f you’re looking for an easily pocketable carry gun that with minimal recoil, Charter Arms’ new Coyote might just be for you. Only one caveat…since it’s chambered in widely available, light shooting, but still effective .380 ACP rimless round, you’ll have to use moon clips in this here wheelgun. That’s not a problem for most people once they get used to it and Charter packs two in the box with each Coyote snubbie.
The Coyote comes in two models (though you wouldn’t know it from the Charter web site), the standard model with a spurred hammer and attractive rosewood grips and the “Off Duty” version that has rubber grips and a snag-avoiding concealed hammer.
The other great thing about the Coyote is its price. With an MSRP of only $448.14 ($434.56 for the Off Duty), you can expect to pay under $400 retail. And with its aluminum frame (the barrel and cylinder are stainless) the coy-dog weighs a mere 14 ounces…perfect for slipping one into your jacket or pants pocket as you head out the door.
Charter Arms, manufacturers of affordable, 100% American-made revolvers for more than 60 years, is proud to announce the introduction of the new Coyote .380 Revolver, the smallest and lightest of its kind. Offered in 2 models, this compact, everyday carry revolver is designed for to both experienced shooters and beginners, making it an ideal choice for personal protection and sport shooting.
“We couldn’t be happier to offer a compact revolver worthy of everyday carry,” said Nick Ecker, Owner, President and CEO, Charter Arms. “We wanted to offer a smaller frame revolver for women and first-time shooters that would be great for personal protection and sport shooting without the bulk and muzzle jump of larger caliber handguns.”
The new Charter Arms .380 Coyote is a compact and lightweight double/single action revolver, chambered in .380 ACP. Although this cartridge was created for semi-automatic pistols, this revolver takes advantage of the rounds milder recoil benefits. A ported barrel underlug reduces muzzle climb. Many have praised it for its out-of-box accuracy. Built with an anodized alloy frame and finished with a high-polish stainless steel barrel and cylinder, this revolver offers durability and a sleek, modern appearance.
The Coyote .380 frame is crafted from 7075 aluminum, the barrel and cylinder are formed from 416 stainless-steel. The Coyote is available with three finish options; a matte anodized frame and matte stainless-steel components, or a pink or lavender anodized frame with high polished components. All three versions have diamond cuts in the barrel’s underlug and checkered rosewood grips.
The Coyote .380 Off Duty model comes with compact rubber grips and a concealed hammer. Other features of the Off Duty model include HIVIS LitePipe sight and clear anodized frame with stainless-steel components.
Because .380 ACP is a rimless cartridge that was designed for use in autoloaders, Charter Arms Coyote revolvers must be loaded using moon clips. The .380 Coyote ships with two TK Customs moon clips to feed the 5-shot cylinder. Additional moon clips are available for purchase separately as well.
Available Standard models:
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- 53802 – Clear anodized frame, rosewood grips with high polished components
- 53805 – Pink anodized frame, rosewood grips with high polish components
- 53804 – Lavender anodized frame, rosewood grips with high polished components
MSRP: $448.14
Off Duty model
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- 53801 – Clear anodized frame, compact rubber grips, stainless steel components
- 53812 – Pink anodized frame, compact rubber grips, stainless steel components
MSRP: Clear $434.56 & Pink $448.14
.380 Coyote Specifications:
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- Caliber .380 ACP
- Capacity: 5 rounds
- Barrel Length: 2 inches
- Grips: Small rosewood checkered (standard models), Compact Rubber (Off Duty model)
- Sights: Fixed front and rear
- Safety: Hammer block safety
- Concealed Hammer: Off Duty Models only
- Weight: 14 ounces
- Special Features: Spurred hammer, 3-point cylinder lock-up
I have reservations when it comes to .380 ACP in a revolver with a short barrel. The .380 ACP cartridge is already on the weak end of the handgun caliber scale and then you will lose even more velocity in the cylinder-barrel gap.
On the other hand, if this is the only handgun that someone will carry (due to them rejecting the weight or recoil of handguns chambered in larger calibers), it certainly is far better than harsh words alone.
Fortunately, we have the ability to choose for ourselves what works best for us. And if someone decides that a revolver chambered in .380 ACP is their best choice, I celebrate their choice and hope that they are able to rock any attacker’s world with that revolver.
WHY?
It’s not like there aren’t gobs of .38 Spl. snubbies out there. No moon clips necessary.
If the recoil is too much (c’mon, .38 Spl. is nothin!), just use lighter loads, and you’ll still get better performance than a .380.
LKB,
I shot several dozen rounds through a 5-shot snub-nose revolver that weighs 16 ounces. Standard pressure (not +P) cartridges with 125 grain bullets were brutal and produced the most uncomfortable recoil of any handgun that I have ever shot. If someone wants to carry a super lightweight handgun AND they want the simplicity of a revolver without the brutal recoil of snubbies chambered in .38 Special, then this Charter Arms revolver could be the ticket.
