Charter Arms - My Experience

Vulcannut · June 16, 2017, 07:44 PM

Everyone,

I wanted to share an experience I had today with Charter Arms. I was in the market for a revolver and was having a hard time finding a dealer who had a Mag Pug in stock so I reached out to Charter Arms and asked them for a suggestion on were to go. Understand I live 14 miles from the Charter Arms factory in Shelton CT. Well they responded with stop by and we can show you one. So today my wife and I did just that. To make a long story short we ended up meeting Nick the owner who gave us a tour, let us handle a new Bulldog, Pink Lady, and Mag Pug and then I heard him say "want to fire them " and so we did. My wife and I both got to fire each model in their facuility down their test lane. So kool. Nick is a top notch guy. I asked about the perceived quality issues in which he brought me to the repair room and opened up the cabinet with the guns in for repair. He said we have been in business sine 1964. We will work any any Charter Arms firearm and said keeping this in mind look how many we have for repair. There was like 8- 10 with more than half being old models dating back to the 70's and 80's. Not many considering how many they have made since 1964.

My wife and I are just average folk and Nick talked at length with us. Gave us gun advice and talked with us more than just firearms. Everyone at Charter Arms was great. Everyone smiled, said hello, and as we were leaving the folk in the parking lot all waved and smiled.

In the end all three guns were great. I ended up getting in my car, driving one mile away, and then purchased a Mag Pug. After my experience today they have a lifelong customer who will be buying more of their product.

I don't want this to start a comparison thread between Charter Arms and other Manufacturers but If haven't given them a look in awhile and are wanting another revolver I would give them a look. They are a USA company who gets all there parts from local companies. It's a USA made gun with only USA parts in them. These are the company's that deserves support.

Sorry for the long post but it was a great experience and great day for us.

Screwball · June 16, 2017, 08:04 PM

While I have no background in Charter Arms revolvers, I do like to see customer service like that... shows that the company actually cares about the customers.

Hogue and S&W (at least in years past) were also good ones. I had Hogue rubber grips on most of my handguns, so when I asked them about stainless screws for my S&W 1006 (blackened ones were having the finish rub off and rusting), they said they were sending me some in the first reply. Mind you, I just asked for the screw specifications to pick some up locally. KelTec got a takedown pin for my KSG out to me once I mentioned one didn't stay in the gun... and the representative told me how to fix it after sending me one, to have a spare on hand. It didn't work, but I do appreciate them knowing that owners like having spares (I got a KNS QD sling pin, so still ended up with a spare).

One company I actually will not deal with anymore is CZ. Emails to Parts do not get returned, and left a voicemail myself, as well as had a CZ employee in another department leave one... never got a reply. Really sad, considering the amount of people that use their guns in competition. I love my SP-01, but if I ever buy another CZ... I'm figuring I'm on my own with it.

Beretta pissed me off a few years back (called in an order that never arrived, called back a month later and got the same guy... who told me he hasn't taken an order over the phone in two months, then finds out someone/he didn't process it to ship), but their representative that is on BerettaForum got the G conversion out, and took input back to them for a single-side decocker. Have to see if they turn it around, as they need to worry about civilian and L/E sales, after the M9 contract ended.

mk70ss · June 17, 2017, 06:16 AM

Outstanding. As a consumer, all I want is a quality product with excellent customer service for my money. Sounds like you found that. Well done Charter Arms.

Wishoot · June 17, 2017, 06:44 AM

Nice story. Sounds like you had a great experience.

I'm considering a CA in 44 Special.

Carmady · June 17, 2017, 08:51 AM

Over the past two or three years I've dealt with the CS/repair departments of Charter Arms, S&W, and Ruger.

I'd rate Charter Arms first when it comes to CS and repair. Fast and competent at both.

PoiDog · June 17, 2017, 09:44 AM

Good to hear a good story about customer service. I bought one of the original company's offerings back in the early '80s.

I still have it, and it's still running well.

It sounds like this current iteration of the company still has some of the original people involved, if they mentioned being in business since 1964.

lee n. field · June 17, 2017, 09:55 AM

Quote:

He said we have been in business sine 1964.

Well, sort of. There were some interruptions in there.

My experience with their customer support was excellent.

