charter arms .38???

[Guest oldslowchevy]

took my wife to the gun shop today to look for a carry gun for her.

she CAN NOT rack the slide no matter how hard she tried.... semi auto... no.

so looking at revolver but it has to have a hammer as she COULD NOT sqeeze the trigger in da, even using both fingers. except for one... a charter arms 5 shot revolver(really does have a light trigger in da).

i have heard of them but not much, what would do you guys know of them? we will not be shooting 1000s of rounds though the gun. take her to the range 4-6 times a year for about an hour each visit that would be all unless she would ever "need" to defend herself.

other reccomendtions are welcome with in reason.

i would have perfered a semi but her disabiltys have her hand stength to about 50% or less.

also would have prefered a 357 mag over a 38 if she was only to have 5 shots. still looking at other options though since gun money will not be available till after the 1st of the year.

budget $500 or less.

[Tuffus]

I recently bought a Ruger LCR in .357 magnum. It's the smoothest DAO trigger I've ever squeezed. It also comes in .38 special and is less than $500 in most places. I got mine for $399 at the Murfreesboro gun show.

[Sandman]

You have a ton of options in the $500 range. If the only gun she can properly function is the Charter Arms, get it. You have have trigger work done on any guns including Smith revolvers but I may be old school but I think that a carry gun needs to be as factory as possible.

I think a Smith is better than Charter arms and if she has to have a hammer, get a Smith. She can shoot single action and I would bet in the need to actually use it, the adrenaline will give her the strength to pull DA. However, she may not be consistent with it. I guess all in all I would go with the one she can practice with in DA, aka the Charter.

[Guest twpayne75]

Did she try not pulling the slide back, but rather holding the slide and pushing the frame forward? A lot of times that helps. It's much easier to push than pull. Also it takes no hand strength.

Also call a Custom shop or competent gunsmith. I always use Predator Custom Shop in Knoxville. Most all guns can have the trigger weight reduced or lightened. I would hate to have to go to a Charter for any other reason than lack of funds. For your budget, if I had to go revolver route, I would probably look toward the S&W Airweights or Ruger LCR. I know the Airweights can be lightened, I would assume the Rugers could be also.

[cajunpredfan]

My daughter is also disabled and cannot rack a slide. For this reason she is a revolver girl. At first we went with a .38 airweight but that proved too snappy even with low recoil loads for her. She now has a three inch SP101 .357 and loves it. She mainly shoots .38's and occationally .357's. Shooting .38's is no problem now for her with the added weight of the gun. For the money you could look at either a used Ruger SP101 or S&W M60. You could also look at the Taurus 605 new. Another option would be to look at the SP101 in .327 magnum, 6 rounds and it will shoot just about every .32 round.

[Guest oldslowchevy]

she has (excuse the spelling) musculer distrophy and her hand will only weaken as she ages (45 now) and i own 2 9mm semis that are well worn in and she has tried alot and can not rack them.

in double action (used in a threat) she can pull the trigger on the charter arms. i think he said it was around 5lbs. the smiths and rugers are our of the price range. but even so she could no squezze the trigger on the smith.... allllllmost but not quiet there, where are the charter was very easy for her. i also belive the charter is geared towards women..... red and silver... yuck, but she liked it. though i am not sure if it is rated for +p rounds or not, it is an aluminum frame and cylinder so i would say no.

[Guest twpayne75]

the smiths and rugers are our of the price range.

You should be able to get a Ruger or S&W AND get the work done by a gunsmith for under the $500 limit you mentioned. I am not going to knock Charters. Never owned one. But generally cheaper guns are that way for a reason. Usually fit and finsh is not as good. As well as longevity of the firearm. I would not want to shoot a cheap revolver extensively. Atleast if a cheap automatic messes up, it just stops. If a cheap revolver messes up, such as shooting out of time, it can cause a really bad day.

Again, I have never really heard anything bad about a Charter. But I would also suspect most that would buy one would also rarely shoot it anyway. Just a fact. People that buy the cheapest guns are not going to spend the money on ammunition to train with said gun. I understand that is not your case or reasoning. But I think that's why you don't hear about more messing up as the round count goes up.

[TNWNGR]

As to a good pistol you wife can use I’d suggest finding a used Beretta Model 86 Cheetah in .380 ACP as it has a tip up barrel so she will not have to rack the slide. I would also recommend the S&W M-438 or 638 shrouded hammer(can be pulled back to the cocked position) 38 Special 5 shot J frame revolver. Either or preferably both of these will more than satisfy her needs for a personal protection handgun. Even better both of these handguns can have their trigger pulls safely and easily improved either by a competent gunsmith or an in home instillation of a Wolff Spring(s) Kit. BTW you can also install a Wolff Spring kit on the Charter Arms revolver at home by yourself too.

