Bulldog 44 Spl

[sonofagun]

Looking for info from those who own a Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Spl. My father-in-law just gave my wife his Bulldog. It has a 3 in barrel and the push rod for empty casings is exposed not enclosed. Also it has a (not sure what to call it) concealed hammer? It is a double action but she can't pull back the partially hidden hammer. Anyone know where I could find information on this pistol? Thanks.

 

[lowercase]

Does the Bulldog look like this?



And does it have a hammer like the one on this gun?



The Bulldog with the 3" barrel and exposed ejector rod is the older generation Bulldog, although Charter is making them again. The little "partial" hammer on the gun in the 2nd pic was called a "pocket hammer' and was sold by Charter Arms back in the day. It does away with a spur for a snag free draw, but retains a little nub so you can cock the gun if you want to shoot single action.

The 3" Bulldog is somewhat of a cult classic. It is also a "love it or hate" it gun. They were a second tier gun, quality wise, and they were lightly constructed. Hot loads would wear them out quickly.

For the record, I love mine, and actually collect the older Charter Arms guns.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I got one Great carry pistol .Weights a bout same as a steel frame J frame S&W and lot more punch. I use the Blazer 200 gr HP or the Winchester silver tip. No hot loads will loosed the pistol up real quick .Recoil no all that bad I use speed strips for reloads when carry .

They old ones Were the Son of Sam pistol. If you remember him.

 

[sonofagun]

I tried unsuccessfully to upload a pic of my Bulldog. It has the barrel length of the top pistol and the similar hammer of the lower pistol. Mine is SS with rubber grips. Thank you for the info. I will limit her shooting to 180gr max. Yeah, I remember Son of Sam.

 

[VA27]

Excellent gun! I had that exact gun years ago and sold it in a fit of madness. Enjoy!

 

[Merle1]

I have the 4" target model& have used it since the mid seventies. It has never failed me. It is a lot of comfort in a small package, either in town or in the woods.

 

[justin22885]

i have no idea about the original charter arms bulldog, but i do have a bulldog classic, recently made, ive recently switched back to it as my preferred carry piece

 

[Panzerschwein]

Someone once described the Charter bulldogs as being both too small and too large at the same time.

I agree.

I recently sold a new generation bulldog .44 spl. The gun just didn't conceal as well as I'd hoped. It really does have a fat cylinder, and it sure stuck out, much more so than my J-frame .38s.

Given equal shot placement, both rounds will do the job. The quality, price of ammo, longevity, and decreased recoil all point towards the S&W J-frames.

I am glad I sold mine. Oh, and it had to go back to the factory twice, and was quite a bit looser than when first new after only about 300 rounds of standard pressure ammo fired downrange. Just something to think about.

 

[bannockburn]

Cooldill

I had a new Undercover get "loose" after 50 rounds of 148 gr. target loads. Have gone with S&W J frames ever since.

 

[justin22885]

Cooldill

I had a new Undercover get "loose" after 50 rounds of 148 gr. target loads. Have gone with S&W J frames ever since.

was it an "undercover lite?"

 

[Tallball]

This is what mine looks like. I like the shrouded hammer. It is not a thing of beauty, but it goes bang every time.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Cooldill

I had a new Undercover get "loose" after 50 rounds of 148 gr. target loads. Have gone with S&W J frames ever since.

Wise choice. Many will say the Charters are "shoot little, carry often" guns.

That's stupid IMHO. You've got to shoot these guns to get good with them. Having one shoot loose so soon is just not conducive to good marksmanship. I put my money elsewhere.

JMHO,

YMMV.

 

[gun_with_a_view]

Without knowing the date of manufacture by which Charter owner, the fact that a gun shot loose in 50 rounds is of little value. Charter had some bad years awhile back under different management and made some very poor quality guns.

 

[Merle1]

Cooldill

I had a new Undercover get "loose" after 50 rounds of 148 gr. target loads. Have gone with S&W J frames ever since.

Did you send it back for repairs?

