Gun Review: Charter Arms Chic Lady

“I am SO excited! My wife told me she wants to finally get her CCW License. She is going to be taking her class sometime in February. Today she went to a gun show with me. This was the first gun show she has ever attended with me and I was thrilled to have her along. She has narrowed HER choice down to two firearms. Her first choice is a ‘Pink Lady’ .38 spl made by Charter Arms.” You’ll see this same story repeated ’round the net: gun guy buys wife a brightly colored Charter Arms snubbie for personal defense. What you won’t see is what happens next. To quote the late Warren Zevon, it ain’t that pretty at all . . .

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.38 Special Comparison: 1st Place – Smith & Wesson Model 36

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBbm6ury5Tk Sometimes picking a winner is easy. Like now. Even though our third-place Taurus Model 85 and our second-place Colt Cobra were both worthy challengers, the classic Smith & Wesson Model 36 proved to be the best .38 Special of the bunch, easily capturing first prize in our inaugural TTAG revolver comparison. In fact, only … Read more

.38 Special Comparison: 2nd Place – Colt Cobra

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwkq2WU1qaQ

From the economical choice (Taurus Model 85) to the upscale player. Part II of our .38 Special comparison focuses on a revolver known far and wide for its tough looks, buttery action, premium price and a name that’s the envy of malt liquor companies everywhere: The Colt Cobra .38 Special.

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.38 Special Comparison: 3rd Place – Taurus Model 85

It just so happens that three extremely-representative samples of these guns live in the nightstands of people in my family. My dad (who used to serve warrants as a part-time constable) owns probably the newest of these – the very-mainstream Taurus Model 85. My mom (a former Justice of the Peace who issued the warrants dad served) owns the original-and-even-more-ubiquitous Smith & Wesson Model 36. And last but not least, my 82-year-old grandmother packs in her pajama drawer one of the most premium small .38s ever produced – the iconic Colt Cobra, a derivative of the famous Colt Detective Special.

EDITORIAL: Revolvers Rule!

By William C Montgomery on March 25, 2010

Let’s face facts: semi-automatic pistols are cool and revolvers are for stogy old farts and nerds. Case in point, who gets all the chicks: Riggs (Beretta 9mm) or Murtaugh (S&W .357 Magnum)?  Magnum (Colt Government Model .45 APC) or Higgins (.455 Webley MK VI)? Axel Foley (9mm Browning Hi-Power) or Billy Rosewood (Colt Detective Special, .38 Special)? True, nobody wants to look like Barney Fife when they are trying to stare down hardened home-invaders. But it’s too bad that the wheel gun gets no respect because in the real world double action revolvers are the best choice for self-defense for most people most of the time.

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