JoeSixpack · June 17, 2017, 10:41 AM

Cool story, thanks for sharing, to bad they did could not just sell you one onsite.

I plan on getting one of their rimless revolvers in 9mm at some point but I got bigger fish to fry right now.

Super Sneaky Steve · June 17, 2017, 03:50 PM

If they made a double action in .45 Colt I'd buy one tomorrow.

tallball · June 17, 2017, 04:15 PM

I have an Undercoverette (32 magnum) and 44 special pit bull. They have both functioned perfectly. Grats to the OP on the cool tour!

44caliberkid · June 17, 2017, 05:16 PM

I obtained a 44 Bulldog in 1976. The first year I had it I split the cylinder open with a handload (a little too much Unique), sent it back to the factory. When it came back the new cylinder had been installed, plus the stubby wood grips were replaced by a new rubber grip. A couple years later I was getting light primer strikes and sent it in again. It came back with a stronger main spring, too strong actually, it was a bear to pull in DA. I cut a coil off the spring and it was about perfect. It has always been my traveling piece and served as a CCW quite often. I have had to sell all my guns on two occasions, but always kept "Bully" and my Browning Auto 5. He resides in my night stand drawer full off Winchester Silvertips.

jerryd · June 17, 2017, 05:22 PM

I have a old Stratford model off duty , 9mm pit bull and 44 bulldog no problems with any of them. I live about 7 miles from the factory and have been there to get grips for the off duty nice operation!!

Bighorn1 · June 20, 2017, 10:41 AM

Just bought my first Charter Arms revolver, a week ago. It is a Target Pathfinder, with 4.2" barrel and adjustable rear sight, in .22 Mag. Primary reason for buying it is as a summertime carry gun for rattlesnakes, of which there are a lot near where I live. There are a lot of 2" or shorter barreled guns available, but I wanted the longer barrel, stainless steel, and adjustable sights. Not a lot of guns fit those requirements nowadays.

First impressions were that fit and finish were very good for a revolver in this price range, but a trip to the shooting range really showed the potential of this piece. After a few rounds to zero the sights, I shot 60 rounds at targets and at steel plates. First off, .22 Mag. has a lot more juice than .22LR, as it knocks plates down with authority, where the .22LR kinda just tips them over. Second, accuracy of this handgun is excellent, with CCI Maxi Mag 40 gr. HP ammo- no problem taking down 8" steel plates at 20 yards.
But, the real surprise was with CCI shotshell ammo- the pattern it throws at 10' is perfectly uniform, with no holes or thin spots whatsoever. A rattler is going have an impossible time surviving a cloud of shot from this piece!
My only complaint about the Pathfinder so far is the gray stainless steel front sight. It tends to get lost in bright sunlight. An application of flourescent orange nail polish seems to have taken care of that problem.
Another plus for buying this gun is the fact that it is nearly identical, size and shape-wise, to S&W J-frame handguns, and I am able to use my Simply Rugged holster I have for my S&W M 63.
Just my 2 cents worth.......

Blade37db · June 20, 2017, 01:37 PM

I can vouch for their CS as well.
Bought a Pathfinder in 22lr with the 4.2" barrel late last year. Fit and finish was ok. Had the cylinder lock up when I was trying to break it in with snapcaps. Called their CS. Mentioned that I was in CT and they told me I could bring it in. Was there for about 30 minutes and they took care of it. They did recommend that I not use snap caps.

I have since traded it in for the new LCRx. Had I known it was coming out, I would've held off on buying the Pathfinder. I prefer the extra capacity and lighter weight of the LCRx. Had the SP101 but it was too heavy and unbalanced for my liking.

Model12Win · June 20, 2017, 02:04 PM

Bough a new 44 Bulldogger a couple years back. Good gun but had to send it back twice for repairs. They were fast and handled everything incredibly professionally. They are GOOD PEOPLE, making IMHO serviceable guns. They're not Smith and Wessons, but in my personal experience Charter Arms customer service blows Smiths out of the water and they WILL stand behind their products.

