Had one in the late 70's. Neat gun! Not a S&W for sure. Not sure about their present day quality. A useful tool. Too bulky for me. I ended up carrying a Detonics .45acp and have carried semis since. Much smaller and easier to conceal. In this day and age I just don't feel comfortable with 5 or 6 rounds in a bulkier package. JMHO, your may be different and I respect that. AC

 

I had one in '79. It was fine, just light and no fun to shoot with anything. My shooting hand's index finger first knuckle stayed bruised until I sold it and bought a 357 Ruger Speed Six that was MUCH easier on me, even with 125 grain Federals.

 

I have one that rides along with me often, mostly when I'm walking around the neighborhood. I like it for what it is, a lightweight thumper.

It is fairly easy to shoot out to 10-15 yards with standard 44 Spl ammo. If you try to hot rod it, it will get painful, fast. They are not the most robust gun in the world, and they will shoot loose fairly quickly if fed hot ammo.

I load any common 200-240 gr cast or plated boolit to standard 44 Spl specs for practice.
I wouldn't hesitate to use the same loads for rabid dogs, on either four or two legs.

 

Make sure you get a good set of grips for it. I have an old CA undercover (38) that I carried for years. I have a 357 tracker (truck gun) that will give your wrists a good work out with stiff loads. I had to put Pachmayr grips on both of them. I picked up another Bulldog last year. I had one back in the eighties. It was a sweet shooter with standard ammo. Not sure what it will be like with SD ammo.

I don't go in harms way so my EDC is a S&W 640. Plenty of choices for ammo and you can get ammo anywhere for it.

 

Had a number of 44 Special Bulldogs since they came out. Never had any problems. Keep the screws tight.

A minimum load of AA#2 with a cast 200 gr RNFP works for a less recoil practice load.

A max load of Unique with a 250 gr Keith makes a good duty load.

For a defense load, the max load of Unique with a Speer 200 gr Gold Dot should be around 900 fps or so. This bullet is specifically made for the 44 Special.

I have been thinking about the 4 inch barreled model for a while and may get one. Had one years ago and it made a great trail companion.

 

I don't have the .44 Special Bulldog, but I do have two of the .38 Special Undercovers. Both are stainless steel framed, with one being a regular five shot Undercover, and the other being a six shot Police Undercover. I have to agree that both are rougher than a Smith & Wesson, however, both are very dependable and accurate. I believe that Charter Arms produces a good, serviceable revolver for the money. I'm not scared to use either one of mine for carry purposes, and really can't say enough about the Charter guns........

 

I'm a fan. I do not own one, never have, but I have did a little research on them this past year. I was thinking of buying one, just never did....yet. They make one to carry called a "Boomer" named after the owners dog that chewed up the handle on the original prototype gun. I REALLY like that one a lot. True, they are not a Smith, but that's never bothered a Taurus revolver owner like me.

DR

 

The shorter the barrel more of a kick your going to have in a 44 mag.

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk

 

I have a stainless 44 Bull Dog with the bobed hammer that is my carry gun. I load 6.5grains of Unique over a 240 grain Laser cast. It's an excellent gun. Shoots great.

 

Like this one?

Old model, 3" w/bobbed hammer. Bill's right about it being a literal pain to shoot...but it is a 19oz .44spl. Light enough to ride in your boot, and mean enough to end most any altercation.

Like the other post said above...it ain't a Smith...but it also ain't for sale.

 

Many moons ago; before I acquired the S&W 36 that I've owned for years and still carry, I carried a Charter Arms Undercover .38 Spl as a back up weapon...back then wheelguns ruled and reliable small autos were few and far between...those on my shift accused me of having it as a drop gun, it was less expensive than comparable snubbies available at the time but it wasn't a Saturday night special either! At the time had I not been restricted to specific caliber (.38 or .357) by department regulations I would have opted for a Bulldog .44 Spl. The pistol I owned was functional, reasonably well made, the finish was cheap compared to a Smith of Colt; but for the money what else could you expect. It was best served with standard factory .38 special loads and was not made for the available +P loads that were in vogue and a must have. I'm sure it's the same now as then, as long as you load any flavor CA with moderate loads they will serve their intended purpose just fine.

 

I like this one, will echo the need for Pachmyrs, and I believe my load with the 240 cast is 5.2 grains of Bullseye.
james

 

I never owned the bulldog but like PWB, I carried a Charter Arms undercover in 38 special back in the 70's. It is a nice revolver. I gave it to one of my sons some years back.

Nothing wrong with a Charter arms revolver!! :beer:

T.S.

