Charter Arms Undercover

georgeg · May 29, 2012, 12:27

What do you all think about the Charter Arms Undercover chambered in .38 Spl?
My mother-in-law has one which was purchased by her husband for personal protection as he was away from home a lot due to his job.

NEWFNL1A1 · May 29, 2012, 12:55

The old ones from the 80's were fine. Sold em to family as self defense guns, both stainless and blued. Never any problem and believe me, I would heard if there was a prob.

Not on par with a Colt or Smith .38 but I think they are fine for the use you described.

georgeg · May 29, 2012, 16:11

Good to hear. While I don't know for sure, I would expect the gun dates from the '80s. My mother-in-law lives with my wife and I. While we knew she had the pistol, we hadn't seen it in awhile. The other day, my wife found her mother looking at the pistol which wouldn't have been a worry if she didn't have Alzheimer's Disease. Under the circumstances, the wife thought it best to quietly take the gun away and gave it to me to unload it and put where her mother wouldn't find it. We'd give it back to her but we don't know if she has any other ammo for it. There is a lot of stuff in the mother-in-law's room that we never see. Sounds like the revolver is worth keeping.

STGThndr · May 30, 2012, 05:02

YMMV: The earlier Charters, as mentioned by NewFal.. are ok. Dunno about the new ones made by the present company. By and large personally Id rather have an older Smith or even Colt as opposed to a new Charter. BUT they are American-made, go when the hammer falls.

**308bolt** · May 30, 2012, 09:20

I bought one very cheap some 25 years ago from a retired security guard.
My intention was to use it as trading material right up until I shot it.
I still have it. Great little gun.

Jarhead504 · May 30, 2012, 19:27

I had one I bought right before the Brady Bill in the mid-'90's. No one could hit anything with it with cast bullets. I thought something major was wrong with it. A master gunsmtih told me that I needed to shoot semi-jacketed or jacketed bullets with it as the 1.5" barrel would not be able to put enough spin on a cast bullet. Shot the jacketed bullets with no problem. He also did a trigger job on it.

I used to carry it in a holster while cutting my lot in Des Allemands, LA which had a substantial population of water moccasins and alligators, at least more than your average house in the 'burbs or mountains. I recently gave it to my kid to sell if he wanted to, while he worked in the local gun shop.

I would have kept it if shot better. It also had a propensity for the screws to back out after 20 shots or so. I supposed I could have used Loc-tite, but I don't like using it on screws unless I have too. A baby S&W, Ruger or Taurus is a better pistol.

Jarhead504

Gazz · May 31, 2012, 19:15

A few years ago, a local shop ordered one for a customer because that is what he wanted. The gun came in and the owner let the guy mess with it while he was waiting for the state to get back to him with the approval. The customer dry fired the revolver a whole mess of times and it jammed and then would always jam. I wouldn't own one after that for sure and would have not actively sought one out before in any case. Low end revolvers to fit a price point.

762x54R · June 06, 2012, 23:59

Charter arms, aka Charco, aka Charter 2000 or whatever they call themselves now QC can be spotty. I've generally stayed away from their .38 snubs but I do like the .44spl bulldog types as they fill a unique and useful niche.

I've had some acceptable Charter Arms products over the years like a pair of 3" .22lr Pathfinders.

ALL FAL · June 19, 2012, 01:16

44 bulldog target kept the gold in my pocket in alaska when delivering to folks in bars, once, it made 2 crooks go away when they tried to rob me.

Accurate shooter too.

TideWater 41009 · July 30, 2012, 11:21

Actually, it is the older Charter Arms 44's that had some weak lockwork design, and it was corrected around 2000 or so, IIRC. I had one I bought new in 2006 and I liked it a lot. It had a "cheap" feel to it somehow, yet it worked perfectly. A friend wanted to buy it from me, and since I had a good supply of 44's, I sold it. He is 100% happy with it.

I like the fact that Carter revolvers are American made, and they have not added a lock in the frame.

**Cava3r4** · July 31, 2012, 22:28

"son of sam" liked the 44 bulldog !! He whacked more then a few people with it too.

May 29, 2012, 12:27	#1
georgeg Registered FALaholic #: 15803 Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 174	Charter Arms Undercover What do you all think about the Charter Arms Undercover chambered in .38 Spl? My mother-in-law has one which was purchased by her husband for personal protection as he was away from home a lot due to his job.

May 29, 2012, 12:55	#2
NEWFNL1A1 Out standing in his field Bronze Contributor FALaholic #: 43401 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tx Posts: 3,192	The old ones from the 80's were fine. Sold em to family as self defense guns, both stainless and blued. Never any problem and believe me, I would heard if there was a prob. Not on par with a Colt or Smith .38 but I think they are fine for the use you described. __________________ Neo-Luddite - Traigo Mi Cuarenta y Cinco - Inch Guy I'm just a peckerwood who lives in the hills with too many hours on Call of Duty.

