Charter Arms .357 Magnum/9mm Mag Pug Revolver
The Little Gun That Could
The lightweight, dual-cylinder Charter Arms Mag Pug revolver is
easy to carry, spirited when shooting .38 Special and 9mm, and
a predator-killing brute when loaded with .357 Magnum.
The old expression goes, “Good things come in small packages.” To my recollection, parents usually say it after detecting a look of disappointment on a child’s face when the Christmas present with their name on it is not nearly large enough for the toy they asked Santa for. This Christmas, if you ask Santa for a versatile revolver suitable for self-defense at home or when carried concealed, useful by shooters of all strengths and statures, ideal for protection from predators in wilderness areas where all you have is what you walk in with, and also allows for economical range practice to encourage you to master double action shooting, that particular gun is going to come from Charter Arms in a very small, 26.1-oz., package.
The cylinder release is one of the few parts held in place with a screw.
Most are held in place with pins. I noticed screws can work loose during
a typical range session, so keeping a small slotted screwdriver handy is a must.
Charter Arms revolvers are built of modern alloys with modern CNC
machines, but their solid frame design and extensive use of economical
investment castings trace their roots back to the late 19th century
Connecticut gun makers like Harrington & Richardson and Iver Johnson.
New Mag Pug Combo
Charter Arms first made their reputation with light, compact, value-priced revolvers in 1964 with the introduction of their 16-oz. Undercover .38 Special snubnose. They grew that reputation with their big bore Bulldog revolvers. Their newest product is the five-shot Mag Pug Combo, which comes with both a .357 Magnum and a 9mm Luger (9x19mm) cylinder. They can be easily switched in under a minute by removing a single screw with a small slotted screwdriver.
The guns have ported full underlug barrels to help dampen recoil and are built on Charter’s medium-sized frame, which is comparable in size but somewhat lighter than an S&W J-Frame and has a larger diameter cylinder. Barrels and frames are investment cast stainless steel, while the combination trigger guard/grip frame is cast aluminum to shave off weight. Finish options are utilitarian and include a matte (bead blasted), raw stainless or durable, non-reflective, black passivate treatment that provides corrosion protection and reduces friction, galling and scoring between metal parts. MSRP on the 4.2″ barrel model I tested is $659. The 2.2″ barrel model is $637.
Even with a 4.2″ barrel, this is an extremely compact revolver and not intended to handle a steady diet of full-power .357 Magnum loads. I was glad to see that the barrel forcing cone is thicker than that of a J-Frame S&W and very little of it stands proud into the frame window. It is mostly heavily supported. I say “mostly” because the Charter Arms forcing cone has notably less frame metal supporting it at its bottom rear because that small area of the frame is relieved for the cylinder crane. Recalling the problems with forcing cone cracking experienced in some K-Frame S&W revolvers when shooting a lot of .357 Magnum loads, I’m inclined to limit my practice with the full power loads to a minimum to save wear and tear on the gun and my hand.
In this photo, you can see the cast stainless steel frame
is of the solid type with no removable sideplate. All the internal
parts, except the cylinder crane and hammer, are pinned in
place along with the aluminum triggerguard/grip frame.
Note the little spring-loaded extractor buttons that engage
9mm case rims. No clips are needed with this design,
but speed-loaders won’t work with it either.
Recoil Is Recoil
Despite the barrel porting, recoil is substantial. The oversized walnut Professional Backpacker finger-groove grips gave my medium-sized hand excellent purchase and helped to manage that robust .357 Magnum recoil. I particularly liked the flat-faced area over the front of the grip strap because it reduced the tendency of the grip to shift around during one-handed thumb cocking for single-action shooting and, in general, facilitated a consistent hold. The top edge of each grip panel is also shaved away to provide an anchor point for the underside of the thumb, which likewise assists with a solid hold.
However, this thumb rest was causing me pain by my fifth round of .357 Magnum. Maybe I’m just not man enough anymore, but I want to put a rubber grip on it when I’m loaded for trouble. With .38 Special and 9mm, the recoil was at most snappy but always manageable and never a pain in the thumb. I’ll save the heavy hitters to deflect imminent animal or human attacks.
A 25-yard target showing three five-shot groups fired single action
from the bench using Hornady Critical Defense 115-grain FTX JHP.
Note how the grip is flat across the front strap.
I found this design feature helped stabilize the
pistol in my grasp, especially in one-handed
single-action and double-action shooting.
Both 9mm and .357 Magnum/38 Special cylinder assemblies
are included with each Mag Pug combo revolver. The cylinder
and rachet are machined from billets of steel.
9mm Shooting
The most valuable feature of these new guns is the extra 9mm Luger cylinder assembly that makes them affordable to shoot. The 9mm and .38 Special loads were also similar enough in their recoil and point of impact characteristics that I’d be inclined to do all my actual shooting practice with the 9mm, which can be had for as little as $13 per 50-round box. By comparison, a 50-round box of ordinary .38 Special runs from $25 to $35 — 48% to 63% more! It takes a lot of practice to shoot a revolver accurately in double-action at ranges greater than the length of a dinner table, and Charter Arms has drastically reduced the cost of developing that skill set.
