charter arms bulldog 44sp

[monge]

Have an itch to try one anyone have one how do they shoot cast . Thinking of one for hiking and truck gun?

[MT Gianni]

I had an older 3". It grouped well at 25 yards though the poi was 3"-4" from the left of center. Mid range loads hurt but were controllable. Never came close to Skeeters loads. When Ruger brought out their 44 special mid frame my went goodby. I never tried jacketed loads, 250 gr bullets shot much better than 200 gr.

[rintinglen]

I'm no fan.

I had an older (1980's) three incher. With the stock, wooden grips it was an owie the minute you shot it, even with the factory standard loads. Putting a set of Pachmayrs helped some, but the Skeeter loads were still bad news. Supposedly, they are not very durable, but mine stood up to the limited amount of firing I did with no problems(44special ammo was rare and expensive in those days). I sold it without regret when my youngest was born and never looked back. Accuracy was ok single action, not so well DA, as I recall. The new ones are heavier by an ounce or two and come with rubber grips standard.
By all reports, you want a new gun, or a very old one. The original Charter Arms Co guns were generally decent and the latest versions reportedly are too. The ones in the middle were not as well made.
I am interested in the 4 inch target version they offer, but It will have to wait it's turn

[Thumbcocker]

I have one with a 3 digit serial number and rubber aftermarket grips. For what it is it does surprisingly well. It does shoot high left with standard weight boolits but has decent accuracy. With 190 grain wadcutters over 5.0 of red dot it is respectably accurate but low. I have thought about filing down the front sight to hit poa with the wadcutter load and calling it good. The cylinders look like they were reamed with a dull rock and are ummm generous so there is some leading. I have never had functioning issues with it.

Don't expect a Smith 24 or new Blackhawk but they are certainly serviceable. Articles of the period when they first came out were complimentary and pointed out that the 5 shot cylinder had notches on the webs.

[azrednek]

I carried a CA Bulldog for many years as a car gun. As a trail gun they are much better than smaller bores with snake loads. Keep loads mild for practice, heat them up and it will take any pleasure out of shooting. I used to shoot full wadcutters from the now discontinued Lee mold with 4grs of Bullseye for practice. I rarely shot it beyond 15-20 yards and never had any trouble scoring center mass hits.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

I had one for about a month, the rifling looked like it had been cut be caveman with some rocks and a stick, nevertheless it shoot a decent 4 inch group, however it grouped a full 2 feet to the left of the sites. Oh and the crane was slightly bent.

did I mention i bought it brand new in December 2014. Those were all straight from the factory issues. So I applied it towards a trade at a gun shop

That said, I still love the idea of the gun and if another one crosses my path I may buy it, after an EXTREMELY close inspection.

[slohunter]

Been carrying my 3" Bulldog since the 80's. 214 gr Lee cast, 7 grns of Unique. Get a new one or find one made before 2000.

[winelover]

Just acquired the Bulldog "On Duty" (shrouded hammer) from my LGS after almost a six month wait. Been watching a few on GB and they are going for close to MSRP. Add shipping, transfer and CC fees they are well over.

Here is my Range Report from this weekend:

Throats are pretty uniform and @ .432.......(.431 slips right through and .4325 is a little tight).

Single action trigger pull is 2 3/4#
Double action is @ 9# ( RCBS gauge only registers up to 8 pounds but indicator will go past that mark.

Loads I tried:

40 factory Winchester Silvertip 200 gr. HP's (these are over 40 years old, for the reloadable brass)

25 Saeco 200 grain RNFP, over 7.0 grains of Unique, as casted .4295 and lubed with Carnuba Red.

10 Lyman 250 RNFP, with 4.5 grains of Bullseye, sized .431 and lubed with Carnuba Red.

6 Hornady "Critical Defense" 165 grain flex-tip and also their 180 JHP's. (pretty hot loads for light bullets)

Strange that all of these loadings shot @ 5" low. Wasn't till I compensated by making the front sight "proud" that I started hitting to POA.

No Leading, whatsoever, even though I ran different sized cast, in large throats.

