By Geremy Chubbuck ([email protected])
Excel Version

Disclaimer: This list is correct to the best of my knowledge, however, I accept absolutely no responsibility for the accuracy of this information or for the consequences and/or damages occurring from any inaccuracies. I have compiled this list for the purposes of sharing information only. This is not intended to be used in any way except for personal entertainment. It is a compilation of both personal information and information submitted from others from the Internet. ALL SERIAL NUMBERS SHOULD BE VERIFIED FROM THE MANUFACTURER PRIOR TO ANY PURCHASE OR ASSEMBLY. It should be noted that it is a felony to possess a Post-Ban (newly assembled after Sept 13, 1994) assault weapon.

Friend of mine has a Charter Arms Bulldog.44 SPC with (I think) serial number 760XXX. The number is on the right hand side of the gun, just in front of the grips, behind the cylinder. Use this form to search our database for handgun specifications, information and market values. You can narrow your search by manufacturer, handgun type, trigger type and caliber, and you can also filter results within a selectable range by overall length, barrel length or weight. 1973-1990: Charter Arms; 1990-1997: Survival Arms - Cocoa, Florida; 1998-2004: AR-7 Industries - LLC, Meriden, Connecticut (bought by ArmaLite in 2004) 1997–2007: Henry Repeating Arms Co. Brooklyn, New York; 2007–present: Henry Repeating Arms Co. Bayonne, New Jersey. Look Up Charter Arms Serial Numbers 4/3/2019 0 Comments The original ArmaLite AR-7 (designed by Eugene Stoner of AR-10/AR-15 fame) was introduced in 1959, and discontinued in 1973, when Charter Arms bought the rights to the design.

If any information presented here is found to be incorrect or you have additional information to contribute, please contact me via E-Mail ([email protected]) and I will update and re-issue the list.

List

Note: All items marked with a single asterisk (*) are taken from http://home1.gte.net/bblakley/ban/index.htm. The year/serial numbers under Colt SP series was forwarded to me by an individual whose return address I no longer have. Double asterisk (**) under Bushmaster, a person on the internet e-mailed me that he had a lower that was shipped stripped (thus not a complete rifle) in 1991 from Bushmaster with serial #0327XX - ALWAYS CALL TO VERIFY.

Advanced Armaments
No information - Apparently machined from bar stock aluminum, lowers are marked as M-15.

American Spirit Arms(Formerly 'Sun Valley Traders')
ALL lowers are Post-Ban. Began introduction of lowers and rifles in mid/late 1998. Noted as having good fit & finish. Also, reported to be manufactured by Lewis Machine & Tool.

Armalite/Eagle 800-336-0184
Slightly over S/N 30,000 was the Pre-Ban cut-off, call to verify.* (Some Eagle lowers below the 30,000 range were determined to be POST ban by BATF - call to verify) Armalite sells Eagle lowers, but sells factory complete rifles with Armalite lowers.

Bohica
Made stainless steel lowers, rumored to have also made AR-15 pistols. Lower marked M16-SA. This is NOT verifiable info as it came from the Internet. Out of Business.

Bushmaster 800-998-SWAT
Below L051000 - Assembled Pre-Ban Rifles and some pre-94 lowers.**
L051001-L063000 - Mixed Pre-Ban Assembled Rifles and Pre-Sept 94 Lowers (Call to verify)
L063001 and Up - Post-Ban

Century Arms
Lower marked CIA. All are Post-Ban. Made with Olympic Arms Receivers under contract.

Colt 800-962-COLT
CC001616 and Below - Pre-Ban
CH019500 and Below - Pre-Ban
GC018500 and Below - Pre-Ban
LH011326 and Below - Pre-Ban
MH086020 and Below - Pre-Ban
NL004800 and Below - Pre-Ban
SL027246 and Below - Pre-Ban
SP360200 and Below - Pre-Ban
1963 SP00001-SP00023**
1964 SP00101
1965 SP02501
1966 SP05600
1967 SP08250
1968 SP10750
1969 SP14000-SP14653
1970 SP15001-SP15473
1971 SP16001
1972 SP19401
1973 SP24201
1974 SP32601
1975 SP43801
1976 SP55301
1977 SP67651
1978 SP83400
ST038100 and Below - Pre-Ban
TA10100 and Below - Pre-Ban
BD000134 and Below - Pre-Ban (AR-15A3 Tactical Carbine - very rare model)
MT00001 and Above - Post-Ban
BK000001and Above - Post Ban (CAR-A3)
CST000001 and Above - Post-Ban (Began Late 1997 Production)
CMH000001 and Above - Post Ban
CCH010000 and Above - Post Ban MT6700, MT6700C and MT6700CH series, 1998 production

Dalphon (360) 427-6867
All are POST ban. Cast 356-T6 Aluminum, hardcoat anodized per mil-spec A-8625

DPMS 800-578-3767
Below 10300 - Pre-Ban.
Some or all lowers are cast. Black in color. Some lowers are Stainless Steel.

