GUNS Magazine The .38 Pink Lady From Charter Arms, of course

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If anything, today’s firearms have become less and less aesthetically pleasing and especially so to women shooters. We certainly can’t fault currently produced firearms for function and certainly not for accuracy, but in the world of black plastic polymer and dull gray finishes, they leave a lot to be desired as far as eye appeal. This situation has now been addressed. Charter Arms has been producing relatively inexpensive yet dependable firearms since the 1960s. They first began with a 2″ Undercover .38 Special to give shooters a much less expensive alternative to the Colt and Smith & Wesson .38 pocket pistols available at the time, and they soon added the Bulldog, a very popular 5-shot .44 Special as well as small-frame revolvers in .32, .22 and even .357 Magnum.

Personally I have used the Charter Arms Bulldogs for well over 40 years now and still have three always in reach and yes, they are always loaded. Over the years I have also tested Charter Arms revolvers chambered in .38 Special, .22 Long Rifle, and .22 Magnum, however I have only held on to the .44 Specials. If Diamond Dot has her way, that’s about to change.

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Colorful World

The latest test gun to arrive from Charter Arms is appropriately dubbed the Pink Lady. The basic platform is the standard Charter Arms Undercover Lite .38 Special. Although, instead of the regular blue or dull grey finish, the Pink Lady is a lot more colorful having a stainless steel barrel and cylinder matched up with a pink anodized aluminum frame. Charlie Brown (yes, that’s really his name) of Charter Arms says, “For personal protection at home or for concealed carry, the female shooter demands the same quality engineering as her male counterpart.

“But there’s more to it. She also appreciates the personal touches that make the revolver uniquely her own. With the new .38 Special Pink Lady, Charter meets her demands with reliability and style.” There was a time when I would not be caught dead with a pink pistol! Nevertheless, everything changes and I guess I feel a lot more secure these days, and besides Diamond Dot is eyeing the Pink Lady for herself.

The Pink Lady has a 2″ barrel, weighs in at a scant 12 ounces with swing-out 5-shot cylinder and a single-action trigger pull of 4-3/4 pounds. The double action pull is almost a “set trigger” as when pulled it exhibits a definite feeling of clicking into a notch just before it fires so it is quite easy to pull the trigger double action, hesitate when the trigger engages this final notch, and then fire in what is almost a single action mode. It is certainly not designed to be this way, however it works just fine. Grips are a very comfortable fingergrooved rubber compact design.

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The Charter Arms Pink Lady shoots exceptionally well with .38 Special
self-defense loads by Buffalo Bore and CorBon at the 7 yards a
defensive encounter will probably take place.

For those who can’t handle recoil well, Black Hills .38 Specials
handle very easily and shoot accurately in the Pink Lady.

A conventional double-single action revolver with an external hammer,
the Pink Lady from Charter Arms has a 5-shot, swing-out cylinder.

Short Range Proposition

Designed as a concealment weapon, it is unlikely the Pink Lady will ever be used at any greater distance than across the room and more likely at arm’s-length. With this being the case I chose to do all the test firing at 7 yards. There is a virtual unlimited choice when it comes to .38 Special ammunition and I tried to cover the complete spectrum by using everything from wadcutter target loads to cowboy action shooting loads to both jacketed and cast hollowpoint loads designed specifically for self defense. Across-the-board the Pink Lady delivered exceptional accuracy. No matter what load is chosen I am convinced this Charter Arms .38 Special will handle it well.

For those who may have trouble with recoil, Black Hills offers three very easy shooting loads. These are their 158-grain CNL at 512 fps, 158-grain Lead SWC at 562 fps, and a 148-grain LWC at 576 fps. All three of these low-recoiling loads placed 5 shots in 7/8", however my choice from Black Hills for self-defense use is their 125-grain JHP +P at 781 fps which shoots every bit as good as these other loads. Buffalo Bore, Federal, and CCI all offer a 158-grain lead SWC hollowpoint with the former clocking out at 800 fps and the latter two right at 725 fps. Any of these should make a good self-defense load.

Expressly designed for short barrel arms, Buffalo Bore offers
Standard Pressure Short Barrel Low Flash Heavy .38 Special
standard velocity loads, which work well in the Pink Lady.

The best shooting load in the Pink Lady proved to be CorBon’s 110-grain JHP at 821 fps which placed all five shots in one tiny little hole measuring 3/8″ center to center. I simply cannot shoot this good, however the Pink Lady can. Complete test results are in the accompanying chart and they just serve to make the Pink Lady look better and better.

It’s been a long time since High Standard gave the old Sentinel a veritable rainbow of colors. The grip was ivory colored, the cylinder and barrel were nickel-plated, and the frame was anodized giving shooters a choice of turquoise, gold, or pink. The Sentinel is long gone and now we have the Charter Arms Pink Lady and her friends in lavender, red, red and black, and gold and black finishes.

The Pink Lady
Maker: Charter Arms
281 Canal Street
Shelton , CT 06484
(203) 922-1652
www.charterfirearms.com

Action Type: Double action
Caliber: .38 Special +P
Capacity : 5
Barrel Length: 2″
Overall Length: 6-1/4″
Weight : 12 ounces
Finish: Stainless steel,
pink anodized
aluminum frame
Sights: Fixed
Grips: Neoprene compact
Price: $399

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Note: Groups are the product of 5 shots at 7 yards.

Black Hills Ammunition
3050 Eglin St.
Rapid City, SD 57703
(605) 348-5150
www.black-hills.com

Buffalo Bore Ammunition
P.O. Box 1480
St. Ignatius, MT 59865
(406) 745-2666
www.buffalobore.com

CorBon
1311 Industry Road
Sturgis, SD 57785
(800) 626-7266
www.corbon.com

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The .38 Pink Lady

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Colorful World

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