44 Spl.

[smokemjoe]

I can get a Charter Arms, 5 shot 44 spl. bulldog 3in. blue barrel, model 34431, made 1972, stopped making in 1996, in box. shot 5 times for 200.00 is that a good deal , is 44 SPL. a good shell , Thanks- Joe

[Guesser]

I have the big brother to the 431 you are contemplating, mine is a 441. The 44 Sp. is a great cartridge if you handload and even better if you cast and handload.

MY DUMB!!!!!!!!!!!
I read it and thought I read Taurus!!!!!!!!!!! Mine is a Taurus, I'll learn to pay attention; some day!!!!!!

[MJR007]

Not sure, I just got a new CA SS w/2.5" tube for $380 at Buds Gun Shop. I have been feeding it 180gr WC from someone here made (I like those little boolites ALOT). A used gun like yours around here would be around $150. I not sure if I helped but good luck.

[Dframe]

Thats a steal. I would be all over it. The charter is a reliable (if economical) revolver. The 44 special is one of the greatest cartridges of all time.

[MT Gianni]

I have one and like it. The Charters IMO, are made to be packed and shot regularly rather than shot often. A full house load will have some hand impact. A mild load gives me 2 1/2-3" accuracy @ 25 yards for 10 rds.

[HeavyMetal]

Take it and run!

[excavman]

I've had several CA 44SPL's over the years, sold the last one 20 years ago for $200. I'd pay that for one in good condition and put Pachmayrs on it for $31. Loaded with Sierra 180 gr TCHP's at around 950 fps it has good stopping power.

Larry

[Lloyd Smale]

there decent guns if you understand there not stout enough to run hot rod loads in.

[Bret4207]

Yes, good deal. I would modify Lloyds comment to "don't run hot rod loads in them OFTEN". They will stand some hot loads, but they are a light framed gun. They can shoot loose, although mine hasn't. Hot loads are also rather severe, to some more than others, in the recoil dept. I find a nice 200-250 gr boolit at 7-850 fps works well. What I'd really like is a FP 200-215 gr boolit that I could load to about 800fps and get to shoot POA. Maybe someday I'll mess around and find a load that does that.

I'm very, very fond of my BD.

[leftiye]

Or yuh might bulge a barrel (don't....)

[yarro]

I had two. I sold one 2 years ago for 350.00. I kept the other for hiking in snake country. I just had to stone them both to smooth them out. Roughness in the hammer slot in the frame seemed to be the worst culprit. Shot the one I sold quite a bit. Never had an issue with it.

-yarro

[Combat Diver]

Hopefully in the next month or so I'll get back my CA Bulldog that I loaned my BIL in 00'. Only been back to Texas once since these wars kicked off. I never had a problem with mine and keep the first round or two loaded with Speer shot capsules that I reloaded and then a good hard 240 LSWC at 850-900ish.

[TCLouis]

I just bought 300 rounds of brass, a mold, and I have cast a thousand or so 200 grain boolits.

Now if I could just find a SS 44 SPL carry size gun to feed.

Since it seems so popular I can't figure why a 5 shot SS revolver is not stock and trade from every major manufacturer.

I am looking for a Charter Arms Bulldog or Taurus for a "carry" gun, Stainless Steel only.

Oh I have Mags for when I want something more powerful, so I will be satisfied with mid-range 44 SPL loads

[bearcove]

My SS 44 spl is a 44 mag S&W mountain revolver. Shoots real nice with light loads and magnum ones.

[excavman]

I saw a Rossi Mdl.720 ss 44spl 5 shot 3" on Gunbroker some time back, I think it went for around $300. I have one and it's a good little carry gun and will handle a little stouter loads than the CA Bulldog.

Larry

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

My Ruger SRH Alaskan is only a 2.5" barrel, and will handle all the way up into the magnums . . . but is fun to shoot in the 44 Special range.

But it is a six shooter! And a tad more in the wallet . . .

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Ruger%20Alaskan/New002.jpg

[Bret4207]

You guys and your stainless guns! The good Lord intended guns to be blued and wearing wood.

End of sermon.

[45 2.1]

You guys and your stainless guns! The good Lord intended guns to be blued and wearing wood.
End of sermon.

I just bet you would turn down a nice Taurus 441, Rossi 720, S&W 396, 696 or 624 in stainless......... now wouldn't you. :mrgreen:

[GLL]

Oh man, now I have to somehow try and blue this thing and find some wood!!! ;) ;)

Jerry

Model 696 .44Special
http://www.fototime.com/27A1484A828620E/orig.jpg

[Bret4207]

Youse guys forget I have my BD and M-24 Lew Horton and all those other Smiffs, Colts, Rugers and even an IJ. Who needs any steekin' silber guns!

The lone SS gun here is SWMBO Witness, it goes with her jewlery!

[MT Gianni]

GLL's 696 would go with anything.

[bearcove]

You guys and your stainless guns! The good Lord intended guns to be blued and wearing wood.

End of sermon.

