.44 Sp. Snubbie

L

Larry C.

New member
Howdy,

Recently my CCW snubbie failed me at the range! It's a Charter Arms Bulldog (.44 Sp. 5-shot) snub-nosed revolver. I bought it new 2 years ago and have fired it very little over the last year.
Imgaine my shock at trying to pull the trigger and having it lock! This has been my "carry gun" for Pete's sake! I called Charter Arms and they told me to ship it back and that they'd fix it. Ok, fine.
Two things: 1:Who among you have had problems with Charter Arms and 2: Wouldn't it be nice if S&W,Ruger or even Colt (hint hint) made a similar snubby? It's a great idea for a carry gun: light and powerful, but no US maker has one-am I wrong?
Respectfully,
Larry C.

PS: now the trigger works just fine! Sheesh! Don't know If I should send 'er back or not. Don't know If I'd want to trust it again for CCW. Would you?
 
taurus makes them, lifetime warranty and very nice, i have the older model 431 i believe now its the 441, very reliable and i carry mine regularly
 
Sad to say, but the Taurus "Bulldog" snubs are out of production. If you shop around, you should still be able to find one. Besides .44Spl, they were also made for .45ACP and .45 Colt (sometimes called "Long Colt" in error).

I have a Mod445 in blue steel, 2"bbl, non-ported (many of the Taurus guns have ported barrels), and it is one nice gun! I hope you can find one; it's worth the search!
 
Two things: 1:Who among you have had problems with Charter Arms
Click to expand...
Well, do you consider being battered into a wretched ball of crap in less than 350 rounds to be a "problem"? :o
and 2: Wouldn't it be nice if S&W,Ruger or even Colt (hint hint) made a similar snubby?
Click to expand...

S&W 296, 396, and 696. Rossi 720. Taurus 445...
 
... .45 Colt (sometimes called "Long Colt" in error).

I always love this one. :)
When the Schofield round came along, more than one manufacturer simply cut down existing supplies of .45 Colt brass, and loaded the new .45 Schofield round. As such, there actually was a ".45 Long Colt" and a ".45 Short Colt". Opening a box of Schofield ammo and seeing .45 Colt headstamps was confusing, so boxes with the cut down .45 Colt cases were often labeled ".45 Short Colt" or ".45 Colt Short". There were sufficient ammo boxes marked as such that many still exist today in various collections. Mike Venturino has at least one in his posession. Boxes labeled ".45 Long Colt" are very common. Original vintage Schofield cartridges with .45 Colt headstamps also aren't particularly rare among collectors today. It took a generation for the ".45 Long/Short Colt" label to be more or less dropped, and today when it's brought up, it always seems to be a point of contention.

Back on topic, my OM Bulldog has served me well for a couple and a half decades now, but it gets carried a lot and shot little.

Armaloy plating and oak grips of my own manufacture.
014595.jpg
 
I have owned 2 44 bulls

I bought a used blue one about 15 years ago and used it to get used to the recoil and quicked my second shot ability, never carried it. It was well used when I bought it and after the 400 + rounds I put through it the frame plates became a little loose, I gave it to a friend for a truck gun and bought a new stanless bull. I carry it more than any other gun. It has around 250 rounds through it and I only shoot it enough to where I am confident that if the need arises I can place two rounds quickly in a center mass at 7 yards quickly. I would like to have somthing better, of higher quality, but I dont feel that Tarus is any better than a charter, Yes they have a great waranty but they still have more failures than I care for.
I dont want to show up at Tarus with 3 bullets in my chest and request to have the trigger fixed.
I know this is going to start a lot of arguments bad mouthing T but sorry. I work in a gun store and have seen my shair return for problems.
I carry a charter not becose of the price, I can afford just about any carry peice and own many. I carry it becouse I like 44 SP, I have 8 guns that shoot that cal, and there just isnt any gun out there that can match the weight and cary ability and stoping power for me that a bull dog carries.

