Research a few things on a certain weapon

Question
Hello, Im trying to get as much information as I can on a Charter Arms 38 Caliber, undercover revolver, 1979 to 1983 model. I need to know the effects wear, tear and weather would have on the operation on this weapon. The weapon has misfired before. There was a transfer bar installed to prevent accidental discharge. I just need the general information and mechanical characteristics of this weapon. Any info would be of help. Thank you.

Answer
Eliza,

Here's a little background for you.  Charter Arms was founded by Doug McClennahan, an engineer who worked for Colt, Sturm Ruger and High Standard arms.  His original design objective was to take a new approach to the design of revolvers to make them more simple and more reliable.  The Undercover was the first model produced by Charter which was in business from 1964 to 1991.  Another company called Charco, Inc. owned the Charter brand from 1992 to 1996 when they went bankrupt.

One of Charter's innovations was a one piece frame vs. the more traditional open frame with screw-on side plates.  The cylinder lock up is in three places vs two adding strength to the cylinder-to -barrel lockup at the forcing cone.  

Charter also had a higher groove density in the barrel (8 vs. 6) to provide a higher bullet velocity and flatter ballistic trajectory for the shots leaving the gun.  It has a blocked hammer system which prevents the gun from being fired unless the trigger is in the full rear position, making it one of the safest revolver designs in the world.  Charter actually invented the transfer bar safety that almost every other revolver manufacturer uses.  Finally, Charter used a beryllium copper firing pin which was considered to be 'unbreakable'.

By the way, the transfer bar on your gun would have been on the gun as it came from the manufacturer.  It wasn't clear in your email if someone told you it was there or if someone had told you it was added...

The period of your gun is when the quality at Charter was the highest.  Some of the guns manufactured in the early to mid 90s, just before Charter went bankrupt, had some pretty serious quality issues, but not so for the period during which your gun was manufactured.  In fact, in doing some research, many felt that the original Charter revolvers were the 'Timex' of revolvers.  They could 'take a licking and keep on ticking', and did so at a very reasonable price which made them quite popular.

The effects of wear, tear and weather should be nominal on a Charter revolver manufactured in this period if it has been well cared for.  I don't know how many rounds have gone through the gun, but as long as it is under 500 rounds, you should not have significant wear issues.  

Beyond that, you may see issues with cylinder alignment to the forcing cone at the back of the barrel.  I'm not saying this is a 'for sure' thing, but some Charter revolvers show signs of this as the round count through them starts to exceed 500.  I'm also assuming that there is no visible corrosion on the frame or under the grip of the gun.  Most of the Charters were stainless, although some were blued.  Corrosion is more prevalent on the blued versions if not properly cared for.

If you are having consistent issues with misfires, you may consider having the springs changed out (a gunsmith needs to do this).  The springs that actuate the trigger and firing pin mechanisms do eventually lose their 'spring'.  Considering the age of the gun, if they have not been changed out, they probably should be.  The gunsmith can also check to see if the cylinder indexing (alignment of the cylinder and barrel at the time the gun is fired) and the cylinder gap (the space between the cylinder and forcing cone) are within factory tolerances.  If they are, you are probably good to go with this gun for a while with reasonable care.

Hope this helps you out...

Best regards,

Doug