May 30, 2012, 05:02	#4
STGThndr Registered FALaholic #: 14583 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Southern Colorado mtns and desert Posts: 3,409	YMMV: The earlier Charters, as mentioned by NewFal.. are ok. Dunno about the new ones made by the present company. By and large personally Id rather have an older Smith or even Colt as opposed to a new Charter. BUT they are American-made, go when the hammer falls. __________________ Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. W.B Yeats

May 30, 2012, 09:20	#5
308bolt Heathen Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 19255 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 19,925	I bought one very cheap some 25 years ago from a retired security guard. My intention was to use it as trading material right up until I shot it. I still have it. Great little gun. __________________ "The bandwagons rumble past. I sit here on the curb," ~ John Hartford ~ "Nil desperandum, -- Never Despair. That is a motto for you and me. All are not dead; and where there is a spark of patriotic fire, we will rekindle it." ~ Samuel Adams ~

May 31, 2012, 19:15	#7
Gazz Registered FALaholic #: 15159 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NH Posts: 1,934	A few years ago, a local shop ordered one for a customer because that is what he wanted. The gun came in and the owner let the guy mess with it while he was waiting for the state to get back to him with the approval. The customer dry fired the revolver a whole mess of times and it jammed and then would always jam. I wouldn't own one after that for sure and would have not actively sought one out before in any case. Low end revolvers to fit a price point. __________________ Gazz

May 29, 2012, 16:11	#3
georgeg Registered FALaholic #: 15803 Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 174	Good to hear. While I don't know for sure, I would expect the gun dates from the '80s. My mother-in-law lives with my wife and I. While we knew she had the pistol, we hadn't seen it in awhile. The other day, my wife found her mother looking at the pistol which wouldn't have been a worry if she didn't have Alzheimer's Disease. Under the circumstances, the wife thought it best to quietly take the gun away and gave it to me to unload it and put where her mother wouldn't find it. We'd give it back to her but we don't know if she has any other ammo for it. There is a lot of stuff in the mother-in-law's room that we never see. Sounds like the revolver is worth keeping.

May 30, 2012, 19:27	#6
Jarhead504 Registered FALaholic #: 65022 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: New Orleans Area,LA Posts: 348	I had one I bought right before the Brady Bill in the mid-'90's. No one could hit anything with it with cast bullets. I thought something major was wrong with it. A master gunsmtih told me that I needed to shoot semi-jacketed or jacketed bullets with it as the 1.5" barrel would not be able to put enough spin on a cast bullet. Shot the jacketed bullets with no problem. He also did a trigger job on it. I used to carry it in a holster while cutting my lot in Des Allemands, LA which had a substantial population of water moccasins and alligators, at least more than your average house in the 'burbs or mountains. I recently gave it to my kid to sell if he wanted to, while he worked in the local gun shop. I would have kept it if shot better. It also had a propensity for the screws to back out after 20 shots or so. I supposed I could have used Loc-tite, but I don't like using it on screws unless I have too. A baby S&W, Ruger or Taurus is a better pistol. Jarhead504

June 06, 2012, 23:59	#8
762x54R Registered FALaholic #: 66099 Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Buena Park, CA Posts: 19	Charter arms, aka Charco, aka Charter 2000 or whatever they call themselves now QC can be spotty. I've generally stayed away from their .38 snubs but I do like the .44spl bulldog types as they fill a unique and useful niche. I've had some acceptable Charter Arms products over the years like a pair of 3" .22lr Pathfinders.

June 19, 2012, 01:16	#9
ALL FAL Registered Contributor FALaholic #: 24447 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,158	44 bulldog target kept the gold in my pocket in alaska when delivering to folks in bars, once, it made 2 crooks go away when they tried to rob me. Accurate shooter too. __________________ The Future is ALWAYS Open!! An ARMED society is a POLITE society.

July 30, 2012, 11:21	#10
TideWater 41009 Registered FALaholic #: 1789 Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA Posts: 1,364	Actually, it is the older Charter Arms 44's that had some weak lockwork design, and it was corrected around 2000 or so, IIRC. I had one I bought new in 2006 and I liked it a lot. It had a "cheap" feel to it somehow, yet it worked perfectly. A friend wanted to buy it from me, and since I had a good supply of 44's, I sold it. He is 100% happy with it. I like the fact that Carter revolvers are American made, and they have not added a lock in the frame.

July 31, 2012, 22:28	#11
Cava3r4 Curio & Relic Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 6560 Join Date: May 2002 Location: AZ...originally from St. Paul, MN Posts: 4,295	"son of sam" liked the 44 bulldog !! He whacked more then a few people with it too.

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