 

Thanks all! I have decided to load the 250 grain Keith at 700/750 fps or so....that would ride on the heels of the 45 ACP....but should be a good all around load for what I need. I have some of my 50/50 alloyed water quenched 250's already made up, and if I hollow point them, they should make for a nice expanding bullet that velocity and also reduce the weight of the 250 by a bit. If that bullet will shoot well in the Bulldog that will be my go to load.

Here is the Bulldog out of the box...SA/DA. Would like to eventually go with a clipped hammer spur, a set of home made coco bolo wood grips, and a front sight insert. Need to smooth the trigger and trigger guard (tends to bite the trigger finger of everyone that has shot it), and a few more simple modifications to sweeten it up a bit.

First shots out of the box.....top target single action, 5 shots, and bottom target double action, 5 shots....10 yards. A good starting point!!!

My only gripe with this gun is that there is a lot of daylight between front sight and the sides of the rear sight notch, as noted on the target (horizontal spread). Probably just something I need to concentrate on a bit more!

 

Looks like it is going to be a good shooter. Next the Safari Grade Bull Dog! I found that the factory rubber grips moved around too much, then the trigger guard ends up abusing the "you're number one" finger. I bet the new Pachmyrs with the spongy backstrap would be just the ticket, and I cant wait to see your cocobolos. Have fun with your latest!
james

 

LOL!!!! I like that..."Safari Grade" Bulldog!!!!

 

I have been watching this thread with interest, as I'm a dedicated fan of the 44 Special. I've never owned a Charter Arms revolver but I've shot several of the Bulldogs, and I always felt they were a little light for my tastes. Lightweight guns are great for carrying but not much fun to shoot with defensive loads, so I wound up with the notably heavier Rossi 720, wearing a 3" barrel with a full underlug. The grips fit smaller hands (like mine) extremely well, but if I were ever to replace them I'd get something a good bit wider in profile to spread out the recoil impulse.

My standard 44 Special load is a cast 240-250 grain SWC at about 750 fps, generally loaded with around five grains of whatever pistol powder I have too much of, varying between Unique, Herco, W231 and WST. Try as I might, I can't tell much difference between any of them except that some smell a little better than others! :bandit:

 

PJ; I once too had a Rossi 720 (actually two...the first one had a cracked frame after shooting some mild target loads, and was replaced, the second was good). I sold it to a fella that just had to have it. My only gripe with the Rossi was that it was a bit too heavy, and that the rubber grips would hang up on clothing. On a whim I thought I would try the CA Bulldog ( am also a big fan of the 44 Spec, Mag, etc). The one issue that "detractors" (not necessarily "owners") of the Bulldog relate is that because of its light weight, it tends to shoot loose quicker than a heavier revolver would with suitable defense or multi purpose loads, but most firearms exhibit that same flaw...a continuous diet of hot loads will batter just about any firearm. The CA is of all stainless construction, except for the grip frame (aluminum), so I would think that it would be just as strong as any other "liteweight" revolver, including the offerings by S&W. In lieu of what has been said about the CA, I will work up a good defense/multi purpose load and only use that load for the purpose of carry, be it on the streets or in the woods (carried much, shot little if any)..........and, I will only use light loads for range duty. The load that I shot the target shown in this thread was 4.0 grains of Bullseye and a 240 grain SWC. It shot easily from the Bulldog, very controllable, and recoil was minimal. The rubber grips on the Bulldog are not to my liking and I am in the middle of making a set of coco bolo wood grips to replace them. Also the hammer spur needs to go, and the trigger guard and trigger need to be deburred. Like most CA Bulldogs, this one shoots low, so I will file the front sight to my final carry load, and maybe install a front sight insert and blacken the rear sight for better sight recognition for my old eyes.....................one thing that has been proclaimed by those that own the CA's is that the factory service is top notch, and that these revolvers are guaranteed forever, so if a problem arises it is taken care of fast and free of charge! Anyway, we shall see how this all works out, and I will keep all posted on this thread.

 

Ready for range trip #2

I have got the coco bolo grips roughed in, and need to see how they fit...under fire...may need to make some changes, but right now they feel good. Also loaded up some of my 250 Keith "Y" point bullets with 6.5 Grains of Unique. I will shoot a group and see how they do. I am using my 50/50 water quenched alloy and if these will shoot in this gun, I will save a few for penetration testing. I would "think" that this alloy combined with the "Y" point should make a fast expanding bullet that will be safe and suitable for defensive use. For the field, I believe the same bullet without the "Y" point, or, maybe just a good hardcast 250 Keith should do the trick at a bit higher velocity. Also want to put together a few shot shells as well. So, we shall see what happens on Tuesday and I will report back in.