June 16, 2017, 07:44 PM	#1
Vulcannut Member Join Date: March 31, 2017 Location: Some H$ll whole in Connecticut Posts: 58	Charter Arms - My Experience Everyone, I wanted to share an experience I had today with Charter Arms. I was in the market for a revolver and was having a hard time finding a dealer who had a Mag Pug in stock so I reached out to Charter Arms and asked them for a suggestion on were to go. Understand I live 14 miles from the Charter Arms factory in Shelton CT. Well they responded with stop by and we can show you one. So today my wife and I did just that. To make a long story short we ended up meeting Nick the owner who gave us a tour, let us handle a new Bulldog, Pink Lady, and Mag Pug and then I heard him say "want to fire them " and so we did. My wife and I both got to fire each model in their facuility down their test lane. So kool. Nick is a top notch guy. I asked about the perceived quality issues in which he brought me to the repair room and opened up the cabinet with the guns in for repair. He said we have been in business sine 1964. We will work any any Charter Arms firearm and said keeping this in mind look how many we have for repair. There was like 8- 10 with more than half being old models dating back to the 70's and 80's. Not many considering how many they have made since 1964. My wife and I are just average folk and Nick talked at length with us. Gave us gun advice and talked with us more than just firearms. Everyone at Charter Arms was great. Everyone smiled, said hello, and as we were leaving the folk in the parking lot all waved and smiled. In the end all three guns were great. I ended up getting in my car, driving one mile away, and then purchased a Mag Pug. After my experience today they have a lifelong customer who will be buying more of their product. I don't want this to start a comparison thread between Charter Arms and other Manufacturers but If haven't given them a look in awhile and are wanting another revolver I would give them a look. They are a USA company who gets all there parts from local companies. It's a USA made gun with only USA parts in them. These are the company's that deserves support. Sorry for the long post but it was a great experience and great day for us. Last edited by Vulcannut; June 16, 2017 at 08:19 PM.

June 17, 2017, 06:16 AM	#3
mk70ss Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2008 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,598	Outstanding. As a consumer, all I want is a quality product with excellent customer service for my money. Sounds like you found that. Well done Charter Arms. __________________ Say when.....

June 17, 2017, 08:51 AM	#5
Carmady Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2013 Location: on the lam Posts: 1,735	Over the past two or three years I've dealt with the CS/repair departments of Charter Arms, S&W, and Ruger. I'd rate Charter Arms first when it comes to CS and repair. Fast and competent at both. Last edited by Carmady; June 17, 2017 at 02:29 PM.

June 16, 2017, 08:04 PM	#2
Screwball Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2012 Location: ME Posts: 771	While I have no background in Charter Arms revolvers, I do like to see customer service like that... shows that the company actually cares about the customers. Hogue and S&W (at least in years past) were also good ones. I had Hogue rubber grips on most of my handguns, so when I asked them about stainless screws for my S&W 1006 (blackened ones were having the finish rub off and rusting), they said they were sending me some in the first reply. Mind you, I just asked for the screw specifications to pick some up locally. KelTec got a takedown pin for my KSG out to me once I mentioned one didn't stay in the gun... and the representative told me how to fix it after sending me one, to have a spare on hand. It didn't work, but I do appreciate them knowing that owners like having spares (I got a KNS QD sling pin, so still ended up with a spare). One company I actually will not deal with anymore is CZ. Emails to Parts do not get returned, and left a voicemail myself, as well as had a CZ employee in another department leave one... never got a reply. Really sad, considering the amount of people that use their guns in competition. I love my SP-01, but if I ever buy another CZ... I'm figuring I'm on my own with it. Beretta pissed me off a few years back (called in an order that never arrived, called back a month later and got the same guy... who told me he hasn't taken an order over the phone in two months, then finds out someone/he didn't process it to ship), but their representative that is on BerettaForum got the G conversion out, and took input back to them for a single-side decocker. Have to see if they turn it around, as they need to worry about civilian and L/E sales, after the M9 contract ended.

June 17, 2017, 06:44 AM	#4
Wishoot Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2009 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,093	Nice story. Sounds like you had a great experience. I'm considering a CA in 44 Special.

June 17, 2017, 09:44 AM	#6
PoiDog Senior Member Join Date: September 1, 1999 Location: IL Posts: 309	Good to hear a good story about customer service. I bought one of the original company's offerings back in the early '80s. I still have it, and it's still running well. It sounds like this current iteration of the company still has some of the original people involved, if they mentioned being in business since 1964.

