'70's Big Bore Concealed Carry

I had friend who carried the Star PD. He liked it and it worked well. He was a serious shooter and student of firearms, his opinion was well worth considering.
Never owned a Charter Bulldog. I shot a friend's and the recoil was more than desired. The biggest problem was the [non S&W] trigger pull.

I did own a Star BKM for a while. The only 9mm pistol I ever carried seriously and liked. Stolen.
Older made handguns. Rather useful, they were.
I'm back to my cut down S&Ws and Colt Commander.

There was also the Detonics Combat Master

I wanted a Star, but out in West Texas, you never could find one. By mid 80’s Colt had got the message and put out the Officer models.

Well, I wasn't even BORN until '76, so either of those would've been vintage by the time I was old enough to buy a gun. I lived in Illinois at the time, where carry wasn't allowed unless you were a cop, so carry was out. Only recently did they open things up in IL.

The Star is long gone and almost forgotten, but the 44 Bulldog is still going strong. From reading the posts here, it seems like Star just didn't make enough to satisfy demand and didn't gear up quick enough, so Colt took that market.

Funny that a few people say they didn't like the aluminum frame of the Star. Why not? Too light = too much recoil or some functional reason?

My 2nd gun was a Ruger P90 with the aluminum frame, before anyone but Glock had committed to polymer. I thought it was great. It had the quality feeling and some of the heft of an all-steel gun, but no worries about polymer getting brittle, years down the road.

This is my smallest big bore. A few custom mods make it more shootable. Have seen a few of the Star PD’s at gun shows but with this Colt I think I’m good.

Not the 70s but in the 80s when I needed to carry, this is what went with me.





A S&W Model 1917 cut to 4”.

I liked it then and I still like them now.
Kevin

The Charter Bulldog was a devastating manstopper. The huge .44 S&W Special had great knockdown power and was a much better stopper than a similar snub chambered in .38. Sadly, quality ranged from acceptable to poor. I’ve always lamented the fact a big name like Ruger or Smith & Wesson never introduced a lightweight small frame .44 Special.

I've carried a full-size M1911 since the early '60s, and I'm wearing one now.

Vern Humphrey said:

I've carried a full-size M1911 since the early '60s, and I'm wearing one now.

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Must be an awesome holster to have lasted that long! (I jest)

JCooperfan1911 said:

The Charter Bulldog was a devastating manstopper. The huge .44 S&W Special had great knockdown power and was a much better stopper than a similar snub chambered in .38. Sadly, quality ranged from acceptable to poor. I’ve always lamented the fact a big name like Ruger or Smith & Wesson never introduced a lightweight small frame .44 Special.

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Actually, S&W did.

DR505 said:

Must be an awesome holster to have lasted that long! (I jest)

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Designed and made it myself.

Guess im antiquated and obsolete... I carry a Rossi M720 44spl every day.

I wasnt even alive in the '70s. Not even a twinkle in my pops' eye!

StrawHat said:

Not the 70s but in the 80s when I needed to carry, this is what went with me.

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A S&W Model 1917 cut to 4”.

I liked it then and I still like them now.
Kevin

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So, fast forward from the 1980s to this century and hear is my EDC.




A S&W Model 22-4, still a 45 ACP revolver!

Kevin

I'm not - yet - gray enough to have been able to legally carry in the 1970s, but I will admit my father carried a Bulldog back in the day. He used to carry large cash deposits to the bank.

My first center-fire semi-autimatic was a Star PD and I liked it a lot and carried it a lot. Had the feed ramp polished so that it fed the Speer 200gr jhp "flying ashtrays" reliably and never had an ammo related failure with them. Only reason I sold it was to get a Star Firestar in 45 which I still have and it's still a favorite.

Year before last I came across an opportunity to pick up a Bulldog and I did. Bobbed hammer so it doesn't snag on my pocket, but can still be fired single-action. Loaded with 200gr full wadcutters at 750fps it will blow up a water filled milk jug while remaining controllable.

About to order a new holster for it in fact.

I am rather fond of this big bore for CC:



A 625-3 in .45 ACP with a 3" barrel.

My personal carry after 1974 was a 4" Model 29 and it saved me.

How did we get to the bottom of page 2 without mentioning the Classic Colt Commander

Well written! I remember those days. I have an older Bulldog that is a quality revolver and being from NY I remember how iconic that gun became. I have always liked Star pistols, everyone I have ever handled or shot always came across as well made and quality. It was a time that not many really carried concealed all the time it was a different America. It was also not too long after the 1968 Gun Control Act and people had the term “Saturday Night Special” on the tip of their lips for every concealable handgun. There was an edition of Handguns Magazine that listed to top self defense handguns every year. For almost a decade it was the same 10. Colt 1911 and Revolvers J and K frame Smith revolvers, Star PD, Bulldog, High Standard .22 Mag Derringer, S&W 59/39, Beretta Jetfire/Minx and one or two others. With some exception that was basically what every well stocked gun store had in 1980.

wcwhitey said:

Well written! I remember those days. I have an older Bulldog that is a quality revolver and being from NY I remember how iconic that gun became. I have always liked Star pistols, everyone I have ever handled or shot always came across as well made and quality. It was a time that not many really carried concealed all the time it was a different America. It was also not too long after the 1968 Gun Control Act and people had the term “Saturday Night Special” on the tip of their lips for every concealable handgun. There was an edition of Handguns Magazine that listed to top self defense handguns every year. For almost a decade it was the same 10. Colt 1911 and Revolvers J and K frame Smith revolvers, Star PD, Bulldog, High Standard .22 Mag Derringer, S&W 59/39, Beretta Jetfire/Minx and one or two others. With some exception that was basically what every well stocked gun store had in 1980.

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Not a bad list -- until you get down to derringers. I've carried an M1911 since the early '60s -- although my first tour in Viet Nam I carried a Colt M357.

Vern Humphrey said:

Not a bad list -- until you get down to derringers. I've carried an M1911 since the early '60s -- although my first tour in Viet Nam I carried a Colt M357.

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Good choices. Those High Standard .22 Mag double action derringers were a popular choice for LE backup/last ditch guns. There were not many small guns that weren’t made of pot metal on the new gun market.

derek45 said:

How did we get to the bottom of page 2 without mentioning the Classic Colt Commander

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Post #19.

Carry in the 70s, dang. My options were a colt frontier scout. 22/.22 mag, or after I thought it over, an went and bought a charter arms target bulldog 3" .357 which accompanied me untill I found a combat comander several years later.
Good revolver, 5 shot for a smaller presentation in a worn out stirrup leather IWB holster I made for it.
Stil have it, getting a bit loose these days and haven't fired it in some time. Still have the commander too.