44spl c.c.

V

VTR996

New member
I've just rec'd my c.c. license and am looking at the Charter Arms
44spl 5 shot.Can I possibly be talked out of buying another sidearm???Considered the .357/.38 sp101 but I've got my heart set on them big slow nice flat meplat bullets."If I'm in more trouble than 5/44's I'm in toooo much trouble."
 
Everything in Life's a Trade Off - - -

Many think the Charter .44 is a bit light for heavy loads. It really isn't much fun with 'em, but it can be controlled with a little practice. This is a gun to be carried much and shot little. It is a lot easier to carry concealed than a steel-framed .357 mag.

That said, I LIKE to shoot handguns. If you don't handload, buy the old style 246 gr. round nose cartridges, or the Cowboy Action loads and practice with these. Fire a few of your carry loads, to be certain of the point of impact, too.

The oversize wooden stocks, or rubber stocks also help a lot, though I don't like the softer rubber stocks for concealed carry. They tend to "grab" the outer garment and cause it to ride up at inconvenient times.

Best of luck - - -
Johnny
 
What he said...

Cowboy loads are perfect for factory practice/plinking loads with modest recoil.

For carry, Cor-Bon's self-defense load in .44Spl would be one of my top choices, especially when it ships in the new "Powerball" layout. Glaser Silver-label wouldn't be a crazy choice either, esp. if you only loaded the first two with those, then 3 JHPs and JHPs in a speedloader or two.

There's been one review of the latest series online so far, at http://www.gunblast.com - the results were so astonishingly good (sub 2" groups at 25 yards!) that some of us suspect it was a "lab queen" Charter slipped out for review :). The Quinns at Gunblast realize the possibility too - one of them is buying one from a local dealer and has promised an update.

Unfortunately, Charter 2000s that weren't put together all that tight have sometimes been spotted. We don't know if those were early production, late, how common that is or what. The basic design is excellent; my recommendation would be to not buy one sight-unseen, but to check one out carefully at a dealer or gun show table.

I wish they'd release a version in .45LC :). The bore isn't much bigger, five should fit :D.
 
A few years back I got hold of a Charter Arms .44 Bulldog. I put about 250 rds. of Silvertips through it, but it never felt right. It was plenty light but hard to manage. Later I bought what I consider to be the "sleeper" of this caliber, the Rossi Model 720. It's a S/S 3" bbl. and mine has the unfluted cylinder. While a little hefty, it has a solid feel to it. I have not had any type of control problems, even with the hot Cor-Bons.

I carried this regularly until I got my Glock 27, and still carry it often. It is still my favorite revolver. To the best of my knowledge they are no longer produced, but I still see at least 3 or 4 available at most every gun show I attend. They are priced cheaper than the new Charters. If you come across one check it out, you'll be surprised. BTW my regular load is the CCI Blazer w/ the 200 gr. GDHP, accurate and quite east to shoot.
 
Jim, I'm new to understanding a lot about gun performance but in the December 2001 issue of Combat Handguns there's a piece about the Charter 2000 44 special. The author is William Bell. Regards to all.
 
I've had a Bulldog 44 for about 15 years now, and am generally pleased with it for the cost. It is very light for heavier loads, no fast follow up shots there.

A gun to be carried much and shot little is an accurate description of it. I would not and have not carried it as a primary weapon, mostly due to the light weight and fierce recoil. The non adjustable sights mean you'll have to practice alot to burn it into your brain how it prints at different ranges.

IMHO, the gun is in the same class as the NAA mini revolvers, as far as maximum range goes. At contact distances, its great, beyond 10-12 feet, its pretty iffy.

I'd advise you to keep looking for a primary carry piece, something larger and easier to shoot well, like a 1911! With the slightest bit of ingenuity, you can conceal the 1911 just fine.

I'd offer to sell you my Bulldog, but then I'd probably walk away from it feeling like I ripped you off.
 
Used Charter Arms Bulldogs are normally a safe bet. I had a older production .44spl Bulldog (3" skinny barrel, no ejector rod shroud) and was rather pleased with it. No problems, but would not stabalize the 200gr Gold Dots that I liked. They were fine out to 10 yards or so, but at 25 yards they were all over the place and some hits showed signs of tumbling. Still, it is a 3 - 5 yard gun, not a 25 yard gun, and i considered it to be a good solid performer. Kinda regret selling it, but you know how that goes.

The modern Charter 2000 production ones that i have seem do not seem to be very well fitted at all. Several of the .38s that i have played with were looser than ANY (Rossi and RG included) new-in-box revolvers that i have ever seen. One had somewhere between 1/16" and 1/10" endshake. Scared me.

I have only seen two of the new .44spls, and one seemed ok, about what you would expect from a Taurus or Rossi, and the other was just as bad as the .38s.

I seriously have to wonder if the gunwriters are getting tuned ones shipped to them. I would say only consider buying one of the new production guns if you can put your hands on it and check it out for yourself. Just too much variation to have someone order one for you unless they will agree to ship it right back if it turns out to be badly fitted. .

