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Revolvers don't always work.

3K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  OldSwede 
#1 ·
My friend is having problems with his new Charter 2" revolver 72342 in 22wmr. He was a deputy in Kentucky in his younger years and was/is proficient in shooting, though he has bad essential tremors.

He bought it new and was using it as his carry gun. Took him to the range for practice. There were about four misfires out of six.

He sent the gun back to Charter who mistakenly sent him back a 38 revolver weeks later. The FFL and he contacted Charter and sent the 38 back and weeks later he got his 22wmr back with a new cylinder, I think.

At the range today, there were probably two misfires out of six. Plus he said that it wasn't always working in double action, sometimes just single action.

So he's going to call them and send it back again. What would you do if you were him? Would Charter go as far as starting over with a new 72342?
 
#5 · (Edited)
A firefight is not a good place to be and realize your weapon is JUNK. I know I will be misunderstood by saying this, but the fact is, when you pull your concealed carry or home defense or what ever gun out for real, you are about to enter the world of a fight for your life. Larger calibers are best, period! FUNCTION OVER BEAUTY is the rule.
 
#11 ·
Hmmm. My 648 has been as reliable as my 5lb hammer with the welded on handle...

Might be a charter arms issue more than a revolver issue. My x frame and 648 have gone bang thousands of times in horrid conditions with no hiccup...
This!

I can't begin to guess how many tens of thousands of rounds my S&W 63 has down the barrel, but it always goes bang. So does my S&W 18. Likewise with my Ruger LCR .22LR. Once in a great while, I get a dud, but we're talking a few a year. I shoot 200 rounds every range session, and go whole range sessions with no malfunctions of any kind. Even my little NAA mini revolvers are reliable as a hammer.

Charter Arms has had a sketchy history. They are not a brand I would stake my life on.
 
#7 ·
welcome to reality.

fwiw, things made by man are not allays 100% perfect. As much as you or someone would love to believe that, its not always so.

But as far as the gun goes, there could be other things like as mentioned ammo. Alot of people just look at the gun. Note that its a system of things. Just like your car may not work and you could blame the car, but it could be the gas or the battery that died.

If you or your friend wants, look at any witness marks on the rim and see if there is any. it could be a bad batch of ammo or old ammo? I have shot a small boat load of 22 LR RF ammo so far and i can tell you, they were not 100% perfect. I have also tried to get the duds go bang by rotating the cartridge in the cylinder and so forth. Some have gone bang and some did not even with FP hits all around the rim.

What you can also do if you want, making sure the revolver is empty. Gently pull back on the hammer and try to rotate the cylinder and look between the breech face and recoil shield and look for any wobble. Or variation in gap between the cylinder breech face and place where the firing pin is in the frame.

i would look at all options and see if its the ammo or gun. then go from there.

good luck
 
#10 ·
welcome to reality.

fwiw, things made by man are not allays 100% perfect. As much as you or someone would love to believe that, its not always so.

What you can also do if you want, making sure the revolver is empty. Gently pull back on the hammer and try to rotate the cylinder and look between the breech face and recoil shield and look for any wobble. Or variation in gap between the cylinder breech face and place where the firing pin is in the frame.

good luck
Thank you for this idea. He can give this a try fairly easily.

He had four different types of ammo when trying it yesterday. To have that rate of failure even with bad ammo seems high. He had CCI, some recently from Walmart, a box from the range and some he had from before.
 
#12 · (Edited)
While it is true that a revolver can malfunction it is likely more true of semi-autos than revolvers. I suspect the problem in your friend's case has more to do with the gun being a Charter Arms than it does with the gun being a revolver. He might also want to rethink his caliber choice for a carry gun. Maybe stick with the 9mm he is carrying now?
 
#13 ·
Additional info today from my friend. He did have trouble with the double action. The trigger was hard to pull and his work around was to cock the hammer back and then pull the trigger. He had the range officer also try it and she had the same problem.

It's not anything he can fix himself and better to send it back than pay a gunsmith try to fix it.

I think he would move on to the 9MM if he could get his money back from Charter Arms. More than likely, they'll send him a new or working 23mwr so as not to have to refund him the money.

Hate the go around that anyone goes through when they get a lemon of a gun.
 
#14 ·
Lots of rim fire ammo that’s bad lately. I would try turning the bullet in the cylinder and try to fire it. I’m thinking with misfire rimfires the primer material isn’t fully around in the case rim.

Thanks for the report on charter arms I was going to get the misses a bulldog.
 
#15 ·
Most double action 22lr revolvers have heavy triggers because they need a hard firing pin strike. It sounds like he is getting light strikes. Charter Arms should address the problem or replace the gun. I carry a Ruger LCR in 38 spl loaded with wadcutters. I also have the LCR in 22lr and the trigger is much heavier than the 38 spl. The wadcutters have light recoil, good penetration and are considerably larger than a 22lr. The LCR weighs 16 oz loaded.
 
#16 ·
Update. He sent it back to Charter Arms via the LGS where he bought it. It's been three weeks and no resolution yet.

While that is going on he does have a 9mm and is buying a TX22. Seems like he is going to sell the Charter Arms if they "repair" it as soon as he gets it back. If it's a brand new serial number, he'll probably see if it works and keep it.
 
#18 ·
I have only shot two 22 revolvers. One was a Colt Diamondback . That gun would run 17 shots , then the cylinder would bind up solid . After cleaning, it would shoot 17 more and bind up . I paid a lot for that pistol, and Colt was never able to get it right.

My pal’s Charter arms 22 snubby runs like a top . It is surprisingly accurate too . I’m betting he will get a gun that runs well .
 
#19 ·
My little Ruger Wrangler in .22lr has been as reliable as a stone fence, no matter what ammo I put in it. I do, however, appreciate the OP's point - I once had a Taurus Titanium revolver in .41 Magnum that would never shoot all 5 without a problem. Awesome round, though..
 
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