Charter Arms Police Bulldog 32 Mag

[bikemutt]

My Jeep broke down in front of a Pawn Shop today...OK, let me start over

I deliberately drove to a pawnshop today because I can. Needless to say it was picked over something fierce. When I was here last and scored that purdy 586 they had probably 3 or 4 non-nondescript AR15s on the wall; all gone. But that's another story.

I asked to see a Charter Police Bulldog gun that appeared to be in fine condition. The finish on it is quite remarkable in that there are no dings, scratches, wear marks etc. The grip is a Pachmayer. The action seems quite good, at least consistent across all chambers. It is a bit Colt-Detective-Special-ish in that wobbling the locked-up cylinder results in a trigger wobble.

I could not get any information from the counterlady concerning the gun: is it new, old etc.

Adding to my suspicion load is the Iver Johnson next to it chambered for .32, a break gun in perfect cosmetic condition with a blueing that looks so close to the Charter I wondered if they had the same brew date.

Please let me know what you all think about this revolver, is it the real McCoy a resurrected McCoy, or a good re-finish? Or?

 

[rswartsell]

You lost me at .32 HR Mag. Old Charter .44 spl. and you get my attention.

 

[Jaymo]

I would have bought it.

 

[lowercase]

I have a Police Bulldog in .38 special.

Except for the chambering, and adjustable rear sight, it's the same gun. Six-shot, 4" barrel service-style weapon based on the Bulldog frame. That one was made in the 1980s.

Good little gun, but I would offer less for the gun. Maybe $210, and work up to a hard ceiling of $250.

It's not a re-blue. That gun looks original as it gets, just with some ugly Pachmayr grips added. One thing I've noticed about older Charters on the used market is that you can find a lot of them that were "sock drawer guns" that saw very little use. They were a second-tier gun that were often bought by people looking for a budget gun to keep in the house for "just in case". I have 3 vintage Charters that all appear to have ben "sock drawer guns". BTW, all of my vintage Charters have the slight plum-colored hue to their bluing as the one in your picture.

Mine is currently wearing Pachmayr grips, but they are the "Compac" series and look a ton better.

 

[lowercase]

Old Charter .44 spl. and you get my attention.

I have one currently on layaway, and am pretty happy about it. I love the .44s.