Bulldog 44 Spl

[Zendude]

Is the recoil on the Bulldog similar to a 357 mag, or a 38+P from a revolver of similar weight as the Bulldog?

 

[Fiv3r]

I actually looked at one of these in the case at Academy the other week. For the price it looked functional and seemed light enough to carry.

However, .44 special is rare and expensive locally unless you reload. I guess when I do settle on a big bore revolver I'll go with something in .44 mag or one of the .45s.

 

[rodinal220]

Sounds like you have a Bulldog with the bobbed pocket hammer,those were made between 1982-1988ish. Charter Arms became Charco and later Charter 2000,QC wasn't the best under those monikers.

Charters as stated before are either a love hate gun.I have had excellent service from my vintage Charters and my newer SS Charter Bulldog has been accurate and reliable.

When the Bulldog came out in 1973 many tried running Skeeter Skelton .44spl loads thru the little Charter,it wont hold up,get a Ruger.

I wish Buffalo Bore would make a 200gr full wadcutter 800-850fps load.

 

[Drail]

The .44 Spl. cartridge has become a handloader's round. And a 200 gr. bullet at 850-900 fps IS the perfect round for a Bulldog (and it's about all you can ask from the gun). I have loaded .44 Spls. for many years and it is a great round with not enough guns chambered for it IMO. Handloaded - it's about as good as it gets in a controllable big bore handgun round (especially from a lightweight big bore handgun). The major ammo companies pretty much stopped supporting the cartridge many years ago unfortunately. First the .357 killed it off. Then the .44 Mag. killed it off - again. But it just won't die.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I wish Buffalo Bore would make a 200gr full wadcutter 800-850fps load.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=282

You're welcome.

 

[rodinal220]

Cooldill,those loads are still too hot for the Charter,they need a load that gets 800-850 out of the Bulldogs 3" barrel or the Pugs 2.5". I know they say its safe for the Charter but Buffalo's ammo is always towards the warm side.

Buffalo Bore:920 fps - Charter Arms Bull Dog, 3 inch barrel.The load is listed as a 1000fps load,still a little to warm IMHO for the Charter.

Per Buffalo Bore:
1036 fps - Ruger Super Black Hawk, 5.5 inch barrel
971 fps - S&W MT Gun, 4 inch barrel
948 fps - S&W Mod. 396, 3 inch barrel
920 fps - Charter Arms Bull Dog, 3 inch barrel
913 fps - S&W Mod. 296, 2 inch barrel

 

[Tallball]

I love 44 special. It is a low pressure round. Recoil has never been an issue for me, even with light alloy framed revolvers.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Cooldill,those loads are still too hot for the Charter,they need a load that gets 800-850 out of the Bulldogs 3" barrel or the Pugs 2.5". I know they say its safe for the Charter but Buffalo's ammo is always towards the warm side.

Buffalo Bore:920 fps - Charter Arms Bull Dog, 3 inch barrel.The load is listed as a 1000fps load,still a little to warm IMHO for the Charter.

Per Buffalo Bore:
1036 fps - Ruger Super Black Hawk, 5.5 inch barrel
971 fps - S&W MT Gun, 4 inch barrel
948 fps - S&W Mod. 396, 3 inch barrel
920 fps - Charter Arms Bull Dog, 3 inch barrel
913 fps - S&W Mod. 296, 2 inch barrel

You can buy a Lee loader hand tool with everything needed to reload your own .44 special ammo for something like $30 if you want to give it a try.

As to recoil, the Bulldogs are a bit snappy but not bad. I think they are actually pretty fun to shoot, but I just didn't trust MY Bulldog and even if it did work properly, I still felt it was both too big and too small at the same time.

JMHO.

YMMV.

 

[Merle1]

I stoke my 4" target bulldog with Federal 200 gr LSWC-HP. I don't have a chrono, but the recoil isn't bad at all. If I expected big trouble, I would load the Buffalo Bore, as a few rounds will not wear out the gun.

 

[Drail]

All of you guys with your Buffalo Bore loads in a 19 oz. revolver just kill me. You're throwing a 200 grain (or heavier) .44 bullet. It has plenty of power at moderate speed if you can just hit the bad guy. If you can't - high pressure high velocity ammo isn't going to help. People were killing each other for 100 years with black powder .44 revolvers that maybe gave 700 fps.. The .44 Spl. is enough in standard loading. So is the .45 Colt. All of these high performance rounds were developed back when everyone carried a .38 Spl.- which IS an underpowered round and needs all the help it can get. Not true with a .44 Spl.

