Charter Arms

[MikeWalking]

Supprised noone said ruger sp101. They are a great gun for the money. I will say smith makes some of the nicest revolvers.

Good Point.  I had an sp101 in .357  Still kicking myself for selling it and the S&W629 and....oh ouch..

[DOUBLELUNG]

I started shopping for a j-frame snubby 3 months ago with the intent of buying a Smith airweight.  I like the Smith quite well, but found the Ruger LCR lighter, more comfortable grip and better trigger than the Smith.  I completely agree with the recommendation that she end up with whatever she is most likely to carry all the time. 

The Ruger LCR is very impressive on the range.  Very comfortable to shoot, my 10 y.o. son enjoyed shooting it (standard velocity wadcutters).  It definitely barks with +P, but still handles well.  I was able to shoot sub-3" 5-shot 7yd groups and 7" 25 yard groups first outing (standing, 2 hand hold, no rest); rapid-fire was worse but still acceptable - and lethal - at both ranges.  With more practice I expect to tighten those up by 1/3 to 1/2.

[Gutpile]

The Charter Arms she liked is like $350ish and i even saw a Taurus for like $450. So why is the Smith $700 even without the crimson trace grips?

They're not. I paid $420.00 or so for mine in stainless at White Elephant in Spokane.

[Huntbear]

Unless you have to have new, go find a used Colt Det. Special.  Great carry weapon, and accurate as they come.  I am still kicking myself for selling mine!   

[chrisb]

The Charter Arms she liked is like $350ish and i even saw a Taurus for like $450. So why is the Smith $700 even without the crimson trace grips?

They're not. I paid $420.00 or so for mine in stainless at White Elephant in Spokane.

According to the S&W website they start at $640 and go up from there.

[Gutpile]

MSRP is always way higher on the Factory websites. Like I said, I bought mine for right around $420.00. The Blue model was in the $350.00 range.

[Gutpile]

Supprised noone said ruger sp101. They are a great gun for the money. I will say smith makes some of the nicest revolvers.

Me too. I was going to buy one in 327 mag but couldn't find one. It's a bit bigger than the S&W642 but definately worth a look. Better choice than a charter.

[rasbo]

sp 101 is a great gun,love mine

[demontang]

The ruger is a great gun and it does bark when you use full power 357 loads but im sure any short barrel 357 would.

[yorketransport]

I don't think that the Charter Arms are bad guns. Maybe just not as durable as some of the others. I had a Bulldog  for a while and i liked it. To me the Charter Arms guns are the type that you buy to carry a lot and shoot a little. Buy the gun and 3 boxes of shells. Shoot 2.5 boxes to get a feel for the gun, and save the rest to use when carrying.

I know that this goes against the logic that everyone should shoot their carry gun until they can hit quarters at 25yds blind folded, but not everyone who carries is a "shooter". Some people just don't have the time, money, or desire to shoot that often. For them, I don't think that they would really notice the difference between a Charter Arms, Taurus, Smith, or Ruger.

Andrew

[Bofire]

I love my SP 101 357, but the little 38 special snubbies are much smaller and lighter. I want one!
Carl

[mazama]

I have owned a charter arms bulldog in 44special, i use shortened 44mag cases mainly use it for backpacking the gun is accurate but is brutal to shoot with heavy loads. But for real firepower i like the Glock m29 in 10mm it has a lot of firepower and is compact. I also carry a Barreta 22 in the back pocket in wallet holster.

[uncoolperson]

I have a non-airwieght charter arms detective model something in 38 somewhere (impulse buy), the right grips and she's a blast to shoot.