[btolliverjr]

I am SO excited! My wife told me she wants to finally get her CCW License. She is going to be taking her class sometime in February. Today she went to a gun show with me. This was the first gun show she has ever attended with me and I was thrilled to have her along. She has narrowed HER choice down to two firearms. Her first choice is a "Pink Lady" .38 spl made by Charter Arms. Her second choice is a S&W model 637 Airweight .38 spl (with pink grips). My choice would be the S&W Airweight, but this is HER gun and HER choice. My question is about the Charter Arms revolver. I am looking for advice on it. I have no experience with Charter Arms and know nothing (good or bad) about them. Does anyone have experience with this revolver and can recomend for or against it?
Thanks for your help:wavey:

 

[briansp82593]

I am SO excited! My wife told me she wants to finally get her CCW License. She is going to be taking her class sometime in February. Today she went to a gun show with me. This was the first gun show she has ever attended with me and I was thrilled to have her along. She has narrowed HER choice down to two firearms. Her first choice is a "Pink Lady" .38 spl made by Charter Arms. Her second choice is a S&W model 637 Airweight .38 spl (with pink grips). My choice would be the S&W Airweight, but this is HER gun and HER choice. My question is about the Charter Arms revolver. I am looking for advice on it. I have no experience with Charter Arms and know nothing (good or bad) about them. Does anyone have experience with this revolver and can recomend for or against it?
Thanks for your help:wavey:

First in,
Do not, I repeat do not buy the charter.
Last christmas I bought one for my mom as she was looking to get her carry license as well.
A few things:
That gun with any ammunition was just down right painful to shoot, Ive been shooting for years now, shot a 500 a few times, even my 250lb brother didnt like it. It was horrible, and since there are no after market grips for those, your stuck.
Secondly, the finish, isnt really durable and gets extremely dirty and hard to clean.
Third, on my second box of ammunition, I was ejecting shells, and when I pressed in on the ejector rod, the cylinder came back with it. The cylinder had actually slid off the rod.
Always thoroughly test carry guns, I was shocked when that happened.


Only things I did like, It was pretty damn accurate, first shot out of the box, I put one round on a 4 inch plate at 15 yards, and the trigger wasnt horrible.

Pay the extra for the smith and have it refinished later on if she must have a complete pink gun.

 

[sourdough44]

I echo Brian. A buddy has a Charter, I shot it. If it was free to me I'd almost have to think about it. Get the wife a nice 38 "J" frame S&W, your pick.

 

[Medium Pimping]

I too am going to aggree on the Smith and Wesson, I have a model 637 and she is a good companion. I am going to have to seriously advise that you lose the factory pink grips and get a Pachmayr Decelerator grip for them, they come in black only, but trust me when I say that the exposed tang that the factory grip leaves stings quite a bit and since this will be your wife's first handgun you want it to be as comfortable as possible for her to shoot. The Pachmayr Decelerator grip is fantastic in that respect.

 

[PAPACHUCK]

My first question is, has she ever shot a handgun before?

Second, has she ever shot a small 38 snubbie before?

Third, could I be the first to suggest some range time with as many different guns as possible?

Fourth, How is she going to carry this gun, on her person or in her purse?

The answers to these questions will go a long way towards getting her a guns she will like and shoot well.

I bought a S&W 642 for a lightweight carry gun, but after a couple of years trying to absorb the pain of shooting it until I shot it well, I finally had enough. My wife refused to shoot it after watching my son and I shoot it. 25-30 rounds at a session was enough for me. Kinda like shooting my Kel-Tec P11.

An all-steel snubbie will have some added weight to help with recoil, but she'll pay for that weight carrying it all day.

I understand she wants some "color" on her new piece, the key word here is "duracoat".

A small 9mm, like the Kahrs or XD9sc or G19,26 or PX4c or M&P9c would not be any worse to carry than a snubbie, and may be something she shoots well, convince her to shoot something like these.

