Charter Arms .44 spl Bulldog?
- Thread starter Hobbes
- Start date
Doc Hudson
New member
Hobbes,
I can not comment about the newly resurrected Charter Arms 2000's products since I have yet to examine any of them. All reports I've heard from various people who have tried them rate them at least equal to the 1970's vintage guns.
I have owned a Charter Arms Bulldog .44 SPL for over twenty years. I could not tell you how many thousands of rounds have gone through this pistol, or how many hundreds of thounsands of miles I carried it. I won't say how many times it enabled me to get my butt out of places I should have had enough sense not to get into in the first place.
The trigger is silky smooth and it is the lightest factory trigger I've ever seen. Accuracy is good, for a three inch barreled belly gun with fixed sights. I can do head shots at twenty five yards with no problem, and two to three inch groups are the norm for rapid DA shooting at that range.
Bear in mind, this is a gun that is intended to be carried far more often than shot. It is also not a suitable vehicle for Elmer Keith Memorial .44 Spl loads. Even if the gun will stand up to the abuse, your hands and wrists will not be able to take much of it.
If the price is right, give the new Bulldogs a try, and let me know what you think of them. If it's quality is as good as my old Bulldog, you will be very well served.
Doc Hudson
I can not comment about the newly resurrected Charter Arms 2000's products since I have yet to examine any of them. All reports I've heard from various people who have tried them rate them at least equal to the 1970's vintage guns.
I have owned a Charter Arms Bulldog .44 SPL for over twenty years. I could not tell you how many thousands of rounds have gone through this pistol, or how many hundreds of thounsands of miles I carried it. I won't say how many times it enabled me to get my butt out of places I should have had enough sense not to get into in the first place.
The trigger is silky smooth and it is the lightest factory trigger I've ever seen. Accuracy is good, for a three inch barreled belly gun with fixed sights. I can do head shots at twenty five yards with no problem, and two to three inch groups are the norm for rapid DA shooting at that range.
Bear in mind, this is a gun that is intended to be carried far more often than shot. It is also not a suitable vehicle for Elmer Keith Memorial .44 Spl loads. Even if the gun will stand up to the abuse, your hands and wrists will not be able to take much of it.
If the price is right, give the new Bulldogs a try, and let me know what you think of them. If it's quality is as good as my old Bulldog, you will be very well served.
Doc Hudson
Hobbes,
I just bought one of those little guns ... a week ago. A pretty good price: $269 + 7% local and state tax.
Range report: the DA trigger is gross! It will need some work. SA trigger has only a small barely noticeable "hop" at the very beginning of travel, but it is quite manageable.
I have only fired twenty rounds so far. That was enough. It is light enough to be a primary carry gun. Five shot wheel brings diameter down a lot, so it is relatively narrow.
Good pointing characteristics. Good feel and balance. Not the gun Charter Arms was making twenty years ago by a long shot, but a fair value.
I was looking for .45 ACP performance in a revolver. This is it.
[Edited by sensop on 02-09-2001 at 05:34 PM]
I just bought one of those little guns ... a week ago. A pretty good price: $269 + 7% local and state tax.
Range report: the DA trigger is gross! It will need some work. SA trigger has only a small barely noticeable "hop" at the very beginning of travel, but it is quite manageable.
I have only fired twenty rounds so far. That was enough. It is light enough to be a primary carry gun. Five shot wheel brings diameter down a lot, so it is relatively narrow.
Good pointing characteristics. Good feel and balance. Not the gun Charter Arms was making twenty years ago by a long shot, but a fair value.
I was looking for .45 ACP performance in a revolver. This is it.
[Edited by sensop on 02-09-2001 at 05:34 PM]
Doc Hudson
New member
Sensop,
Before you go to the expense of having a trigger job done, see if the trigger will smooth with use. This is a great excuse for dry fire practice. If your wife objects to the noise, you can truthfully tell her you are trying to save a hundred bucks.
Doc
Before you go to the expense of having a trigger job done, see if the trigger will smooth with use. This is a great excuse for dry fire practice. If your wife objects to the noise, you can truthfully tell her you are trying to save a hundred bucks.
Doc
LOL, Doc ... 
I may do that. It's pretty rough though.
I made it out to the range this afternoon to try out some handloads. 240 gr JHP bulk Rem bullets, RP once fired brass, 11 gr AA #7, Rem primers. I put a firm (read: FIRM) crimp on them to get that AA#7 to burn right (trying to prevent smoke and soot, but I like that nearly full case). Success! No smoke or soot. But I definitely can feel ALL of it.
'No recoil action to absorb anything. Whooo! 815 fps according to Speer #13.
Brass came out easy and was clean with no pressure signs at all.
Definitely going to have to lower the front sight, though. 'Shoots 4-6 in low at ten steps
All-in-all, I am in love.
[Edited by sensop on 02-09-2001 at 06:24 PM]
I may do that. It's pretty rough though.I made it out to the range this afternoon to try out some handloads. 240 gr JHP bulk Rem bullets, RP once fired brass, 11 gr AA #7, Rem primers. I put a firm (read: FIRM) crimp on them to get that AA#7 to burn right (trying to prevent smoke and soot, but I like that nearly full case). Success! No smoke or soot. But I definitely can feel ALL of it.
