Caleb has a presser on the Charter Arms Pit Bull. Its a neat idea, and as Caleb Says ” Are there better defensive revolvers out there? Certainly. Are there better defensive guns chambered in .40 S&W? Yes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want one, I just can’t help myself.” Its a neat gun, and I haven’t handled one, so I won’t comment if its a good gun or not. Also .40 S&W is not a cartridge I have much love for. I think 9mm and .45 do just as good a job as it does, and with a more pleasant recoil.
Still I was struck by this statement from the presser:
Nick Ecker, president of Charter Arms, said, “The Pit Bull is the ideal revolver for law enforcement officers to use as their back up, because they can now carry a revolver that utilizes the same ammo as their sidearm.
Now first up, I’d say a gun in their “Undercover” size (S&W J-Frame Equivalent) that eats 9mm would make a LOT more sense for this angle, as it would be much smaller, and much lighter. As it is, this Pit Bull appears to be the same size as their famous Bulldog .44, and it has an all-steel frame, so its also heavy.
Essentially if the Officer carries a Glock 22 or 23, this “Backup Gun” is about the same size and weight as the duty gun it supports.
Now personally I could care less what I carry for a BUG, as I’ll be drawing and shooting my primary gun in things go bad, and I’ll only be going for the BUG if I run out of ammo, or my primary has a malfunction. (or to arm an unarmed comrade who I know is proficient in firearms…or has either run dry or has a malfunction).
Still I don’t put on a pistol thinking I’m going to use it (otherwise I’ll bring a rifle or a shotgun) and on that vein I don’t carry spare mags because I think I’ll run dry, and I don’t carry a BUG thinking I’ll have to go for it. But I also don’t carry a gun because I’m an optimist.
Still with all that I really don’t expect to utilize my primary ammo into my BUG…I imagine If I had time to be stripping .40 Rounds from my duty mags into a revolver I’d have time to get my primary working. Personally when I carry two guns its a 1911 and a S&W642. One’s a .45, the other is a .38. No ammo interchangeability, and the .38 is just there to hopefully end a fight my .45 couldn’t quite get me out of.
If I really was concerned about ammo interchangeability, you’d be making a much better tactical decision to pack a subcompact version of your duty gun. So if I had a Glock 22, or 23 as my duty gun, a Glock 27 is much smaller and lighter than the Pit Bull, and there’s no need to fiddle with the ammo, you can just stuff the bigger mags into the smaller gun. Same goes with the S&W M&P series, as well as the Springfield XD series, as well as the full-size 1911s vs the compact models. Don’t know Sigs too well, but I suspect the 226 and 229 can share mags. The list goes on.
Still this is all gun-geekery. Bottom line, carry your damn guns! Carry a gun you like and are familiar with. Carrying 2 guns, or a reload, or both is better than not, but don’t get too twisted about your loadout. If you find yourself going toe-to-toe with the red Army and you don’t have a long gun, and a SQUAD behind you long guns (and light machine guns) you’re fucked no matter HOW many guns you have, or what ammo they eat from.
Don’t over-think things. Just carry and be safe!
Excellent points Weer’d … G17 and G26 over here, among other things… 🙂
A LOT of other things!
I think if I’m LEO and carrying a Glock 22, a Glock 27 makes more sense if I’m trying to go for the “same caliber” angle, because (like you said) I get to use the same mags if necessary. Even better.
However, I like the idea of these guns. So different, odd, and cool. Then again, a good friend has been led down this path by Charter before. As he and I both said, I’ll believe it when I have one in my hand.
Not saying in any way they aren’t cool, tho I would prefer one in 9mm…or .45 ACP over the .40 Offering. And all neat mechanics aside I do happen to prefer revolver cartridges in revolvers (and as cool as the Coonan Magnums are, I prefer auto-loader cartridges in auto-loaders)
My argument is simply that Mr. Ecker’s statement doesn’t make a lot of sense. I can maybe see and Officer strapping on a Glock 19 or an M&P9, and then tucking an “Undercover 9” into an ankle holster or a belly band as a backup gun that just so happens to eat the same ammo as his duty piece.
What I can’t see is an officer holstering up a Glock 22 or M&P40, and then slinging a “Backup” that is the steel-frame full-size Pitbull .40.
I do see somebody slinging it in their range bag. Or somebody using it as their primary carry gun because they like the bulldog, but think .40 S&W is a superior cartridge ballistically, and with better bullet selection…which is true.
Y’know…
I’d have much rather have seen it in 10mm – that way it could still take .40 S&W, but would allow for the way-cool factor in shooting 10mm.
I put my bid in for a T&E… 😉
While I have ZERO desire for a revolver chambered in a semi-auto caliber (even 10mm…tho your idea would have been a smart one!), and my strong dislike of .40 S&W, I’d still love to see it if you get one just to look at the mechanics.
Actually just got an email from a Merchant of Death who read who has one in the pistol case in the shop, and he was unimpressed with the overall fit-and-finish. But we’ll see. Certainly I gotta give Charter props for thinking outside the box, and doing it for a good price, and their willingness to sell in Mass!
I played with the display model at NRA, and it was a Charter revolver. The no-clip setup is neat, but the fit/finish was pure Charter.
That said, I’d not object to one. 😉