Charter Arms Pathfinder Target .22LR Revolver

I have used one. I'll say at the time I had very little experience with .22LR revolvers, so nothing about it stood out as being particularly offensive in terms of it's actual operation. Maybe if I tried it now, it'd be a different story. That said, the gun didn't particularly impress me in finish and appearance. I find the Charter Arms revolvers to be kind of ugly, to be honest, and I've heard horror stories about their customer service.

I would take a Taurus 94 before the Charter Arms. I've used the 94 a bit and actually rather like it; some of them have VERY heavy double-action trigger pulls, but not all. I don't know what's up with the variance on those. I also think the Model 94 is a very aesthetically pleasing gun. Taurus gets pooped on quite a bit but most of the revolver owners with Taurus products seem satisfied with them for the price point. I would have bought one if I hadn't found the Model 17 I currently have on the secondary market, and still think about buying one all the time.

I have no experience with the SP-101 in .22 but I would buy one immediately if I saw it.

Ultimately, I'd recommend spending more initially to avoid headaches down the line. A Charter Arms Pathfinder runs like $450 to $550 in most stores. That looks like a deal, but for $550 to $700 you see used S&W Model 17s for sale all the time. I have a Model 17 myself that I got from an abusive owner and after a visit to the gunsmith the gun is easily one of my favourites. It looks great and shoots well with a fine double-action trigger.

Really, what I usually ask myself is "how do I feel about handing this gun down to my niece?" Will the gun survive long enough to do that, or be enjoyable enough to shoot that she'll want it in the first place? Asing myself this, I'd stay away from the Charter Arms and try to find a used S&W or hope an SP-101 falls into my lap.

Good luck, .22 revolvers are super fun.
 
A local shop here has a used s&w k17. Blued, 6 shot. I'm planing on checking it out. I think they said $599. The Pathfinder from Charter Arms is the only DA/SA .22 thats readly available and with a $499 price tag, sounds very atractive. A fellow gunnut sais he waited a few months on a list for the ruger.
 
I bought a Pathfinder Target in .22mag and I must admit I am very disappointed. Accuracy is terrible and spent shells are very hard to extract.
 
v-king said:
A local shop here has a used s&w k17. Blued, 6 shot. I'm planing on checking it out. I think they said $599. The Pathfinder from Charter Arms is the only DA/SA .22 thats readly available and with a $499 price tag, sounds very atractive. A fellow gunnut sais he waited a few months on a list for the ruger.
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...buy the k17
 
Another $100 to get the K17? That is simply a total no brainer. Buy the S&W and smile each time you take it out to shoot. You'll thank us and yourself many times over that you got it instead of the Charter Arms.

The trigger on the S&W alone is worth the extra money. Factor in the fit and finish and accuracy and it's a slam dunk decision in favour of the S&W.
 
If it wasn't a .22 I'd suggest you do a search for "revolver timing checking". But the K frame S&W 17 is SOOOO overbuilt for the lowly .22 round that it would be amazing if the gun isn't in perfect mechanical shape.

Depending on what grip scales it came with you may want to try a few options. I find that the Hogue or Arrends scales fill my hands out and provide a nice consistent hold on my K frame revolvers.
 
v-king said:
Went ahead and got the smith. for $549 it really was a no brainer. They actually had a used CA Pathfinder for $399 so I had a look......not even close.
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Excellent choice! Take care of it and when you're ready to sell you'll get your $$ back. But I can't imagine why you would want to part with it. Don't forget to post some pics.
 
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