Charter Arms Bulldog

[Diggers]

Anyone here own one of these .44's? Hows the quality?

 

[White Horseradish]

I have an older one. Works fine, shoots well, especially when point-shooting. Hard to find ammo, I had to load my own. Recoil is noticeable but not prohibitive. The finish isn't as good as a Smith, but functional.

There are two things to watch out for. The ejector rod head might loosen - this is more a problem of older Charters, but something to watch for on newer ones. Loctite is your friend, be sure to degrease before using it. The other problem is that pins of the action might walk out. This only happens on extended range sessions, never while carrying. I push them back in and don't worry. Maybe I will get them restaked at some point.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Way back when Charter Arms made a great revolver. Then the company hit hard times and went through several owners including Charter Arms 2000, none were good at making a quality revolver. Now that the Ecker family is back at Charter Arms they are again making high quality revolvers as good or better than the originals. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if I were in the market for another revolver.

 

[rogertc1]

New Bulldogs don't have any ejector rod head to come loose. LOL
http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_44_Special_24420.html

 

[White Horseradish]

How so? What is that knurled bit on the end of the ejector?

 

[rogertc1]

Part of the rod. Machined in. The older oned...pre barrel shrold had them exposed like say a Colt 1917...which could come unscrewed too. Which is not a big deal.
Old Bulldog:

 

[rogertc1]

here is a crapy Colt 1917..note part

 

[White Horseradish]

Part of the rod. Machined in.

Ah, ok. That makes sense.

Yeah, it's not a big deal, gun will still fire without it. Still, it's just something to keep an eye on.

 

[rogertc1]

Right

 

[Diggers]

But the new bulldogs don't have this part....yes? I like the looks of this and the caliber for a gun to take fishing when I'm hiking hiking into a spot on the river. Put some semi wadcutters in there and I think it would be good for most everything in California

 

[Drail]

A Charter Arms Bulldog has been my main carry gun since 1987. The thing about Charter Arms guns is - there's some pretty good ones and some really awful ones out there. A person needs to be able to thoroughly examine one and determine if it is free of defects before buying one. In other words, if you're not a revolver guru, find someone who is and take them with you to look it over closely. I have never personally dealt with their customer service dept. but I have heard some horror stories in years past (90s) but much better reports over the last 7 or 8 years. If you can find a good one you will love it as a daily carry, they are so light you can actually wear it all day and almost forget it's on your person. If you are recoil sensitive it's not for you. Loaded with a 200 gr. bullet at 800 to 900 fps it will usually get the job done. Be very carefull when considering a used one as a LOT of people have tried to feed these guns "Elmer Keith" level handloads and they don't last long on that kind of diet. It's a type of gun that is meant to be carried a lot and shot a little.

 

[snooperman]

I have one of the older type ....

made in 1983 and have carried it while hiking etc for years and have shot it much without any problems. I think the new oines are better made than mine and I would nor hesitate to buy another one. I like the 44 special and the Charter bulldog is a good choice. The recoil is a bit much but it is a carry gun not a range gun.

 

[White Horseradish]

Mine has rubber Pachmayr grips and recoil is very manageable. Granted, I used relatively light loads, but from everything I read these guns get less accurate with more velocity.

 

[Diggers]

Thats the grip I would put on it. I would buy new just because of the quality issues. Hummm tempting

 

[joed]

I have friends that have the older blue versions and like them. Because of that I bought a new one in 2006. The owner of the gunshop where I ordered warned me against buying a new Charter. Said he'd order it for me but would have nothing more to do with it. One look at the gun when it arrived would tell you it was made cheaply with no concern other then making a profit.

The same time I got the gun I also bought a box of Blazer 200 gr gold dots and made a trip to the range. With the target 10 feet away the gun shot 10" left and 10" low. Keep in mind that the target was 10 feet away. The Bulldog shaved jackets and the cylinder would bind. The best way to use this gun for self defense would be to throw it at your attacker and run, I doubt they could shoot it and hit you it was so inaccurate.

Because of my experience I bash Charter every chance I get now. After I sold my Bulldog the owner of the gunshop where I bought it called me and asked me to come in. He handed me a Taurus 445 which is pretty much the same size and chambering as the Bulldog. The Taurus is easily three times the gun a Charter is. I paid $260 for it. The little Taurus is very accurate and much better made. Unfortunately it's no longer in production.

The last good laugh I had at Charter Arms was a commercial on the Internet where the owner of the company was demonstrating how well the new Bulldog performed on an IDPA course. I laughed wondering how many hundreds of guns he pulled off the assembly line till he found one that worked reliably and shot straight.

I know someone is going to say "They're not the same now". My answer to that is go waste your money on junk, I'm smarter now.

 

[waidmann]

Had one since 1978, my first "over 21" purchase. In those days it was cowboy level loads or handloads. I have never shot anything hotter and it has never given me any trouble. Total consumption, maybe 500 rounds.

If this was a do-over I'd look at Taurus and Rossi pre-owneds.

 

[Kentucky_Rifleman]

rogertc1 said:

here is a crapy Colt 1917..note part

If you find any of those crappy Colt 1917s, please let me know. I'll take them in and give them a good home.

KR

 

[joed]

If you find any of those crappy Colt 1917s, please let me know. I'll take them in and give them a good home.

KR

That was my thought too. I haven't owned many Colts but I would love to own one of the older ones, especially in a large caliber.

 

[Leathermarshmallow]

I have a newer Charter Arms Bull dog in .44 tiger stripe. It has been a great gun so far. I carry it often and my wife loves to shoot it more than any of my other guns. She wants her own.

 

[joed]

Here's a Taurus 445, same size, same chambering. Just much better made.

 

[rogertc1]

Yep buy something made in Brazil. heck with the Made in the USA gun companies. As Joed mentioned they are junk.

 

[Diggers]

.....I smell sarcasm.

 

[White Horseradish]

Joed, have you contacted Charter? Did they offer to make it right?

Having ONE bad example is hardly a good basis for bashing an entire company. I have a Taurus that doesn't work right. Does that mean Taurus is crap?

 

[joed]

White Horseradish, yes I did contact Charter. I was told to send the gun back which I did. Charter had if for about 1 month and sent it back. The cylinder would still bind and it was almost as inaccurate as when I first got it. They wanted me to send it back again but at that point I gave up as they had possession of it longer then I did.

My friends with the older Charters are quite happy with theirs. I've even tried theirs and the earlier ones are decent. From what I've seen the new ones are hit or miss.

Being under new ownership again maybe they'll get better. I've seen a few posts from members here that have had decent luck with the newer guns. Mine was bad, once bitten is enough for me at $300.

 

[Prosser]

I watched a gunsmith pull three new Taurus Judges out of the box. The retailer didn't want to sell them until they were checked by a gunsmith. Two were fine.
The third had a SERIOUSLY bent base pin, that stopped the gun from firing. The base pin had to be bent straight, prior to the gun working.

Draw your own conclusions.