New From Charter Arms: PITBULL 9mm Rimless Revolver

1. I really, really, want to like Charter Arms. But I can’t. I know revolvers are actually quite a bit more complicated than semi-autos, but their reliability should be >> Glock since they are not dependent on ammo or mags.

   • revolvers arent dependent on ammo but glocks are????

     revolvers are much more complicated than semis??? in function??? or something else??

   • Dude, wrong on all accounts… revolvers are less complicated, less ammo dependent and much more reliable… they do not suffer magazine issues, feed issues ejection issues and 90% less extraction issues
     they are less sensitive to lubrication and cleaning issues and work when ammo would fail in an auto

   • Revolvers are simpler than blowbacks less moving parts good backup guns many blowbacks are sensitive to what types of loads you use this is a great backup or boot gun better than 38 imo available ammo

2. Why would I get a 9mm revolver instead of a .38? I would go for the .38.

   • Why would I get a .38 when I can get a .357?

     • Why would I get a .357 when I can get a .44? Why would I get a .44 when I can get a .50? Why would I get a .50 when I can get a… Everyone is most comfortable with some specific weapon. If 9mm is all you can handle, then go 9mm.

       • That,.. and $20 on the 100ct box of 9mm at Walmart keeps me shooting every weekend. I really hope Charter get’s their stuff together on this on.

   • the 9mm is much more powerfull than the 38 spcl. 9mm 124 gr @1100 fps,
     38 125 gr @900fps. and the ammo for the 9mm is cheaper.

   • Because 9 mm has much better stopping power than a .38, is just as cheap to shoot, and much less recoil than a .357, is lighter weight than a .40 and .45. Just a few reasons. It’s the most popular cartridge in the world besides the .22 LR.

   • ammunition cost and availability

   • The 9mm has much better ballistics than the 38spc. Over all autos nowadays are very reliable. I own Makarovs, bersas, Berettas, S&Ws and Sig to name a few in ascending price. I clean the every 2 to 3 hundred rounds and only a Sig had a failure to feed, but I switched barrels from 40 to .357 Sig and my mags are for 40 cal. I believe new .357 Sig mags will alleviate this issue, but I don’t carry that pistol. I am considering a 9mm revolver, but cannot justify it yet, when capacity and speed of reloading come to mind.

3. isn”t this the extraction system that when you load the revolver you have to firmly push each round in till it snaps in place or it might not seat properly? i’ve only owned 1 charter arm’s, a 38 back in the 80’s. it was decent enough but it wasn’t a j frame.

4. I too look at this handgun and immediately say to myself…why??? With so many other revolver options in a better caliber and so many better 9mm options…

5. And how is a 9mm six-shot revolver any better than the M&P 9c or Glock 19, which are roughly the same price point and, even here in Calfornia, carry more ammo? Or is the 9mm revolver a solution in search of a problem?

   • they are not in the same price range the glock is $100 or more over the S&W and the S&W $100 or more over the Charter Arms. Both are substantially larger and as such MUCH more difficult to conceal… and street prices of the Charter are MUCH cheaper…

6. Aren’t there some design details of the cartridge shells and bullets why 9, 40, and 45 caliber should be left to the semi-auto handguns?

   • Something about recoil dislodging (lengthening and preventing advancement of the cylinder) the bullets?

     • I read about it long ago. Something about the end of the shell casing and also the shape of the bullet head too. I’m not sure. I think a bigger problem is trying to make 38, 357, 44, usable in a semi-auto. There were also comments about how the 9, 40, and 45 semi auto could not be made to work in a lever action carbine as Marlin has with the 38, 357, and 44. Cartridge design and ballistics are way out of my areas of knowledge.

       • it has to do with the rimmed design of the 38, 357 and 44. think loading a 22 round into a mag for an auto pistol,only on a large scale. the lentgh of these rounds is a problem in designing an auto loader also. revolver rounds tend to be longer which makes for a grip that is much deeper from front to back.

       • “Bullet head” Media-speak for bullet.

         “Bullet” Media-speak for cartridge.

     • I remember something like that. The recoil would unseat the bullet slightly from the casing such that the last bullets in the cylinder would stick out too far for the cylinder to rotate. Magnum handgun ammo has an extra tight crimp for that and the pressure that a 9mm doesn’t normally have.