Accuracy was "minute of bad guy" @ 10 yards.

Outside finish is pretty rough, especially the cylinder flutes. Barrel and cylinder interior is just fine.

Felt recoil isn't any worse than my Ruger LCR in 357 Magnum for a 21 ounce big bore.

Winelover

[richhodg66]

I like mine. It's at least 30 years old or so, pretty sure one of the ones that was first made when they came out. I take it out maybe once or twice a year and put a box through it, and carry it with shot loads in the first two chambers when off the black top in the warm months. Never had any problems with it.

They are what they are, and I don't exactly feel vulnerable when I have mine with me.

[Virginia John]

Mine was also the older 3" model that my son now has. It shot really well and their customer service was great.

[Brad Cayton]

I had one in the 80s but traded it for some reason. I picked up another new, stainless a few months ago. I've put over 400 rounds of cast through mine and am very happy with it. My 265 grain boolits I had loaded for my Flat Top Ruger was a handful in the light Bulldog so I picked up a Lee 200 RF, HP mold. I'm running them just a touch over 700 fps and they're much easier on me and the bulldog and will shoot 2 1/2", 5 shot groups at 20 yards if I do my part. I powder coat, size them .431. No leading even with the rough rifling. Mine shot low and left but after filing the front sight and right side of the rear sight trough it shoots where I want it now. I make snake loads using cardboard wads, 7 1/2 shot and a .44 gas check and killed a copperhead with it a few weeks ago. I really like mine and stick it in my pocket any time I step outside.

[Forrest r]

I've also carried a ca bulldog since the 80's.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/charterpistols.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/charterpistols.jpg.html)

I like to use full house loads of power pistol with 200gr to 220gr bullets in the bulldog. This 200gr saeco hp (thompson clone) is an excellent bullet for the snob nosed 44spl.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/200grhps_zps8d0f7899.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/200grhps_zps8d0f7899.jpg.html)

These 220gr hbwc's hold their own in the bulldogs. Fired from the bulldog pictured above into wet paper bundle @ 50ft.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/44hbwcaround.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/44hbwcaround.jpg.html)

Was playing around and made up some jacketed hbwc's for those snub nosed revolvers pictured above. 148gr hbwc for the 38spl and a 220gr hbwc for the 44spl. Extreme carnage on anything they hit.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/9mm40swshot.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/9mm40swshot.jpg.html)

[monge]

Thanks guys now i got to get one!:smile:

[Tackleberry41]

Friend works in a gunshop, I was asking about charter arms as they have some new ones out. Like the one that uses 40S&W. But he told me many of them are junk out of the box. Brand new guns that barely timed, and anything else you might imagine. So I took a pass, some of the older ones were pretty decent.

[Guesser]

I have a 2015 production Target Bulldog; 4", adjustable sights. Seems to be a fine piece...

[sghart3578]

I have one of the new 44 Bulldogs and I love it.

The front sights are indeed very tall so I took it down a little. I shoot the Lee 429-200-RF sized to .430", tumble lubed, over 6.2 gr of Unique or 6.7 gr of A #5. Accurate and easy to shoot.

It was rough and stiff out of the box but after a box or two everything seated in and it got much smoother.

In the interest of full disclosure I will add this. Out of the box the single action trigger was excellent. The double action trigger would give me a light primer strike about every 20th round. I fixed this with a $4 replacement spring from Wolff. I have not had a misfire since.

I love the grips. In fact, I love this gun so much I bought the .357 Mag Pug also. That gun is sweet! It is ported at the factory and full house 357 magnum loads are no problem.

Now I want the Pitbull chambered in 45 ACP.

For what the guns are designed for you can't beat the quality at this price.

Best of luck,


Steve in N CA

[Brad Cayton]

(QUOTE) I love the grips. In fact, I love this gun so much I bought the .357 Mag Pug also. That gun is sweet! It is ported at the factory and full house 357 magnum loads are no problem.

Now I want the Pitbull chambered in 45 ACP.

For what the guns are designed for you can't beat the quality at this price.

