Charter Arms 9mm Revolver (Gun Snob Warning!)


Photo Courtesy of: GunsHolstersAndGear.com (link)

The 1st time I mentioned a 9mm revolver on WTBGU!, was in the post What would you like to see released next week at SHOT… That won’t be! and in the last 2 days I have seen the new Charter Arms 9mm Pitpull mentioned by both GunsHolstersAndGear.com and The Shooting Wire.

To me this is among the most interesting concepts for a concealed carry revolver and I would really like to get my hands one.

The 9mm revolver isn’t a new concept, both Smith & Wesson and Ruger have made them in the past in the S&W 940 and the SP101, but neither company is still making one.

I am intrigued by this idea for a number of reasons…

1) The 9mm cartridge actually produces more muzzle energy from the extremely short barrels you find on a snub nosed revolver than a .357 magnum.

2) The 9mm uses less powder so it has less total energy available to create muzzle flash, concussion or recoil. I can’t say which, if any, of these are actually reduced, but there is less potential.

3) The shorter cartridge length would make reloads easier to carry and should make them easier drop in the cylinders.

4) The 9mm cartridge is currently less than half the price of .357, which will make practice more affordable.

The Charter Arms actually takes this idea a step further in that it does not require the use of moon clips that are easily bent; and it has one up on any likely S&W offering that it doesn’t have an internal lock!

But unless they contact me and offer me one for T&E, I’ll likely never shoot one and I definitely won’t ever buy one.

Why?… Because I’m a gun snob.

When I think handguns I think Glock, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Kahr and Colt. That’s it (and even then I probably won’t buy another Kahr, it is a great gun but I think there is a better option; and I won’t buy a Smith & Wesson with an internal lock)  It’s actually sort of sad!

What do you think? Are there any brands that you have no experience with that you write off just because they aren’t in your consideration set? Should I get over my snobbery and try a gun which could be extremely interesting? Would you every by a 9mm revolver made by Charter Arms or anyone else?

Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter if you want to go back and forth.

Lastly, if you are interested in Charter Arms, this WTBGU! Podcast interview with Charter Arms President Nick Ecker may also interest you.

About

Ron is the Founder and President of When the Balloon Goes Up! He competes regularly in IDPA as an ESP/Expert, his focus is on concealed carry, home defense and analyzing equipment to find “Gear that Just Works!”

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  • Don

    Didn’t you mean it does “not” require a moon clip? That’s what appears to be the case in the picture. Interesting concept, but how consistent is extraction, I wonder.

    • http://personallysafe.com Evan Easton

      Don, I think you’re right. It doesn’t require moon clips.

      I’ve used a Ruger 9mm revolver in the past and I was a great shooter. The needed moon clips actually made for convenient reloads. You just needed to ensure you had a lot on hand for when you damaged a clip you didn’t have to wait a long time for restock of an oddball mail order item.

      If they’ve improved extraction reliability over their earlier .40, and they load well from a speed loader, I’d consider one of these. Still, I imagine the speed loaders alone, if they even make them, are/will be hard to come by. It’s always nice when a carry gun has a large after market to choose from.

    • http://balloongoesup.com Balloon Goes Up

      Yep… Fixed!

  • http://godgalsgunsgrub.blogspot.com/ Dann in Ohio

    I was intrigued with the Ruger SP101 in 9mm… to me… the moon clips IS the advantage of this type of cartridge in a revolver… I’ve shot the Ruger 9mm SP101, but never owned one… also shot a S&W in .45 ACP with moon clips…

    As far as the brand goes… a quality company with life-time service is important to me and the brands you mention offer that… I might be wrong, but I believe this is about the third or fourth incarnation of Charter Arms and they don’t service revolvers from the original company…

  • http://gravatar.com/ygncrapgame Gunnutmegger

    The current owners of Charter are relatives of the original owners. And I have heard they have done some warranty work on the older guns, but very selectively. The most recent previous owner was not part of the family, and I think those guns are the ones they won’t work on.

  • randy

    Taurus also made a 9 mm compact revolver. It uses the moon clips as well, which should make for quick reloads. But at least on the one I shot, extraction was sticky, so reloading had to wait until you tapped vigourously on the ejector rod.

  • Chuck Haggard

    I’m not really a gun snob, but I have been burned by Charter Arms before, including having a snub .38 die on me after exactly 47 rounds downrange.

  • Chuck

    I forgot to add that I had a S&W 940 in the past, serious issues, gun went back to the factory twice and they still couldn’t get it right. I ended up with a new 642 from the factory to replace it.
    They quit making the 940 for a reason. Just sayin.

  • http://balloongoesup.com Ron Larimer

    You have had some bad luck with revolvers (guns known for there usual reliability and catastrophic failures), but ballisticly and just as importantly financially, I am really interested in the 9mm revolver concept.

  • http://www.facebook.com/tom.allsup.10 Tom Allsup

    Kahr and Glock?? Not much of a gun snob. Go try a Sig P220 or P226. You get what you pay for. Glock and Kahr are budget brands that feel comparatively like poop to shoot.

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