 

[Elm Creek Smith]

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

The Charter Arms Undercover that my brother carried flying missions during the Vietnam War was looking a bit the worse for wear, so, for his birthday a few years back, I had it Parkerized. It looks good, and, more importantly, my brother loves it!

 

[Drail]

Good Parkerizing is awfully hard to beat.

 

[shootr]

A lot of folks like this for Charter - https://www.underwoodammo.com/bull-dog-44-special-200-grain-bonded-jacketed-hollow-point/

I'm on their "notify" list and haven't tried it, but some Magtech .44 lead, flat nose Cowboy Action loads shot pretty well in my new Mfg 3" Classic model. IMO, recoil was more 'medium-heavy' than 'snappy' and the gun was downright fun to shoot. Accurate enough to keep in the 9/10 ring at 10 yards and repeatedly hit a 10" gong at 25.

 

[Gordon]

The WW Silvertip .44 spl load is very accurate and on the rotten hunk of tri tip I fired it into opens up more than a little . It is stout in the light .44 spl guns I have but what isn't ? It is tolerable tho in my 19 oz Scandium S&W or my olde Bull Dog.
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http://image.sportsmansguide.com/adimgs/l/1/10649_ts.jpg

 

[Frank V]

If you use one of the good 200gr .44-40 bullets you can get over 900fps from them in a Bulldog while recoil is snappy, it's controlable.

 

[Panzerschwein]

The WW Silvertip .44 spl load is very accurate and on the rotten hunk of tri tip I fired it into opens up more than a little . It is stout in the light .44 spl guns I have but what isn't ? It is tolerable tho in my 19 oz Scandium S&W or my olde Bull Dog.
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http://image.sportsmansguide.com/adimgs/l/1/10649_ts.jpg

Hey Gordon, do those HKS speedloaders seem to have lots of wobble to the rounds? The CA-44s I got a while back held the cartridges so loose, I wasn't sure if I get defective ones or not!

 

[35 Whelen]

That load is a LONG way from too hot for the Bulldog:

http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/Brian Pearce on the 44 Special.pdf Pg. 6/40, second paragraph.

I've fired some handloaded 250-ish gr. SWC's that ran 835 fps i n my old '70's Bulldog and recoil was incredible.

35W

 

[Frank V]

To answer the recoil question, recoil is about like a light .357. You can't get something for nothing with handguns & a light gun is going to recoil. They are very shootable with say the WW 200gr Silvertip & similar ammo.

 

[Dframe]

Mr Newtons laws still apply. The lighter the gun the more it recoils. I've found the bull dog to be a serviceable piece for those with an eye toward economy. It is not as finely polished and fitted as many but also costs considerably less. Practice much with light loads and load service ammunition if needed.

 

[Tallball]

I use the Cowboy type ammo in mine, or my FiL's similar reloads. With that kind of ammo the recoil isn't much different than a 38. Due to the light frame, I would think that spicier loads could border on unpleasant.

 

[PapaG]

I have one of the first 44 Bulldogs and use the Lyman 429421 hollow point with 6.5 grains of Unique. These are aluminum frame and light weight. Nice to carry.
I can remember old George Nonte shooting the shroud loose on one when the first came out and he figured he could hot rod it.
I carry mine down at the Hill when mushroom hunting. Two rounds of shot, three of hollow point. Nothing poisonous but now and then a muskrat or barn rat comes along.

 

[Frank V]

Another nice thing about the Bulldog is the cartridge. It can be loaded just about any way you want. I wouldn't hotrod the Bulldog, but it can stand loads that'll be effective, accurate, & depending on the load easy to shoot!
I've loaded it with Trailboss & come up with very accurate loads that were pleasant to shoot. Probably not real high velocity, but fun & accurate to shoot. It can be loaded heavier too! Great gun & cartridg combination.

 

[ST1959]

I have a CA .44 with the shrouded hammer. Have run 1,000 rounds through it without any blips. I've dry-fired it several thousand times to smooth out the trigger. I have no complaints with it. I bought it about a year ago, new. I keep it clean and oiled. Does it have the fit and finish of a SW? No. Is it built as well as a Ruger? No. But it goes bang every time. I was very hesitant about buying this gun, as I was well aware of the negative talk about CA. I'm really quite happy with mine. It's a $350.00 gun (or was a year ago) and worth every penny.

 

[Thunderchicken]

I've been happy with mine too, especially for $325 when Gander Mountain apparently had trouble moving it. Funny--I walked through the day before Thanksgiving and saw they'd repriced for the holiday: a new Bulldog was priced at $699 (along with some other ... odd choices).

 

[the Black Spot]

I have an older bridgeport model in stainless, with the wood target style grips. I carry mine often stoked with 240 xtp's.