Compact .44 Special Revolver?

[Ohio Rusty]

Mtelow: The .44 Pug will be my next pistol, I've already started collecting .44 brass and reloading equipment for that gun. My Dad had a Buick LeSabre like your Pug. He had it in th shop 4 times last year until they finally got it right. Because of his car, it would be easy to say every Buick ever made is junk. If your pistol has problems or that cylinder needs replaced...you send it back again, and you take them to task until they get it right !! Sometimes you need to stand on folks to get them to do it right. I absolutely refuse to send my money to Brazil or any other foreign country. We BMC constantly about stuff being outsourced to mexico or China, but don't stand behind our American workers and makers. Sometimes man made stuff doesn't come out right, that is what warranties are for. Use yours to make Charter Arms do what is expected of them, and I think in the end you'll end up satisfied. I look forward to getting my .44 Pug as I'm saving my pennies for that future purchase. If the new one comes in, and after I check it over and I'm unhappy with it, I'll make the dealer order another one. I personally beleive that the .44 special is one heck of a fine personal defense round and will slow down an attacker quickly. It's got plenty of killing power ..... and that has been tested because Son of Sam proved that !!
Ohio Rusty

 

[jsmosby]

Compact .44 Special Revolver

I have a Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special 3" barrel that I purchased in 1980. It's in excellent condition; fires reliably; and is capable of getting the job done within the standard shooting distance. It is also a small frame which makes it relatively concealable for a wheelgun. I have carried it both as a primary and a backup piece.

My chief concern about the gun is the DA trigger pull -- it's a bit stiff. I have been talking with a gunsmith who thinks that he may be able to exchange the springs for Colt springs since Charter Arms apparently took over the Colt plant in Brazil at some point (at least that's what he told me).

I don't know what the new Charter Arms pieces are like. But I would definitely explore them.

JS Mosby

 

[michael_aos]

I wish Smith & Wesson would bring back the Model 696. It really looks sweet.

None of the current offerings in 44SP are stainless.

 

[ARTiger]

Not exactly a pocket gun, but Smith has the 21 in a "non Thunder Ranch" version with a 4" pencil barrel and round grip. Still a N frame, but could probably be concealed well with the right holster rig.

Here's a pic. . .

 

[norfdet893]

Stainz, if you ever want to trade-off or sell that S&W 296Ti please put me first in line!

On another note, I have a Charter Arms Bulldog (circa 1983) that I just bought. I like the gun and after firing about 50 round the other day it was not as bad recoil wise as I expected. Ammo is horribly expensive and difficult to find locally but it can be done. The most of what I find are the 240gr cowboy loads which I think are too heavy to put through the Bulldog (just my opinion). I am now on the lookout for any other 44 specials.

 

[bestseller92]

Until someone makes a quality .44 Special snub, I'd recommend a Ruger SP101 .357. It's more powerful, and very high quality.

 

[Logan5]

I've got a 296 as well, and yes, I absolutely love it. It's not nearly as tough to shoot as you'd expect. Before the 296 came out, I aquired a really wierd .44 special revolver from my then local Pawn & Gun... 1934 vintage Colt New Service, chopped, ported, electroless nickled with an adjustable sight grafted on. I guess I'm saying that if you look long enough, you'll find that someone has had to have something like what you want custom built, then sold it and left it sitting in the used gun case somewhere. It was cheap, too.