Bridgeport made Bulldog .44 spl

it was a trade, I'd rather not say.:( but this being the first edition so to speak I couldn't help myself.
 
My first 44 special was one just like yours back in the early 80's. Beat up scratched up and shot up. Shot the heck out of it for several years and never carried it. I gave it to a friend and went out and purchased a stainless hammerless dog which I carried for over 15 years.
Its NOT for sale.:D
 
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mine is on its way to C.A. to have the old style pocket hammer installed and given a once over since it was made in 73' or earlier.
 
Ozzieman, your gun is the one I sought after for so long.... the pocket hammer 3" stainless. they didn't make them in stainless until the plant moved to Stratford in '74. mine will look like yours except in blue and Bridgeport stamped once it comes back. I'm debating on having it hard chromed to give it the stainless look.
 
I'm debating on having it hard chromed to give it the stainless look.
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The only thing I don't like about chrome is the brightness. I like the BD because its finish is dulled. The 445 in the photo is polished stainless and its like a mirror. Very difficult to shoot well when the sun is over head.
 
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got it back, very disappointed.

the pocket hammer was installed like I asked, however they changed my original shiny and properly fitted trigger guard with a dull finished poorly fitted one!

e-mail sent to the company asking why they replaced the original undamaged part with an inferior one (fit and finish wise).

I am not happy with Charter Arms. pix to follow.

use the magnification option when you click on the pix, you can readily see the change.

Original. not the best pic but I didn't think I needed a comparison version.


here you can see (somewhat) the difference.


here is the new one they put on for no reason. see the poor fitting and dull finish.


if they damaged my original they should have told me and then replaced it and probably not charged me anything for the minor work I requested?
 
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e-mails and pix sent, automatic reply that the offices are closed until after the new year. I'm so ******, I don't want to even shoot it for fear they will say I did something to it. this gun was near mint, factory fired only and had a slight turn ring on the cylinder..... now it has a completely different trigger guard/grip assembly.... finish doesn't match nor is it fitted correctly.

why they would do this in the first place is troubling, but even more so they didn't tell me about the switch-a-roo.

I'm fuming right now.
 
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You should have left it alone.
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yep, my hind sight is 20/20.



well, I just got off the phone with C.A. on Christmas Eve no doubt after they e-mailed me. they are going to mail my original frame back to me.

as it turns out, the pocket/bobbed hammer would not work with the original frame. apparently there have been some design changes other than the shrouded barrels. the frame finish and fitting is not done by C.A. it is I guess contracted out and they are all made like this now, no more high polish blue.

C.A. stand was that the gun functions properly and cosmetics are an after thought. my issue was being surprised by the change when I got it back instead being asked if I wanted to go forward with the change because of parts fitting problems.

this will not dissuade me from buying a C.A. in the future, but I will ask more questions for clarity if I send one in for service work.
 
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Glad you were able to get your original frame back Jerrys. Are you gonna try and attempt to bob the original hammer instead to use the blued frame?
 
no, im going to leave the pocket hammer with the new style frame because it is more ccw friendly.

should I ever sell this gun I will be able to include the original frame and original hammer to the buyer if they wanted it stock again.

or, if money ever came my way, I'd send this gun off to a specialty company to do custom work, using the original frame, maybe a flash brushed chrome finish, ported barrel, bobbed hammer...... you know, like one of those "back packer" guns.
 
Has anyone ever figured out the occasional cylinder binding that occurs with the Bulldog and Undercovers? All that I have ever shot suffer from this plague.

Incidentally, I previously owned an old model stainless Bulldog (factory semi-polished finish) and there was a small imperfection in the silver soldered front sight, so I sent it in to have that repaired. Upon receiving it back, that beautiful semi-polished finish had been changed to Matt bead blast.

Needless to say, I was furious! They explained that was there new finish for all stainless guns and mine had been upgraded!

With Charter Arms, you new know what will be their end result.
By the way, I promptly sold it.
 
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