Charter Arms addressed the fundamental challenge of adapting a rimless cartridge to a revolver in a clever way that employs tiny ball detent-type locks built into the ejector that engage each cartridge’s extraction groove. Moon clips aren’t needed and, in fact, can’t be used with this design.
I found it generally worked well when the pistol was held with the muzzle up and the ejector rod struck smartly. If I pushed the ejector rod slowly, as I do when I’m trying to capture my spent cases in the palm of my hand, the case rims have a tendency to detach from their tiny, spring-loaded extractor buttons and end up getting pushed back into the chambers when the ejector is released. At present, the ejector rod is about 1/8″ too short to get the mouth of the cases past the outer edge of the chamber, where they can more easily fall clear regardless of position.
Ejection problems are typical of most compact revolvers, so I see this as just a minor twist to that old, annoying theme. If the ejector rod was made just a little longer, I expect most of the 9mm cylinder’s ejection quirks would disappear. As is, their design is very convenient for range use but not recommended for self-defense since extraction isn’t 100% reliable, and a fast tactical reload with a speedloader is essentially impossible. That’s a shame since there are so many great 9mm self-defense loads available today. If you are among the surprisingly large number of people who carry a concealed handgun with no extra ammunition, then reload speed is completely irrelevant. In that case, there’s no argument to make against using your favorite high-performing 9mm JHP load.
Note the little spring-loaded extractor buttons that engage
9mm case rims. No clips are needed with this design, but
speed-loaders won’t work with it either.
This close-up shows the crane-to-frame locking mechanism
that’s been a unique feature of Charter Arms revolvers
since their start in 1964.
The barrel and front sight are a single stainless steel
investment casting. The porting helps control muzzle rise.
Shooting
My favorite 9mm load for personal defense is Hornady’s Critical Defense 115-grain FTX jacket hollow-point because of its reliable expansion through heavy clothing. Shooting single action from the bench at 25 yards, my average five-shot group with this load measured 3.27″ center-to-center, which is quite respectable for a production centerfire handgun. Velocity from the ported barrel averaged 1,113 feet-per-second (FPS). Winchester “W” Target & Practice 115-grain FMJ averaged groups of 3.67″ and 1,131 FPS. I also tried the Winchester load shooting double-action, standing, with a two-hand hold at a range of 7 yards. Those groups averaged 3.28″. My test gun shot a lot better than its Spartan aesthetics might suggest. Inside its rather coarsely finished exterior, I discovered a nice trigger with a crisp, 3.5-lb. single-action pull and a thoroughly decent, 12.5-lb. double-action trigger pull.
Moving on to a serious .357 Magnum load for protection from animal threats, I selected the Federal American Eagle 158-grain jacketed soft point. This bullet’s flat nose improves its energy transfer into the target without sacrificing penetration. Testing showed it to have plenty of wallop and excellent accuracy. Five-shot groups from the bench averaged 2.7″ and 1,268 FPS. Closing to 7 yards and shooting standing, double action, with a two-hand hold, this load averaged 3.16″ groups.
The Triple K Style 191 vertical shoulder holster is a practical
and very secure way to keep this and other medium-framed
or smaller revolvers concealed and off the beltline.
Charter Arms casts their triggerguard/grip frame in aluminum
to reduce weight. The large steel pins in the wood grips keep
them correctly clocked to each other and the metal grip frame.
The snubnose models use a smaller grip that’s more readily concealed.
Carrying The Mag Pug
To keep this revolver readily accessible, secure during rigorous physical activity, and off the belt where it might draw unwanted attention on the trail, I use a Triple K holster style 191 vertical shoulder holster for medium frame revolvers. This is a classic leather shoulder holster that keeps a variety of revolvers very secure against accidental loss, whether you’re hiking a trail or galloping on a horse. Tucked under the armpit, a strong spring retainer at the open front of the holster allows for a fairly quick draw when the handgun is yanked out with gusto. Re-holstering is not as easy and usually requires two hands.
Charter Arms considers themselves the “Chevy” of guns and engineered their designs to be economically manufactured in the United States. If you do a little online price comparison, you’ll find that their guns often cost at least $100 less than comparable models from premium brands like S&W, Colt and Kimber. Compared to them, the humble Charter Arms looks a little more primitively made and finished. On the inside and in the places where it counts for accuracy, reliability and safety, Charter Arms keeps their tolerances tight to guarantee reliable mechanical function. The cylinder crane, for example, is unexpectedly thin and distressingly wiggly when opened. However, when closed, it locks into the frame with exceptional rigidity thanks to Charter Arms’ unique spring tensioned collar, mounted on the ejector rod, that automatically nests inside a matching cut-out in the frame. I can’t recall ever seeing a swing-out cylinder revolver with a more robust lock-up inside the frame window.
As a side note, both the Charter Mag Pug and Triple K holster are proudly made in America.
For more info: CharterFirearms.com, TripleK.com