Best of luck,


Steve in N CA[/QUOTE]

I also liked my Bulldog enough to buy my wife an Charter Undercoverette in 32 HR mag. She carries it daily to work in a belly band. I agree on what you get for the money. I have Smiths and Ruger revolvers but these Charters are hard to beat.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I always wanted a CA Bulldog one never crossed my path even though I had a lot of .44 Special cases left over from my S&WM29 in the late 70's. I always liked the idea of a .44 Special Revolver.

Then I found out about the S&W 696 which is the S&W version of the CA Bulldog. (a little more expensive!) Found one and bought it, and it is a pretty nice gun. Just put X Frame Grips on it today.

One thing I found with this gun that I am hearing repeatedly in the posts above is the gun not shooting to the sights.

The gun will shoot to the sights if you use the right Load / Boolit / Velocity.

I have a Magma mould that is for 190 gr .44 SWC's. I figured I'd just load those and have a nice plinking round... They shot 12" high at 15 yards! The reason being the amount of time the bullet was traveling down the barrel versus the muzzle flip. Longer the boolit in barrel the higher the gun will shoot.

I tried several other boolits and charges and then when I got to 240 gr 429421's and 6 gr of W231,,, Bingo ! Gun now shoots to the sights.

Point being I found the right combo for that gun. Accurate as I can be with a 3" gun and a lot of poop on the receiving end.

If you try a few different loads and boolits chances are you will run into something that works right in your Bulldogs. Just remember if the gun shoots high,,, you need to go faster.

Randy

[Chill Wills]

I have had two. A stainless I got in the early 1980's. It was great. It got away from me. In the late 1980's or 1990 I picked up a used one -blued and it was not as well made as the first, maybe loose would be a good word for it. I kept it around for all the reasons it was good for and then about 1998 Smith came out with the 696 and my Charter Arms bulldog got sold to a friend. The Smith is a little larger and heaver and does not pack as well but it has been my go to hand gun for most backcountry activity for almost twenty years now.

I would like to have the first Stainless bulldog I owned back again too. smaller-lighter. just fine for in a pinch. Owning both would be good.

[W.R.Buchanan]

My 696 Weighs 35 oz. which is nearly a pound heavier than a Bulldog at 21 oz. But for it's intended purpose IE: potent defense gun the Newest Stainless Bulldogs are hard to beat. The 696 Smiths are no longer made, and the new model is the M69 which is a 5 shot 44 mag. The Smiths are also nearly 3 times as much $. What you get for 3x the cost is a Revolver that will be around for a long time and can be shot a lot. It is also much sturdier and can absorb more recoil which is a consideration with the lighter Bulldog.

However at a pound heavier you are less likely to have it with you, and at 3x the cost you are less likely to even buy one! So their are definite pros and cons. 696's are also somewhat rare and I had to pay $950 for mine. Bulldogs are $350 and not rare at all.

The Bulldog fills a niche in the market that is entirely viable. One must also consider how much .44 Special ammo you are going to fire thru one. They will need to be loaded on the low end or you aren't going to be able to shoot many of them, and if you don't shoot a lot of them, you'll never get good with the gun.

It would seem that a 200-240 gr .44 cal Boolit would have significant effect on anything it hit whether flying at 600fps or 800 fps. So the prospect of shooting lighter handloads makes these guns an excellent carry gun for either field or EDC.

I found out rather quickly that my 696 was a handful with even Skeeter Loads so I toned them down considerably and found a load with my H&G 503 mould (429421) that shot to the sights and at around 700-750 fps which will certainly have a significant effect on whatever it connects with.

I would suggest a similar approach with the Bulldogs but at a somewhat lower level to offset the difference in weight and recoil. If you get hurt shooting the gun,,, you probably won't shoot it very much. These short barreled revolvers are guns you need to shoot a lot to get good with.

Randy

[Blackwater]

Just as an aside, but related, to those of you who've had problems getting it to print to the sights, remember, recoil starts the instant the bullet starts to move, and if you grip the gun towards the right side (for a right hander), it'll naturally shoot left a bit. It's the same as laying the gun against something hard on the side as you pull the trigger, like a tree trunk. It'll shoot away from whatever you lean it against. And nobody I know can press it perfectly the same on its rest, so it'll cause lateral stringing, too. The more you press it against something, the harder and farther it recoils away from it.

