Charter arms 38 special

[bbrosch]

I bought one of these with the thought that my wife could shoot it when we went to the range together. My boss and I tried it out and neither of us could believe how bad it shot. it's the aluminum frame 1 7/8 barrel. Is this the case with all of these short barrel guns?

[shafferds]

Get a steel frame gun and its a bit easier. Aluminum guns are great to carry but can be a pain to shoot. Snubbies are one of the hardest guns to shoot well. It takes practice. If you think 38spl is bad try 357 mag or 44.

[003]

While I do understand the desire and need for a husband to take care of his spouse, and do what he believes is best for her. I do not understand the thinking when a guy buys a small and “cute” gun for his wife, when most often that is the worst choice. Guys, the average female will do much better with a full size gun, either revolver or pistol. Not trying to start of war here, but a full size Glock, M&P, etc. or a K frame size revolver with a four inch barrel would be a much better choice than a small J frame.

My wife is 5-3 and weighs just about 110 pounds, and can out shoot using her Glock 19, many of the guys we shoot with on a regular basis. While a small revolver is easy to carry, the recoil, noise and muzzle blast all work again a new shooter, not to mention it is just about impossible to hit a target at a reasonable distance with such a small gun. Why handicap a new shooter, and risk turning her off to a great sport.

Here again, not trying to be rude or insensitive, a question for the OP. How much professional firearms training have you completed? Are you sure you are the best person to introduce your wife to the shooting sports?

Lastly, the gun mentioned by the OP is not known for it's quality or workmanship. The old saying, "buy once cry once", certainly fits in this situation.

[tmh1]

I bought one of these with the thought that my wife could shoot it when we went to the range together. My boss and I tried it out and neither of us could believe how bad it shot. it's the aluminum frame 1 7/8 barrel. Is this the case with all of these short barrel guns?

How far to the target were you shooting? Little 5 shot snubby revolvers are called "belly guns" for a reason: "...the term comes from the envisioned mode of employ for these guns: firing from extremely close-range into the belly of an opponent."

For practice with my snubbies, I don't go past 7 yards, and mostly shoot @ 5 yards.

And for what it is worth, the Charter Arms guns aren't as bad as many (most without significant experience with one) describe them. The ONLY problem I have with mine (I have 2, along with S&W, Colt and Ruger wheel guns) is that you can kind of "overclock" them if attempting to shoot very fast.

Best way to improve your accuracy with a snubby (besides practice, practice, practice) is with a Crimson Trace laser like



And then more practice. Problem is that most people don't "enjoy" shooting any snubby, and hence don't practice enough with it to be proficient.

NOT A FUN RANGE TOY as you have found out. For my wife, her favorite is her GP100 (generally shooting only 38 special), followed by her S&W Model 67 and then her Sig P226. Snubby revolvers are basically used for ccw self-defense as they are generally light and small, to conceal well and wear comfortably. There are much better options for having fun at the range.

[MrOrange]

I bought one of these with the thought that my wife could shoot it when we went to the range together. My boss and I tried it out and neither of us could believe how bad it shot. it's the aluminum frame 1 7/8 barrel. Is this the case with all of these short barrel guns?

No.

Guns can have a lot of intrinsic precision but it can be very hard to extract it in actual use. My 640, w/laser, shoots into 1 1/2" at 25; w/o the laser, I print 4" groups.

FWIW, after my Dad died and my stereotypical live to knit, knit to live little-old-lady Mom asked me to get her a bullet-launcher for home defense, what I got her was a J-frame with a laser. After a very brief intro session (maybe she's just a natural) she had no problems keeping a cylinderful in about 3" at 7 yards, arthritis and all.

HOWEVER, if you're looking for something for fun range times and skill development, then I'm going to go with what them other folks have said and recommend a full sized handgun. Something like a medium-frame revolver shooting .38s or a "service sized" auto in 9mm.

[Dano3467]

I have and carry S&W airlight 38 I don't usually shoot it for pin point, I pull fire 2 rounds quickly (@ 5 yds) as this is how I believe your situation will be when called on, unless you looking for jail time.

Do I get the 10 ring, not usually, but place in the back most consistently.

As for carry, sure a full size could be great, but just how often will you carry vs shoot. For most it will be never (shoot) if your smart, but the weight and bulk will always dictate how you will do most anything, so it's the Airlight for me.

And yes I have other firearms on my permit 4 to be exact, but this is the one that will go most everywhere w/me, pocket IWB ankle, so many options.

Just learn to shoot it, like it will be used, this isn't a target gun.

[bbrosch]

Thanks everyone for your input, even you 003.

[003]

Having just reread my comments, it is clear that I could have been a bit more diplomatic. Now, having said that please understand while I had no intention of being rude or unpleasant, I do believe I made a couple of valid points. A small short barrel revolver is not a good gun for a beginner to use or learn on, and often times a family member is not the best person to teach a new shooter.

[Gem1950]

Personal experience - Charter Arms Undercover is a good snubbie and a good $$ value. Want a softer, more enjoyable shooting experience? Use wadcutters or SWC ammo.

[saki302]

Watch Bob Munden shoot a snubby on youtube.

Snubbies are perfectly accurate, they're just harder to shoot- and the Charter versions are even smaller than J-frames with less to hold on to.

-Dave

[Gem1950]

Watch Bob Munden shoot a snubby on youtube.

Snubbies are perfectly accurate, they're just harder to shoot- and the Charter versions are even smaller than J-frames with less to hold on to.

-Dave

Disagree on the last part. Most Charter Arms (excluding their DAO models) have an enlarged grip compared to many snubbies (like the Ruger LRC pistols) which is one of the reasons I prefer them. Very good grip purchase for a small pistol.

http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_Undercover_73820.asp

[tmh1]

Disagree on the last part. Most Charter Arms (excluding their DAO models) have an enlarged grip compared to many snubbies (like the Ruger LRC pistols) which is one of the reasons I prefer them. Very good grip purchase for a small pistol.

100% agree: The Charter Arms snubbies are much more comfortable in my large hands than their S&W counterparts. I think that the angle of their grip/frame is a little more "straight" (in comparison to the barrel/cylinder), which definitely gives the second finger on my strong hand more room behind the trigger guard.

Out of the box the Charter Arms snubbies seem to be more like the Ergo Grips "Delta Grip" which many S&W snubbie owners are raving about.

[WnP]

I just bought a snub nose for my wife and she's not shooting out to 15 yards. Probably less than 8 feet if she will ever use the gun.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

[sholling]

They aren't fun target guns because (and it doesn't matter what brand) snubbie sights and triggers suck, and their heavy recoil and tiny grips make them awkward to control. They're meant for one thing and only one thing - 5rds of last ditch defensive fire at 0-10 feet.

Note that snubbies, with their poor sights, benefit a lot from Crimson Trace lasers.

[Gem1950]

They aren't fun target guns because (and it doesn't matter what brand) snubbie sights and triggers suck, and their heavy recoil and tiny grips make them awkward to control. They're meant for one thing and only one thing - 5rds of last ditch defensive fire at 0-10 feet.

Note that snubbies, with their poor sights, benefit a lot from Crimson Trace lasers.

Ditto.