Charter Arms Pitbull 9mm: Rimless Revolver Done Right?

A revolver that eats the same ammunition as your pistol and asks for no moon clips. That is a neat trick. It is also a trade, and the trade deserves reading.

The pitch in one line

Most 9mm revolvers handle the missing rim by borrowing a trick from the competition world: a moon clip that holds every cartridge by its extractor groove. The Charter Arms Pitbull takes a different route. Its cylinder is built to hold and eject rimless cartridges on their own, so you can load and unload 9mm the way you load any other revolver, one round at a time.

That one design decision decides who should look at the Charter Arms Pitbull 9mm and who should not. If clips make you wince, the Pitbull is the interesting one. If you like the speed of a clip and the discipline it implies, the Ruger LCRx 9mm deserves a second look, and we put the two side by side in a separate head-to-head on this site.

What it is, by the book

The facts we can state with confidence are short:

For barrel length, weight, sights and finish on the exact version you are considering, use Charter Arms' own specification and the retailer listing. Charter sells the Pitbull in several configurations, and their details differ.

How loading actually works

The revolver does not use the traditional star extractor and a case rim to do its job. It holds the cartridges in place by their extractor groove using its own mechanism, which means the loading routine is familiar: open the cylinder, drop in rounds, close it.

That is where the benefits start:

• No clips to buy or bend. A bent moon clip can bind a cylinder, and clips are one more thing to carry and keep straight.
• Fewer accessories. You can put a few loose rounds in a pocket or a dump pouch and be done.
• Easy for non-clip shooters. If the person using the gun is not a clip enthusiast, this removes a barrier.

What you give up is the fast, all-at-once reload that a loaded moon clip provides. Loose rounds go in one at a time or with a loader designed for the system, if you can find one that fits. Do not assume that a speedloader designed for a rimmed cartridge will work with a rimless revolver; check what the manufacturer and loader makers list.

The ammunition advantage

Sharing ammunition with a 9mm pistol is the Pitbull's strongest card. If your safe already holds 9mm, one more gun that runs on it is a logistical win. You can buy in quantity, train with the same cartridge you stock for your pistol, and avoid managing a second set of calibers. The weight-class options for 9mm are covered in our network's 9mm bullet weight explainer.

Some practical cautions still apply:

1. Test every load you plan to rely on. Revolvers headspace and extract differently from pistols, and a cartridge that runs in your pistol is not automatically smooth in a revolver. Different brands can differ in case dimensions, so test brand by brand.
2. Watch for bullet jump. Recoil in a light revolver can pull bullets forward in their cases and tie up the cylinder. Our bullet pull and crimp jump article explains how to check for it.
3. Keep the chambers clean. Rimless cases that seat by case mouth and extractor groove depend on a clean, correctly dimensioned chamber.
4. Do not use ammunition marked for another cartridge. A 9mm revolver is not a .38 or .357.

What you accept in exchange

Charter Arms has long built revolvers to a working price, and the Pitbull is part of that tradition. The honest way to say it is that you are choosing a function-first gun. Expect plain finish and a trigger that rewards dry-fire practice and shows its quality in use rather than on a shelf.

That is not an insult. A revolver you can afford to shoot, clean and carry without worry is a good tool. But the honest comparison with the LCRx and with premium revolvers has to include the fact that the Pitbull is not trying to be a showpiece. Our Charter Arms lineup guide puts the Pitbull in context with the rest of the catalog, and the convertible revolver article explains where 9mm convertibles fit in the bigger picture.

Pitbull versus LCRx, briefly

We give the full head-to-head its own page, so here is the short version: the Pitbull is the simpler gun to feed, the LCRx is the faster one to reload, and neither is a bad choice for the right owner.

Who should buy it

Pick the Pitbull if:

• You shoot 9mm already and want a revolver that uses the same boxes of ammunition.
• You dislike the idea of moon clips and the discipline they require.
• You want a no-frills gun for home storage or the range, kept locked up when it is not in use.

Look elsewhere if:

• You want the fastest possible reload and are comfortable with clips.
• You are shopping for fit and finish or a polished trigger out of the box.
• You prefer a polymer-fire-control-housing LCRx-style construction, or want the broadest accessory support.

Before you carry it

If you plan to use a Pitbull for personal protection, treat it as you would any other defensive handgun. Choose ammunition that cycles reliably in your gun, train with it regularly, and store it safely when you are not carrying it. Learn the loading and unloading routine from the manual, and practice it empty until it is boring. Your local laws determine whether and how you may carry; learn them before you do.

Verdict

The Pitbull 9mm is a sensible answer to a real problem. It lets a 9mm shooter have a revolver without taking on the clip system, and it keeps the loading routine simple. The price is a working-class gun with the compromises that implies. For a shooter who wants function, simplicity and shared ammunition, that is a fair trade, and it is worth putting in your hands and at the range before you buy.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications and publicly available information. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and legality for your own situation.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.