Charter Arms Pathfinder 4"

[Ramjet]

I recently read an article on Gun Blasts .com about this gun and was considering one . Anybody made the plunge .I have a Taurus 941Mag and a Single Six . Just wanted a lite weight "field" 22 revolver . I was also considering  another Taurus 941 but the sights kind of suck .

[petepaaz]

    I recently purchased one and am enjoying it...but it's too soon to tell on accuracy...have only used WW Hi Vel HP and accuracy was so so.....the action is a little rough , but perhaps will get better as it's used. I bought it for a light weight trail gun. For serious small game hunting I own a ruger super single six hunter w/ a 2x=7 bushnell scope which shoots 2inch groups (sometimes less) at 50 yards w/ Fed Hi Vel HP. Wish I had more info to share....life's been too busy to give it an adequate evaluation. 

[44 Man]

I owned a 3" Charter Pathfinder.  I enjoyed the gun and it was a good shooter but I sold it because the sights were very big and coarse.  I could have narrowed the front sight but I would have had to make a new rear sight blade with a narrower notch.  The sights did not fit my purpose for the gun so I sold it.  44 Man

[35Rem]

Any updates on this?
I'm considering a S&W J frame, and this one. The prices on the Smith's make these look good, but are they?

[222]

I've had several different J framed Smiths and don't like the hammer/triggers on them. They are coil spring and make a very stiff hammer pull and stiffer trigger than the k framed smiths in my opinion.
Ray

[Old Griz]

I think the 3" S&W 317 would make the perfect light weight trail gun, but the price tag on it just blows it out the window. I'll have to stick with my .22 SP101. I think the Charter Arms .22 would be a good selection for a small, inexpensive revolver. The 2" should fit well in any bag or tackle box, and and the 4" would ride lightly on the hip.

[9x19]

Mine are both older versions (early 80s), but they have been solid performers over the years.

.22LR


.22WMR

[1sourdough]

 A partner bought a newly manufactured 'Pathfinder' 22 mag recently & has had some problems. It has failed to fire one or 2 rounds each cylinder full of ammo. He said the pin strikes off the edge of the rim to far. I have not seen the gun yet & it was Remington ammo. The dealer so far said to try other ammo. I plan to see it soon & will offer some other ammo but with the pin off the edge it may not help. He bought it for light woods/ trapline carry.

 edit; I shot this Pathfinder in question. With other ammo it shot all off without a problem,CCI, & Win. We fired about 18 rounds. The action seemed rather stiff, hard to rotate the cylinder. It may just need a cleaning. Even though the ammo all fired it seemed the firing pin depression in the case was on the shallow side. It sure was loud, the short barrel 22mag. I'll stick to my Ruger SS when it comes to the 22mag.

[ftlupton]

I too have had the older Pathfinder 3" for years. Zero problems and it can shoot as good as I can up to 50 feet. That is about all I would need in a trail situation and you never know you have it by the weight of it. I have many semi-auto .22's but this is the one I would carry and stoked with Velocitors I feel real comfortable with it. Good luck on your new model, let us know how she works. I may get another in stainless.

[Ramjet]

Hey guys made the plunge in late May and got a 4" Pathfinder SS .This is not a cheap gun it cost nearly $400?

The Good News : This gun is very solidly built and very good looking . Accuracy with Rem.22 ( Walmart variety ) is OK . Reliability has been good with about 200 Rounds shot.The gun is slightly smaller and liter than my Taurus 941 22 mag.Lock up in the firing postion is very very tight (best I have seen in any revolver).

The Bad News : The action is rough but is smoothing up (this action is not as smooth as the Taurus) . There are machining marks on the frame .The gun is only 6 shots. The adjustable sights are of the type where 2 screws push the sight back and forth (My experience with the Taurus has been that these screws vibrate loose easily) . These are all small problems which do not effect the gun performance but the grips are crappy .They look like a hard rubber grip but are some type of hard plastic . There is no give when you squeeze them and they will have to be replaced .

Conclusions: Well I like it and for a trail/ATV gun it's handy .If the price you get is competitive with a Taurus you will be happy but it is not worth more than a Taurus .When I bought mine they were more costly .I have had years of great service from my 941 and expect the same from the Pathfinder.It's a solid gun and is American Made !!!!

[Rangr44]

I like my new Charter 4" Pathfinder Dual Cylinder / Convertible Model .22LR/.22WRM, shown here with my also  new .22WRM  5" Taurus 941:



The sights on both needed work, though - in order for me to actually see them.
The stainless ramped front blade on the Pathfinder just blended in with the barrel color, especially in direct sunlight; and the 941's blued sight likewise blended in with it's blued barrel & blued rear sight blade, making sighting a guess & by gosh operation.

I daubed both front ramps with BRIGHT SIGHTS orange paint, and outlined both rear sight notches with the same paint, but in white.
The sight/paint mods made a BIG difference in both sighting and accuracy.

.

[44 Man]

Ramjet, dryfiring that gun (you can do that with a Charter) will also smooth up the action.  I used to drive my wife nuts whenever I would buy a new revolver as I would sit in the living room in the evening and keep cycling the action.  Also Wolff makes a replacement mainspring that will smooth things up considerable for you also.  44 Man

[kmystry]

I also had a 3" Pathfinder that I sold a while back.  It was a mid-80's model.  Actually a very good shooter but the semiauto bug started biting me and I picked up a Smith 422 that I absolutely love.  It digests anything I run through it like a revolver would.  The 80's vintage Charter guns were nice...I also owned a couple of .38's I wish I had back.