Eagle Arms 309-944-6939
Now called ArmaLite. They will not give out a list, but will look up on an individual basis. Lower receiver serial numbers DO NOT begin with EA.

Essential Arms
All are Pre-Ban as they went out of business in 1993. (DPMS bought them prior to the Ban) Call DPMS Lower receiver serial numbers begin with EA. Some or all lowers are cast. Light gray coloring. It is rumored that Ruger investment casted the lowers for Essential Arms.

Frankford Arsenal
All are pre-ban. As rumor has it, Olympic Arms produced the lowers for Frankford Arsenal Call Olympic Arms and then Frankford assembled the weapon. A2 configuration lower. Frankford Arsenal went out of business in 1987. (Info from [email protected])

Hesse Arms
All AR-15's are post ban. Manufacturing began late 1997/early 1998.

J.L.M & Sons* (603) 425-1860
SC001 thru SC250 are Pre-Ban. All others are post ban.

Knights Armament Co.
All AR-15's are post ban, very few AR-10's are pre-ban. No further info at this time.

Military Manufacturing (M2) (FAX 702-263-7875)
All were military/law enforcement only. Full auto lowers were standard, semi were optional. Lowers were machined form raw bar stock with improvements incorporated - 18deg magazine angle and square mag release. (See: http://www.m2corp.com/HOME.htm)

Nesard
See 'Sendra' below.

Olympic Arms 360-459-7940

  • 4-numbers only - very very old. Probably machined from bar stock.
  • 1-letter and 4# - older receiver, but forgings. (Some are newer, POST ban castings - call to verify.)
  • Charter Arms Serial Number Date
  • 2-letters & 4# - most receivers follow this pattern.
  • 2#, 2 letters, 4# - the first two #'s are year of manufacture of the lower.
  • 2 letters, 6# (separated 2 & 4 - e.g. SA 96 0000) - first 2 #'s are year of manufacture.
  • 'ICR' marked lowers are an European customer's overrun, has an unused additional hole - all ICR lowers are post ban.

    Olympic Arms Manufacturer's Notes:
    1. There were some odd variations and some custom serial numbers mixed in thru the years also. And, some receivers manufactured after the ban have the year stamp after the model name, not in the serial #. And if you don't see a year stamp on the receiver, it is not necessarily pre-ban.

    Arms

    2. Serial numbers that end in 'D' were duplicates and one was changed using this letter.

    Charter Arms Serial Number List

    3. Recently some serial numbers have left with one or two letters followed by FIVE numbers. The last numbers are either 5's or 0's. 99.9% of these are post-ban.

    4. 'Older' does not always mean pre-ban as per Corey Sattler.

    5. 'BL' serial number series lowers are transitional with some pre and some post ban. If you have a 'BL' you'll have to call to verify for certain.

    Professional Ordinance
    All are post ban (including all of the pistols).

    PWA (360) 438-3983
    35222 and Below - Pre-Ban (Note:Some lowers are cast not forged. Out of business) Post-ban have a year prefix in the serial number. Rumored to have only sold lowers.

    Rocky Mountain Arms
    Producer of AR-15 type pistols.

    Sendra
    Post-ban receivers have a circle milled into the side of the magwell. They were originally bead-blasted to a non-glare finish. All others are pre-ban. (This is unverified info...) Also, they used to be NESARD. Rumored to have been owned by Dick Drasen (currently M&A Parts) and produced lowers only out of Barrington, Illinois. No complete guns were sold (again, unverified info).

    Charter Arms
    TypePrivate
    Industry
    Founded1964; 57 years ago
    FounderDouglas McClenahan
    Headquarters,
    ProductsRevolvers
    Websitecharterfirearms.com

    Charter Arms Serial Number Dates

    Charter Arms Co. is an American manufacturer of revolvers. During its history from 1964 to the present day, Charter Arms has produced revolvers chambered in the following calibers: .22 Long Rifle, .22 Winchester Magnum, .32 Long, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Federal Magnum, .357 Magnum, .38 Special, 9x19mm Parabellum, .40 Smith & Wesson, .41 Remington Magnum, .44 Special, .45 ACP and .45 Colt. The most famous revolvers manufactured by Charter Arms are the .44 Special Bulldog and .38 Special Bulldog Pug.

    History[edit]

    Douglas McClenahan, a young gun designer who had previously worked for Colt, High Standard, and Sturm, Ruger founded Charter Arms in 1964 to produce handguns. His first pistol was a five-shot revolver called 'The Undercover' chambered for .38 Special. McClenahan's innovation was to avoid using the side plate designs manufactured by other revolver makers for a one-piece frame, giving the new revolver a strength that allowed it to safely shoot high loads.[1] McClenahan also reduced the number of moving parts used in the gun and created a safety device for the firing pin.

    The company, then located in Stratford, Connecticut, went bankrupt in 1996, but the Charter design and mark were resurrected by Charter 2000, which was founded by the Ecker family. The new company capitalized on the fame of the old Charter Arms revolvers. Operations were moved to Shelton, Connecticut.