'No recoil action to absorb anything. Whooo! 815 fps according to Speer #13.Brass came out easy and was clean with no pressure signs at all.
Definitely going to have to lower the front sight, though. 'Shoots 4-6 in low at ten steps
All-in-all, I am in love.
[Edited by sensop on 02-09-2001 at 06:24 PM]
Just picked one up myself a few weeks back. Doc Hudson is correct in that the trigger loses it's "grittiness" - I've put about 120 rounds through mine and it's much better. I can stage it like I do with my S&W revolvers now. I don't think any number of rounds is going to make the pull any lighter, though.
Recoil is heavy but manageable, not snappy, but quite a bit of torque to the right. However, something about it leaves a blister about halfway up the side of my trigger finger. I was thinking about a porting job, but on a $269.00 revolver? In any case, even with my shaky hands I can keep 50 rounds inside the 5X circle on the Texas CHL qualifying target.
I owned an original Charter Arms .44 Bulldog in the '80s- this gun is quite a bit different in construction and feel.
I will be carrying it on occasion for CCW, probably with Federal 200 grain LHP's or 210 Grain Silvertips. I'm going to see if can't load up some 200 grain flattops for a mild plinking load.
Recoil is heavy but manageable, not snappy, but quite a bit of torque to the right. However, something about it leaves a blister about halfway up the side of my trigger finger. I was thinking about a porting job, but on a $269.00 revolver? In any case, even with my shaky hands I can keep 50 rounds inside the 5X circle on the Texas CHL qualifying target.
I owned an original Charter Arms .44 Bulldog in the '80s- this gun is quite a bit different in construction and feel.
I will be carrying it on occasion for CCW, probably with Federal 200 grain LHP's or 210 Grain Silvertips. I'm going to see if can't load up some 200 grain flattops for a mild plinking load.
Jbar4Ranch
New member
I think they are constructed a bit on the light side and not made for shooting much, but that's not what it's made for..... that said, it's a great close-in defensive arm and one of those big .44 slugs in the boiler room will let the steam out pretty darn fast with a good chance of earning a DOA tag upon arrival at the local hole pluggers office. Lots of folks remove the release button cuz it tends to gouge up your thumb a bit on recoil.
I carried this particular revolver as a CCW arm for about 15 years before switching to a G26 a couple years back. It's an old model, Armaloyed, and sports a set of homemade oak grips:
I carried this particular revolver as a CCW arm for about 15 years before switching to a G26 a couple years back. It's an old model, Armaloyed, and sports a set of homemade oak grips:
The cylinder latch on mine would take matters into its own hands and jump off the gun once a range session. I'd think to myself "Hmmm. Need to loctite that." as I'd crawl around on my hands and knees during the cease-fire looking for the offending part. Of course I'd forget to when I got home, thus doing a repeat performance on the next range trip. This mobius farce was ended, finally, when after ~320 rounds of mostly PMC 240gr LSWC, the gun had become so loose that I was afraid to fire it (lotsa endshake and play in the cylinder lockup), also the matte nickel finish had completely flaked off the forcing cone, underside of the topstrap, and frontside of the blast shield.
I really liked the gun, at least as long as it lasted, but its mayfly-like lifespan set new records in my experience for lack of durability. Hopefully these new ones are better, 'cause the concept is great and I'd sure like to take another swing at one. Y'all keep us posted, hear?
I appreciate all the experienced info on the Bulldog. What you all have said confirms what made me consider one for carry in the first place. Since I posted I have gone out and looked at a couple in a local shop, one blue, one stainless ($279). Sensop: what made you go with the stainless? In comparing the two the blued gun seemed to have less rough edges than the stainless. The darker sights on the blued gun are also easier for me to pick up.
ckurts: Could you be more specific about the differences between the 80s gun and the current one?
Great Pictures guys.
ckurts: Could you be more specific about the differences between the 80s gun and the current one?
Great Pictures guys.
M
M58
Guest
Had one about 10 years ago; it was nice, but parts were a problem; traded it away. Probably a carry-a-lot and shoot-little type deal.
Hobbes,
To tell you the truth, I have never set eyes on a blue one. If I have an experience like Tamara's I may wish I had sought one out. You are correct about sharp edges, though. This little guy needs a major dehorning.
As for sights ... I don't practice with them and don't intend to use them ...
To tell you the truth, I have never set eyes on a blue one. If I have an experience like Tamara's I may wish I had sought one out. You are correct about sharp edges, though. This little guy needs a major dehorning.
As for sights ... I don't practice with them and don't intend to use them ...
My experience parallels Tamara's. Mine first one (Blue, 3inch) shot loose as a goose in no time with mild handloads. I fell for the M & S "faster is better, 357 is best" theory, and ditched it and my 2.5 inch Pit Bull for an SP101 in 357. You don't want to know my name for that little roscoe.