I know I look fat at the range. 😂 I was wearing a bulletproof vest. If legal in your area, I highly recommend wearing one when shooting at a public range.
I own Colt, S&W and Ruger wheelguns and I find Charter Arms revolvers are very underrated. I own eight CA guns just in 38 spl. I find my 5-shot guns shoot as well as my S&W Mods 60 and 638 and my 6-shot guns shoot better than my Colt Detective Special (80's era). They will probably never achieve collector's value, but they work well and I trust them for EDC.
I share your disappointment with Smith and Wesson. Not only is the finish (on my 442) crap, but the gun wore out after something like 8 years, and 8-10k rds fired through it, almost exclusively standard pressure. I sent it in, and they refused to repair or replace it, saying it was normal wear and tear. I told them I'd bought my last Smith and Wesson. Since then I've bought 2 Charter Arms, an Undercover, and a Police Undercover, and I'm impressed with them beyond words.
Got the Undercover .38 (standard weight, not “Lite”) in matte stainless a year and a half ago, NIB out the door for $375. Not the prettiest gun, but it definitely works. Charter Arms has got it nailed with their proprietary rubber grips; so comfortable and great at mitigating recoil. The fixed sights are dead-on from the factory; it puts ‘em where I aim ‘em. Trigger pull is quite good for both DA and SA (especially SA). I carry it quite a bit; it may be only five shots but it’s five shots I KNOW I’ve got. I could easily afford a more “prestige” brand if I wanted, but there’s just no reason for that. This one does what a .38 snubbie is supposed to do and does it extremely well. Anyone looking for a .38 snubbie, CA is the brand to get. With the money you save, get some ammo and some range time.
Got an undercover lite and want to hate the thing but damn dude the cylinder gap is super thin(cant watch youtube videos through it) even compared to a new Smith 637 and 442. Also no canted barrel as well as the lockup having NO play at all..This was going to be another stash gun for my mom but after a few months with it I think I'll keep it. Not going to lie though this is a gun I will beat the absolute crap out of and even carry it at the beach into the salt water just to push it hard. And yeah i call them them narc guns 5:33 had a friend who tucked an old 442 under a baseball cap(that gun is now mine)
Interesting review. Nice to hear the company’s owner cares about individual customers. I like your take and perspective as an ordinary shooter who is dealing with the ammunition shortage like the rest of us. I found your channel via your On your 6 review and I am anxiously awaiting my new holster. Keep up the great work!
Great down to earth video of what appears to be a great down to earth gun. The fedora was a nice touch too. I love snubbies. I've been carrying a Smith & Wesson 442 for almost 7 years now, and also in my rotation, a Taurus 856 & Rock island ARMORY M 206. If I can find one, I'm looking for a Charter Arms Undercover.
I own a couple of Taurus all-steel revolvers and they are beautiful...but heavy. Not practical for everyday carry. Yesterday I bought an Off Duty (aluminum finish) and it is a perfect size and weight for carrying.
My stainless three-inch Model 85 is a very handsome revolver, made in 1995, which was at the tail end of the best era for Taurus revolvers. It's a great carry gun when worn on the belt in a solid holster attached to a solid belt. However, any of my Charter Arms revolvers, which date from 1966 all the way until 2022, would make an easier pocket-class revolver. That newest one is indeed the flyweight Off Duty. It came with the grips shown here, which I immediately scrapped and replaced with their lower profile ones. I consider it a "poor man's 642." ;-)
If there's anything wrong with your Smith right out of the box, they have a good reputation for fixing it for you. But once it's had a couple years in service, Smith also has a well-earned reputation for being pretty useless. I've had good experiences with Charter Arms, and their customer service has been top notch. I own a Smith air weight but actually carry my Charter. I know if something happens to it, there's a good company backing their product. Thanks for the great video! Glad ammo is a little more common now.
I just got a Undercover 38 special. Haven't shot it yet, but I like the gun a lot. It's small and light just what I need for concealment. The grip is amazing and it's a comfortable gun. The only problem with mine is opening the cylinder, it seems stiff. I will oil it and try to break it in. Hopefully that's all it needs. I liked your review.
All Charter Arms grip frames are identical from the Bulldog to the Pathfinder. If you find a grip you like and the manufacturer says it fits one model, it will fit all of them.
The Off Duty I took delivery of today came with this grip pair, but it's not what I wanted. The Off Duty typically comes with a very compact grip set similar to that on the Smith and Wesson 442/642, and that is what I wanted for pocket carry. I ordered the proper set from Charter's site. My new gun becomes my fifth Charter Arms revolver. The others date from 1987, 1985, 1971 (Undercoverette in .32 Long), and 1966 (my dad's gun, same age as I am.) That first one listed is the gun I bought new the day I got my badge. Carried it as a BU/OD gun for a few years after that. This new one is very handsome, in the matte-black finish with highly-polished cylinder, release, trigger and guard, and barrel assembly. It's downright pretty. The flat muzzle crown is different, though, so brightly polished that it looks like the end of my nickeled Davis derringer. I checked; it's real steel. ;-)
It is although it says in the manual not recommended. Not that it can't handle it but it says due to barrel length that it can't take advantage of the +P.
They make them, the Undercoverette is a six shot now at my suggestion. I also encouraged them to produce what became the 7 shot 32mag Professional. Mr. Nick Eker the president and CEO of Charter Arms called me about 15 minutes after submitting the suggestion on their website. Had a pleasant 20 minute discussion of it. About a year later the Professional appeared. They are really good people.
A family member just bought one of these and I love it and considering getting one but a couple of friends of mine said “a good number of these” have been known to “blow up”. I can’t find any information of such a claim.
That claim is completely unfounded. Charter Arms is known for making very reliable, well made revolvers. They are also very competitively priced. I am a proud Charter owner...the Undercover I have surpasses my needs. It's one of the most under rated American mades guns! Great company!
Apparently the parent company of the 80s I believe that was well known for its quality had an issue with another company they had helping make them. To fix the issue charter bought back that part of the company and is now back to its pretty much original glory. There was a period where QC wasn’t handled well by the partnering company. From what I gathered. Some time details may be off but that’s the gist
S&W has become a pretty pathetic company. I dont own any smiths but I've shot the older ones and they were fantastic revolvers I handled the new ones at the store. One J Frame trigger was not consistent with the other next to it. I messed with 4 J Frames at the shop and none of them felt the same. All felt heavier or lighter and all were 642 or 638. I thought this was a bad sign and backed off. I havent had the pleasure of shooting a ruger revolver yet but I have some of their semi autos and they are great. Only thing is I prefer revolvers for carry. In fact I carry 2 snubbies on me everyday. I like they dont snag and can deploy very easily as opposed to semi autos. If i get a jam inside of 7 yards I'm truly in trouble. If i can get consistent bangs and do my part all will go much smoother for me.
Snub nosed revolvers are good for rookies or experts, but not intermediates - the wannabe Rambo types. These aren't for target shooting, meaning exposed hammers are worthless on a snub nose revolver, while the hammerless design allows for a higher grip and better recoil control. These are the best immediate response to a threat, not a "combat" piece.