 

Tested the grips at the range today with the Keith bullets and 6.5 grains of Unique load (chrono 692 fps). The grips were absolutely superb!!! It really makes a difference when you can design a set of grips to fit "your" hands!!!! Others that shot the gun said the grips felt good to them as well. I would not be afraid to shoot full house loads with these grips. The loads shot an inch or under with an occasional flyer (me) at 10 yards and the load shot to the sights. The "silver on silver" sights are terrible, and others that shot the gun said the same...that will change. There are a few more issues that I have with the gun that will be remedied soon, and I think in the end this will be a pretty nifty little carry gun...more to come as the project continues.

 

Finally got phase one complete. The grips are done.....ugly, but boy do they work well. I guess looks aint everything. They are finger grooved, and even have a pinky groove on the bottom of the grip panels, and are 1" across at the back strap. Rock solid hold made for my hands. I also had an issue with the trigger and trigger guard, At the bottom of the trigger the leading edge was square, sharp, and I just couldn't get my trigger finger to feel comfortable...felt like it was being pinched, so, I removed about an 1/8th of an inch, rounded and radiused the tip, and while I was at it I skeletonized the trigger guard......was really awkward trying to get my finger on the trigger quickly. Wish they would fix that trigger and open up that trigger guard a bit. Anyway, now I can grab, trigger finger can be in the safe position, but can slip into the guard easily. I want to complete my load work before I go any further, but when thats done I will rework the action for DAO, give it a DAO hammer, a front sight insert, etc, and maybe give it a few polished parts to jazz it up a bit................

 

Got a question, what is the trigger guard made of? Is it polymer or aluminum? I can't tell on mine, and since you've modified yours, I just want to know what the filings look like.

 

I'm not sure what you would call pretty grips. They look real good to me. I like the way you carried the wood all the way up to the hump. That should allow you to get a higher grip on it.

 

Thanks wreagan! Yes the backstrap arch allows for a higher grip...easier to keep the barrel down under recoil. Jerry Miculek says that staying "on top of the gun" helps with control.....and who am I to doubt him?!?!?!?! Works for me!

 

Good looking grips me thinks!

 

I put a thread up long ago when my brother got one.
Still has it.
Still no S&W by any means.
But a very capable handgun just the same.
Easy shooting with magtech cowboy loads.

 

Yup, no S&W....or Ruger, but the price is right, and any gun can be "made" good. The fit and finish is poor, but thats what you pay for with a big name brand. I always wanted to try one of these since the first time I shot one...about 1971 or 2 maybe. I like the idea of a big bore that weighs only 20 oz (thats what mine weighs with the wood grips), and, with the loads I have shot which are good enough for defensive purposes the recoil is easy cheesy! I am going through the entire gun, and when its done it will be a sweet shooter at half the price of a Smith. Also, one nice thing about CA is the lifetime warranty....and their customer service is top notch..... I talked to their head of QC and they really bend over backwards to make their customers happy.

 

The trigger guard is a 6108 aluminum casting. It has the workability of 6061 T-6.....pretty easy to work with and a nice smooth finish can be obtained.

 

I had to ask, as I read somewhere that the grip frame was "plastic", but I couldn't tell for sure without cutting mine, which I wasn't going to do.

Thanks for the reply.......

 

I'd be careful about hot rodding it over much. A friend has one and he insisted on heavy, Keith type loads. The Bulldog didn't hold up all that long. I don't think it was made for HEAVY loads. My brother has had a Charter Arms Target Bulldog for many years and it's still serviceable but he didn't try to run moose-killer loads thru it.

 

Nope, no hot loads here.....a 250 running 700 to 750 fps is way good enough as a defense round with the alloy and HP that I showed in an earlier post. For field carry I would up that a bit but not much and probably use the same alloy without the HP. This will be (after I get the loads worked up) carried all the time and shot little if any with these two loads. I will put together some light target loads for range duty...something that wont beat the gun up.....probably a couple of grains of Bullseye with a 200 grain SWC. Also trying to get some shot loads working in it as well....No. 9 shot showed a very loose pattern at 10 ft...at 5 ft the pattern was tight and round. Probably try 7 1/2 shot and see if that pattern will tighten up at 10 ft and a duplex load of No. 9 and No. 7 1/2 as well. I am using Speer shot capsules...dont like them much. I have some shot shells that I made for my 44 Mags out of 444 brass that can hold a much heavier dose of shot. If I cant get what I am looking for with the Speer capsules I might give the homemade a try....they worked out very well in the 44 Mags. Anyway, I want this gun to be a 24/7 companion for just about anything I would need it to do...coup de gras, slimy critter, or two legged vermin.