[Motasyco]

My wife has a hammerless Charter Arms .38. She loves it and has had no issues. And I got my 642 back.

[True Grit]

My wife can no long pull the trigger on her old charter arms 38 sp or my Ruger LCR due to her arthritic hands. She now uses the Sig P238 HD. It has the easiest slide to rack of any semi auto I have ever handled and light trigger. It is a little over $500 put isn't her life worth it?

I would not get her an airweight revolver or 357 mag due to the recoil. I assume if she lacks hand strength the recoil is an issue as well.

[bdykd0]

I have a charter arms 38 sp. and have had no problems with it at all. Her best protection will come from whatever gun " she " feels most comfortable with. Inexpensive does'nt always mean cheap made.

[Will Carry]

This is a good thread for me. My wife can't rack any semi-auto I own. She can pull my GP-100 in DA but it's too heavy for her. She has trouble with my Model 36 Smith. So I hand her my .410 single shot shotgun. She she can break it open but can't close it. Now I'm thinking that maybe I need to get her a bigger dog. I don't know if she could shoot anybody. This is a big problem for me. I work a lot and I hate leaving her home knowing she can't protect herself. Maybe a 32AP with a pop-up barrel will be the ticket. Beretta and Taurus make them.

Edited November 15, 2011 by Will Carry

[Guest BungieCord]

I have a Charter Off-Duty hammerless .38 Spl. It's well worth the money and I'm happy with it but it also happens to be the most uncomfortable pistol to shoot that own. It definitely IS NOT a range gun. The S&W 642 is a more expensive gun but, IMHO, a better option if the shooter is recoil-sensitive. It's not substantially heavier but something about the design makes it less punishing to shoot than the Charter.

[Guest tommy62]

I've owned several Charter Arms .38's and all were good guns.

[Oh Shoot]

I have an old Charter Undercover from 60's, it's swell. Was one of the first alloy frame revos. Actually it resides at my mom's these days:

Best advice seems to be to avoid vintages that say "Charco" or "Charter 2000" on them. There was apparently some marginal engineering shortcuts taken during a period of one or more of their bankrupticies/takeovers. These are sometime between 1996-2005.

- OS

Edited November 16, 2011 by OhShoot
"charco" not "charterco"

[bronco302]

I have an old Charter Undercover from 60's, it's swell. Was one of the first alloy frame revos. Actually it resides at my mom's these days:

Best advice seems to be to avoid vintages that say "Charco" or "Charter 2000" on them. There was apparently some marginal engineering shortcuts taken during a period of one or more of their bankrupticies/takeovers. These are sometime between 1996-2005.

- OS

Dude that's the Wife's gun:D. I did get a set of rubber grips for it on Ebay. They are good revolvers but kick like a mule.

I know a lot will poo on this but if I or my wife could not handle anything else for what ever reason I would even pick a quality .22, or .32acp. These may not be front line picks but physical problems will not leave us without lead slingers.

Joe W.

[Murgatroy]

As to a good pistol you wife can use I’d suggest finding a used Beretta Model 86 Cheetah in .380 ACP as it has a tip up barrel so she will not have to rack the slide.

I was thinking along these lines as well. After going through the same issue with my mother, we bought her a Sigma, as she could rack the slide on it.

If I had it to do over again, I think I would steer her toward a tip-up barrel.

[TNWNGR]

I couldn't remember if the Beretta Tomcat in .380 ACP was a tip up barrel so I looked at one this morning and it does have the tip up barrel. Also it is thicker and heavier than the LCP or P3AT and has pretty decent sights, its also heavier which will help it feel better while shooting. I'm keeping it in mind as an option for my wife when circumstances dictate something smaller but still capable.

[Jonnin]

Second the sig for a 238 as easy to rack, esp if you hammer back first. Now, its thin and might be difficult to grasp, but the spring is very weak and so as far as strength goes, its very easy. Also, one-handed shooters can buy or have made a device that will rack the slide on an auto by pushing the barrel end of the gun into a wall or floor etc, I have seen them but am unsure of the name for the device, but its just a hollow extension that lets the barrel and rod pass through while pushing the rest back. Might look at that. Otherwise look at whatever revolvers she can make work, some of them have very nice triggers in DA, others are horrible. I recently tried a ruger 38 sp, G something model, that even I could shoot in DA mode --- my hands are bad I cannot fire most DAO guns or make the DA pull of many guns. It was a very nice pistol.