I was just thinking

Whatever happened to the Charter Arms rimless revolver?  At SHOT two years ago, it was “going to be out soon”, and then last year at SHOT it was going to be “ready in August”.  Now you can’t find hide nor hair of it on Charter’s website.

I’m actually kind of disappointed by this.  If there is one thing that I’m in love with in terms of defensive firearms, it’s compact revolver chambered for “service” autopistol cartridges, such as 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP.  Right now, the only “major market” offering that does that is the Taurus 905, which is chambered in 9mm and, due to it being a Taurus revolver, has a lousy trigger.

If you’re willing to spend about $800-$1000, you can buy a used Smith & Wesson 547 in 9mm, which oddly enough doesn’t use moonclips, but rather some teeny tiny wires that seem rather fragile.  There is also a Smith & Wesson 940 J-frame that uses moonclips, as well as versions of the Ruger Speed Six and SP101 that utilize moonclips to 9mm cartridges.  The problem is that all of the above mentioned guns are rather expensive, especially when compared to the Taurus.  You can also find 2 inch versions of the 325 in .45 ACP from S&W, but those are also expensive.

I’d give up at least two teeth for a compact wheelgun from S&W or Ruger in 9mm.  The new LCR, a J-frame, the SP101 – it doesn’t really matter.  If they made it with a decent trigger and compatible with all the other usual J-frame/LCR accoutremont, priced it right around $500 and it’ll sell like hotcakes.

12 Comments

  1. The thing that I think would be cool is a frame dedicated to short cartridges like 9mm and 40. Making the cylinder 1cm shorter would improve pocketability.

  2. Jeff, Taurus did that with the 9mm 905 IB (instant backup). The cylinder is a half inch shorter than a model 85. I love the idea, to bad my gun has light primer strikes about 25% of the time.

  3. Jack, didn’t know about the 905 IB, so thanks right back.

    I’d have become a Pinnacle customer long ago, but I’ve got my beloved S&W 940 already, so it’s more of a want than a need.

  4. We sold five 905IB’s back in ’05.

    Four went back to Taurus. One would not even ignite a primer out of the box, due to excessive endshake. That’s an 80% return rate. Needless to say, it put me a bit off my feed on the guns.

  5. “Right now, the only “major market” offering that does that is the Taurus 905, which is chambered in 9mm and, due to it being a Taurus revolver, has a lousy trigger.”

    Wait they now put good triggers in Charter Arms Guns?

  6. Tam, mine has been back once and needs to go again. I should probably ask to exchange it for another model (lemon law).

  7. What about the S&W model 310 night guard? It fires both the .40S&W and 10mm rounds. Wouldn’t that fit this bill?

  8. The 310, like the 325 and 327 Night Guard guns are built on the N-frame. While their scandium frames make them much lighter than than the 4 inch 625 that I carry, they’re a little bit outside of the “compact” category of revolvers.

    That being said, I think the Night Guard guns are cool.

Comments are closed.