   • Yes. Here’s the straight poop:

     Revolver loads are crimped into a cannelure in the bullet to prevent the bullet from moving. The rim of the case is slightly crimped into the groove on the bullet, and this doesn’t matter to headspacing the cartridge because a rimmed case headspaces on the rim.

     Semi-auto chamberings, however, must not be roll crimped into the bullet because the case headspaces on the mouth of the case. Semi-auto rimless ammo uses a “taper crimp” which won’t hold the bullet as positively as a roll crimp into a cannelure.

     Under heavy recoil, non-crimped rounds can “walk” the bullet out of the case slightly.

     Personally, I think using moon or half-moon clips to burn semi-auto ammo in a wheelgun is a “solution in search of a problem.” It isn’t as tho there’s a lack of weapons that will launch a 9, .40 or .45 round downrange. Why use a revolver? Use a semi-auto to launch semi-auto ammunition, and a revolver to launch rimmed ammo (ie, there’s no reason to own a Desert Eagle just to launch .44 Mag revolver ammo).

   • Everyone,

     Thanks for your replies and thoughts on the issue. I appreciate it.

   • rumor and myth, were that the case, they would create feed issues in the auto due to an over length cartridge which would not fit in the chamber, thus preventing the slide from closing all the way. The only difference is in extraction, Halfmoon clips have been used for close to 100 years in many calibers with no issues, and in fact, were preferred as the acted like speed loaders before speed loaders were invented. the extractor on this pistol makes half moons unnecessary

7. i had to shake the cobwebs loose from my head on this one. a 9mm revolver only makes since if you bought one of those ruger blackhawks that were being sold in the 70’s. one cylinder for 38 and 357 and one for 9mm. the extraction system was old school loading gate with a push rod.

8. The 9mm revolver is a solution for those who own a full sized 9mm and
   want a backup in the same caliber, or possibly for those who want cheap ammo,
   so it does serve a niche, just a small one.

   That being said, I own a snub nose, and it’s a .38.

9. Common man: moon-clips > unreliable extraction

   Charter Arms engineer: unreliable extraction > moon clips

   • wrong fool! half moons create the most positive extraction a revolver can have as it distributes the extraction over the entire ctg circumference preventing cant on extraction
     when are these wannabes going to get the engineering degrees they THINK they have??

10. I don’t know why I’d bother, when Charter .44s are so awesome. Look, Charter, I know the whole Son of Sam thing is uncomfortable, but .44 is a nearly perfect self defense cartridge. It’s been doing the job since the black powder days. Give me 5 shots of .429″ wadcutter, and I’ll storm the gates of hell itself. And you make the smallest 5-shot double action .44 revolver! What’s not to like? The design is great, and I’ll bet it wouldn’t take much to clean up that trigger. You’ve got a piece of American history in your portfolio. Ride it hard and put it away wet.

    • Jason while you hit it 75% of the way, the 44 misses on one point, for most people it isn’t easily concealed. And that is Charters biggest niche. Small framed revolvers. we all can conceal almost anything in cold weather but when the weather say tee shirt and shorts or heat stroke, you are pretty much screwed if all you have is a full sized piece of artillery. They need to market the .327 fed mag better, and put adjustable sights on it, a semi-shrouded, spurred hammer (make it usable in single action) with a 2 1/2 inch barrel and a 4 inch barrel while they are at it. this would give a 6 round piece in a 5 round .38 cal sized unfluted cylinder giving good power and concealability for anyone who can handle the power, and the ability to use .32 hr mag for those who cant handle the recoil. As for the real bulldog… absolutely! I GOT MINE!

11. I’d love to see the return of the .44 Special as a readily available round–on the shelf in the store, not order on-line, I mean. I’d even be pleased with an uploaded .45 Colt round in a modern revolver. But a 9mm revolver doesn’t do it for me. Mogg says that it would be good for people with a 9mm semi-auto, but the technique for loading one is different from loading the other, so you’ll either be carrying two different spares or working rounds out of one to feed into the other. In addition, revolvers stay relevant because they can handle wide variations in power that would choke a self-loader, and they can fire Magnum cartridges without having to rig up some walloping great gas mechanism like the Desert Eagle.

