Anyone Have Experience w/Charter Arms Bulldog .380 3” model 73802?

Oninotaki

Oninotaki

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So I just noticed the Charter Arms Bulldog chambered in .380 has a 6 round capacity and a 3” barrel. For some reason I thought it only had a 5 round capacity and a 2” barrel. As a huge fan of 3” barrel revolvers this model Bulldog has really grabbed my attention.

So I was wondering if anyone has any experience with it. It’s cheap enough I could just snag it, buuuuuuut it is a Charter Arms, and .380 is not a caliber I stock. This model doesn’t need moon clips either and I can’t decide if I like that or not on a revolver I don’t think you could get a speed loader for. Would a 9mm speed loader work for .380? I got lots of questions for the little guy.
 
I have a Pitbull in .380 auto.

Not impressed.

The revolver functions fine but lockup is poor and loading is tedious.

Moon clips aren’t needed but the cartridges must be loaded using a twisting motion and considerable force – I can’t see a speed-loader working.
 
I saw one at a gun store today, it's an interesting concept as a gun that everyone could use easily. Low recoil, relatively light and not so tiny you can't use it like most 380s are.

At normal Charter prices, usually $250ish from my experience, it could be interesting.
 
jdc1244 said:
I have a Pitbull in .380 auto.

Not impressed.

The revolver functions fine but lockup is poor and loading is tedious.

Moon clips aren’t needed but the cartridges must be loaded using a twisting motion and considerable force – I can’t see a speed-loader working.
Click to expand...

This is what I was worried about. Tedious reloading of a 6 shot low powered round is not what I am looking for. I was thinking it might be an interesting .32 h&r mag alternative because of ammo availability, but fumbling around with loose rounds seems like a bad idea. It sounds like a better idea for a back up to .380 you already have, or as a fun change up if .380s are your go to.
 
I have a Pitbull in 45acp. It works fine. I don't find loading the rounds to be particularly tedious.

I'm mildly interested in getting a CA or old Taurus in 380acp, since I have carry revolvers in all of the other common semiauto cartridges.
 
Oninotaki said:
This is what I was worried about. Tedious reloading of a 6 shot low powered round is not what I am looking for. I was thinking it might be an interesting .32 h&r mag alternative because of ammo availability, but fumbling around with loose rounds seems like a bad idea. It sounds like a better idea for a back up to .380 you already have, or as a fun change up if .380s are your go to.
Click to expand...
Quick reloading likely wasn’t the design intent, that six rounds would be sufficient for self-defense.

My issue is a revolver that comes off as cheap and not well made.

Of course, my Pitbull may just be a poor example, given the overall positive experiences others have had with Charter Arms.

Again, I’ve had no misfires or malfunctions with about 150 rounds shot so far – it goes off every time I’ve pulled the trigger.
 
A 6-shot Charter 380 almost has to be built on a Bulldog frame. If you're going to lug something that size & weight around, why not chose something with a little more power? The 6-shot Police Undercover is built on the Bulldog frame and gives you 6-38Spcl rounds with the same weight...but a 2" barrel.

The nice thing about Undercovers is that they are Charter's bread & butter guns; they're more likely to be built right. That and the extractor star is plain vanilla without the springy thingies that allow the Pitbulls to extract rimless cartridges. Simple is always more reliable.

I've got a Police Undercover and a regular 5-shot Undercover, both bought new in 2019. They've both been problem free, the 5-shot is my EDC because it has such great SA and DA triggers.

Pay attention to the frame material used in the different models. The aluminum frames are lighter, but kick more and may not stand up to heavy use; they're meant to be carried. The stainless frame guns will be more pleasant to shoot and have a better chance of standing up to hard use...of course they're a bit heavier.
 
Last edited:
OrangePwrx9 said:
A 6-shot Charter 380 almost has to be built on a Bulldog frame. If you're going to lug something that size & weight around, why not chose something with a little more power? The 6-shot Police Undercover is built on the Bulldog frame and gives you 6-38Spcl rounds with the same weight...but a 2" barrel.
Click to expand...

I was actually drawn to the 20oz weight of this .380 revolver because I hate how snappy it is in sub 15oz semi autos. I am curious how much smoother it would be in such a large platform for caliber revolver.

I am a big man so an extra inch in barrel length and 5-7 extra ounces don't matter much for me when carrying. Anything sub 30 Oz is pretty comfortable.

As for something bigger I already have .327, 45 acp and 45 colt revolvers if I need more bang. My curiosity about this revolver had more to do with the size/caliber/low cost/unique cylinder technology combination.
 
Last edited:
OrangePwrx9 said:
A 6-shot Charter 380 almost has to be built on a Bulldog frame. If you're going to lug something that size & weight around, why not chose something with a little more power? The 6-shot Police Undercover is built on the Bulldog frame and gives you 6-38Spcl rounds with the same weight...but a 2" barrel.

The nice thing about Undercovers is that they are Charter's bread & butter guns; they're more likely to be built right. That and the extractor star is plain vanilla without the springy thingies that allow the Pitbulls to extract rimless cartridges. Simple is always more reliable.

I've got a Police Undercover and a regular 5-shot Undercover, both bought new in 2019. They've both been problem free, the 5-shot is my EDC because it has such great SA and DA triggers.

Pay attention to the frame material used in the different models. The aluminum frames are lighter, but kick more and may not stand up to heavy use; they're meant to be carried. The stainless frame guns will be more pleasant to shoot and have a better chance of standing up to hard use...of course they're a bit heavier.
Click to expand...


I don't really think lighter with a shorter barrel are upsides with the kind of person that would want to buy this, or at least the market that they are intended for.

My mom years ago needed a lighter 380 that wasn't tiny and in her case had a lighter shorter trigger pull. She ended up with a Bryco 48, which actually served her well. If she was still around I might see if she liked the Charter even though a DA pull wouldn't be ideal, at the end she has a PMR30 so maybe she wouldn't go for it but it's nice to see companies making guns that can be used by anyone.

I have found memories of that gun and a soft spot for anything 380, I might get one just because.
 
Antihero said:
I don't really think lighter with a shorter barrel are upsides with the kind of person that would want to buy this, or at least the market that they are intended for.

My mom years ago needed a lighter 380 that wasn't tiny and in her case had a lighter shorter trigger pull. She ended up with a Bryco 48, which actually served her well. If she was still around I might see if she liked the Charter even though a DA pull wouldn't be ideal, at the end she has a PMR30 so maybe she wouldn't go for it but it's nice to see companies making guns that can be used by anyone.

I have found memories of that gun and a soft spot for anything 380, I might get one just because.
Click to expand...

If you do please share your experiences with us. I am glad to hear you were able to find an option that worked for your mother. One of the really interesting things to me about firearms is how there really does seem to be a platform and caliber combination for everyone.
 
Well I was able to score a large volume of .32 H&R mag ammunition suitible for training so I have decided not to pursue this model any further.

Since I wasnt really looking for another revolver I thought it might be an interesting trainer for me because .380 is so similar to .32 mag, but I kinda felt that the cylinder would be too different and I didn't want to accidentally fall down another caliber rabbit hole. You guys now how it is.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.
 
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