[aarondhgraham]

I bought the Charter Arms Pathfinder, 4" in .22 LR.

I based my final decision on a conversation I had with the young lady.

She does want to try shooting some small semi's,,,
But the reason she kept going back to the Model 18 was simplicity.

She liked the way a revolver works,,,
Just load it up and start pulling the trigger,,,
Apparently she doesn't want to deal with magazines.

While I was there I also looked at a used S&W Model 10,,,
I could have bought that gun for a few bucks less than the Pathfinder,,,
But I thought about ammo costs and decided to go with something she can shoot for pennies.

If she wants a centerfire handgun later on,,,
She can make her own decision on what that will be,,,
My purpose here is to get her started and a .22 seems right and proper.

I'll probably add a couple of bulk packs to the gift package.

It's been a long time (over 40 years?) since I bought a new revolver,,,
I forgot just how tight they can be when they are new,,,
This Pathfinder .22 is no exception to that rule.

I have no doubt that it will smooth out some,,,
A lady friend has one and It took about 2 bulk packs,,,
Her trigger isn't as smooth as my S&W's but it isn't bad at all.

Actually it's not a heavy trigger, it's just a bit gritty,,,
The pull doesn't seem to be much more than my S&W 34 & 63

It is almost identical in size to my 4" S&W Model 34 & 63,,,
It does have a full lug barrel but it is very slender,,,
The holsters I make for S&W J-frames fit nicely.

I cleaned the gun as well as I could to get the grease off of it,,,
Then I took it to the range and ran 250 rounds through it,,,
100 Mini-Mags, 100 Remington Golden Bullets,,,
And lastly I shot 50 rounds of Federal Bulk.

The pistol has very acceptable accuracy,,,
I was popping water bottles at 25 yards very handily,,,
I am not crazy about the front sight blade because it's smooth.

Being smooth it reflects the light and tends to disappear,,,
Perhaps a bit of orange sight paint would improve that a bit.

I'll have the time to shoot the heck out of this gun,,,
It should be well broken in by the time I gift it over to her.

I have no qualms about taking the newness away from the little gun,,,
It will be a better gift if it runs a bit smoother than now.

I took several pictures of it but forgot to toss my camera in my briefcase,,,
I'll post the comparison pictures of it and my Model 34 tomorrow.

All in all I think this little shooter is worth the money I paid for it,,,
I misremembered the quote the Evil Pawn Shop Guy gave me,,,
The final price for the gun with sales tax was $380.63,,,
More than the SR-22 but lots cheaper than a S&W.

Now to get off of my lead arse and make her a belt & holster for it,,,
I'll probably go for a modern Jim Threepersons style rig,,,
It won't be for carry but will look sharp at the range.

I did find out that HKS speed-loaders for the S&W Model 34,,,
Will work just fine for the Charter Arms Pathfinder as well.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Aarond

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