    All of that being said, if someone wants to give me a Medusa, I’ll take it.

    • Loading one of these is easier for most people than a auto pistol is, thanks to speed loaders, speed strips and other techniques. In fact the rimless revolvers from Charter and speed strips are a perfect combo. In reality more people have “limp wrist” issues than have revolver reload issues and this is a perfect option for them. Don’t forget true defensive revolver ammo is rapidly disappearing. And magnum loads for hunting don’t fill the niche due to the risk of over penetration and resulting collateral damage. Even the .38 spl is at risk of this, where a 9mm+P falls perfectly in place due to the lighter bullet. ( gag did I actually admit that out loud?) No I don’t like the 9mm BUT given the niche this revolver is meant to fill, the pair do work admirably well. in a longer barrel, I’d look to a different caliber. But that is the ballistician in me, and yes I am speaking seriously… everything needs to balance to work. And a small revolver is prime for the ballistics of a 9mm. And bear in mind that a +P round delivers a rapid pressure curve, not more powder, DIFFERENT faster burning powder, so in a short barreled revolver it is going to be more effective percentage of power wise than a longer barrel, as the cylinder gap will bleed off much of the pressure by the time the bullet exits the muzzle on a longer barrel. So the shorter barrel will sow a greater PERCENTAGE of gain, not necessarily the greatest power. Again we are talking about balances here. these are all things to consider. and as I stated earlier the biggest issue to look at is concealability, the main reason for these revolvers. Who wants to pass out due to heat stoke from dressing to conceal a weapon in the heat? even the subcompact glock prints under a teeshirt or summer weight polo

12. The only thing that distinguishes this revolver from a .38 is the cost of ammo, at the cost of increased complexity and more to go wrong. Not sure it’s worth the effort. And for lead round nose, the difference in price is negligible. True, it is easier to find 9 in a variety of bullets almost anywhere, but I see .38 Special at Wally World too.

    • here is nothing more complicated in these than any other revolver. In fact due to the Charter Arms design they are less complicated than Colt or S&W. The difference in these is a simple spring “blade” in the extractor. nothing complicated and hardly Fragile. and since you are not going to be shooting thousands of rounds a month out of this class revolver it isn’t prone to wearing out.

13. Add my vote for a return of the .44 Special as a self-defense round.

    There’s no need for a .44 Magnum in a CCW piece, and the flash and horrific report of a .44 Mag in a short barrel length weapon is plenty of reason to not use it. The .44 Special, however, is like the .45 Colt: Highly under-utilized in CCW applications.

    What I want is a reliable, five-shot revolver in .44 Special or .45 Colt, with a 2.5 to 3″ barrel, and 32 ounces or less in weight. The Charter Arms Bulldog is OK, but I’d like a better execution of the concept. Why S&W won’t *consistently* produce a .44 Special in stainless or one of the lightweight alloys is one of the mysteries of the gun market I do not understand.

    • You could just load down your .44 Mags to .44 Special specs. It’s not like the gun is sensitive to load power, as in a semi. Just a thought.

      • If you’re packing a .44 Mag just to shoot down-loaded rounds, you’re packing around a lot of extra weight you don’t need. As soon as a gun gets heavy, you get less inclined to carry it.

        That’s what people miss in the CCW weapon design space. It’s not what I “could” do to make it fit the requirements, it’s that I want a weapon that is well thought out in all aspects to be a weapon that I strap on every day when I get dressed. That means it has to be light, concealable, effective, etc. I want a weapon that “just works,” is light enough to not be wearing to pack around all day, and shoots a bullet big enough to be very effective.

        If push comes to shove, I might just have to build my own.

        • “I want a weapon that “just works,” is light enough to not be wearing to pack around all day, and shoots a bullet big enough to be very effective.”
          ——
          Sounds like a recipe for a compact 1911 from a reputable manufacturer. 😉

    • Dyspeptic Gunsmith:

      “What I want is a reliable, five-shot revolver in .44 Special or .45 Colt, with a 2.5 to 3″ barrel, and 32 ounces or less in weight. ”

      How about the S&W Governor? It’s a six-shot, 29.6 ounce revolver with a 2.75 inch barrel capable of firing .45 Long Colt, .45 ACP (with 2-shot mini-moon clips), and the .410 2.5 inch shot shell. It’s a fun combo and a blast to shoot. MSRP of $679.

