I have been wanting one of these for sometime. After I sold my Taurus 431 I still had 4-5 hundred rds of 44 special so it was nice that this one popped up the other day. It's a Bridgeport and I figure probably 1st-2nd year production. I don't think the grips are original, will be looking for the target grips. I have those on my 6" Pathfinder and they feel good in the hand The print ad is from a 1974 Gun Digest.

Depending on how warm your .44 Special loads are, you may appreciate those rubber grips. A lot. Enjoy!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I bought a 2" years ago. Wanted a "big" bore, and read that the factory loads were anemic.

WRONG !

That thing HURT !

A friend lusted after it, and I gave it to him...……………..

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NRA Instructor

I have one like yours.
The recoil in terrible. The last time I fired it I loaded 180 grain RN cast lead bullets which tamed the recoil down some, but it is still more than I can handle.

Jimmy (aka Wimp Man)

I shot one of these revolvers with some of Elmer's memorial loads and I can tell you it is the worst recoiling handgun I have ever shot. that includes a XP-100 in 308 Winchester

Own and carry one all the time. Shoot it a lot.




Recoil? Easy Peasy. My airweight j frame with 135gr +p recoils as much 240's are stout but I carry and train with 200's

I don't have the classic model, I have the more modern stainless one and I really like it.

It can definitely be a handful, that's for sure. If I want to take it out for target work, I load up some mild loads and it really makes it far more pleasant to shoot.

I really like the .44 special for SD and it is my EDC. I shoot 240gr
Hornady JHP bullets in my S&W 4 inch. These are close to 980 ft./sec.
and the recoil is fine. Of course I am talking about a heavier gun
than the Charter.

i ended up with 3 of these a couple months ago. i use to carry one for backup as a lake havasu cop in my boot. so, i shot these three with cowboy loads. total 15 rounds, sold all three at the next gun show. guess i'm real old now........

Made famous by the Son of Sam

I own a couple from way back. Magnaport helps a lot but they do kill on both ends.

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SWCA 3417 HF 642 NRA-TC

I've owned a couple over the years, and I don't think they're THAT bad, but neoprene grips are a must (The factory ones are inexpensive, and good). The wood ones will beat my hand to death.

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John 3:16 .

I found a pair of Pachmayr Presentation rubber grips for mine on eBay. They make it far more pleasant to shoot. I use only very light .44 Special handloads.

Here's mine recoil isn't to bad with standard loads. I do not shoot it much be because it does not seem to be to tough, but it is a tack driver. 20191226_071940.jpg

20191226_071952.jpg

The .44 Special is one of my favorite cartridges. Every .44 lover should own a bulldog at least once in their life. Great little gun.
I picked this one up a few years ago LNIB. It had the original grips plus a set of Pacmyer compacts. I shot it with the wood grips once. That was enough for me. You will learn to appreciate rubber.

My local shop had a used 2017 produced hammerless that I picked-up for around $330 OTD. I've always wanted one just because I like the "little Big Bore" concept.

I promptly took it out to shoot and hated the horrible trigger pull. The grips were too small for my large hands affecting my trigger control. I put some Pach's on to see if it helps. Just need to go shoot it again.

I also order some Underwood Gold Dot ammo. Seems to be a great SD choice.





I also have a 5 shot ported Taurus .41 Mag. It has a much better trigger.

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Watch & Pray

I don’t mind the wood grips. Of course, I don’t shoot it all the time either.
Sticking to standard loads helps.
I bought one of the first ones and had it’s hammer bobbed later. They’ve been so inexpensive I bought a second one for the field. It’s a stainless.
Great little gun if kept within its limits with a great cartridge and very easy to carry in a Lobo enhanced pancake.

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“Look life in its iron face”

To me .44 spl Charter Arms Bulldog has more comfortable recoil than any 12-16 oz. .38 spl. revolver loaded with +P's or even standard factory 158 grainers.

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NULLI SECUNDUS

You're not kidding. I've owned a 14.something oz 637 and a Bodyguard 38. Federal 38E +P ammo is a serious hand stinger with those fellas, never did like shooting them.

I love mine and carried it every day for two years until I bought a new SA Hellcat. Recoil wasn’t too bad with Winchester Silver Tips.

I purchased one in 2009 and have put just over 500 rounds thru it with no issues. Granted none have been warm handloads or anything but the Bulldogs are great little revolvers for the money. I have a friend who has a newer one and says that he’ll get the occasional light-primer strike in DA.

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Some Might Say.

Really nice CA you have there This Undercover is also an early Bridgeport model I've owned and relied on for years.

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John

Bought this one 25 or so years ago. Early stainless Bulldog Pug. Never seen another one. Shoots well, recoil not bad for a big bore snub. Still carry it.