June 17, 2017, 10:41 AM	#8
JoeSixpack Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2017 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,048	Cool story, thanks for sharing, to bad they did could not just sell you one onsite. I plan on getting one of their rimless revolvers in 9mm at some point but I got bigger fish to fry right now.

June 17, 2017, 03:50 PM	#9
Super Sneaky Steve Senior Member Join Date: August 9, 2011 Posts: 1,250	If they made a double action in .45 Colt I'd buy one tomorrow.

June 17, 2017, 04:15 PM	#10
tallball Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2014 Posts: 2,444	I have an Undercoverette (32 magnum) and 44 special pit bull. They have both functioned perfectly. Grats to the OP on the cool tour!

June 17, 2017, 05:16 PM	#11
44caliberkid Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2017 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,104	I obtained a 44 Bulldog in 1976. The first year I had it I split the cylinder open with a handload (a little too much Unique), sent it back to the factory. When it came back the new cylinder had been installed, plus the stubby wood grips were replaced by a new rubber grip. A couple years later I was getting light primer strikes and sent it in again. It came back with a stronger main spring, too strong actually, it was a bear to pull in DA. I cut a coil off the spring and it was about perfect. It has always been my traveling piece and served as a CCW quite often. I have had to sell all my guns on two occasions, but always kept "Bully" and my Browning Auto 5. He resides in my night stand drawer full off Winchester Silvertips.

June 17, 2017, 05:22 PM	#12
jerryd Senior Member Join Date: May 21, 2004 Location: Ct. Posts: 131	I have a old Stratford model off duty , 9mm pit bull and 44 bulldog no problems with any of them. I live about 7 miles from the factory and have been there to get grips for the off duty nice operation!!

June 20, 2017, 10:41 AM	#13
Bighorn1 Junior Member Join Date: June 20, 2017 Posts: 3	Just bought my first Charter Arms revolver, a week ago. It is a Target Pathfinder, with 4.2" barrel and adjustable rear sight, in .22 Mag. Primary reason for buying it is as a summertime carry gun for rattlesnakes, of which there are a lot near where I live. There are a lot of 2" or shorter barreled guns available, but I wanted the longer barrel, stainless steel, and adjustable sights. Not a lot of guns fit those requirements nowadays. First impressions were that fit and finish were very good for a revolver in this price range, but a trip to the shooting range really showed the potential of this piece. After a few rounds to zero the sights, I shot 60 rounds at targets and at steel plates. First off, .22 Mag. has a lot more juice than .22LR, as it knocks plates down with authority, where the .22LR kinda just tips them over. Second, accuracy of this handgun is excellent, with CCI Maxi Mag 40 gr. HP ammo- no problem taking down 8" steel plates at 20 yards. But, the real surprise was with CCI shotshell ammo- the pattern it throws at 10' is perfectly uniform, with no holes or thin spots whatsoever. A rattler is going have an impossible time surviving a cloud of shot from this piece! My only complaint about the Pathfinder so far is the gray stainless steel front sight. It tends to get lost in bright sunlight. An application of flourescent orange nail polish seems to have taken care of that problem. Another plus for buying this gun is the fact that it is nearly identical, size and shape-wise, to S&W J-frame handguns, and I am able to use my Simply Rugged holster I have for my S&W M 63. Just my 2 cents worth.......

June 20, 2017, 01:37 PM	#14
Blade37db Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2005 Posts: 282	I can vouch for their CS as well. Bought a Pathfinder in 22lr with the 4.2" barrel late last year. Fit and finish was ok. Had the cylinder lock up when I was trying to break it in with snapcaps. Called their CS. Mentioned that I was in CT and they told me I could bring it in. Was there for about 30 minutes and they took care of it. They did recommend that I not use snap caps. I have since traded it in for the new LCRx. Had I known it was coming out, I would've held off on buying the Pathfinder. I prefer the extra capacity and lighter weight of the LCRx. Had the SP101 but it was too heavy and unbalanced for my liking.

June 20, 2017, 02:04 PM	#15
Model12Win Junior member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Posts: 5,854	Bough a new 44 Bulldogger a couple years back. Good gun but had to send it back twice for repairs. They were fast and handled everything incredibly professionally. They are GOOD PEOPLE, making IMHO serviceable guns. They're not Smith and Wessons, but in my personal experience Charter Arms customer service blows Smiths out of the water and they WILL stand behind their products.