Therefore, if you tend to grip it to any degree favoring one side (usually to the right for a right hander), it shoots to the left.

One thing that can sometimes counter this is to sand a little off the top back of the right hand grip. Go slow and try it often for POI with the sights with the primary load you're shooting. Sometimes, you may have to take a little off the top inner part of the right grip also, but again, go slow and cautiously, and try it for POI as you go along.

Sometimes, this works wonders. Nothing works all the time for everybody, but it's worth a try provided you don't go overboard with the sanding.

Sometimes taking a little off the bottom right of the grip can also enhance POI and get it aligned with the sights as well. Everybody's hands are a little different, and this kind of customization can often (not always but often) make a big difference in getting the POI in line with the sights. Just a little tip I thought some might want or need to try, but one more time - go SLOW and gently, and don't get carried away. You'll be surprised, in all liklihood, how little it takes to move POI 1" at 25 yds. Recoil's the key.

Most never learn the classic way to grip a handgun, and with the big grips most come with today, to minimize recoil, many just naturally HAVE to grip the gun slightly to the right (for right handers) in order to get their trigger finger on the trigger in just the right way. A little sandpaper can work wonders for many, if applied in just the right spots, and I haven't found anyone yet who could tell the difference in recoil, and when they can hit what they're aiming at, most don't even notice the recoil, they're so happy at being able to hit again. Hope this helps someone?

[35 Whelen]

I picked up a poor, neglected, non-functional old steel Bulldog for $200 from a pawn shop a couple of years ago. 10 minutes at the work bench and she was working great again.

I immediately tried the load I use for practice in all my other .44 Special; 6.5 grs. Unique and a 429421 @ 258 grs. I've never experienced that type of recoil in my life! Insane! I tried other loads with the same bullet but recoil was ridiculous until velocities got under 700 fps or so.

The MP penta HP version of the 429421 shot pretty good, but velocity had to be unnecessarily low to keep the revolver controllable and the load also shot about 7" low at 15 yds.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h6/308Scout/Charter%20Arms%20Bulldog/247grSWC_zps28204710.jpg (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/308Scout/media/Charter%20Arms%20Bulldog/247grSWC_zps28204710.jpg.html)

So I found a Lyman 429348 mould that is supposed to drop a 180 gr. WC. Mine were actually dropping at 185 grs.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h6/308Scout/Cast%20bullets/429438Mould_zps1eba2926.jpg (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/308Scout/media/Cast%20bullets/429438Mould_zps1eba2926.jpg.html)

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h6/308Scout/Cast%20bullets/429438loaded-1_zpsa08a4275.jpg (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/308Scout/media/Cast%20bullets/429438loaded-1_zpsa08a4275.jpg.html)

They were fairly accurate, but 1 or 2 bullets out of each cylinder would hit the target sideways and about 15 yds. I figured out that the rifling is very shallow. Hardened up the alloy a bit everything fell in to place. 4.5 grs. of Clays under this bullet averaged 853 fps, it only shot a couple of inches low, and offhand accuracy was plenty acceptable.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h6/308Scout/Charter%20Arms%20Bulldog/185grSWC-edit_zps692a31e4.jpg (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/308Scout/media/Charter%20Arms%20Bulldog/185grSWC-edit_zps692a31e4.jpg.html)

So now I have a decent little concealed carry revolver that can be dropped in my pants pocket yet has more than ample power for social work.

35W

[winelover]

Finally, found a load that shoots to the sights. Every lighter weight bullet was 5" low. NOE's 265 RNFP solid and 5.0 grains of Unique shot to the sights.[smilie=w:


171815

Couldn't find published load data for this bullet so I guesstimated. For safety's sake, I tried the first round in my Redhawk.

Winelover

[W.R.Buchanan]

I picked up a poor, neglected, non-functional old steel Bulldog for $200 from a pawn shop a couple of years ago. 10 minutes at the work bench and she was working great again.

