. It currently is my nightstand gun.

 
I believe it was the model used to kill john lennon?
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Yes, a Charter Undercover was used by Mark David Chapman to kill John Lennon. There's a pic of it online, and it is a blued model with Pachmayr rubber grips.

I believe that one was used to shoot George Wallace, as well.

I have two of the older model Undercover models, and they are both good little guns. No problems with either.

Here's a pic of Chapman's gun:

markdavidchapman.jpg
 
I've owned a couple/three of them over the years. Two of the older ones, and my wife has a "new" production "Lavender Lady" 38. I think they're good for the money. I think the neoprene grips they put on the new production guns are about the best feeling grips I've ever used (they'll fit the older guns too, BTW).

.
 
FWIW My CCW is a CA .44spl Bulldog 3". Like others have said, I find it a good gun for the money and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others with the caveat to avoid those produced during the "bad" years.
 
Had one in the early 80's and I was very happy with it. Very solid and never any problems. I bought it for my ex-wife who had to pull it one night in a deserted parking lot to prevent herself from becoming a victim.
 
I have a 1st generation Undercover that has been very reliable. I have the small banana grips on mine along with a Tyler T-grip. I just purchased 2 new Bulldogs. A 3" inch Classic and a 2 1/2" dao stainless model. The Classic is now my nightstand gun and the dao model will be my winter carry.
 
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