In hand, the Pathfinder felt like a large revolver due to the grip. Since these Kit Guns may be packed and accidentally dropped, say out of a backpack, we appreciated the built-in safety. A transfer bar in the Pathfinder prevents the revolver from discharging if it is accidentally dropped on the hammer or otherwise.

We preferred a higher-capacity revolver like the S&W. The recessed chambers help keep 22 rimfire debris out the mechanism. The 6-shot cylinder had the chambers countersunk so the rear of the cartridges were flush with the ejector. The cylinder release is pushed in to swing out the cylinder, and the release was nicely serrated and proved to work precisely. The trigger is serrated, and the hammer spur was large and provided plenty of texture to cock the hammer. The sights are large and the contrast between the shiny silver rear groove sight and the gray serrated front ramp. We found it was a bit off and shot to the left. Since the Pathfinder is equipped with fixed sights, we assumed the turned barrel was due to regulating the sights to the point of aim. We also noticed the barrel was twisted slightly to the right. All machining was well executed, with the only visible tool marks appearing around the front sight. This had a new anodized frame with a matte-silver finish and the barrel, trigger, trigger guard, hammer, and cylinder have a matte-gray finish. The Pathfinder Lite uses Charter Arm’s trademark one-piece frame mated to a 2-inch barrel and typical checkered finger-groove rubber grip. For the price, however, we’d settle and use Kentucky windage to compensate. The Pathfinder had a great grip size, but the double-action trigger was too stiff, and it shot to the left for some testers. Charter Arms Pathfinder Lite Model 52270 22 LR, $379 GUN TESTS GRADE: B Then we let loose, plinking away in both DA and SA mode, using a two-hand hold until all the ammo was gone. We used a rest and fired the revolvers in single-action mode to gauge accuracy. We also tested Federal Game-Shok Shot cartridges loaded with #12 shot. Ammo consisted of commonly found CCI Mini Mag with a 36-grain copper-plated hollowpoint (CPHP), CCI Target 22 Short with a 29-grain lead roundnose (LRN) bullet, Browning BPR 37-grain fragmenting hollowpoints, and the hot Aguila Supermaximum loaded with a 30-grain CPHP. We tested at 10 yards, which we thought was an optimum distance for these rimfires and used a variety of 22 rimfire ammo, including 22 LR with a range of bullet weights and types, 22 Short, and 22 Shot cartridges. We recorded velocities using a ProChrono digital chronograph with the first screen set 10 feet from the muzzle. To collect accuracy data, we fired five-shot groups from a bench using a rest. We were looking for a lightweight revolver that was accurate enough to shoot the head of a snake at 10 yards, had the ability to accurately fire a variety of 22 rimfire ammo, and be safe should we accidentally drop the revolver while trekking through the great outdoors. We took a look at three of the latest packable handguns, which included a S&W Model 317-3 Kit Gun, Charter Arms Pathfinder Lite, and Heritage Manufacturing’s Small Bore single action. It could be argued the semi-automatic 22 rimfire pistols have usurped the revolver’s position, but that is for another test. Since then, the features of a Kit Gun have come to include single-action triggers, fixed sights, and snubnose-length barrels. This original Kit Gun had an adjustable rear sight, a DA/SA trigger, short barrel, and a smallish grip. These revolvers have been called Kit Guns since after WWI, but S&W was the first to use the name in 1935 on the 22/32 Kit Gun, which was built on the now-discontinued I-frame. They also help decide bragging rights around the campfire after a session of plinking empty soda cans. The intention of the Kit Gun is to deal with pesky varmints raiding your cooler or a coiled viper in the middle of a foot trail that refuses to move. A Kit Gun, by definition, is a small-frame revolver that is packed up with rest of the kit when fishing, hiking, camping, hunting, or some other outdoor pursuit are being planned.

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