Lime Green Medic is a smart guy and one to be trusted. But I don't know why he assumed you're talking revolver. I like revolvers for CCW because they always work. As for brands, I don't know about Charter Arms. I have a Taurus PT145, which is a .45 semi-auto, 10 round magazine. I love it! It functions perfectly and has never jammed. Quite accurate for a short barrel. I am a big guy so can carry a .45 concealed unless it's a hot summer.
Usually, when carrying concealed, I use my .357 revolver:
Revolvers are simple and always work. I made a 2" x 2" x 3/8" flat leather pouch with a snap to keep 12 extra rounds in a pants pocket on the other side from where the pistol is. Helps balance the weight so your body language doesn't give you away.
Welcome to the CCW community! Hope you know the laws of your State, it's easy to get in trouble.
Neither is considered "top shelf" but both will serve your needs.
If you're talking about affording and CCW, I can only assume you're looking at 5-shot .38 Specials.
The Charter has an aluminum frame -- this will make it easier to carry but much more painful to shoot. I don't recommend using +p loads in it. In fact, the best load in .38 Special for a snubby is the Remington 110-grain SJHP. Barring that, the standard pressure 125 gr JHP is your best bet.
The Taurus 5-shot you can get in a steel frame - this means you'll have to plan a little more to carry it than the aluminum frame, but your hand will thank you at the range.
Of the two, I would choose the Taurus, but I'm biased -- I am a fan of Taurus, since 1994. They've always done right by me on their warranty and been really good about taking care of customers. I don't know anything about Charter's customer service -- could be good, could be not so good. Just don't know.
So I'm a Taurus fan. But you still have a gun to choose.
Here's a novel concept: Which one fits your hand better that points naturally for you?
That's the one you should choose -- not just what some clown on the internet recommends.
And that includes me.
Be safe, and welcome to the CCW Club (when you get your permit)!
Edited to add: To the best of my knowledge, Charter Arms does not make autos. They do, however, make revolvers in auto calibers. Therefore, by deduction of the comparison of the two companies and the mention of being able to afford, I came to the conclusion he was talking about an apples-to-apples comparison of 5-shot J-frame-sized .38 Special snubbies.
I own a few Taurus products, two of which are revolvers.
I haven't purchased a Charter Arms revolver yet, but I'd be willing to do so (in order to add one to my snub-nosed revolver collection).
In my opinion, the Taurus Model 85 .38 Special snub-nosed revolver is a decent 'no-muss, no fuss' workhorse that is useful for concealed carry and home defense.
It's steel frame and other parts give it enough weight to make target practice with .38 Special ammunition pleasant.
Mine is new enough to be rated for +P ammunition, but I've not tried any in it yet.
I purchased mine in used condition and gave it a thorough cleaning before taking it to the range for evaluation. So far mine has proven to be reliable, reasonably accurate and fairly smooth to operate.
In the mid 1990's, I rented a Model 85 for some target practice and because I was curious. That one is where I first got the impression that Taurus Model 85 revolvers are good workhorses at a reasonable price.
Tack-drivers? No. Prettiest looking? No. Get the job done? Yes.
For comparison's sake, the other snub-nosed revolvers in my collection are a Smith & Wesson Model 36 and a Ruger model SP-101. Both are chambered for .38 Special. The S&W is too old to be rated for +P ammunition, but the Ruger is rated for it.
Anyway, as for Charter Arms... I don't have direct experience, yet. So I'm providing a link to a review that contains the experiences of the reviewer and of many people who commented.
Some people have had great experiences, some have had revolvers that needed remedial work and some encountered hair-raising phenomena. Comments indicated that Charter Arms did fix the issues and satisfy the customer's complaints.
(To be fair, Taurus has had its share of customer service & quality control issues, too.)
I'm not sure if this matters, but I can't remember ever seeing a Charter Arms revolver being used as a 'rental gun' at a shooting range. I've seen S&W, Ruger, Taurus, Glock, Springfield Armory, Beretta, Colt and a few other brands on rental gun shelves, but never a Charter Arms. It could merely be that I've not visited enough ranges that rent guns. (I've only been to about five or so.)