I hope that they get the quality better, they could be very nice cheap little guns.
 
."If I'm in more trouble than 5/44's I'm in toooo much trouble."

Well considering the average hit ratio of people under stress in a real gun fight and the fact that a 44 special has poor stopping power with most loads from a snub barrell. You may be in too much trouble if you ever need a pistol and all you have is your 44 special. But to each his own.
PAT
 
Considering that non-LEOs often have a higher hit ratio than LEOs, and that non-LEOs are far more likely to hit the bad guy than innocent bystanders, 5 rounds from a .44 special should be sufficient.
 
buzz_knox

Care to tell me the study where you got your information for LEO hits vs civilian hits. It sounds to me like your just spouting your oppinion as fact without anything to back it up.
PAT
 
As opposed to offering an opinion founded on solid empirical data like you usually do, right? Where do *you* take your data for the poor stopping power of the .44 Special out of short barrels? Does it have a basis in anything documented, or is it merely "spouting your opinion without anything to back it up"?
 
lendringser


I got some books for you too read: street stoppers handgun stopping power and stopping power. The data in these books is not just oppinion but fact.
PAT
 
I have those books, he's read those books, and anyone who's taken Statistics 101 can point out why that data is, at best, 50% "fact" and 50% "opinion".:rolleyes:
 
They probably only talk about factory ammo in those books.
Sometimes I forget that not all people reload thier own.

That 246 LRN that they sell is probably the poor stopper that you made your statement on (poor stopper).

The 44 spec. is NOT a poor stopper, some PARTICULAR LOADINGS are poor stoppers!

Just choose your ammo carefully, thats all. Or load your own!
 
Charter 2000 Buy it or not?

I've been reading this thread and an am considering purchasing a Charter 2000 44spl Bulldog.
So far as I can gleen from the thread is to find one that is older and be wary of the newer ones.
I know the 44 spl round is good but the recommendation is towards something different.
I've always like the size factor of the snubbies.
I'm staying away from S&W unless it can be shown that the gun is not one of the agreement days ones.
If it is a pre-agreement maybe I'll be interested.
Post-Agreement you can still forget about it.
Charter 2000 and Taurus maybe.
So what is the opinion on the Charter 2000?
Can anyone who has one please provide me with some insight ?

Thanks
 
Just a thought...

In my mind, a snubbie anything is a poor choice for a primary arm.
Sure, its easy to carry and conceal, but if you need it to defend you or your loved ones life, to hell with comfort and concealment, I want a big easy to shoot well pistol.

I originally bought the Bulldog as a backup to my 1911, but later realised that if you need your backup, the situation has escalated and so should the firepower. Now I back up my 1911 with a G21.

Maybe a bulldog would be a good 3rd gun?

A thought about reloading for the Bulldog...Hot loads are OUT, totally uncontrollable, Medium loads ARE HOT for the bulldog

Even if you practice with a Bulldog enough to be good out to 7 or 10 feet, realise that, that is a non stressed day at the range...and self defense would be very high stress situation, there goes all your hit potential out the window...fine motor coordination is the first to go under stress.

Under stress like that, its going to be hard enough to hit em' with a big .45 auto, let alone the bulldog. It doesnt take much more ingenuity to conceal a bigger pistol, and your hit potential (read survivability) would be vastly improved with a bigger easier to shoot pistol. Yes, the size factor helps a bunch if you ever need to pull it out.

Another thing, Charters so-called unbreakable berrillium firing pin did break on me last time out...:mad:
 
If you're uncertain about the Bulldog Pug (mine lasted something like 300 rounds; granted most were 240gr JSP's from PMC, which with their heavy bullets battered the gun mercilessly), there's also the 445, 445UL and 445Ti from Taurus, and the 296 and 696 from *&* currently out there. Additionally, good deals can be found on lightly used examples of the recently discontinued Taurus 441 and Rossi 720. A cursory inspection usually reveals these types of guns, when found used, are frequently in nearly-new condition, as lightweight snubnose .44 Specials don't encourage extended plinking sessions. Unless you find one owned by someone as offbeat as myself, who finds fifty to a hundred rounds or more at one sitting through the big-bore snubbie to be fun (even though it means doorknobs will be handled gingerly the next day ;) ).

In addition to traditional LRN, LSWC, LSWC-HP and Silvertip hollowpoint loads for these guns, there's a new generation of defense loads from Cor-Bon and CCI using 200gr JHP's at warmer-than-traditional velocities.
 
"Considering that non-LEOs often have a higher hit ratio than LEOs, and that non-LEOs are far more likely to hit the bad guy than innocent bystanders, 5 rounds from a .44 special should be sufficient."


This is an example of statistics being manipulated. Unfortunately it is frequently thrown around gun boards by people who should know better. This is no better than the anti's statistics of "X number of people are killed by handguns in the US in a single day".
 
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