Charter Arms has built a niche making lightweight five-shot .38 Special revolvers accessible, and this Gold model adds a high-polish gold-toned finish to that formula. Underneath the finish is the same straightforward snub-nose design: a 2-inch barrel, a five-round cylinder, rubber grips to soften recoil, and no manual safety or magazine to manage. For a purse, pocket, or nightstand gun, the revolver's appeal is that it works the same way every time you pick it up, regardless of how long it has sat. Practice with standard-pressure .38 loads to keep recoil manageable.

This firearm ships to your chosen FFL dealer for transfer. Order online from Dawson Defense, an Arizona-owned licensed dealer and importer.