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Old March 11, 2013, 09:18 PM   #1
ccwnut
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Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull

Anyone have an idea when these might be available?
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Old March 11, 2013, 10:46 PM   #2
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Heard of them for a while, never actually seen one.
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Old March 12, 2013, 01:45 PM   #3
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I'm pretty sure that they had a very, very small run of them late last year. However, with all the craziness over the past few months, they are probably using full production to keep up with their flagship models like the 44 bulldog and 38 undercover.

Have you tried emailing them? In my experience, the current Charter Arms is very responsive to emails and phone calls if they're relevant. I emailed them about the 45acp pitbull early last year when the 40s&w finally came out. All I was told is something to the effect of "it will be awhile," but the response was quick and if they do indeed have the necessary components/blueprints for the 9mm pitbull ready, you might get a more solid answer about a time frame for a full run.
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Old March 12, 2013, 07:16 PM   #4
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I have seen them advertised, but can't remember where. Also saw one at a gunshow a month or so back.
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Old March 12, 2013, 07:29 PM   #5
TennJed
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Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull

I would be very interested in finding one in 9mm and/or 45acp
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Old March 15, 2013, 10:22 AM   #6
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Saw one in a LGS in CT about a month ago. It was gone in about a week.
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Old March 15, 2013, 05:56 PM   #7
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Does it use clips for the 9mm rounds as S&W is the only one to ever do it without the chips.
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Old March 15, 2013, 07:14 PM   #8
tekarra
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No, it does not use moon clips. There is a spring type extractor that engages the groove in the cartridge case. Google the revolver and you are sure to find a photo of the extractor.
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Old March 16, 2013, 02:25 AM   #9
TennJed
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Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull

Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycrave View Post
Does it use clips for the 9mm rounds as S&W is the only one to ever do it without the chips.
I didn't realize smith made one that didn't use clips. What model was it. Also the Ruger Blackhawk doesn't use moon clips, of course it is a SA
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Old March 16, 2013, 08:15 AM   #10
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Quote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycrave
Does it use clips for the 9mm rounds as S&W is the only one to ever do it without the chips.

I didn't realize smith made one that didn't use clips. What model was it. Also the Ruger Blackhawk doesn't use moon clips, of course it is a SA
The S&W 547 was chambered for 9mm and did not use moonclips although it's not the only revolver to do so. The Phillips & Rogers Medusa was advertised as being able to shoot most .38/.357/9mm ammunition due to it's extractor design which also did not require moonclips.
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Old March 16, 2013, 01:15 PM   #11
tekarra
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TennJed,
Below is a photo of the 547 extractors. Note the black nubs in the star. The extractors are beryllium bronze and as the ejector rod is pushed, the extractors, which are springs, engage the groove of the case.

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Old March 18, 2013, 08:37 PM   #12
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How effectively did this system perform? Since they are very limited in availability and very pricey, I assume they were not well accepted in the marketplace?
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Old March 18, 2013, 10:06 PM   #13
Cesure
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I looked at them

I think the pitbull is only made in 9mm and .40S&W. I know where to buy the .40 if they haven't sold it in the past two days, but the 9 mm is much harder to find.
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Old March 19, 2013, 08:43 PM   #14
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Ruger does make one as my brother in-law own one but it's not as designed for the 9mm like the S&W as my under standing they shoot alittle all over the place, i guess because of it being made for 38/357/9mm as one size does not fit all as i have heard of keyhole effect.

There is a video on youtube of the Charter Arms 9mm.. to me they just made the moon chips part of the ejetor which would also take care of the other issue about the 9mm round back up once fired if it chips in a U shape around the case as to hook it.

The S&W was accepted by the people that order it but the cost may have got them and they did take the first batch and the rest was released to the public. the pricey part is just vintage S&W on a 10,000 run which there is really less of them left then that number still in 95% or better condition.

Last edited by crazycrave; March 19, 2013 at 08:52 PM.
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Old March 20, 2013, 12:12 AM   #15
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Quote:
How effectively did this system perform? Since they are very limited in availability and very pricey, I assume they were not well accepted in the marketplace?
I have not shot a lot of rounds through my 547 but it works fine. I suspect most of these guns don't get shot a whole lot so I don't know how durable the system is.

SW supposedly designed these at the request of governments outside the U.S. (France and/or Israel according to good Internet hearsay). SW ended up with some extras which they sold in the U.S. The U.S. shooters asked, why a 9mm revolver when we have .38 specials and .357 magnums in the same frame size? So, S.W. never ended up making a lot of these guns (maybe 10,000 or so). Certainly not rare but not real common either.

I've also been waiting for the 9mm Pitbull. I think a 9mm revolver fills a nice little niche between the .38 spl +P and the .357 magnum if you only want to stick to factory loads.
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Old March 20, 2013, 09:22 AM   #16
Cesure
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Quote:
The U.S. shooters asked, why a 9mm revolver when we have .38 specials and .357 magnums in the same frame size? So, S.W. never ended up making a lot of these guns (maybe 10,000 or so). Certainly not rare but not real common either.
Was this before it became cheaper to shoot 9mm than 38 Special? Because now we know why. When you can find it, 9mm is cheaper than anything I've seen except 22LR.
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Old March 21, 2013, 12:13 AM   #17
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IIRC, the 547 came out in the late 70s when the revolver was still king here in the U.S. for home/defense/police use. I'm pretty sure the revolver ammo was cheaper then, at least around here. I shot rifles but didn't shoot handguns much until the early-mid 80s when the hi-cap 9s started becoming popular in the U.S.
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Old March 21, 2013, 12:23 AM   #18
TennJed
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Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull

Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycrave View Post
Ruger does make one as my brother in-law own one but it's not as designed for the 9mm like the S&W as my under standing they shoot alittle all over the place, i guess because of it being made for 38/357/9mm as one size does not fit all as i have heard of keyhole effect.
The Ruger you are referring to is the Blackhawk or Vaquero. Both are single actions and come with separate cylinders for the different rounds. I have owned 2 Blackhawks with the 9mm cylinders over the years and accuracy was great on all ammo types. Absolutely no keyhole effect in mine. Far from it actually. Very accurate in 9mm and 357. But again they are single actions which of course means no moon clips.

Ruger did make a Speed Six in 9mm, but it was 9mm only and had to have moon clips
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Old March 21, 2013, 07:18 PM   #19
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The 547 was made from 1980 to 1985. 3784 were 4" barrels with a square butt and 6486 were 3" barrels with a round butt. They were made primarily for the foreign market and I have seen a couple Gendarmes carrying them in Paris and in the late 1980s I bought a couple that were surplus from Israel.
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Old March 21, 2013, 07:21 PM   #20
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Deleted, TennJed did mention the Ruger Speed Six. Sorry, I'm tired.
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