Charter Arms Bulldog/44 Special...Thoughts?

Well, my M696 is on the night stand or on my side more then any of the many .357's I have.....

I have a Boomer and it's cool BUT, it kicks hard!

I have a Bridgeport 3" Bulldog and a S&W 696 no dash. They are both nice guns that hold 5 rounds of 44 special, but way different (of course).

For eas of carry, the CA wins hands down. It seems closer in size to a J frame gun to me, which makes it not so pleasant to shoot for an extended time at the range. But boy does it carry nicely.

The 696 is not exactly a range gun either, but it's weight makes it much more comfortable to shoot, naturally. And it's stainless construction eases my mind better when it comes to perspiration when packing it around for extended periods of time.

Each has it's place in my mind and both are going to stay in my possession for as long as I can still handle shooting them (maybe even longer).

I really need to find a nice 624 I think ............

I regret selling mine. For a carry gun, yes. For a range gun, no.

You can't fool Mother Nature. A light gun is going to wear with a lot of shooting.

I've got a mid '70's 3" Stratford mfg. and one of the newer Boomers. Bought the 3" in 2019. I've not had any issues with it but have not shot it a lot and only with light handloads. Have not had a chance to shoot the Boomer yet.

I’ve had this early Stratford gun for a few years with no complaints. I like it but it’s not a S&W and never will be, It does good for what it is, shoot a little, carry a lot.

I recently bought the "On Duty" version. I like it fine, but it does not compare to my S&W 696. The shrouded hammer looks good and works as intended as a pocket piece. It is very accurate and reliable. It rides in my front left pocket as a NY reload. It does very well, very, very well, indeed, with 200 grain Silvertips.

I had to smooth some roughness off with a Scotchbrite pad. The ejector star had such sharp edges that you could use it as a serious cutting tool! I smoothed it with a stone. The ejector function was also very rough, as there was a burr inside the ejector rod channel which I removed. I also worked the action vigorously and then sprayed it clean with Gunscrubber and CLR.

All this should have been done at the factory of course. I was properly warned, and if you like you can just send it back and they will do all this finish work for you for free. Basically, Charter Arms' business model is to use you, the end user as their quality control division. This works for me.

Buy this gun for approximately $400, if you are willing to accept that at the worst you may need to do a little finishing or send it in for some finishing.

The only hands on experience I have had with Bulldogs is handling a buddies newer production. Felt cheap, thin and not so great a trigger.

Also look into an Interarms Era Rossi 720. I love mine, handles great, accurate and can handle heavier loads the Bulldogs cannot.

Rammer Jammer said:

The only hands on experience I have had with Bulldogs is handling a buddies newer production. Felt cheap, thin and not so great a trigger.

Also look into an Interarms Era Rossi 720. I love mine, handles great, accurate and can handle heavier loads the Bulldogs cannot.

Click to expand...

And, if yours is like mine it has adjustable sights.

I own 4 of the older 3 inch variety. All have pachmyr grips but one. I bought all used and cheap. The odd one I bought as it is now. It has a ported barrel shortened to just in front of the ejector rod. It has a hip grip and tyler T grip. I shoot cowboy loads for practice and a speedloader full of cowboy loads for reload. My carry load is Buffalo Bore wadcutters made specifically for lighter guns in 44 spl. I carry them as woods guns. I LIKE THEM A LOT. I carry 2 j frames in 357 but with 38 Buffalo Bore wadcutters for self defense

"Charter Arms Bulldog .44special..five shot loaded with Glasser saftey slugs".....Manhunter(it worked hor him w/he needed it!

It's a strange day when I can recommend a Charter Arms revolver over the comparable S&W model all week long, and twice on Sunday. For less than 1/2 the price, you are getting the same or greater practical functionality, and the same warranty, with somewhat of a loss of aesthetics.

I have a thread on here about the current craptastic production, assembly and repair of the S&W Model 36 Classic. Purchased factory new, I've yet to be able to fire it, and it's on its THIRD trip back for repair. One botched job after another. S&W appears to be having a rough patch.

I've owned a small army of Charters over the years. A few have needed factory service, most have not. My last three have been perfect. For the price point, you're not getting a S&W trigger pull or finish - when S&W does it right. The accuracy of all my Charters is sufficient to keep all their rounds on a standard police silo target @ 25 yards.

I have a Charter 41 Mag Pug that is just fine after 200 rounds. If Charter was a weak design it would not be able to be chambered in .41 Magnolia.

I've had about a dozen Bulldogs over the years, some purchased new, some pre-owned. After 1000 rounds of too-warm handloads, one had to go back for end-shake issues. Charter gladly repaired the gun, for free. My current Bulldog is the 3" barrel Classic. I have 2000 rounds through it, and it's working fine, I carry it with confidence, it is lightweight, powerful and recoil is not excessive.

