Decent guns or junk

Decent guns, not junk. Certainly not in the same class as S&W, Ruger, or even Taurus; but they�re not junk. They�re guns you carry a lot and shoot a little, but they are quite reliable, and if you carry it for a decade or more, it will be there when you need it. No flash & dash, no finesse; they just work.

my wife won a Lavender Lady(one of the colored short barreled 38 specials) last Saturday night.....we havent shot it yet, thats the plan for the weekend....first impression? not as nice as a S&W but it ought to hold up for a few thousand rounds....will let yah know more after we shoot it...

Agreed. They were made with a bit more refinement back in the early 1980s when I got my first two Charter Arms revolvers (Pathfinder .22 and Bulldog .44), but my new Bulldog .44 works just fine, too. Nice light, compact, powerhouse that can disappear in a jacket pocket, or even a pants pocket.

I actually like my mag pug. like what was mentioned, it doesn't compare to my J frame but its always gone bang whenever it is shot.

For the price, you cant go wrong.

I have the 4" .22/.22 WMR convertible.

It is surprisingly accurate. i had an orange insert put in the front sight and that is all so far.

The trigger pull cleaned up with use pretty well. I did some dry firing to work it in.

I have been considering the four inch patriot 327 mag.


Compared to a Smith, or even a GP100 it is a bit rough. But nobody else (that I have found) builds a 327 in an appropriate frame size combined with a four inch barrel.

Still have not made the purchase on the Patriot, the GP100 is pretty nice.

I carried a 3 inch 44 bulldog as my only CCW and trail gun for a long time and liked it a lot. Currently have an older PAthfinder 22WMR 6 inch that is a terrific trailside revolver.

Dealer wants 325. I think I'm gonna grab it. It looks like a cool gun. Will they handle +P loads? I don't know much at all about the 44 special round

I have always wanted the Bull dog in 44 special, but I have read to many complaints online and seen one too many videos on YouTube about folks having problems with them. And then of course there are some who haven't had any problems. My deduction is quality is a crap shoot. You may or may not get a good one. Not sure I want to take the chance.

My shooting buddy bought one of the "Patriot" .327 Federals, after two trips back to C-A he sold it and bought the 3" SP101 and is lovin' it.

The Charter had timing problems at first then later after the first trip back the cylinder would jam up and be a bear to get open.

YMMV

Just a couple weeks ago a member was selling a prevoius members Charter Bull dog in 40 that looked so cool it was tough to pass on that twice it was just a really neat gun
With the pressure of 40 it maybe even better in 9mm
I assume it would go boom each time you pulled the trigger

Hank

I believe that was the case after the original company went under and was revived by new owners, but more recently (the last ten years or so) that's not been the case, as I understand it.

The CA revolvers are great guns for the money. Like all current "J-frame" revolvers they will handle +P loads, but not as a regular diet. My preference in small-frame.38 specials is to avoid +P loads and stick with wad-cutters or semi-wadcutters for all kinds of shooting, including personal defense.

With any small handgun it takes a lot of practice to achieve any sort of proficiency -- 500 rounds would seem to be the norm for the average shooter, plus about 50 rounds per month to maintain (and hopefully improve) a satisfactory level of marksmanship. That being the case the .38 special has a clear advantage over the .44 special (especially in small revolvers) in terms of both cost, and recoil. It also scores higher in terms of ammunition availability, the .38 special being as ubiquitous as .22 or 9mm, and definitely less expensive to shoot than .44 special.

The .44 special is certainly the more effective defensive round, but as with any round fired in self defense, it is effective only if it hits the intended target. Like they say, a miss with a .44 isn't nearly as impressive as a hit with a .38.

Thanks Terry,

I think this is not the first time I have heard of such issues.

With Pachmayrs installed, the recoil really isn't that terrible with standard pressure .44 Special.

[quote=Idaho_Shooter

Compared to a Smith, or even a GP100 it is a bit rough. But nobody else (that I have found) builds a 327 in an appropriate frame size combined with a four inch barrel.

Still have not made the purchase on the Patriot, the GP100 is pretty nice. [/quote]

I have been waiting for Ruger to make the SP101 327 Fed with a 4" barrel and good adjustable sights. I may be waiting a good long time.

Edited to add: I was just on the Ruger site and it looks like they no longer make the SP101 in 327 in any barrel length.

Ernie

The SP101 3" with adjustable sights is really neat and quite accurate.

With Pachmayrs installed, the perceivable recoil is minimal with .38 special semi-wadcutters.

I've got a current model CA in 44 special. I wish I had the old one but I can tell you with the grips they come with, shooting that 44 special is just amazing how easy it is to shoot. D/A isn't so great but S/A is pretty good. I really like mine.

The SP-101 is a fantastic little revolver, but it�s a bit on the heavy side for concealed carry. For someone who is a bit recoil shy, that weight is very nice; just depends on the shooter.