Whatever you do, DO NOT let her shoot your most favored, prized Sig. You won't get to shoot it much anymore.

 

[CajunBass]

I don't know anything about the Charter but when my wife wanted to get her permit, I tried her out with a Taurus 85 snubbie. Even with wadcutter loads and rubber grips, she hated shooting it. Light weight and small grips make for hard kickers.

She eventually picked a Glock 19, but shot a number of different ones first.

 

[BEER]

trust me, rent one at a range and let your wife try it out before yall commit to it. snubs can be a bit unpleasant to shoot regularly, especially the extra lite airweight/scadium framed models. my little s&w637 is a knuckleduster and it's just a .38.

i bought the 637 with your exact intent in mind, it was originally for my girlfriend at the time and we picked it because she thought it was "cute" and it was the only one she'd have anything to do with so we bought it. 5 rounds at the range later and she swore off revolvers forever. it took me another year to convince her to fire another gun and a year after that before i convinced her to go with a kahr 9mm.

so to make a long story short, get her to a range and convince her to try out a few different options before she sets her mind on any particular gun.

 

[sourdough44]

A handloader can easily produce some 38spcl 'starter' loads if need be.

 

[Wilson 17&26]

She has narrowed HER choice down to two firearms. Her first choice is a "Pink Lady" .38 spl made by Charter Arms. Her second choice is a S&W model 637 Airweight .38 spl (with pink grips).

First find the gun she likes, then change it to her signature color. My wife likes to carry guns to match her purse & shoes for special occasions (see Lady P-3AT & Gray Ghost below). Unfortunately she also has shoes in some very ugly colors :crying:

I should also point out that for CHL qualifying and range fun she shoots Glocks. Only a couple of times each year does she practices with the lighter weight guns she carries, because they hurt her hand. While I may disagree with this practice I’m just glad she carries.

 

[ithaca_deerslayer]

For recoil, use any of the standard
148 gr wadcutters
from, Winchester, Remington, etc.

They are the softest shooting factory .38s that I know of. They shoot softer because they are relatively low velocity and relatively lighter bullets. Yet they are often suggested for carry because the wadcutter makes nice hole They are target rounds.

Next up the list in recoil, is the 158 gr standard velocity in either semi-wadcutters or round nose. Round nose have a bad reputation for defensive purposes. Semi-wadcutter are said to work good, and feed easier into the cylinder than wadcutters (for quick reloading).

 

[MarccraM]

My wife has the Pink Lady DAO. We have shot some 38+p through it. Actually shoots quite accurately. It isnt the finest gun ever made (fit and finish isnt exceptional).. .. will it be a reliable CC?.. without question.

Do the ladies like it? You better believe it.

Is it fun to shoot? No... But unless she is going to be shooting the hell out of it, it wont matter.

IMO, a great carry piece for a woman.

 

[btolliverjr]

Thanks for everyones responses so far. She has had some limited range time with shooting a few of my pistols. She has shot my M&P9c and my Ruger LCP. She does not like the snappiness of the LCP and does not want the size of the M&P9c since she will carry in her purse. She will and has tried out different calibers before. I also have a Taurus 605 that she can shoot to test out the .38. I do understand and know that the S&W is obviously the better gun, but my question is more geared toward the Charter Arms since i have no experience with that brand. Is it reliable? will it last?

Also, since it is a lighter gun, (as well is the S&W 637) can anyone compare the recoil to a Taurus 605 or Ruger SP101 or S&W non airweight snub?

 

[MitchellB]

I've owned 2 Charters; a .38 Spec Snub nose and a .44 Spec Snub nose and been very happy with both. Not quite the fit and finish of a Smith, but they have been reliable guns without any issues.

 

[btolliverjr]

thank you mitchellb...that is exactly the kind of info i'm looking for.:wavey:

 

[ithaca_deerslayer]

Also, since it is a lighter gun, (as well is the S&W 637) can anyone compare the recoil to a Taurus 605 or Ruger SP101 or S&W non airweight snub?