 

[justin22885]

if it was an undercover lite that went bad..that id understand, i wouldnt waste the money on an aluminum framed pistol

 

[Duster340]

Hey sonofagun,

Your father in law gave her a nice piece. As you'll find, CA pistols are loved or hated. I happen love my Bulldog. Got mine about 2 yrs ago, carry it daily, just passed the 2000 rd mark. Still tight, accurate and reliable. While some folks get lemons (like any brand), I think some folks get overzealous, pushing the limits with too hot handloads etc. Some try pushing velocity in attempts to get hollow points to expand etc. This may "loosen" them up. I'm ok with making nice 44 holes in stuff. That said, I've had people tell me my 629 will shoot loose, and I should trade for a Redhawk. Go figure.

Congrats on the aquisition. I'm guessing her Dad isn't giving his daugher a loose piece of junk. Enjoy shooting the snot out of it.

 

[Drail]

I have a Charter Bulldog Pug that I bought in 1987 and has been shot regularly since new - it has not loosened up much at all and I still carry it occasionally. But I am not one of these guys who insists on feeding it semi-nuclear boutique ammo or heavy handloads. I have seen many loose Charters and every one of them was abused with heavy loads. I have also seen plenty of Model 29 S&Ws that were abused also. Moderation in all things is the key to happiness.

 

[Merle1]

I have a Charter Bulldog Pug that I bought in 1987 and has been shot regularly since new - it has not loosened up much at all and I still carry it occasionally. But I am not one of these guys who insists on feeding it semi-nuclear boutique ammo or heavy handloads. I have seen many loose Charters and every one of them was abused with heavy loads. I have also seen plenty of Model 29 S&Ws that were abused also. Moderation in all things is the key to happiness.

Back in the early seventies when I was hot and heavy into IHMSA silhouettes it was well known that a Smith would not stand up to prolonged use of magnum loads, thus the Rugers ruled.

 

[Drail]

Yup. But most guys today would absolutely be incredulous at how many loads we shot back in those days (when it was "affordable"). I have shot some guns loose in the past. Today even if you reload it gets pretty expensive and my gun trading days are long over. Rugers will take more abuse than Smiths but even a Ruger can be beat to death. If you can afford the rounds to do it.

 

[bannockburn]

The Undercover I owned was purchased new sometime in the mid '70s. It was my first DA revolver. First trip to the range with a box of factory ammo, 148 gr. target loads, had the frame pins walking out on one side of the gun while the cylinder crane screw was backing out of the frame, causing the cylinder to become loose and out of alignment. So I staked the pins to keep them in place and used Loctite to fix the cylinder crane screw in place. Worked alright after that but it certainly didn't inspire much in the way of confidence for me with Charter Arms revolvers. I eventually sold it and have gone with S&W J frames ever since.

 

[XenopusTex]

Too bad they seem to develop rust issues. Bulldog Pug .44Sp. Cleaned, oiled, and I come back a few months later to find little spots of rust on the thing.

A Ruger Security-Six that needed cleaning, no problem; S&W 629's, no problem; Bulldog Pug, looks like a case of the chicken pox. It's almost as bad as a smaller frame Security-Six in my collection that was in Florida for about a decade without any climate control or care. It's got more rust on it than a S&W 27-2 that was in Florida for decades without climate control or care.

Have a dehumidifier in basement area, etc. The only gun I've got that rusted faster is a Ruger American Rifle, and that one's barrel just keeps turning a red/black.

 

[bannockburn]

XenopusTex

Had the same problem with a Beretta Model 70S. Beretta even reblued it at no cost and still the rust came back. Finally had it hard chrome plated by Ron Mahovsky at Metalife and problem solved.

 

[Drail]

Look at it this way - if it rusts that easily then it is good high carbon steel. And bluing offers virtually no protection - just looks very good. The D.O.D. went to Parkerizing for a good reason. It protects MUCH better than bluing. After years of trying just about every kind of finish out there I'll choose Parkerizing every time.

 

[justin22885]

hmm, wonder how parkerizing or possibly something like cerakote would look on a revolver that the bluing is failing to protect?.. ive been considering cerakoting my redhawk when i get it because i really dont want a bright shiny finish, but i do like the properties of the stainless

 

[BobWright]

For whatever its worth Department:

Years ago I had a Charter Bulldog .44 Special, when they were fairly new on the market. At the time I still had some .44 Russian (Old Remington stuff) and loaded some for my Charter. The shorter cases sure made extraction easier with the short extractor throw.

Bob Wright