      Try it, you’ll like it.

      • All of these .410/.45 Colt revolvers are again, solutions in search of a problem IMO. I’ve looked at them very closely, and for a nightstand gun, maybe. For a CCW gun? No way. Part of what makes a good CCW gun is that the overall length is short, so you can get it out of a holster as quickly as possible.

        What I want is simple: A light, 5-shot revolver in .44 Special or .45 Colt, with an exposed but bobbed hammer. I want it in stainless, with a 2.5 to 3.0 inch barrel, I want it to come in under 30 ounces (unloaded) weight.

        S&W has done something like this, the S&W 396:

        http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson/upload/other/ProductPR/Night%20Guard%20396.pdf

        The problem is, the gun rags have everyone thinking that the best guns for CCW are all semi-autos, and now we have a rash of perfectly silly CCW pistols. The few gun rag scribblers who admit that there’s some advantages to a revolver all seem to fixate on the .357 Mag.

        The revolvers that make sense (small, with big, slow, low pressure rounds) aren’t in big enough demand by the public, and S&W ends up dropping them. The Charters and Taurus products just aren’t up to the level of fit and finish I’d want in a revolver – at least not without my working on said revolver for a couple days to clean a lot of things up. But when one of the things that I’d have to clean up is the timing of the lock-up… that’s when I decide that I need to look elsewhere.

        IMO, everyone in the damn gun rags who advocates for a .357 or .44 Mag revolver as a carry gun should be forced to light off two rounds from one of their magnums indoors in a small room, without hearing protection. That will cure their adolescent fascination with “Magnum Mental Masturbation” in a hell of a hurry.

      • actually the only time i am glad to live in ca. my wife wants one of those 410/45 revolvers. they ain”t legal here so i don”t have to try to talk her out of it.

    • Great comments. They are ones to reflect upon. You wrote:

      “The problem is, the gun rags have everyone thinking that the best guns for CCW are all semi-autos, and now we have a rash of perfectly silly CCW pistols. The few gun rag scribblers who admit that there’s some advantages to a revolver all seem to fixate on the .357 Mag.”

      It would be great if a quality 44 special revolver was offered in a CCW piece. I prefer wheel guns for home defense and the same if I start CCW. I bought my SP101 for it’s overall quality build and design, and not to fire 357. I’m experimenting and researching ballistics now. I’m not really much interested in the 357 magnum selection. I am interested in the 38 special +p HP type of round for defense.

      • aharon, the gun i carry at home is a j frame smith. i use the load that is called the “fbi” load. a +p round with a 158 grain lead semi wadcutter hollowpoint. i also have this load in my smith model 10. it has a reputation as a formidable load and i’ve found it to be accurate in fixed sighted guns.

        • jwm,

          Thank you for your reply! I appreciate it. You might be interested in going to the website of Grant Cunningham. He is a gunsmith that specializes in s&w, colt, and ruger revolvers and teaches self-defense classes using the revolver.

          check these two links out to his site:

          http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/stopping_power_series.html

          http://www.grantcunningham.com/self_defense_articles.html

          BTW, I believe Grant uses the same load that you do.

    • Excuse me but are you aware of the ballistics of the 44 mag and the 45 colt? you disparage the 44mag yet uphold the 45 colt when they are so close in smokeless powder they are almost the same. There is NO measurable noise difference and the muzzle and cylinder blast on the .45 is GREATER than that of the .44 magnum. I suggest you return to the books on THAT part of your comment. Now as to the viability of the .44 SPL. on that you are correct. however the muzzle flash out of a 3 inch barrel is greater than a 44mag 0ut of an 8 3/8 inch… you really need to hit the books and follow up with real world experience…

14. For those who ask “why a 9mm revolver” some of us just flat out like revolvers more than semis. I like to say that an automatic pistol is a machine, but a fine revolver is a work of art.

    As for “why 9mm” my primary thought would be cheap ammo. As I’ve groused about elsewhere on TTAG, the big commie ammo factories don’t seem to want to crank out .38 Spl or .357 Mag so my only choices are to reload (time consuming) or buy retail (at roughly 2x the cost of bulk 9mm.)

