Charter arms 38 special

[RTE]

Trigger jobs and a little bigger grips do a World of good on them.

[pacrat]

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?

Late now. But a better first gun option for a lady in the way of a snubby would be IMO the Charter Arms Undercover in 32 H&R mag. For plinking, training and getting to know pistol. It also shoots the very mild 32 S&W and the 32 S&W Long.

Wife has a 38 Undercover SS, and I put Pachmayers grip on it. Made it much more manageable.

[TMB 1]

I have two Bulldog 44 specials they are both very accurate and reliable. 38 special should be a piece of cake to shoot. Maybe try some different loads. How's your wife shoot it? She might make you and your boss look bad.

[bsg]

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.

^^^ well said. i love my old S&W Model 60 1.85" pre-lock; i really do. but i wouldn't think to have it as a regular range companion. it's '5 for sure' and for my liking, it's as good as it gets as a New York Reload. there are some that have mastered this little beast at 15 yds+; i am not one of them.

[Rosereader]

I've been looking into buying one of these.

A blue one. For myself.

They seem solid, though not the most refined. Shot their .44 spcecial and I have no complaints.

[JohnBrian]

Back in '93 I wanted to buy my Mom a gun for home defense (at the time she was 61). Out of all the ones she tried--- Ruger MKI, 1911, HiPower, I forget what else--- the only one she could pull the trigger on was a S&W 36 Chief's Special. I bought it for her & after the ten-day wait I took her out to shoot it & she did surprising well. She has kept up the practice & still shoots it well even at the age of 82!

[Librarian]

Back in '93 I wanted to buy my Mom a gun for home defense (at the time she was 61). Out of all the ones she tried--- Ruger MKI, 1911, HiPower, I forget what else--- the only one she could pull the trigger on was a S&W 36 Chief's Special. I bought it for her & after the ten-day wait I took her out to shoot it & she did surprising well. She has kept up the practice & still shoots it well even at the age of 82!

That really seems to be the key - anyone starting out has to find a gun that 'fits'. It's difficult to decide that for someone else.

My wife can't shoot any of mine - small hands, while mine are relatively large. So, with my encouragement, she shopped for her own. (And then the shop sprung the HSC test on her; 100%, no prep - but of course she has been listening to me mutter at my computer for years...)

[cannon]

This may have already been said.

OP, Take your wife to the range and let her shoot various pistols until she finds one she likes.

She'll do better and be more comfortable with a gun she likes.

[Mail Clerk]

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?

bbrosch,

Get rid of that revolver right away! I had one years ago and found out it was nothing but trouble. It worked fine for a while but after some rounds it would mis-fire. I went back to the factory many times as it was uder warranty.

I heard some where they make the frames out of steel now so perhaps there decent products of long ago.

Mail Clerk

[desertjosh]

My LCR is really accurate. No experience with charter arms. If you reload make some light wadcutter rounds.

[saki302]

Oh.. I didn't know they made improved grips for them..

The Charter arms I know and remember looked like this:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=448653515

-Dave

[Gem1950]

Oh.. I didn't know they made improved grips for them..

The Charter arms I know and remember looked like this:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=448653515

-Dave

That is an older model but the newer grips will fit it. They can be ordered directly from Charter.

[Steve_In_29]

My wife (4'10"/95lbs) thought she wanted a lightweight snubbie....until she fired one at a Turners Outdoors Expo. She came back off the firing line and clearly stated, "Do not buy me that gun".

Another time she picked up my new Taurus 738 at the range and after cranking off just two rounds, put it down and said she wanted to go back to shooting the 1911.

Define "how bad it shot". Snubbies are not designed for going to the range and shooting nice groups at 25yd nor for spending the day plinking. They are a last ditch defensive weapon for CLOSE in use. My S&W works just fine for quickly putting two-in-the-chest on a man sized target at 7yds.

[Bikertrash]

I have the .38 Charter Arms Undercover and like it just fine for what it is. I put a new set of grips on it (the ones at the bottom of the page) http://www.handgungrips.com/Charter_...ps/1960/c/2935
and it feels much better now. I practice with rounds that I load with 3gr of Bullseye and 125gr plated HP. Barely any muzzle rise and can get all 5 shots off in single action fairly quickly and accurately @ 8yds. Just takes practice and these rounds make practice a lot easier.

[Tommy C]

Good grips & light loads tailored for short barrels do wonders for snub-nosed revolvers. Don't give up, OP.