The Charter Bulldog 44 revisited just in time for cold weather

[SA1911]

Hi eb07,

Firstly, let me wish you a complete recovery of your hand.

The Charter Arms Bulldog is an excellent self-defense handgun. The .44 Special is an extremely effective cartridge.

If S&W could make a .44 Special on a K Frame, it'd have a certain winner.

I'd be in a heck of a quandary choosing between a Bulldog and a P239 .40 as a self-defense handgun.

 

[sigp220.45]

YOU CARRY A HI-POWER IN A STOW AND GO???
I have one for my Hi-Power, but it never gets used since I got the Summer Classic.

Yep. I only carry one way these days - in the waistband, no belt. I'm a minimalist. The IWBs work great for that.

 

[eb07]

Hi eb07,

Firstly, let me wish you a complete recovery of your hand.

The Charter Arms Bulldog is an excellent self-defense handgun. The .44 Special is an extremely effective cartridge.

If S&W could make a .44 Special on a K Frame, it'd have a certain winner.

I'd be in a heck of a quandary choosing between a Bulldog and a P239 .40 as a self-defense handgun.

Thank you. The hand is fully recovered with limited function of my ring finger. It is as good as it is going to get and my wrist and grip are full strength. Just the second joint on the finger is fused and the first joint gets 70% bend.

I will be honest. I LOVE my 442.... . But I find myself carrying the bulldog year round now. It has lower recoil with the 200gr Speer gold dots than the 135gr +P in 38, I am more accurate with it, and it is ALMOST as light.

I try to get a few rounds a month out of it




PLUS as an added bonus, I carry it in the desert as my desert gun and as a backup to my model 29 when I am in the mountains as it is very accurate out to 25 yards.

I am a huge fan of 44 special. I am not interested in Taurus or Ruger offerings. If I find the right 44 special snub I may purchase it and ship it off to Nelson Ford for action work but unless it is a shooter the prices just do not justify the use as the Charter does do a good job. But if Smith did come out with a NO LOCK version that is sub 23 ounces and I would be on it. It is my #1 smith and wesson wish list item. The light, concealable 5-6 shot 44 special sub 2.5" barrel.A man can dream.

My EDC is more simple and traditional these days but that is just me



The charter is not as bad as some say. I suggest a 250 round reliability break in and then carry with confidence

The trigger isn't all that bad. Mine worked out well with use. The only problem, speaking with Nelson is the parts are case hardened cast steel. So you really can't polish them and make the trigger better action job wise without breaking through the case layer and or weakening and cracking the layer.

Simply check your screws after each range session for proper torque and do not shoot anything over 16,000 PSI and it will last you a long time. This Brian Pearcd handloader article really goes over pressures and weights of the 44 and it is a GREAT article and worthy of a download: http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/Brian Pearce on the 44 Special.pdf
I estimate over 1500 rounds through her now. Mostly 200gr hand loads pushing between 900-1000 fps to mimic my defense loads.


The 200gr Speer JHP perform very well between 850-900 FPS in all gel tests out of charters I have seen. They are flat shooting, easy on the recoil and therefore follow up shots, and actually work well against wild hogs ( ask me how I know ) from the 2.5" barrel:



44 Spl, Speer Gold Dot Hollow Point, Bare Gel (PC HP Test) - YouTube

 

[Naphtali]

More than 30 years ago I acquired a pair of stainless steel Charter Arms 44 Special revolvers with three-inch barrels. Its ejector rod was unprotected à la older Colt double action revolvers. It was more petite than an S&W Model 10 with comparable barrel, very light, and not too unpleasant to shoot. Charter's 44 was not intended for "duty" use or vigorous handloads. It was a well-conceived concealment revolver, including being a satisfactory pocket gun.

What I remember distinctly was the small size and visual fragility of its cylinder stop and that its cylinder could be opened by pulling ejector rod or manipulating its (S&W style) cylinder latch.

Are currently manufactured Charter Arms 44s of comparably small size, albeit more durably designed?

If I still owned mine, one would always be my EDC revolver - that is, a joy to carry and delightful to shoot for that one cylinderful to save my scalp.

 

[triaxle]

I picked up a early stainless Bulldog 3 in in the black box , holster and some speed loaders , never fired it yet , has a real smooth action.