Note that I have shot just about every handgun platform that exists: semi-auto pistols and revolvers chambered in .22 LR, semi-auto pistols (weighing just 12 ounces) chambered in .380 ACP, sub-compact semi-auto pistols chambered in 9mm Luger, full-size pistols chambered in .40 S&W, and also larger revolvers chambered in both .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum–including shooting maximum charge/pressure Magnum loads. All of those produce recoil that is far more comfortable than the 16-ounce snubbie shooting standard pressure charges of .38 Special 125 grain bullets.
Air weights are a fun combination of low mass, reasonable to magnum loadings, and smaller/suboptimal grips that can make for heavier perceived (and sometimes measured) recoil. Letting my wife try a standard weight 38 snub was a bit instructive in how what seems relatively normal to one may be excessive to another to the point where the air weight felt about the same level of excessive to her……yet micro nines are fine if a bit heavy.
SAFEupstateFML,
I agree: there is something about 16-ounce snub-nosed revolvers (apparently their light weight, their reduced grip size, and their grip shape) which exceeds some impossible-to-define threshold and makes them extremely unpleasant to shoot–in fact the most unpleasant handgun platform in existence in my opinion (which many other people share as well).
I have shot several dozen rounds (in one range session) through a 24-ounce revolver chambered in .38 Special (shooting standard pressure 125 grain bullets) which was very pleasant and fun to shoot. That extra 8 ounces of revolver weight (compared to a 16-ounce snubbie) and slightly longer grip (just barely enough for your pinky finger) makes for a night-and-day difference in shooting comfort.
“…yet micro nines are fine if a bit heavy.”
Agree on both the Airweight and the micro-9s like my CZ RAMI, it terms of recoil.
I don’t shoot my LCR in .357 much, because I know it’s gonna hurt like a Mo-Fo, but that’s a compromise I can deal with for EDC in the sweltering jungle steam of central Florida in summer…
Yeah now is more full size to Glock 40 sized carry up my way (and apparently yours in a week or so) but for trips south and summer pocket revolver (sp101) or frankensig is more common.
For 3 years of the pandemic 38 spc did not exist outside of reloading up my way down to nearly Poughkeepsie. 380 was more often available than 9mm. Not saying it is a great idea but we have seen this happen years ago with 40sw still being on the shelves when 9 and 45 were gone with similar goofy pistols developed.
“For 3 years of the pandemic 38 spc did not exist outside of reloading up my way down to nearly Poughkeepsie.”
You do realize you just made the case for a 9mm (or even a .380) revolver, don’t you?
9mm is the one ammo round universally-available (even if eye-watering *expensive*) when gun-food supplies get very tight… 😉
At the time yes, yes I did. I still will say it is a suboptimal setup for any number of reasons but there was a niche. With our current ammo background check/registry the argument switched more towards reloading where 38 comes way ahead of 9 but NY is a retarded place for laws in general let alone gun laws.
“You do realize you just made the case for a 9mm (or even a .380) revolver, don’t you?”
That’s why I whipped out the wallet when I saw a used LCR in 9 at Vance’s a few years ago. Then, I stumbled across a Crimson Trace laser grip for it, for pennies on the dollar in the Bargain Cave at Cabela’s. The stars aligned for that deal. No regrets.
It makes sense due to availability, cost, and simplifying the number of calibers to keep up with.
You’re an idiot.
Anything relevant?
Rodney L (just below) put a smile on my face with his response… 😉
“You’re an idiot.”
You really added nothing compelling to the discussion, you knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, sister-inseminating fuckwit.
At least I exposed you to some spiffy new cutting, personal insults you’ll remember. 😉
I like CA, their products are decent for the price; This makes no sense to me, the .380 is minimal carry caliber, it is available in many pistols. With that length cylinder you could chamber several cartridges that would interchange and offer more useability. Hey, Maybe they will offer a .30 Carry with a 7 shot cylinder! That stated, I own a couple of CA revolvers and they do what they are supposed to do; Their marketing?!
“This makes no sense to me, the .380 is minimal carry caliber, it is available in many pistols.”
It makes sense if someone already carries a .380 for EDC, I suppose, ammo ain’t cheap to stockpile…
No thanks. I’m happy with my Charter Arms 32HR magnum snubby. Lower recoil but very effective bullet ballistics. Also it’s a 6 shot. Not a 5 shot.
That actually sounds like a good balance for that size and space.
SAFEupstateFML,
I have the same opinion: a 6-shot revolver chambered in .32 H&R Magnum is a better self-defense choice than the same size/weight revolver chambered in .380 ACP or .38 Special which only have 5-shot cylinders. (A .32 H&R Magnum revolver is a better choice than .380 ACP or .38 Special because it has 6 shots rather than 5 shots AND less recoil AND potentially better terminal ballistics.)
Of course the down side to a revolver chambered in .32 H&R Magnum is ammunition scarcity–I have never seen it on the shelves of local sporting goods stores. Thankfully we have the option for mail order or Internet order in most states.
I’m considering adding a 6-shot Ruger LCR in .327 magnum to my EDC…
Let us know how the felt recoil compares to other things in your collection if you do. I am curious if that particular option will have similar issues to the air weight 38s or if the lighter bullet will be noticably more comfortable even with the pressure increase like with 357 Sig vs 40sw
Doubletap makes 60gr lead free .327 ammo. That might be ideal from an LCR.
I like your fire arms