Tell me why .44 Special in a Charter Bulldog is better than .45 in a Charter Pitbull

44 spl vs 45 acp

I personally am a huge fan of the 44 spl but I think that for most people the 45 is actually a better choice for the simple fact that ammo is more available in 45 acp.The ballistics are the same.The 44 is widely considered to be the most accurate pistol round, however, in a 2 1/2 inch barrel you won't see any difference.I handload so I won't be changing my bulldog pug in for one in 45.So to me it will come down to what you prefer.I have read about the flange that holds the 45 round in but haven't seen anything that has said it is a problem.
 
I could be wrong, but the tab doesn't hold the round in the chamber, it simply facilitates extraction. The 9, .40, and .45 all headspace off the case mouth.

And Slamfire, thanks for the velocity data, I expect if the Pitbull can shoot .45 +P, it will hit around the 800 fps mark from 2.5 inch barrel.
 
Load the 44 Special with max charges of black powder and you can set their clothes on fire and escape behind the smoke screen. And the fireball would be intimidating.
 
.45 Colt is better than .44 Special in every way.
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if thats true...why do all the pros respect the 44 for its accuracy...and never mention the 45 colt?
"The .44 S. & W. Special is simply a longer version of the .44 Russian, throwing the same bullet at the same velocity. It is inherently more accurate than any other pistol cartridge that I have fired, as loaded by the ammunition factories. This trait can be improved upon by handloading. Therein lies its fascination." -Skeeter Skelton
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http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt44spec.htm

http://www.darkcanyon.net/The 44 Special by Elmer Keith.htm

In 1927 I abandoned the .45 Colt for my own use in favor of the .44 Special, and have seen no reason to change back. I soon found that I could load much more powerful cartridges for the .44 Special than for any other revolver. Elmer Kieth
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That's easy...Revolvers prefer a rimmed cartridge.
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+1

Also, the .44 Special can be had with factory loads with bullets with large meplats designed for revolvers, not autos, as well as full and semi wadcutter loads and a wide range of effective and devastating hollow point ammo. .45 ACP is limited to what will feed in an auto.

Also, the .45 Pitbulls are wider than the .44 Bulldogs. Not by much but the Bulldog is the more concealable option. Cylinder thickness is the most important thing for revolver concealability and it's just a thinner gun over the fatter .45 Pitbull, no way around that.

Also, try and get an effective speedloader for the Pitbull. You can use a 1911 mag for a reload I guess but the .44 is going to be much easier to reload with a proper speedloader or speed strip.

Add all that in, and the .44 Bulldog is a MUCH, MUCH better defensive revolver over the Pitbulls. That being said for recreational use the .45 ACP Pitbull has the edge in cheaper factory ammo and the slower reload speed doesn't really matter for recreational use. But when reloaded the .44 is just as cheap if not cheaper than factory .45 ACP, especially if you cast.
 
I would imagine that .44 spl and .45 colt, handloaded, have the same accuracy.
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imagine all you want...in reality...and in experience...the 45colt will NOT be more accurate than the 44special....and those much wiser than I have known that for years
 
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all my 44 specials ARE hand loaded....much more accurate than factory...I have much higher quality control
 
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ROA, while I like and respect accuracy from a gun, I don't expect something that's going to be shot offhand, with factory ammo (cuz Massad Ayoob says handloads r a no no), under stress, at distances of 3 to 15 yards is going to make much difference compared to groups tighter by an inch during a calm, relaxed range session, with .44 handloads.

Even if the .44 is markedly better, it would just make me want to train harder to get better and as good as possible with the .45

Call me a masochist, call me inexperienced, but I'm not bothering with another cartridge that I would have to reload to get the most out of it. I don't mind and actually want to reload the .45 Colt or ACP because I have guns already that shoot it, even if they're not the size of the Bulldog.

Again, I like the Bulldog revolver and I think .44 Special is nice, but it's not my cup of tea.
 
I agree, but I've long given up on somebody coming out with a 5 shot .45 Colt snubbie that is not also a .410
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You could join me (and many others) on the never ending quest for a Taurus 450. It was a terrific little 2" 5-shot .45LC they used to sell on their "Compact" frame (617, Tracker). Some were steel and others were titanium. I had the pleasure of shooting a range buddy's 450 a few times and it was a terrific little gun. Unfortunately, after producing it for just 2-3 years, they discontinued it around the time they brought out the Judge revolvers. They do sometimes show up on Gunbroker and other sites, but the prices reflect the low supply and high demand and they sell for about triple the one I held at a gun show just after they were discontinued (but I hadn't heard yet) and I decided to hold off because it was titanium (I wanted the steel version) and I was a little low on cash and decided to wait a month or two, that was the last one I ever saw in person.
 
First thing that came to my mind is, the 44 Special Bulldog is available with a 3" barrel. The 45 ACP Pitbull has a 2" or 2.5" barrel. Three inch barrels get you more performance out of either cartridge and a longer sight radius, if your one of those people who bother to aim.

Second thing that came to mind was, the big advantage of 45 ACP revolvers is the option to use Moonclips, which provide the fastest reload in the revolver world. The 45 Pitbull eliminates this, and consequently eliminates one of the best reasons for 45 ACP revolvers.

YMMV,
Dave
 
Just to add fuel to the fire. For those of us who cannot afford to crap away $100-$200 in ammunition every week, the cost of .44 Special ammo is meaningless.
 
A couple people already touched on this but there are 2 big reasons to get the Bulldog in 44spl over the Pitbull in 45acp.

1) The 45acp cylinder and frame are slightly larger, possibly affecting your ability to comfortably conceal it.

2) The rimless extraction tabs prevent the use of speed loaders.

The effectiveness and accuracy of both rounds will likely be similar out of the short barrels, so if neither of the above points are a concern, by all means get the Pitbull and save money on ammo. If planning on concealed carry and/or loading quickly, I would strongly suggest reconsidering the 44spl version.

And these are the exact reasons have not sold/traded my Bulldog towards a 45acp Pitbull. I really like 45acp as a round, but the Bulldog is just a better fit for my intended uses.
 
From what I can see the Pitbull is only in 45acp. It is not in 45 Colt. The latter is both a longer cartridge than the 45 acp, it's also potentially more powerful. So I'm not sure why so many have referenced the 45 Colt.

Anyway, like others it seems that the 45 acp Pitbull is a bit larger than the 44 Spl. Bulldog. CA website only lists the weight and not the width of the cylinder.

To the OP. I can't tell you why you should get one over the other. You decide that.

I'll pick up a Bulldog when I can just to give it a try. If I want a small carry piece in 45 acp. well I have the excellent Colt Defender for that.

tipoc
 
44 special is a handloaders proposition. I load Rimrock's 185 grain LSWCHP to about 1000 FPS ( loading manual data) in 44 Russian cases and Titegroup.
 
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