In regards to .44 Special, the only factory load in my testing that expands from a 2.5-3" barrel is the Hornady 165 grain FTX Critical Defense. This load makes ~900 fps for ~300 fpe, penetrates 12" and expands to .70... what's not to like? The Federal 200 grain SWCHP load is disappointing, does not expand.

Factory practice ammo is rather expensive, and recoil not pleasant in the lightweight Bulldog. If you handload, a 200 grain cast bullet @ 750 fps is an accurate milder load. Serious handloads using a 190 grain SWCHP @ 900 fps is a great round within SAAMI pressure specs when using modern propellants.

Charter used to advertise the Bulldog with the line, "Carries like a .38, Hits like a .45". That's not too far from the mark.

Be Safe.

The .44 BD is designed to be a compact but reliable package that will punch above its weight in close-range HD/SD engagements when needed. Any other use is secondary.

Back in the 1980s I worked on a Bulldog for a client. I don't recall why it was in the shop, but while there, the yoke/crane disassembled itself. It seems the tube the cylinder rotates on was a separate part from the other part (hinge). No clue what was supposed to hold the parts together. No sign of silver solder, if it was press fit, that was long gone. Can't recall if I tried and failed to get another part from Charter, I'd have had to create a jig to hold the parts in alignment that would have cost more than the gun to solder the parts back together.

Client and I had a discussion about a resolution. Unless they've done some redesign, I'd be reluctant to bet my own carcass on one.

My wife bought me a Bulldog in '75 to use as a BUG, bless her.
In the interim, it has gone away replaced by a Target Bulldog,
a Taurus 441, and a pair of 431s. All are useful. All recoil sharply.
The Target is lighter and "feels" cheaper, but it always goes bang.
It has stayed tight over the years.
I've never heard or read of a Bulldog blowing up. Maybe someone
could do a destruct test.
There is a reason they've been in constant production for 50+
years.

I didn't have the money to invest in a great gun like a S&W pre model 24 or even a Model 24 but wanted a short barreled .44 special. I bought a Charter Arms Bulldog when they first came out, and carried while driving bus in sketchy parts of town and didn't exactly try to hide the fact I was packing. I had the thing for quite a few years, they are not designed for target practice but I felt very confident with mine and that was part of the reason for keeping it. I later sold or traded it to a good friend of mine when I upgraded to something I felt was better. He was carrying it when a friend of his poorly shot a large black bear sow, resulting in her charging them both, his friend was unable to get it together to clear the spent shot and reload another for a follow-up shot. Time was of the essence, my buddy pushed his friend out of the way, levelled the old Bulldog and fired all five shots into the bear before ducking behind a large pine. She slammed into the pine on the other side, knocking him backwards butt over teacups. They later found all five shots were delivered into her shoulders and chest cavity, one passing through her lower jaw, one through her heart.

I have n older 3 inch that needs to have the screws tightened on occasion or the cylinder is tough to swing out. I also have one of the newer ones . Had my hand on it hours ago as it rides in my coat pocket whenever I head out onto my property. Has some of the best grips for a gun that size.

Bulldog Pug 44 Special

Hard to beat little big bore snubby! Lightweight and a good semi bobbed hammer from the factory. Not too bad to shoot with the factory grips. I've had this one for a long while and I think it's from the '80s.

Keep fighting the Good Fight.

Fred

Inspired by all this, I loaded around 100 rounds of .44 Special yesterday and for the first time in about three years, I took my .44 BD to the range this morning. My loads used Speer 240 grain JHPs. Charge was 6.0 grains of Unique. I did not chronograph the loads, but they were fairly mild, much more so than similar factory loads (which border on being painful in the BD). I could keep nearly all the hits on a 12" x 12" steel plate at 25 yards. I tried the same target at 50 yards, but as most of my shots missed the plate, I gave up. No difficulties with the BD.

I've never considered myself a pistolero, I am confident with all of mine at what I consider pistol range. Friends of mine ask my why I never practice at 25 yards. I tell them at 25 yards I have options, one of them the fact that usually I have a rifle. I have watched with amazement as people shot 1 gallon milk jugs with highly tuned 1911's, rarely missing. I started shooting pistols at rock chucks which got me into reloading, we were using Ruger Super Blackhawks in .44 magnum. Holding the revolver between our knees and shooting at between 50-75 yds, it was a ton of fun and gave me confidence at distance. Some folks are borne naturals with a handgun, I watched a young man with relatively little experience shoot a three inch group in the center of a 25yd target, first time out. Being young and strong is an advantage, but can't beat old age and treachery.