Am I crazy??? Charter Arms Bulldog .44

[jc000]

Thx for all the replies--sounds like bulldog's time has come and gone.

[skipper49]

I love the concept, but not so sure about the execution. A couple of years ago, I picked one up in our LGS pulled the trigger, and the trigger stuck in the rearward position.(new gun)
FWIW, John Taffin is a big .44 Bulldog fan.

Skip

[iveschrhis]

What does a 20-ish ounce revolver do for you that you need done? Most loads will not expand out of such short barrels. At this relative light weight, you'll get some thump either deterring good shooting at speed for most.

I might recommend a recent discussion by Doc Roberts and others on the role of J frames/small guns and minimum, acceptable levels of gun-ness here and at 10-8 Forums.

I'd suggest some things to think about.

What do you need? How much risk are you willing to accept?

How much training time are you willing to invest in the suite of skills associated with running a small wheel gun in the perspective of your normal carry, hand to hand proficiency, etc and other self defense considerations?

I looked hard at all of this recently. What got my attention last year was what it took me to reload weak hand only after working through strong hand supported, strong hand only, weak hand supported, then weak hand only (with a pair of Colt Detective Specials and a pair of J-frames). Most folks can measure their reload times - and with five rounds this could happen soon - in geologic eras of time, myself included.

But, I do own a Bulldog at least for a little while longer (it may go on consignment next week at my LGS).

I came by a recent manufacture one in trade about two months ago. The previous owner had dovetailed a night sight in the ramped front sight blade and fitted a pair of boot grips to the frame. This Bulldog is DAO either from the previous owner's rendering or from the factory and has been calibrated it seems for W-W Silvertips.

At five yards this Bulldog shoots five Silvertips into about a 2" diamond as fast as I can put the dot back onto the point of aim. I put Pachmayr Compacs on it to get full-hand purchase on the grip which tightens up things considerably.

I queried the factory about either buying parts or having them convert it to SA/DA with a non-bobbed hammer. Customer Service got right back to me saying either course of action was possible and to just let them know.

Such guns for me are special purpose guns for tertiary requirements like in an ankle holster or an overcoat/parka pocket as an adjunct to my normal carry gun. Other special purpose issues can be snake shot, for example, if live in such areas.

The late Mel Tappan talked about the concept of working guns for everyday carry if self defense was not a primary concern. Such revolvers can be serially loaded for a range - so to speak - of circumstances: a couple of rounds of snake shot, then the balance of the cylinder with JHPs or SWCs at a managable velocity for whatever.

Hope some or all of this helps.

[jc000]

Hope some or all of this helps.

Yeah, that's great, thank you.

I wasn't thinking of putting too much effort into it, maybe a couple thousand rounds a year. I'm leaning now more towards just concentrating on my semi-auto, at least this year. Have a ways to go for proficiency with that.

[Lee D]

i like the .44 Special, and shoot it regularly (CCI Blazer w/the GD bullet) in my Ruger SBH for eliminating smaller critters on my farm(coyote, coon, etc), but imo one of the biggest drawback to the round is the lack of selection concerning factory loaded ammo. alotta folks DONT "roll their own", so what you see on the shelves is what you get.

i feel if the firearms companies would push more new model .44 snubbies out the door and market them well, we might see a rebirth of the round. just like we did when the .380 craze hit the market. unfortunately i dont see that happening.... but i will admit, the newer Bulldogs have been hard to ignore when i come across one at the gun shows. if i didnt like it, it would be a lesson learned, and i wouldnt exactly be out a ton of cash.

[spotch]

Seems like you could get a sp101 in 327 mag if you want more umph than a 38spl but not as much as a 357, and you'd have an extra round to boot!

[Canonshooter]

you're neighbor's dog isn't talking to you, is he? and your dad's name isn't Sam, is it?

My thoughts exactly.

A cool conversation/range piece? Yes.

Something for serious concealed carry in 2012? Too many better choices....

[Dave James]

I love the "bulldogs" and just finished smoothing out two for friends, the "new" Charter Arms, seems to making a good product,but like most lower cost revolvers these days they need some small work done, they still appear to be the same size as the old Colt "Dick SPl" as they fit in my Berns&Martin and Bianchi shoulder rigs that are made for the DS. Don't know about now but about the best load going for the old girls back a few years was the 200 grain Silver tip that winchester had out, short of the hand loaded "man stopper" wad cutter, every thing I shot with it never was a problem again, my first wife still has the one I bought for her back in the 60's, and she suffers from "Bakers cyst" in both wrist, she can shoot it but not a semi-auto any thing any more

[DocH]

I liked that Silvertip load,DJ.Carried it in my 629 with the SO.
Controllable and smacked hard.

[usmcvet]

you're neighbor's dog isn't talking to you, is he? and your dad's name isn't Sam, is it?

Damn it Rob you beat me to it!