    Having said that, I’ve been exposed to enough Charter Arms products to stay away. They’re definitely on the bargain-basement end of things. S&W made a couple of 9mm revolvers in the 80’s and 90’s, interestingly they fetch high prices now because of their rarity, especially the K frame 9mm (the numerical designation escapes me at the moment.)

    • The S&W 9mm revolver that didn’t use moon clips was a Model 547. A friend has one, and the extractor mechanism is obviously rather unique. There is also a little pin in the frame that sits above the firing pin; its job is to keep the tapered 9mm cases from moving rearward during firing. Overall, it’s a neat little gun, and an interesting piece of wheelgun history.

    • Charter is on another upswing… Hopefully this time it will stay. Like so many smaller companies they have suffered financial duress and been traded back and forth multiple times, often at the cost of quality. One of the biggest losses in this was the AR-7 survival rifle. When Charter had it I never sold a new one, even on special order. Every one had to be refit for reliability. everytime a new magazine was bought the magazine had to be fit… Now that Henry has it this has been taken care of. but the price went up, above that of inflation but worth it. Ihave only dealt with a few of the new Charter rimless revolvers and found no issues. My old 44 bulldog is pre problem era… Hopefully they have got it right this time. We desperately NEED the product they offer, since any alternative is import… and both S&W and Colt are ver pricing themselves out of revolvers and Ruger doesn’t really offer anything worth it. Lets face it a DAO short barrel revolver is a setup for failure. where is there any option for accuracy? If you can stand there and blast dao, you should be heading for cover, if you are shooting from behind cover you can shoot single action. and a dao auto is a lot different than a dao revolver. Sorry ruger you screwed up. Real combat shooters don’t buy dao revolvers not even for back up, we value our lives too damned much!

15. How about this for why. When the antis get around to banning all semi-autos, you will have something “legal” to use with all the 9mm ammunition…

16. Does anyone know if it will be offered with a 4 inch barrel?

17. I’m not familiar with charter. if the reviews say they are of good quality on reliability , I would love to have a 9mm revolver. For conceal and carry.

18. I am a revolver fan. I have three Smiths and a Ruger at present. I have a few semis in .45 and one 9mm to use up the cheap 9mm ammo I have. I will buy the 9mm Charter if the reviews are favorable because it is a revolver and the ammo is cheap (and effective). I will then ditch the 9mm semi. There is no fuss with a revolver. Since I use a handgun for defense and shooting pleasure and not in conjunction with knocking down doors I think five or six well placed shots will do me.

    • As someone who has shot real world defensive combat scenarios and teaches it, I will tell you, GET THAT FIVE OR SIX WELL PLACED SHOTS CRAP OUT OF YOUR HEAD! IT WILL NOT HAPPEN! Do you think every cop who is forced to shoot is a bad shot? No. those who do take down an opponent in less than a full magazine are either psychotic, or damned lucky. Once the shooting starts and adrenaline hits your system your eyes dilate, your ability to focus on your sights is massively reduced. You shake so much you cant instinctively point, and you end up spraying not aiming, because YOU CANT. This alone is WHY you NEVER use a .22LR for defense. the round is too small to do sufficient damage to vital organs to bring a perp down in time before you need to reload and they are physically on you. You need to shut down the brain by stopping blood flow to it. hence the DOUBLE TAP but no matter how you do it you still have to hit the COM or you lose. You do not practice to fail you practice to succeed. I support small revolvers for WHEN you cant carry bigger, like a howitzer… and no I’m not joking. I’ve got a ten inch custom .50 Beowulf AR pistol I’ve been known to carry depended on where I was going. No I am NOT Joking. There are times when you have to carry small. The charter is perfect. But it is 5 rounds. that’s all and if you come up against some hopped up doper good luck. DO NOT think it will always replace a higher capacity auto, in fact it may be the backup the auto needs. We call that a Chicago reload.

19. Waiting for one of these for a long time. The reason being that a 9mm length cylinder would make a much more concealable revolver. Not having that feature, this one seems to have no real purpose.
    Saw one once built on a standard S&W frame, builder unknown. The barrel was set back to meet the cylinder and barely protruded beyond the front of the frame. I’d rather see one on a shortened frame.

