Rossi vs Charter Arms

[The_Shootist]

So I check with my local Academy Sports today to see how sparse ammo was and was sorta surprised to see plenty of .38 spl ammo in Monarch or WWB. I mainly carry a 642 so thats cool. No .357/9mm/.45/.22 LR...although the clerk admitted they had lots of 9mm in the morning after the Friday shipment arrived...for about 30 min. Now all gone.

Gun selection pretty thin too - which brings me to my next question:

Saw both a Rossi 3" bbl .44 mag and a Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 spl. Clerk admitted both had been on the shelves for about a month with no takers - $369 for the Rossi and $399 for the Charter. Sign of the times price-wise I guess.

I've always been interested in the .44 spl as a carry round, and am leaning to the Rossi, but am interested in hearing opinions. I'm in no hurry - I'm not crazy about about buying a revolver that I can't get ammo for, but if you were interested in getting either for .44 spl, which one would you go with?

Yeah I know - carried alot - shot a little - maybe a box a month. The Rossi was kinda nice looking with a dark black finish. The fit and finish and construction on the Charter surprisingly looked pretty good and was a good weight for carry.

 

[lowercase]

Can't speak to the Rossi because I don't own one, but my 2012 Charter Bulldog .44 is my EDC. I really like it. It is lightweight, carries and shoots well, and I just like having a big bore snubbie.

I've tricked mine out a little bit with some vintage Bulldog wood grips, light dehorning, and polishing the cylinder & barrel to a satin finish from the original bead blast.

Very cool little gun and I'm glad I made the purchase.

 

[beag_nut]

I have a Charter Mag Pug, and no experience with the Rossi. My advice is to take a CLOSE look at the Charter; mine has the worst rifling I've ever seen in any firearm, with lots of chatter marks. Also, it shot way too low, and I had to machine down the front sight to bring it to point-of-aim. As a 20-foot carry piece it suffices, but I wish I had waited to have the money for a Ruger SP101.

 

[lowercase]

Also, it shot way too low, and I had to machine down the front sight to bring it to point-of-aim.

My Mag Pug .357 was the same way. I took quite a bit off of the front sight.

Fortunately, my Bulldog shoots dead on. It has a much better trigger than the Mag Pug, as well. Go figure.

 

[Nasty]

Very satisfied with my CA 44...been carrying it for years (since the current owners took over again). Trouble free, accurate & reliable. All I need...

 

[rhinoh]

Just got a Charter Pit Bull in 40S&W today- fit and finish are very good contrary to what I've heard. Trigger feels good to me too, again contrary to some info.
Would have been at the range today with it had it not been raining and sleeting- tomorrow it gets shot no matter what

One thing I did notice, mine has no serrations on the front site ramp, don't know if they quit doing that or missed a step on mine, don't really care.

 

[Confederate]

Don't know why you'd want . 44 Spc, but it's your dime. It's a heavy, expensive round with mediocre stopping power; however, it has a psychological effect on bad guys. Given the choice between the two, make mine a Rossi! I've owned both and there's no contest which holds up better. My Charters developed binding problems and I replaced my .38s and my .44 Bulldog for Rossi .38s, one with a 3-inch barrel which I still have. The more I handle it the better it looks. Stainless also is my choice though some prefer blue.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

 

[The_Shootist]

Don't know why you'd want . 44 Spc, but it's your dime. It's a heavy, expensive round with mediocre stopping power; however, it has a psychological effect on bad guys. Given the choice between the two, make mine a Rossi! I've owned both and there's no contest which holds up better. My Charters developed binding problems and I replaced my .38s and my .44 Bulldog for Rossi .38s, one with a 3-inch barrel which I still have. The more I handle it the better it looks. Stainless also is my choice though some prefer blue.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

The Rossi is the way I'm leaning - figure it in 44. mag would stand up to .44 spl loads - even a BB bore type load better than a CA, which seem to have an iffy rep. But yeah, reason I didn't pick up either is ammo availabilty. No point in picking up a revolver that gathers dust for a month while you scrounge for ammo.

 

[Deer_Freak]

The old charters are great. I don't know if I would buy a new charter even though the old owners bought the company back.

 

[Jaymo]

Saying that .44 Spl has mediocre stopping power is like saying that .45 ACP has mediocre stopping power.

 

[Deer_Freak]

Saying that .44 Spl has mediocre stopping power is like saying that .45 ACP has mediocre stopping power.

If you want to get down to brass tacks, yes. I live in a rural area. There is nothing but trees around here. I prefer my self defense weapons to have a bit more velocity and range than either the 45 acp or the 44 spl. If some idiot is taking pot shots at me with a rifle at least I can return fire and have a reasonable chance of hitting the varmint. I have a pellet rifle that sends a pellet down range faster than a 45 acp.

 

[Jaymo]

Velocity does not equal stopping power.
If someone is shooting at you with a rifle, no handgun is going to be a match. Your best bet is to find cover, fast, and get a rifle.
However, your postulated situation is as likely as a zombie apocalypse.
Defensive handguns are short range propositions.
My point is that .44 Spl and .45 ACP are both very good defensive rounds. Both are vastly superior to the .38 Spl, of which I'm also a fan.