Given the budget range you're shopping in ($300 to $450+), you may want to consider a new Ruger LCR .38 Speical revolver, or a used Ruger SP-101.
I realize that there are times when we're limited to what is on the shelf and hasn't been 'sold-out' yet.
If you were shopping for a semi-automatic pistol, I would suggest considering models from Kel-Tec, Bersa and Ruger.
But to finally get around to answering your question, I would lean towards getting a Taurus revolver over a Charter Arms revolver.
I always advocate buying on the used market. You can get much more for your money. For instance semi-auto CCW firearms are at a premium, while the revolvers are a bargain. By buying a used firearm, you can buy better quality then if you got a new one.
Local gunshops, pawn shops, and private owners have many great firearms that need a good home, and someone to take care of them. Isn't it so sad to see those great guns just sitting there on a rack waiting to be adopted. Save a classic firearm and it will serve you for the rest of your life, and a couple more.
Older Charter Arms revolvers were fairly good, not pretty but they functioned well and came in a nice variety of configurations. I haven't had a lot of hands on with their newer stuff so I cant give you a yay or nay.
Early Taurus hand guns had a bad reputation becuase their metalurgy wasn't up to snuff. The current models are good and they also make a large variety of models and calibers. I have shot a number of them and haven't experienced any issues. I am not a fan of the PT series pistols. One of my officers has a PT in .45 and the rear sight kept coming loose. Turns out there was some type of adhesive under the rear sight that softened up from cleaning solvent, and the set screw was not capapble of holding the sight in place on its own, but the gun is accurate and functions well. Good luck.
Comments
Lime Green Medic is a smart guy and one to be trusted. But I don't know why he assumed you're talking revolver. I like revolvers for CCW because they always work. As for brands, I don't know about Charter Arms. I have a Taurus PT145, which is a .45 semi-auto, 10 round magazine. I love it! It functions perfectly and has never jammed. Quite accurate for a short barrel. I am a big guy so can carry a .45 concealed unless it's a hot summer.
Usually, when carrying concealed, I use my .357 revolver:
http://www.ruger.com/products/sp101/specSheets/572...
Revolvers are simple and always work. I made a 2" x 2" x 3/8" flat leather pouch with a snap to keep 12 extra rounds in a pants pocket on the other side from where the pistol is. Helps balance the weight so your body language doesn't give you away.
Welcome to the CCW community! Hope you know the laws of your State, it's easy to get in trouble.
Neither is considered "top shelf" but both will serve your needs.
If you're talking about affording and CCW, I can only assume you're looking at 5-shot .38 Specials.
The Charter has an aluminum frame -- this will make it easier to carry but much more painful to shoot. I don't recommend using +p loads in it. In fact, the best load in .38 Special for a snubby is the Remington 110-grain SJHP. Barring that, the standard pressure 125 gr JHP is your best bet.
The Taurus 5-shot you can get in a steel frame - this means you'll have to plan a little more to carry it than the aluminum frame, but your hand will thank you at the range.
Of the two, I would choose the Taurus, but I'm biased -- I am a fan of Taurus, since 1994. They've always done right by me on their warranty and been really good about taking care of customers. I don't know anything about Charter's customer service -- could be good, could be not so good. Just don't know.
So I'm a Taurus fan. But you still have a gun to choose.
Here's a novel concept: Which one fits your hand better that points naturally for you?
That's the one you should choose -- not just what some clown on the internet recommends.
And that includes me.
Be safe, and welcome to the CCW Club (when you get your permit)!
Edited to add: To the best of my knowledge, Charter Arms does not make autos. They do, however, make revolvers in auto calibers. Therefore, by deduction of the comparison of the two companies and the mention of being able to afford, I came to the conclusion he was talking about an apples-to-apples comparison of 5-shot J-frame-sized .38 Special snubbies.