My wife has the S&W 637
I have the S&W 642

They recoil. That's why I suggested above that you specifically go buy some 148gr wadcutters for your wife to start with. Don't start her with any of the more powerful ammo you may have been shooting yourself.

My wife is fine with the recoil, but she has been practising for a while. Even so, she won't try any of my +P rounds in her gun. She says there is no need, and she doesn't want any more recoil than what she's already got. She only shoots either the 148gr or the 158gr standard velocity rounds (I don't know the exact fps, but you can look them up). She tried 135gr Winchester White box, but they were too snappy (probably a higher velocity because of the lighter bullet).

 

[CarryingBroker]

I picked up a used charter arms "undercover" .38 special snub for $125 about a year ago. Girlfriend wanted a pink lady but as soon as I got that charter and she shot it, she forgot all about the "necessity" of having her gun pink, and immediately claimed it as her own. We shoot together every other month or so and she absolutely loves "her gun" and is a damn fine shot with it. I'll agree its no smith but if you find one at a good price its at decent little gun.

 

[ithaca_deerslayer]

I just looked up the Charter Arms Pink Lady
http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_Undercover_53830.html


One thing I notice, other than the pink color, is that it is 12oz while the S&W 637 is 15oz. The 637 certainly feels light for carrying. I'm not sure if lighter than that is needed, and might make the recoil worse.

Also, the Pink Lady has a 3 finger grip (+1 for trigger finger), while the 637 standard grip is a 2 finger (+1). Everyone will differ, but me and my wife both like the 637 grip and curling the pinky under. But maybe on the plus side, the Pink Lady larger grip may be slightly better for recoil (I don't know), but on the downside it may also be slightly harder to conceal.

All comes down to what feels good to your wife when she shoots it. And what she's comfortable with while carrying.

I know that the name of "Smith and Wesson" gives my wife a slight ego boost, knowing that she has one, as well as ensuring a certain degree of high quality in the 637.

 

[krunchnik]

My wife has the Pink Lady DAO. We have shot some 38+p through it. Actually shoots quite accurately. It isnt the finest gun ever made (fit and finish isnt exceptional).. .. will it be a reliable CC?.. without question.

Do the ladies like it? You better believe it.

Is it fun to shoot? No... But unless she is going to be shooting the hell out of it, it wont matter.

IMO, a great carry piece for a woman.

+1 here also,same with my wife,I even asked her if she would like some sort of small semi-auto and her reply was-NO-I like my Pink Lady.

So we kept it and she practices about once a month.

 

[just for fun]

I echo Brian. A buddy has a Charter, I shot it. If it was free to me I'd almost have to think about it. Get the wife a nice 38 "J" frame S&W, your pick.

First off-KUDDO's on letting your wife pick out her own gun!!! And second, allowing her to pick a revolver. Your advanced thinking is rarely seen these days!
Both Smith and Colt could claim the title of snub nosed revolver founder. two outstanding gun builders. The Colts have just about reached collecter status and as such are overpriced when compared to Smith. I would put Taurus way a head of charter arms and second only to the Smith, if I was buying a snub For my wife.
In My household it went like this-Wife, Smith model 36. Son, Taurus model M85 To me, both are well protected.
Once again Federal is offering their 125 grain Nyclad HP. Even in standard pressure loads this round has a very strong following. Less bullet weight= less recoil!

 

[keninnavarre]

I have Charters and Smiths. I bought my wife a Charter Undercover in 1986. She learned to shoot it quite well, with 148 grain wadcutters. Last year, I bought her a Crimson Trace gripped 642. She wouldnt get rid of her Charter Arms. She switched years ago to Winchester 110 gr. Silvertips for practice and carry.
The Charter Arms company has changed hands a few times in the last few years, so quality may have fluctuated. And they arent meant for hard use, or lots of range time. But mine (.44 Spc) and my wife's .38 have been good guns for us. And I've known more than a few LEOs to carry them for backups.