There is one that I have on order, trying to get it from a shop in another city in our state.
Its a smith 6 shot made for Thunder ranch, I forgot the number but I should have it in a week.
I'll let you know
If you want to check it out you can go here.

http://www.thunderranchinc.com/swtrr.htm
 
Tamara gave you a good list. I've got three different models. Both versions of the Rossi 720 plus the Smith. I actually carry the S&W 296 on the bottom every day. Loaded with the max CorBon load, I figure it can do the job. In a Wilderness Safepacker with one of those speedloaders.

Gregg

rossi.jpg
 
Those three in the pics are 44 specials? Hmmm! :cool:

That 296 looks interesting. I always thought the Tauri's were a little on the large side so never pursued one. I do have an older Bulldog and haven't really had any problems with it beyond pins walking and the cylinder release screw loosening but I have taken to only feeding it mildish WC's to somewhat ensure its longevity.

Luv the concept! Carries like a J frame, hits like an O frame.

Is that S&W a 5 shot? Almost has to be huh? Do the CA speedloaders work in it? How's it holding up for you? Any problems at all with it?
 
Yes, the 296 is a five shot .44 Special built on an L frame. It is one of the Airweight guns and weighs 18 ounces empty.

Recoil is no big deal with typical .44 Special loads like Silvertips, etc. It does get energetic with the CorBon's but doesn't really _hurt._ (Especially if you put larger grips on it than the little rubber boot grips that the factory put on it.) Wouldn't recommend if for a woman that didn't shoot often or something like that. Used to carry a 640-1 and so I like the basic concept of this type of gun

The only real issues are those which affect all of the titanium guns. So I treat it gently and follow the special cleaning instructions. Not often though since there is really nothing to rust! I usually only clean it a 2-3 times a year.

Out of these three guns, the one that gets shot the most often is the middle one. The Rossi with the adjustable sights. That gun shoots like a little target pistol. So I use it as my official "killing gun." I'm not talking about varmints, etc. since other guns do that. I'm talking about "that goat needs to be shot" or something like that. It can deliver a perfectly centered .429 Sierra 180 grain JHC right between the eyes of the unfortunate animal who needs it. They drop like you used a sledgehammer. I've never fired it on targets past about 20 yards but it will make one ragged hole at that distance. Amazing for a gun I paid $206 for!

Gregg

P.S. If you really want to find out more about the 296, go to the S&W Forum and type it into the search field. Many threads have been written about it. Just wasn't a successful design. Baffled me since I wanted one the second I saw and read about it.
 
Ozzieman,

The pistol you are discussing is the Model 21. I believe that Tamara has one and could better tell you how well it carries. I shot over 100 rounds through one and found it to be pleasant, but I prefer my 44 mountain gun or my 624 to be honest. I found the black hills 250 SWC load to be dirty to shoot but accurate. I carry one of two guns, a Model 696 .44 Special, not much larger than my CA Bulldog (which I carry on occasion), and a 4" .44 Magnum Taurus tracker. both of these guns have been readily abused and fuction without issue. I have had the opposite experience with Taurus it appears, working in a gun shop as well, I sell far more Taurus products than I do Smith, with few complaints. The few issues I have seen could be tracked back to the owners, with one look at how they treated their truck, their dog, and their wife it was obvious why the pistol was in need of repair. : ) I hope you enjoy your M21. Good luck.

.44mag
 
It really sucks, when I got into revolvers, I thought a 5-shot .44 Special would be about perfect as a carry gun. Searched high and low, and could only find a few poor examples (Charter, Taurus). Seems the 696 had gone out of production a few years prior. Unless it's a 5-shooter, I really don't have much use for a .44 Special, as if you're carrying a 6-shooter, might as well be a .44 magnum, even if you carry specials in it.
 
Larry C.,

I had a similar problem with a Charter Bulldog about 25 years ago. The gun would fire SA but lock up tight when I tried DA. The department armourer went through it and found it was a combination of dead skin, hair, oil, dust, grit, and who knows what else. I carried it in an ankle holster and although the exterior looked good, the interior was a mess.

He cleaned it and told me that he'd never do it again because of the way it was put together. Bulldogs, and I assume all Charter Arms, are held together by pins. I traded it for some other toy.

It was an accurate gun and I never had trouble qualifying with it as an off duty or BUG but I lost confidence in it,

John
 
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