20. i had a buddy that worked an er trama room at a hosptial. most horrific wounds and doa’s were from 357 mag. he said he would rather get shot by 45 acp than 357 mag based on the blood n guts he saw. b t w i own both and have nothing bad to say about 9 45 or 357. all awesome in my book. unless you hand load, not sure 44 spl is a top option.

    • having been in those shootings first hand I would have to say your buddy must not have worked many .45 shootings and only saw fmj rounds, Most magnum rounds, 357, 41 and 44 shoot through and through a human being. the penetrate an average of 18-20 inches. human body averages less than 12 inches and is not solid. Even with the most aggressively expanding bullets, they don’t “tear up” a body that bad. bur you take a .45 in thw most mediocre of hollow points and you have a one inch hole starting just subcutaneously and extending to the next barrier (ie shot from the front to the back ribcage), with everything shredded inbetween. No. It’s buzzwords not reality… Ive questioned ER staff all too often, had them telling me it was this or that to find it was something completely different. Far and few are there medical personnel that can identify round by damage or recovered round. FEW shooters can even do it.

21. I have been hoping and wishing somebody would produce a 9mm revolver again for my wife to carry. I have a KelTec p3at, which I love, but my wife has weak hands and has problems pulling the slide back to chamber the first round. I would prefer a 9mm over a 22mag or a 32. I think the .40s&w would be a bit snappy for her. I know the 380 and 9mm are very similar so I’d have to be on my toes to keep the ammo seperate, if we go this route.
    Plus I’d like to graduate to a larger round for winter carry. In the summer when I usually wear shorts and a Tshirt, the 380 is nice and easy to carry as well as conceal. In the winter when heavier clothing is the norm, a larger caliber revolver would be more practicle. For me, I’d look for a 38 or 357.

    • If your wife has weak hands the Charter 9MM might not be the gun for her. Although I do not own a trigger pull gauge I can tell you that it is significant. Based on the known trigger pull of other revolvers I own I would estimate it in the 14-16 pound range. Definitely dry fire one before you purchase it.

22. does the pitbull revolver extract unreliably?? if the primary market for the revolver is/was as a backup weapon of the same platform/caliber as a primary/duty weapon, continuous and repeated extraction wasnt intended anyway…though it would be nice if it does extract reliably.

    i can see that if a primary weapon in 40cal failed for some reason the pitbull can be fired and loaded from the magazines (using all the ammo if necessary) of the failed primary weapon (a semi auto) likely quicker than loading magazines into a another type of semi auto back up weapon.

    it would be nice to have all one caliber laying around too incase it was needed….and likely more economical for rec shooters and home defense.

23. does the pitbull system have advantages over moon clip type revolvers??

    if you dont need an extra part that can be confused with a quarter or lost easily or bent easily why not advocate the charter system or somethign similar…..whats there to complain about except perhaps the guns lack of quality, if it is actually a real weapon??

24. i dont know if a difference of approx 1/2 inch in overal cartridge length in a 9mm and 38spl makes that much difference in concealbility. if what i read is true the pitbull is a 6 round cylinder and larger than 38spl 5 round cylinders.

25. “”a 9mm revolver only makes since if you bought one of those ruger blackhawks that were being sold in the 70′s. “” what?

    does it make sense as a backup weapon to a primary 9mm semi-auto as well??

26. “”the 9mm is much more powerfull than the 38 spcl. 9mm 124 gr @1100 fps,
    38 125 gr @900fps. and the ammo for the 9mm is cheaper.””

    ballistically, the 9mm from a revolver would fall somewhere in between teh 357 mag and 38 spl right??

27. “I don’t know why I’d bother, when Charter .44s are so awesome.”

    i read that the charter arms pitbull was intended as a backup of same caliber/platform as a primary/duty semi-auto. i dont think 44s are in any semi autos that are use by police and the vast majority of semi auto owners. true???

28. “Semi-auto chamberings, however, must not be roll crimped into the bullet because the case headspaces on the mouth of the case. Semi-auto rimless ammo uses a “taper crimp” which won’t hold the bullet as positively as a roll crimp into a cannelure.”

    i dont know what you are saying here or if its even true??? if ti is true, does the charter arms pitbull system over come any problems with tapers and headspaces with respect to the guns intended operation??