    Basing their new line of weapons on the basic Charter Arms design, the new company has made a few improvements such as the use of a one-piece barrel and front sight. The one-piece barrels of the new models are machined with eight grooves instead of six for higher velocity, flatter trajectory and better accuracy. The new models feature a completely blocked hammer system so that the gun cannot fire unless the trigger is held in full rear position.

    In addition to reintroducing the .38 Special Undercover and the .44 Special Bulldog, Charter 2000 produces revolvers chambered for .22 Long Rifle/.22 Magnum (the Pathfinder), .357 magnum (the Mag Pug) and .38 Special (the Off-Duty and the Police Bulldog).

    In 2005, Charter 2000 announced that it would be filing for bankruptcy, blaming the costs associated with nuisance lawsuits for their financial trouble.

    In September 2005, MKS Supply entered into an agreement with Charter Arms where MKS Supply would handle the sales, marketing and distribution for Charter Arms.[2]

    In 2008, Charter Arms brought the new Patriot revolvers to the market.[3] The Patriot revolvers were chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum, and were available in 2.2' or 4' stainless steel models. The Charter Arms web site as of August 2011 no longer lists this model under the products category.

    Also in 2008, Charter Arms announced a new revolver: the Charter Arms Rimless Revolver. The new revolver would be able to load and fire rimless cartridges such as the 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP without the need for moon clips. Initially, the revolver was to ship in early spring, however, reported problems with the patents delayed the introduction.[4] Charter Arms set a release date of April 2009 for the CARR. However, Charter Arms missed this deadline, and company representatives have suggested the release date may not be until 'late July' of 2009. The CARR which was subsequently called the Pitbull finally reached production in August 2011 and the first Pitbull models had a 2.3' barrel and were chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge as this is the most popular U.S. law enforcement round and would enable the Pitbull to be used as a back-up gun to the .40 service pistol.[5]

    In October 2010 MKS discontinued the sales and marketing of Charter Arms. Charter now has taken over the sales and marketing function.

    At SHOT Show 2018 Charter introduced the .41 Remington Magnum Mag Pug and the .45 Colt Bulldog XL.

    Products[edit]

    Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special
    Charter Arms Target Bulldog .357 Magnum
    • The Bulldog: .44 Special
    • The Bulldog XL: .45 Colt
    • The Target Bulldog: .357 Magnum
    • The Undercover: .38 Special
    • The Undercoverette: .32 H&R Magnum
    • The Mag Pug: .357 Magnum and .41 Remington Magnum
    • The Patriot: .327 Federal Magnum
    • The Pathfinder: .22 LR and .22 Magnum
    • The Off Duty: .38 Special (similar to the Undercover but with a bobbed hammer and weighing 12 oz (340 g))
    • The Dixie Derringer: .22 LR and .22 Magnum
    • The Pitbull: .45 ACP, .40 S&W, and 9×19mm Luger (same frame as Bulldog and Pug)
    • The Southpaw: .38 Special (similar to Undercover, but made for left-handed shooters)[6][citation needed]

    Criminal uses[edit]

    • A Charter Arms 'Undercover' .38 Special model was used by Arthur Bremer to attempt to assassinate George Wallace in 1972.
    • The .44 SpecialBulldog revolver gained notoriety after it was used by Son of Sam serial killer David Berkowitz in his murder spree.[7]
    • A Charter Arms 'Undercover' .38 Special model was used by Mark David Chapman to murder John Lennon on December 8, 1980.[8][9]
    • A Charter Arms “Undercover” .38 Special was used by Mumia Abu-Jamal in the murder of Police Officer Daniel Faulkner on December 9, 1981.
    • A Charter Arms “Undercover” was used by Van Brett Watkins Sr. to assassinate Cherica Adams, the girlfriend of former Carolina Panthersfootballwide receiverRae Carruth in a drive-by shooting in 1999.[10]

    References[edit]

    Date
    1. ^Charter Arms FAQArchived August 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
    2. ^'MKS Supply Partners With Charter Firearms'. AmmoLand.com Shooting Sports News.
    3. ^'Charter Arms .327 Fed. Mag. Snub Nose Revolver Is A Real Hot Rod!'. AmmoLand.com Shooting Sports News.
    4. ^'Charter Arms' New Revolutionary Rimless Revolver'. AmmoLand.com Shooting Sports News.
    5. ^Charter Arms websiteArchived June 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
    6. ^'Southpaw'. Charter Arms.
    7. ^http://www.vpc.org/studies/wgun7677.htm
    8. ^http://www.vpc.org/studies/wgun801208.htm
    9. ^'The Gun that Killed John Lennon - Unearthing a Relic - Nymag'. New York Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
    10. ^‘I want him dead’: Hitman hired to kill Cherica Adams will never forgive Carruth
    Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charter_Arms&oldid=1005065651'