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Went to High School with the son of the founder and owner of Charter Arms in Connecticut. Great family.

Unfortunately, the Bulldog will forever be etched negatively in my memory since this was the revolver which madman David Berkowitz used to kill numerous couples in NYC. He was referred to as the “Son of Sam” “44 Cal Killer” before his identity became known. I was living in NYC at the time in college...and we were told not to venture off campus with our girlfriends while he was still on the loose. He was finally nabbed and serving multiple life sentences. This time in NYC still send chills down my spine thinking about it.

Regardless of this association, the Bulldog is a fine firearm. I did shoot one at our local range in 1982...real kicker with the 246 gr RNL.

I did own a Charter Arms pathfinder and 38 Spl Undercover...didn’t care too much for them since I already had Smiths.

I have PMC 180 gr JHP that I will be running through this. It wasn't bad thru the Taurus 431(granted it is quite a bit heavier) but, like others have commented, it can't be any worse than a light weight J frame with warm 38 special loads. I'll try it out with the rubber grips then with the target grips that are on the Pathfinder.

I'm going to goof around with these and see what I can get them loaded to.

185 Grain Wadcutter (.430) [430-185-WC] - $16.00 : Matts Bullets

Following the lines of Buffalo Bore or Underwood, I'm going to see if taking the "I don't care about expansion" approach works for the mightly little Bulldog.

The bulldog has a pressure threshold of around 15.5k due to its weight if you exceed it you will have issues.



Bb and Underwood loads are a no go for the bulldog.



Read Brian pearce's 44 special article great info:Brian Pearce on the 44 Special.pdf - Google Drive

I'm talking about these here, which are specifically noted as working in the Bulldog:

ANTI-PERSONNEL 44 Special Pistol & Handgun Ammunition

Underwood makes their own version of it as well:

44 Special 200 Grain Hard Cast Wadcutter – Underwood Ammo

I have two of the old 3" blued Bulldogs. Both have the Pachmeyer rubber grips which eliminate any excessive recoil concerns. Excellent guns for my canoe camping trips. I load 3 shot loads for snakes and two 246 grainers for everything else.

I’m no fan of hard kicking pistols But I find my early standard Bulldog .44 a fun shooter with it’s small factory wood grips. All I shot in it were had loads of 6.4 Unique and a 215 or 240 grain bullet. Mostly the 215s because I have a bunch. I look at that as a light to moderate load. It kicks but not enough to sting at all.

I have had a Bridgeport built Bulldog for many years. A set of Pachmyrs makes for more to hang on to as well as taming the recoil some. The Lyman 429251 and 6.5 Unique are more accurate than they have a right to be. A Bianchi 5BHL holster marked small revolver fits the Bulldog and a 3 inch Police Positive Special perfectly.

One small nit to pick was that with extended shooting the trigger pin had a tendency to walk to the right. After I got tired of pushing it back in, a very tiny drop of wicking Loctite 290 fixed that.

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Not a Bulldog owner but I've carried a Taurus 445ti quite a bit which is similar, though ported and with titanium frame. Its a handful with warmer loads but has always been reliable and in an easy to carry package. As long as I keep in practice with it, I trust it. I prefer plinking with my Model 24s and Ruger Flattop, but if I don't want to carry anything with any weight, its my go to revolver.

I like this old BD (early Stratford model) and carry on occasion.
We all know it’s not a Smith but since Smith doesn’t make one...

Smith does make one now and it's much more comfortable to shoot with 44 Specials. A bit rough with 44 magnums. They call it the Model 69.

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Foster Positivity.

Do they sell a no lock version?

Hogue just released their new grips for the Charter Arms frame. They are similar to the Bantam design used on the short barrel Ruger Redhawk, except the blackstrap is covered. They were just posted as available on their website last Friday and I received my set yesterday. I have not had a chance to test fire the gun with them yet.
38375647-60A4-44AF-867F-1D4F8A3FC655.jpg

What grips and grip adapter are you using? That's a great pic.

I have an old Bulldog that I got for almost nothing 'cause it was beat to heck. I'm having it cut down to 2" for pocket carry.

The recoil is pretty stiff, but 357 from my Kimber K6S or 327 from my LCR are both worse.

Keep us posted on the grips. Thanks

Doc Mordo I have a J frame S&W BK adapter on my Bulldog it fits well but is a tad too long. It looks like what Eb07 posted.

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I told you not to use Lifebuoy

Altamont super rosewood classics and a BK grip adapter for J frame


Charter | Altamont Company


Fitting | BK Grips

Thanks for the info! My old bulldog has the factory wood grip, but if I ever get a newer one with the rubber grip, I'll be following your lead.

Bulldog now with new grips. Thanks to a forum member for offering them up to me.

I carry this one...

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C & L