29. “isn”t this the extraction system that when you load the revolver you have to firmly push each round in till it snaps in place or it might not seat properly”

    is not seating properly a function of all revolver extraction systems?? are you being dishonest and/or obtuse?

    if its a real real gun it appears to me that you push the cartridge till its flush with the cylinder…..seems simple enough.

    • From the videos I have seen,folks shooting the 9mm and the .40 s&w models of the Pitbulls, the extraction system seems to work fine.I like having a revolver as a choice for a backup to my autos,revolvers are more reliable,in the long run.All you have to do if a round does not fire pull the trigger again,if you have a failure to fire with an auto,you have to clear,rack,and that takes time you may not have in a ccw moment.

30. Contacted Charter Arms spoke with Dee Ecker,she advised that with the firearms market like it is now,there are back orders on all of their revolvers.The 9mm is the most sought after weapon,next is the .38 Undercover.I am waiting also for the .45 acp version coming out in late fall,that should make a lot of shooters happy,I know it will me!I have a DAO .38Undercover that shoots better than my colt or s&w ,but my ruger 101 shoots as good as my C.A. .38.

31. Want to add,I took my Charter Arms DAO .38 Undercover to my states,(Mississippi),ccw enhanced class,it’s the class where you go through training and qualify with your weapon,I shoot a score of 98 out of a possible 100, not bad for a 2 inch barrel snubbie.Really like Charter Arms revolvers and they are bringing about some innovations to the firearms industry.If anyone is curious about the class, what it does is let you be able to carry in more places that are on the forbidden list,except in courtrooms,no way.Ya’ll have a good one and Keep your powder dry.

32. Just bought one for the wife, loves it, no issues with extraction, or loading. The fact it uses the same ammo as my Glock 17 is a plus. She can use the same ammo, normal or speciality rounds that I do. Gun works flawless. Nough said!

    • John how does she handle the recoil?I have read that the 9mm revolver does not kick as bad as the .38 Undercover,my wife does not like the recoil,maybe if the recoil is not as bad,she could handle the9mm.

33. It took a while, but three weeks ago I picked up my 9mm Pit Bull. I had to send it back for adjustment of the crane. It went back on Wednesday and I had it back the following Monday, pretty fast. I have about 200 rounds through it and I have been carrying it with 9mm Silvertips, with confidence. It is very smooth, and the trigger pull is getting better with use. The pull could be lighter, but I’m not touching it; I’m practicing more. I am completely satisfied and happy as a clam to be able to shoot 9mm’s in a revolver. Incidently, the dimensions are almost identical to the last model of the Colt DS II, so I have a holster for the new puppy.

34. Hey folks. Are the boys and girls at Charter Arms away on vacation or did they all get arrested by the gun hating brown shirts of their government up there? I can’t get them to email me back. I sent Mr. Ecker a note asking when the next production start up was for the 9mm Pitbull and no response. In the past they’ve responded within 24 hours to all my correspondence. It’s been over a week now and nothin’. They didn’t secretly “go under” did they? Anybody know?

35. I have not talked to an FFL in Kentucky that has ever sold one of these in 9mm, none has ever stocked one, none has ever been offered one by their distributors. What is Charter Arms doing?
    The .40cal is out there, but to not get a single 9mm version to my whole state in 2 years seem bizarre.
    Maybe their is something wrong with them and they just send the few hand-built ones they have to writers???

36. A 9mm revolver makes a lot of sense if I want to buy a 9mm semi auto and a 9mm carbine, my wife likes to shoot, she cannot operate the slide to chamber a round and I only want to buy 1 caliber of ammunition.
    This was my solution to the issue.
    As for moon clips not being a valid idea……ask Jerry Miculek about his 625 S&W.

37. So have you had a chance to test one?

38. Bottom line, I own this gun and have fired hundreds of rounds through it. It sucks. It’s garbage. Don’t count on it in any situation. Rounds will hang up, it will shake slugs loose from cartridge crimps, It can’t be speed loaded as spent cartridges won’t clear. This is a one shot gun if you’re lucky. Don’t rely on it.

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