Tracker vs Bulldog

Bulldog

Bulldog will be easier for customer service if anything goes wrong. Taurus will be better for the longer barrel option. Maybe look for a older Rossi 720 or older Taurus.

Much as I hate to say it, Taurus gets my nod over a Charter Arms. The Taurus's I've had have performed admirably, while the Charter Arms Bulldog I had did not.

Of the two choices I would get the Taurus, remember that the bulldog has limitations in the .44 spl loadings it can handle. Even typical loads (246 gr at 750-800 fps) are a bit much in a Bulldog. The Taurus offers .44 mag capability which even if your not loading those you still get a wide safety margin. If you really want American made then up the budget and get a model 69 from Smith or the Ruger .44 GP100. This is not to say that the bulldog is not a good gun just be aware of what the gun can and cannot handle and it will do fine.

The Evangelist Cowboy said:

\ the bulldog has limitations in the .44 spl loadings it can handle. Even typical loads (246 gr at 750-800 fps) are a bit much in a Bulldog (....) This is not to say that the bulldog is not a good gun just be aware of what the gun can and cannot handle and it will do fine.

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Yup, this is exactly my experience. It took approximately 200rds of 240gr @800fps to loosen my Bulldog up to the point I didn't feel safe to shoot it, to where you could wiggle the cylinder at full lockup front to back enough that it audibly went "clack-clack". Basically, the equivalent of one 2hr range session and it was done. A Taurus might have a bigger chance of being a lemon, but at least a working one can be counted on lasting longer than 2 hrs of plinking.

silicosys4 said:

Yup, this is exactly my experience. It took approximately 200rds of 240gr @800fps to loosen my Bulldog up to the point I didn't feel safe to shoot it, to where you could wiggle the cylinder at full lockup front to back enough that it audibly went "clack-clack". Basically, the equivalent of one 2hr range session and it was done. A Taurus might have a bigger chance of being a lemon, but at least a working one can be counted on lasting longer than 2 hrs of plinking.

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If you told me 8 years ago that I would agree, however taurus has made incredible strides in their QC process. I've had to send two recent production rugers back to the factory for warranty work and I had two Tauruses (Tauri?) That were great guns. Purely anecdotal? Well maybe, but Taurus is coming on up in the world. Not saying they're equal to a Smith or even a Ruger but they're above the standard Charter Arms.

If you want a carry gun, get the Bulldog, that's what it's meant for. Even if you shoot the thing loose, Charter would shim the cylinder to fix any endshake, do it free, and get it back to you within a week. Taurus, from all I hear with their CS, they take forever and at times will not get it done right, but the difference between a .44 Special and a .44 Mag is night and day.

I don't think you can go wrong either way, but the .44 Bulldogs are not Magnums. Charter built that gun intended to make as small, light, and affordable a .44 as they could and they succeeded as the Bulldog is still the flagship of their product line.

I havent had a problem with the half dozen taurus revolvers ive owned. Ive beaten the tar out of my 4” .44 mag, I love it. Just sold my smith model 69 in favor of the taurus. It fits my hand far better and their porting system is awesome. I shoot exclusively hsm “bear load” 305 grain hard casts at a consistent chronographed velocity of 1120 fps. Have about 400 hundred rounds through it. You have to buy the hogue grips for it though as the factory grips are junk in my opinion.

For range play the Taurus
For carry the bulldog

This is coming from a guy that's owned/carried bulldogs since the 80's

burnse said:

TTv2, forrest r:
You think the bulldog would be preferable for carry, even with the 4" bbl?
I'm looking at 4" on both of these.

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I know I ain't the guy you asked but here I go anyway: the bulldog will weigh roughly 21 oz the Taurus will weigh 35 oz. The bulldog will be lighter to carry but that's about it. The Taurus will be easier to shoot (even with special loads), more of a safety margin in the loads you can shoot, and probably a better value, more people after magnum chambered guns than specials (if you care about letting it go at any point in time). Regardless a good belt and holster is the key to good carry I can conceal a 5 inch 629 on an OWB high ride holster so these two I don't really think would be an issue carrying.

I've had two Taurus firearms, a M44 and a PT1911, both of them owned in the past 15 years and both were trash. I wrote them off to being expensive lessons.

Either way, I have a 2016 Bulldog and I have for home defense and I shoot it monthly to stay fresh with it as it isn't the most pleasant thing to shoot. I have no reservations about trusting my life to the little guy.

For CC, a charter Arms. I have several Charter Arms, including a 44 special Bulldog, that are light & easy to carry, and also dependable. Their triggers are pretty decent. I don't practice with them a lot, and when I do I use mild ammo. They don't feel to me like they will hold up to a lot of shooting with spicy loads.

