I wouldn't buy a rubber band shooter from Charter 2000, FLA. I owned one, an Undercover in .38 Special, and it consistently misfired about one in five right out of the box. Even Charter couldn't fix it when I sent it in for repair. The old .44 Bulldog revolvers (made by the original Charter Arms Company over 25 years ago) were fairly decent guns, though about as ugly as the south end of a north bound mule. Last I heard, the third and newest incarnation of Charter Arms--Charter 2000--is also headed for oblivion.
Unlike some, I rather like the old .44 special round though it does have some factors against it. For one thing, it's not a particularly popular round these days and thus not many manufactuers chamber for it. Taurus makes its Model 445 in this caliber, which is a five-shot, medium frame revolver. Smith & Wesson used to make a medium frame revolver for the .44 Special also, but their current website no longer shows it listed. As you know, the .44 Special works fine in any of the .44 Magnum revolvers offered by Smith, Taurus, Ruger, and many others. Makes a good practice round if you don't want to shoot full power mags. Another problem with the .44 Special is that, again because it is not terribly popular, not many loadings are produced for it. Target ammo is easy to get, though a bit expensive, but good hollow point stuff is less so. Unless you reload, this can be a problem.
In short, I would say you're better off with a .38/.357, FLA. Were it me, I would go with a Smith or a Taurus, though the Ruger is certainly a fine weapon as well. For a house gun, though, you might want to consider loading it with .38 +P instead of .357s. The muzzle blast and recoil of the .357 is pretty fierce indoors, especially from a short-barrel revolver. Taurus makes its Model 605 5-shot, steel-frame snubbie in .38/.357. I have one of these and like it a great deal. For a vehicle gun, I personally like a J-frame Smith loaded with +P ammo with an SKS speedloader as a backup. Smith is now pricing its Model 637 Airweight rather attractively. I own two of them and purchased each for just under $400.
Seriously, I figured I'd offend some .357 loyalists with that one. Look, It's too late for a stat fest, and I have no interest in doing it either. Besides, it has been done. A lot. Don't worry about it. Believe what you want. Carry what you want. Don't worry be happy.