After fifty-four years in business, New England-based Charter Arms lives by the principals of Douglas McClennahan: produce fine firearms using American craftsmanship and all American-sourced parts. While other firearm makers may “outsource” manufacturing overseas, Charter Arms still proudly makes every one of its products at its facilities in New England’s “Gun Valley”—not far from the original Springfield Arsenal, where America's first firearms were produced after the revolution.

This company, which for its entire existence has focused solely on handguns, was founded in 1964 by McClenahan after he gained experience working for Colt, Sturm Ruger and High Standard. His vision at the time was to produce a high-quality, reliable handgun that was also highly affordable.

With those founding principles Charter Arms was launched, and the initial result was a .38 Special, five-shot revolver McClenahan dubbed “The Undercover.” It weighed just sixteen ounces, making it the smallest, lightest steel-framed revolver in the world and notably the handgun with the fewest moving parts. This was accomplished through the use of a hammer block system that also provided shooters with protection from an unintentional discharge. 

Charter Arms’s flagship product remains the Bulldog, a big-bore revolver that has been described as being able to punch higher than its weight class. The five-shot traditional double-action revolver was designed by McClenahan and first introduced in 1973. It was produced for the .44 Special and .357 Magnum cartridges and was among the top-selling handguns of the 1980s—so much so that it has been Charter Arms’s trademark weapon. 

While relatively inexpensive, the “no-frills” revolver was also known to be easy to conceal because of its compact design yet still pack a considerable punch thanks to its “big bore” caliber. The firearm was free from sharp edges or anything else that could catch, making it easy to be drawn from a holster or a pocket.  

The original design, which featured a blued frame, wooden grips and a three-inch barrel with exposed ejector rod, is still available as the “Classic Bulldog,” while the newer “Target Bulldog” offers a one-inch longer barrel, which is complete with shroud for the ejector rod. The Target Bulldog also offers a fully adjustable rear sight, and while slightly heavier also makes for a more controllable revolver and one that is more comfortable to shoot. It is also available in .44 Special and .357 Magnum.  

Other notable firearms in the Charter Arms line include the Boomer, a .44 Special concealed carry designed handgun with a double-action-only (DAO) hammer, full wooden or rubber grips and a stainless finish; the .38 Special Chic Lady, which has a pink anodized frame and high-polish parts and weighs just twelve ounces unloaded; the .45 ACP-caliber Pittbull, which features a dual coil spring assembly that doesn't require moon clips; and the Southpaw, a .38 Special true left-handed revolver, which is otherwise identical to the Undercover Lite.  

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com. 

Image: Company/Promo Image.