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Charter Arms Police Under Cover
Charter Arms has always had a reputation for making light-duty guns--that is, treat them harsh and they'll quit on you.
By Patrick Sweeney
HKS Model 10A speedloaders provide a quick reload if needed.
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Excuse me, but who deliberately treats a firearm badly? A long time ago I owned a Ford Escort. A friend of mine owned a service station, and his experience was that Escorts lasted 60,000 miles. "Then they die, Pat." Mine? I traded it off at the 135,000-mile mark, still working fine. How? I changed the oil, washed it and did all the other normal maintenance things you do to a car.
And so it was with the Charter Arms revolvers I'd see as a gunsmith. The ones that came to me didn't work, and for the most part it was clear why: They'd been abused--dropped, filed-on abused. They were rusted, lint-packed and the oil was congealed in them. Most any revolver would have quit if treated that way.
What kept me from repairing them was the on-again, off-again existence of Charter Arms. When the company was not in operation, getting parts was impossible.
It is back in business--has been for a while--and is making the same well-constructed low-cost revolvers it did before. The company sent me a box 'o guns, and this Firing Line report is on the Police Undercover. It's a stainless steel, six-shot revolver chambered in .38 Special. Yes, all the wheelgun cognoscenti now carry snubbie .357s, in exotic titanium, scandium and unobtainium alloys. They also don't shoot them much with .357 Magnum ammo, as the recoil is downright painful.
The 20 ounces of the Police Undercover are not enough to make it heavy to carry but are enough to dampen the recoil of even .38 +Ps, which the Police Undercover is rated for.
The Police Undercover is a double-action revolver with a swing-out cylinder. You can quickly reload using an HKS Model 10A speedloader, the same one that your buddies use for their S&W K-frame revolvers.
The exposed hammer works like every other DA revolver out there. The various grip manufacturers make grips for it, so it isn't like you're buying an orphan when you buy a Charter Arms.
Untitled Document
Charter Arms: Police Undercover |
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| Manufacturer |
Charter Arms, 203/922-1652 |
| Type |
double action revolver |
| Caliber |
.38 Special +P |
| Capacity |
6 |
| Barrel Length |
2 in. |
| Weight |
20 oz. |
| Sights |
fixed |
| Trigger |
double/single action |
| Grips |
hard rubber |
| Price |
$375 |
What you're getting is a product aimed at the "value for money" market. At an MSRP of $375 (less on your dealer's counter) the Police Undercover is going to cost you half what a stainless S&W or Ruger does. For someone who plans to put tens of thousands of rounds through a revolver in practice, the extra cost of the bigger brands means a smoother, more-refined wheelgun that will probably work longer. For someone who is looking for a basic carry gun and is going to shoot less than that, the Charter line is certainly worth consideration. If you take care of it, your Charter will last a long time.
Out of the box, the Police Undercover inspired confidence. I gave it the usual inspection and then test-fired it, looking for reliable function, accuracy, velocity and handling quirks. I found a few edges that were a bit sharp and could do with a bit of de-horning, something easily done on a stainless gun.
The trigger pull wasn't heavy but neither was it particularly smooth. It is entirely useable, and once you get used to it, useful.
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