For general shooting, the Taurus Tracker. I owned one and liked it a lot. It was kind of heavy and the DA trigger was stiff, but it was a sturdy revolver and I shot it a bunch with no worries. I eventually traded it towards something else, but I got the feeling that I could shoot it quite a bit and it would probably outlast me.

Any Bulldog 44spl I have ever had (6ish) over the years .. including the one I have now , will handle ANY standard pressure 44spl loads ... any

But no +P 44spl full house loads , none ....

If one thing Taurus seems has right .. Its the Tracker line ... (Besides the G2's)
But no fullhouse 44mag loads..

The Charter will be lighter (alot) and smaller ...
Charter has the BEST customer service and a lifetime warranty

Taurus has the worse , and a 1 year warranty.... U buy it .. Its yours..

If you want a carry revovler, for normal 44 spl loads . And a great CS and a lifetime warranty get the Charter

If you want a larger heavier 44spl revolver , that shoots 44mag .. And questional customer service and a one year warranty... Taurus is your pick ..

I just noticed you made the right choice

Im sorta waiting for Charter to stick a
4 inch barrel on the 41 Mag

burnse said:

Thanks, all!
I'm going to go for the Target Bulldog.
I already have a holster from my old bulldog, which I can use like a slide holster. It's US made, and I know first-hand how fantastic their CS is (called them once about the bulldog I used to have, and ended up having a really nice conversation with Mr. Ecker).

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Alright then, spend the rest on a good belt ( if you don't have one already) and ammo if you don't reload.

Without any hesitation I'd go Bulldog!

I've been thru 3 different Taurus 905B2s (blue 9mm revolver) (warranty issues)
The only reason I don't have another is Taurus said they didn't have a 4th one.
And I have a 22lr that jams atleast once per mag load.

My Charter just works. I've had it for 10 years.
Accuracy is as good as I can shoot.
The recoil is minimal even with +Ps with the rubber grips.
I tried wood grips but switched back to rubber after a trip to the range. (ouch)

My range trips are usually 2 or 3 boxes so I've put a LOT of ammo down range.

Just my 2¢ worth. YMMV

Buckeye63 said:

Im sorta waiting for Charter to stick a
4 inch barrel on the 41 Mag

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It'll be coming, Charter is really expanding their line and when I saw they started offering 6 inch .357's, .44's, and 9mm Pitbulls, that's when I knew that the company had turned a corner in that they're weren't just focusing on the conceal carry market anymore. The .41, depending on how it sells, which I'd have to imagine will be okay given there are not many double action .41 Mags out there, especially in such a small, light revolver, will likely get longer barrels starting with 4 inches and 6 inches in the future.

What I just hope they'll make in the future is Pathfinders with 6 inch barrels and make the .22 LR an 8 shot.

I can't tell you anything from personal experience about the Bulldog as I never owned one. I can tell you abouit the Taurus Tracker in a 4" as I was very pleased with mine. Shooting .44 Spl was my general practice and mine was comfortable to shoot, reliable, and had a good trigger. The occasional 240 grain .44 mg fired from my Tracker was comfortable and accurate. I can highly recommend the gun based on my experience. If .44 Special is enough for you I can also highly recommend the Interarms Rossi Model 720. I have owned three of these guns but am presently downsizing and sold off 2 of them. The last Model 720 will stay with me to the end.
So, I give a thumbs up for the Taurus Tracker and the Obsolete Rossi M720 , If I had to choose I would have to go with the Tracker as it will handle standard 240 grain .44 mag ammo without a problem. Nice to have if you hike in large bear country. ( I believe .44 Spl is fine for Black bear)

Charter has won me over in a way that I never expected when I bought my Pitbull. It's not refined. It's not a gun any firearms snob would be proud of. To many, they are a step up from Saturday Night Special. A poor man's Smith/Ruger.

Well I can afford a Smith or Ruger, but despite the rough edges of my CA, I just like it better than offerings by those companies. It's honest in what it promises, and it's light enough to carry all day.

Now, that said, I kinda want something a touch smaller for carry when the Pitbull is a bit large to hide. I looked at the Bulldog. Actually one of the models I considered was the target. I feel the .45 Pitbull scratches my big bore snubbie itch. A longer barrel on a light gun that could crank out some more performance is very tempting...then I remembered that I actually want to carry this every day without dressing around the gun. Sounds like a very tempting hiking gun for those wanting a thumper that doesn't break your wrist or pull your pants down.

Instead I'm looking at this nice Undercover my LGS has at a reasonable price. .38 special, 16-17oz, DAO with a very sharp dark finish on it. Ive got some Off Duty grips that I tried on my Pitbull that work but are a bit punishing for shooting .45. This would be a hideout gun and the Pitbull would get some compact grips put back on it and regulated to hiking/travel duty.

I'm way off the rails here. I apologize. However, if I were looking for a gun to carry on an extended hike, I don't think a target Bulldog is a bad choice at all. Congrats and enjoy