I own a few Taurus products, two of which are revolvers.
I haven't purchased a Charter Arms revolver yet, but I'd be willing to do so (in order to add one to my snub-nosed revolver collection).
In my opinion, the Taurus Model 85 .38 Special snub-nosed revolver is a decent 'no-muss, no fuss' workhorse that is useful for concealed carry and home defense.
It's steel frame and other parts give it enough weight to make target practice with .38 Special ammunition pleasant.
Mine is new enough to be rated for +P ammunition, but I've not tried any in it yet.
I purchased mine in used condition and gave it a thorough cleaning before taking it to the range for evaluation. So far mine has proven to be reliable, reasonably accurate and fairly smooth to operate.
In the mid 1990's, I rented a Model 85 for some target practice and because I was curious. That one is where I first got the impression that Taurus Model 85 revolvers are good workhorses at a reasonable price.
Tack-drivers? No. Prettiest looking? No. Get the job done? Yes.
For comparison's sake, the other snub-nosed revolvers in my collection are a Smith & Wesson Model 36 and a Ruger model SP-101. Both are chambered for .38 Special. The S&W is too old to be rated for +P ammunition, but the Ruger is rated for it.
Anyway, as for Charter Arms... I don't have direct experience, yet. So I'm providing a link to a review that contains the experiences of the reviewer and of many people who commented.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2010/06/robert-fa...
Some people have had great experiences, some have had revolvers that needed remedial work and some encountered hair-raising phenomena. Comments indicated that Charter Arms did fix the issues and satisfy the customer's complaints.
(To be fair, Taurus has had its share of customer service & quality control issues, too.)
I'm not sure if this matters, but I can't remember ever seeing a Charter Arms revolver being used as a 'rental gun' at a shooting range. I've seen S&W, Ruger, Taurus, Glock, Springfield Armory, Beretta, Colt and a few other brands on rental gun shelves, but never a Charter Arms. It could merely be that I've not visited enough ranges that rent guns. (I've only been to about five or so.)
Given the budget range you're shopping in ($300 to $450+), you may want to consider a new Ruger LCR .38 Speical revolver, or a used Ruger SP-101.
I realize that there are times when we're limited to what is on the shelf and hasn't been 'sold-out' yet.
If you were shopping for a semi-automatic pistol, I would suggest considering models from Kel-Tec, Bersa and Ruger.
But to finally get around to answering your question, I would lean towards getting a Taurus revolver over a Charter Arms revolver.
Good luck and enjoy your shopping experience. :-)
I always advocate buying on the used market. You can get much more for your money. For instance semi-auto CCW firearms are at a premium, while the revolvers are a bargain. By buying a used firearm, you can buy better quality then if you got a new one.
Local gunshops, pawn shops, and private owners have many great firearms that need a good home, and someone to take care of them. Isn't it so sad to see those great guns just sitting there on a rack waiting to be adopted. Save a classic firearm and it will serve you for the rest of your life, and a couple more.
Older Charter Arms revolvers were fairly good, not pretty but they functioned well and came in a nice variety of configurations. I haven't had a lot of hands on with their newer stuff so I cant give you a yay or nay.
Early Taurus hand guns had a bad reputation becuase their metalurgy wasn't up to snuff. The current models are good and they also make a large variety of models and calibers. I have shot a number of them and haven't experienced any issues. I am not a fan of the PT series pistols. One of my officers has a PT in .45 and the rear sight kept coming loose. Turns out there was some type of adhesive under the rear sight that softened up from cleaning solvent, and the set screw was not capapble of holding the sight in place on its own, but the gun is accurate and functions well. Good luck.
My Taurus has never failed me. I can shoot 2 inch groups out to 20 yards with it from a seated position. It's a good quality gun.
Consider a Bersa Thunder CC or Combat. You will be far better off. Don't believe the BS that a revolver is better....that is not true.
i would say a taurus. they make pretty good revolvers but their semi autos are not to great.