 

[eb07]

More than 30 years ago I acquired a pair of stainless steel Charter Arms 44 Special revolvers with three-inch barrels. Its ejector rod was unprotected à la older Colt double action revolvers. It was more petite than an S&W Model 10 with comparable barrel, very light, and not too unpleasant to shoot. Charter's 44 was not intended for "duty" use or vigorous handloads. It was a well-conceived concealment revolver, including being a satisfactory pocket gun.

What I remember distinctly was the small size and visual fragility of its cylinder stop and that its cylinder could be opened by pulling ejector rod or manipulating its (S&W style) cylinder latch.

Are currently manufactured Charter Arms 44s of comparably small size, albeit more durably designed?

If I still owned mine, one would always be my EDC revolver - that is, a joy to carry and delightful to shoot for that one cylinderful to save my scalp.

I have not had a single issue with mine after over a thousand rounds.

 

[handlebar]

my Boomer will be here next week. I will be putting a Crimson Trace Red laser grip on it-69 year old eyes need some help. When it comes in I will post pics.

 

[old tanker]

I use a Seventies vintage Bianchi 5BHL holster marked "small rev" to carry my Bulldog. As luck would have it, it also fits a 3 inch 3 inch Colt Police Positive Special well. It is too loose for a 3 inch 36-1.

 

[eb07]

I am still carrying the Bulldog...... haven't put it away yet and it's over 100

The 442 is feeling is pretty lonely right now

 

[MCorps0311]

My CA Bulldog .44 Special 2.5"is my EDC 90 % of the time,I do rotate now and then.

 

[Unkei]

CA 44 Special Bulldog

I have the CA Bulldog in 44 Special and love it! Carry mine in an Extreme Cross Draw Brown Leather Holster by Bob Mernickle.

 

[ACORN]

I have a Bulldog and also a Taurus 445UL and have to say I prefer the Taurus. It has a smoother action and is more comfortable for me to shoot. I don't know the specifics but they are about the same size.
I'd like to find a set of Herrets Shooting Aces to fit the Charter hoping to improve its feel but no luck.
Don't turn your nose up on the Taurus 445UL. Mine's a nice carry gun.

 

[safearm]

I have the Boomer in black nitride. I replaced the black rubber grips, which are excellent for managing recoil, but are IMO too large for CCW. With the Barami style smooth grips and a BK grip adapter, I can easily carry the gun in my waistband or in a holster. With the nitride finish, I don't have to worry about moisture (sweat) ruining the finish.

I've shot well over 100 rounds and close to 1000 dry fires and the action has smoothed out considerably. When I first got the gun, the action was rough enough that I could stage the trigger prior to let off. Now, it's too smooth to stage, a firm trigger pull results in the hammer dropping with no creep.

I'm carrying the Federal 200 grain LSWCHP.

 

[OLDSTER]

Now you've all gone and done it !!! I've wanted a Bulldog for a few years. So after reading this thread I purchased a new one off Gun Broker; only an hour ago Thanx a lot

 

[BigDogBoogie]

A small .44 has always interested me as a possible carry gun. I've looked at the Charter Arms and the one Ruger is offering right now and having a tough time deciding which is best.

Sure wish S&W would offer one.

 

[eb07]

A small .44 has always interested me as a possible carry gun. I've looked at the Charter Arms and the one Ruger is offering right now and having a tough time deciding which is best.

Sure wish S&W would offer one.

I did not know ruger had a 44 offering as small and light as the charter. What model?

 

[safearm]

The Ruger is the GP100 with a 3 inch barrel. Much larger/heavier than the Charter.

 

[eb07]

The Ruger is the GP100 with a 3 inch barrel. Much larger/heavier than the Charter.

Oh OK, yeah that things is a tank. If I am carrying that heavy, I'll carry the 1911.

 

[BigDogBoogie]

You're right about the weight, I was just now looking at the specs on my favorite online gun store.


A 36 ounce 5 shot. Well, That takes the Ruger out of the equation. I don't know why they made that thing so darn heavy.

I noticed that Charter offers snubbies in .45acp also, But they don't use moon clips and the reviews on that model were pretty bleak.

 

[eb07]

I will stick with the 44 special. 45 is for 1917's and 1911's