Handguns

Charter Arms
Revolvers chambered for rimless autoloader rounds is nothing new. They have been around for decades and some models have been popular while most have seen limited sales and short life spans. Modern high pressure auto cartridges like the 9mm and .40 S&W have a ballistic advantage over revolver rounds like the .38 Special, especially in short barrels, but the hassle of using moon clips or half-moon clips has limited the popularity of these cartridges in revolvers. While moon clips make loading and unloading the handgun a snap, charging the clip and removing fired cases from it after shooting can be frustrating and time consuming. Charter Arms has come up with what promises to be a better idea.

The new Charter Arms Rimless Revolver Round System (CARR) incorporates a specialized spring that engages the cartridge’s ejector groove to hold the cartridge firmly in place and ensure positive extracting and ejecting of spent cases. Initial offerings will be snub barrels, 2” in 9mm and 2.2” in .40 and .45ACP. The production plan is for the .40 to ship to distributors the first quarter of 2009. Some 90-120 days after the .40 the .45ACP will follow and some 90-120 days after the .45ACP the 9mm will follow. The 9mm is built on Charter Arms’ compact and lightweight undercover platform featuring an aluminum frame and weighing only 12 ounces. A cool feature of the 9mm model is that .380 Auto ammo can also be fired safely and reliably.  The .40 and .45 ACP are built on the more robust Bulldog frame due to the larger diameter of these cartridges. All of the CARR revolvers will be rated for +P ammo to add a little extra punch to these self-defense handguns. As with all Charter Arms handguns, prices are reasonable.