The MP penta HP version of the 429421 shot pretty good, but velocity had to be unnecessarily low to keep the revolver controllable and the load also shot about 7" low at 15 yds.

So I found a Lyman 429348 mould that is supposed to drop a 180 gr. WC. Mine were actually dropping at 185 grs.

They were fairly accurate, but 1 or 2 bullets out of each cylinder would hit the target sideways and about 15 yds. I figured out that the rifling is very shallow. Hardened up the alloy a bit everything fell in to place. 4.5 grs. of Clays under this bullet averaged 853 fps, it only shot a couple of inches low, and offhand accuracy was plenty acceptable.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h6/308Scout/Charter%20Arms%20Bulldog/185grSWC-edit_zps692a31e4.jpg (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/308Scout/media/Charter%20Arms%20Bulldog/185grSWC-edit_zps692a31e4.jpg.html)

So now I have a decent little concealed carry revolver that can be dropped in my pants pocket yet has more than ample power for social work.

35W

You done good at $200 for that gun! I'd grab one in an instant for $200.

I love the perfectly round holes your "Paper Punch" Boolits deliver. "Flying Trash Cans" so to speak, and as I said above, anything that gets hit by one of those will not like it for sure.

The Boolits I use in my 696 are the MP HP's like you tried. But since my gun is 35OZ the recoil is soaked up a lot better than a Bulldog would.

But really for the intended purpose of SD, either one of these guns would deliver a devastating blow to an assailant. The Bulldog is just less of a burden to carry.

I absolutely love the .44 Special Cartridge and in these smaller guns it is so much more effective than a Snubby in 38 or .357 just because of the size of the boolits. Accuracy will always be similar but if you connect? the results will be worse with the bigger boolit for sure.

Randy

[cowboy]

Howdy;
One of these turned up at a range shop where I shoot about a year ago, as new. I looked it over ( the pricing was attractive ) and said why not. I took it to the range with some of the cast loads I'd made up for my S&W M24 ( a 240 gr LRNFP with HP-38, in Starline brass ) . Did fine at it's intended distance ( near contact to 10 yards ). Does have the choppy looking rifling noted by another member, but shoots fine, does not load the barrel up with leading. Sort or makes me want to seek out an older model for grins- in my spare time with my spare cash ( riiiiggghhht!)

[azrednek]

Since the Bulldog was introduced in the early 70's. I have had three of them. One lost to a thief, another went with the X-wife and third I currently have I bought used about two years ago. The one I have now is an older model with the Bulldog wood grips.

The Bulldog makes a wonderful car gun. If thieves get it one is not out the big bucks. I was lucky years ago. Thief got a carton of cigarettes but missed my Series 70 Colt 38 Super. Since then I've only carried cheapie Charter Arms or Taurus revolvers that will be left over night or an eight hour work shift in my car or pick-up. The Bulldog and at least one speed loader has fit every center console I've had.

On two of my Bulldogs the knurled knob on the ejector rod has come loose with hot hand loads. One I recovered other was lost. I suggest if you're going to heat up the hand loads. Remove the knob, wipe the threads with rubbing alcohol, add a drop of Lock-Tite, snug the knob down and the knob will stay put until one applies heat.

The Charter Arms Bulldog wont deliver MOA accuracy but the heavy man stopping 44 cal slug will definitely score minute of car-jacker.

[luvtn]

I have had two Bulldogs. The first a Charter 2000 in SS that was a decent shooter. A coworker offered me as much as I paid for it new, and sold it. Since Ruger didn't make an double action, I bought a second Charter Bulldog new last year. Both shoot to POA with 240 gr cast over 14.5 grs of 2400. To me neither was a problem with recoil.
luvtn

[Duster340]

I also have and love my ss 2-1/2" Bulldog. Picked it up new a few years back. Feed it mainly cast loads ranging from 116 gr WC thru 255 gr SWC. it loves 172gr RN, 208gr WC, 200gr RFN and 240gr WFN. Eclipsed 3000 rounds and still going strong. It carries and conceals well and great bang for the buck. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a hi value, low cost big bore snubby.