Yep! They turn a nice rusty brown on my boat.:-)

[Dframe]

I prefer mine blued as well. Though I admit having a few of those "In the white" unfinished guns. My old Bulldog is blued as are all my 44's except one.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
44 SPL. IS A GOOD OLE ROUND!
If I was not a mag. shooter/ hunter I would love one.
OK. SO I'M TO POOR TO HAVE A COLLECTION LIKE MY 2 BROTHERS!:violin:

[Hardcast416taylor]

Well, I guess that makes another use for that can of flat black spray paint out in the barn along with some wood print shelf paper from the wifes pantry?Robert:groner:

[JIMinPHX]

Ole knows a little something about the .44 spl Bulldog Pug. You might want to contact him & see what he thinks of it.

I've shot .44 spl ammo out of a .44 mag before. Some of the factory loads out there are pretty stiff & didn't feel all that different from the mag loads I had been using.

There's plenty of good loading data for the .44 spl in several different manuals. I think that it's a great round if you reload. It's kind of an expensive caliber to shoot if you are stuck buying factory ammo though.

[TCLouis]

version of your Bulldog should arrive next week, but it was a dollar or two above what you paid.

JiminPHX
I never buy any ammo anymore but recently someone sent me something with price of factory ammo . . .DANG shooting is expensive if one buys pre-made stuff.
No wonder I cast and reload . . .

I'll bet in the future we will even have to pay for wheel weights.

[Combat Diver]

Don't forget that Smith is making the 5 shot 396 Night Guard.

CD

[Cowboy T]

If Ruger made a 5-shot .44 Spl (say, GP100 or Security-Six size and packable), I'd be so all over it. Why they don't is beyond me, because the demand is clearly there. They've already got the 5-shot mechanism from the SP101 that they could use.

C'mon, Ruger!

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have a CA Bulldog Pug with the short snouted barrel. It is light. It is small. It is certainly capable of self defense work at up to 15 yds.

I load the Mihec 256 GR Cramer HP cast boolit over 4.5 gr of Unique and I am getting POA impacts at 7 and 15 yds with this handcannon. Shooting of 25 rounds of this loading is about all I really want to do at one time. By the 25th round the recoil starts to become an issue and it ain't fun anymore.

I had loaded the SWC 256 gr cast boolit from MIhec's 6 banger over 6 gr of Unique and that loading was just too hot for my delicate and dainty hands.

It hurt! This is a light weight carry gun and it should not be fed any kind of hot loadings in my opinion. It is accurate and a 250+ gr Lead Boolit at anything over 750 FPS to my mind is an excellent SD loading.

I agree with Bret as above. This a gun that should be carried more than shot. I am gonna get my mitts on a either a Ruger BH or a Smith .44 Special for more .44 shooting as this thing ain't something I want to have to replace.

[TCLouis]

I went to the dealer, filled out all of the paperwork, picked her up (handled just to know it fit my hand well enough) and brought her home.

The plan was to load up 10-15 round in some old range pick-up brass just to shoot it for grins. Well 1.5 hours later and I still did not find the brass I set out recently to load when I got the boolits cast (Lee 200 gr. RNFP) so I gave up on that plan.

Oh well got the gun out and looked down the barrel Holy Mackerel, it looks like it is threaded, How an a crappy barrel like that leave a facility. I am not sure how one can rifle a barrel and leave groove like that. Obviously the drill bit was NOT followed by a reamer . . . . Heck a drill bit does not leave the rough of a hole when one drills.

So before I do anything I have to contact the factory about returning it for a new barrel.


DANG . . . .

[Bret4207]

Yep! They turn a nice rusty brown on my boat.:-)

Well, they make this stuff called GUN OIL that served very well for decades before wash and wear, permanent press guns came along.:kidding:

Did I ever tell yas about the genius I worked with bought a stainless Gold Cup? Started getting rust freckles on it. He's all ready to sue and what not. I asked him if he'd gotten the gun wet? "Yeah." Asked if he wiped it down after words or made even the smallest attempt to care for the gun. "No." I proposed that, #1- He was lazy, #2- He was negligent and #3- He was stupid. He got the point an started taking care of his gun.

[JudgeBAC]

I have a 3" Smith 624 stainless with large throats (.433). Anyone out there have some tried and true solutions. So far, I have tried 200 gr to 265 gr. and seem to be having trouble making the right powder choices for the short bbl. Some loads have showed promise but none show the consistency I would hope for (2" groups one day and 4" the next with the same load.)

[45 2.1]

I have a 3" Smith 624 stainless with large throats (.433). Anyone out there have some tried and true solutions. So far, I have tried 200 gr to 265 gr. and seem to be having trouble making the right powder choices for the short bbl. Some loads have showed promise but none show the consistency I would hope for (2" groups one day and 4" the next with the same load.)

Use 0.433" diameter boolits in a soft alloy (50%WW / 50%Pb works fine). BRP custom molds in the vendor section has several that cast at that diameter. He has a 190 gr. Himmelwright, a 433190 and a 433383 among others that will work fine in your revolver with Bullseye or Greendot.
http://www.brp.castpics.net/P2.html