Charter Arms 44 Special Bulldog.. Any advice?

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  • MikeOrtiz

    Plinker
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Oct 26, 2015
    45
    8
    East Chicago
    I am a Smith and Wesson revolver fan and an admirer of Rugers Gp100 and RedHawk line.
    but actual price and MSRP negates my want for an elegant firearm like a Ruger or Smith.

    I want something cheap, reliable, and rugged.
    One that can be scratched, dropped, wet, and still do its duty.

    And I think Charters 44 Bulldog for $360 might be what I would like. For a trunk, truck, and drawer gun.

    Any thoughts.
     

    RustyHornet

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Jun 29, 2012
    18,477
    113
    Fort Wayne, IN
    Cheap, reliable, rugged. Pick two.

    I have no personally experience with the charter arms revolvers, but I do have a gp100. A used Ruger could be had for only slightly more than a new bulldog. It's not a .44, but you'd be hard pressed to find one more rugged.
     

    KG1

    Forgotten Man
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    66   0   0
    Jan 20, 2009
    25,633
    149
    Can't speak for any new Charter Arms but I used to have a Bulldog years ago. I really enjoyed that thing and carried it quite often. Eventually I moved away from the .44 spl round simply because it became less and less common.
     

    BehindBlueI's

    Grandmaster
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    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
    25,890
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    If cost is a concern, a .44 of any type is a poor choice. The ammo is expensive.

    If you want one just to have one, go for it. If you want one to shoot, pass. Charter Arms is on the low end of reliability and durability.
     

    indiucky

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    If cost is a concern, a .44 of any type is a poor choice. The ammo is expensive.

    If you want one just to have one, go for it. If you want one to shoot, pass. Charter Arms is on the low end of reliability and durability.

    They have their place but the fedora sporting rodent is right...A buddy of mine has one, and after about 5 rounds the trigger pin will begin working it's way out...After about a hundred rounds you will need to tighten the little screw on the recoil plate, shield, or whatever that is called or your gun will lock up...If you are set on a .44 special and want to keep the price down look for a vintage Rossi in .44 special...They were neat guns, reliable, affordable, accurate and solid...Built on the Smith and Wesson design more or less....

    IMHO of course...
     

    mrjarrell

    Shooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jun 18, 2009
    19,986
    63
    Hamilton County
    I've got an older Charter Bull Pug in .44 and carry it quite frequently. Light, tough and reliable. Ammo can be a pain to find, sometimes, but the .44 is a good round. It's my winter carry and often even in summer. Plenty of rounds through it and it's still chugging along. Very durable.
     

    kaveman

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    19   0   0
    Sep 13, 2014
    852
    93
    La Porte
    Advice? Know going in that it's not a S&W and accept it as such. They're good, solid revolvers,......just not so refined.

    I've got a fairly recent Bulldog but it's still new in the box so all I can go on is initial quality and all the experience of others that I've read about. They seem to be highly regarded by their owners and hold up to anything other than hotrod handloading. Why someone would be inclined to run a thousand rounds of Keith style reloads through one baffles me, but from what I've read the gun will do it,....just barely. Not much good after that, but I don't think I'd be either.

    I'll second the Rossi M720. Rossi was making a pretty nice revolver back when those were produced. I've got one of those too, but I just picked it up a few months ago and again,....I haven't shot it. The adjustable sight Rossi's have a plastic front sight blade and like mine, they're commonly gone on any gun that has seen any use. Mine has obviously seen a lot of use, but it is as smooth and solid as any Smith I have. It's still a small revolver(fits perfect in a K frame holster and has a J frame grip), but with the steel frame and underlug it's got much more heft than the Charter. I stole it off of GB for $185 with a late night BuyNow listing. Unlikely you will find one for under $400 well used. They don't seem too common and people who own them seem to like keeping them around.

    Taurus made/makes a similar five shot S&W clone. I hear good things about those too, but haven't handled one.

    These revolvers are all designed to be relatively small and light. If I wasn't interested in carrying it I think I'd be looking for something else. Unfortunately any full size, six shot .44 Special is probably going to run twice the price or more unless you go single action.

    View attachment 43929
     

    indiucky

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    I've got an older Charter Bull Pug in .44 and carry it quite frequently. Light, tough and reliable. Ammo can be a pain to find, sometimes, but the .44 is a good round. It's my winter carry and often even in summer. Plenty of rounds through it and it's still chugging along. Very durable.

    The older ones seem to be made a little better...As far as the trigger pin walking out my buddy had a smith make a new pin and fit it to the gun and it seems to have eliminated that issue....

    That's funny...I am sure I am on your ignore list but I still respond to your posts lol.....
     

    BehindBlueI's

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
    25,890
    113
    The older ones seem to be made a little better...As far as the trigger pin walking out my buddy had a smith make a new pin and fit it to the gun and it seems to have eliminated that issue....

    That's funny...I am sure I am on your ignore list but I still respond to your posts lol.....

    Folks that know more about it than I do have lists of more betterer years and super suck years of manufacturer. I know they've been passed around as a company quite a bit. I'd like to have a 3" .44 special for reasons, but at this stage I'd rather pony up for a S&W Lew Horton or the like.
     

    whatwehavehere

    Plinker
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Feb 12, 2017
    65
    8
    Indiana
    For how you describe what you're looking for, a bulldog is a great choice. I realize this thread's old, but I ran across it because I just got a bulldog and was searching the forums for anything about it. It's new and it looks to be built sturdy and fit nicely--not perfectly, but nicely.

    I'm quite impressed with the trigger, and the wood grips (classic bulldog) feel great to me. It is a handful, but it's one of those carry often and use rarely guns. I loaded and fired some rounds much hotter than the typical factory loads and it's still in one piece and locking up tight. I already want another.
     
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