| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Small Arms Manufacturing |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Founder(s) | Douglas McClenahan |
| Headquarters | Shelton, Connecticut, United States |
| Products | Revolvers |
Charter Arms Co. is an American manufacturer of revolvers that are relatively inexpensive yet serviceable handguns. The original Charter Arms produced revolvers chambered in calibers .22 Long Rifle, .22 Winchester Magnum, .32 Long, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Federal Magnum, .357 Magnum, .38 Special and .44 Special. The most famous revolvers manufactured by Charter Arms are the .44 Special Bulldog and .38 Special Bulldog Pug.
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Douglas McClenahan, a young gun designer who had previously worked for Colt, High Standard, and Sturm, Ruger founded Charter Arms in 1964 to produce affordable high-quality, reliable handguns. His first pistol was a lightweight, five-shot revolver called "The Undercover" chambered for .38 Special. McClenahan's innovation was to avoid using the side plate designs manufactured by other revolver makers for a one-piece frame, giving the new revolver a strength that allowed it to safely shoot hot loads.[1] McClenahan also reduced the number of moving parts used in the gun and created a safety device for the firing pin.
At just 16 ounces, the new gun was the smallest, lightest steel-framed revolver in the world with the fewest moving parts. A unique hammer block system gave gun owners protection against unintentional discharges. The Undercover's high quality, light weight, and reasonable price made it popular with gun enthusiasts and law officers.
The company went bankrupt in the 1990s, but the Charter design and mark wer resurrected for the XXI century by Charter 2000, which was founded by the Ecker family. The new company capitalized on the fame of the old Charter Arms revolvers, which had fewer critical moving parts and a simpler design.
Basing their new line of weapons on the basic Charter Arms design, the new company has made a few improvements such as the use of a one-piece barrel and front sight. The one-piece barrels of the new models are machined with eight grooves instead of six for higher velocity, flatter trajectory and better accuracy. The new models feature a completely blocked hammer system so that the gun cannot fire unless the trigger is held in full rear position.
In addition to reintroducing the .38 Special Undercover and the .44 Special Bulldog, Charter 2000 produces revolvers chambered for .22 Long Rifle/.22 Magnum (the Pathfinder), .357 magnum (the Mag Pug) and .38 Special (the Off-Duty and the Police Bulldog).
In 2005, Charter 2000 announced that it would be filing for bankruptcy, blaming the costs associated with nuisance lawsuits for their financial trouble.
In September 2005, MKS Supply entered into an agreement with Charter Arms where MKS Supply would handle the sales, marketing and distribution for Charter Arms.[2]
In 2008, Charter Arms brought the new Patriot revolvers to the market.[3] The Patriot revolvers were chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum, and were available in 2.2" or 4" stainless steel models. The web Charter Arms web site as of August 2011 no longer lists this model under the products category.
Also in 2008, Charter Arms announced a new revolver: the Charter Arms Rimless Revolver. The new revolver would be able to load and fire rimless cartridges such as the 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP without the need for moon clips. Initially, the revolver was to ship in early spring, however, reported problems with the patents delayed the introduction.[4] Charter Arms set a release date of April 2009 for the CARR. However, Charter Arms missed this deadline, and company representatives have suggested the release date may not be until "late July" of 2009. The CARR which was subsequently called the Pitbull finally reached production in August 2011 and the first Pitbull models had a 2.3" barrel and were chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge as this is the most popular U.S. law enforcement round and would enable the Pitbull to be used as a back-up gun to the .40 service pistol.[5]
In Oct of 2010 MKS discontinued the sales and marketing of Charter Arms, Charter now has taken over the sales and marketing function.