Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns .44 bulldog?

Watched a Hamhock .45 video today which featured the Charter "On Duty" Bulldog in .44 special. I can't watch all the way through on most of his stuff, but I got the idea that he thought it was a pretty decent and economical 5 shooter.

I watched a couple of other short vids on the various bulldogs. I was principally looking for info on it's DA trigger pull characteristics.

Who here owns and uses one? What's your trigger like? Ever had reliability issues? How well can you hit with it?

Also, what did you pay for it? If this revolver is available for ~$400, is it worth considering over the various striker .45 semi-autos which all have a higher capacity, and at only maybe a 20-25% greater initial cost?

I own 2 and have been very happy with them. Daughter-in-law has one and has no issue with recoil. Hits where aimed but not a "target" pistol. Actually I am guessing about that, as my eyes just do not let me shoot pistols like I used to. Primarily point shoot now and they do very well for that.

I have owned 4 in my lifetime and liked them all. One of them, a target 4 inch gun was an excellent shooter. I currently have 2. A 3 inch Original 70's gun and a newer bulldog Pug. I carry and shoot the Pug alot. It is accurate enough for its intended purpose and the trigger isnt bad. It shoots a bit low left for me. The original is a better gun tho. My old 4 inch target model was as accurate as my Smith 66.I let that one go to a buddy and when he passed he left it to his son. I get to shoot it occasionally. I like the .44 special. Still dreaming of a 24/624 tho.

I bought a 3-inch Charter Arms Bulldog for my first wife about 45 years ago. About twenty years ago, she had a minor problem with the double action function, so my younger daughter brought it out for me to look at when she came for her annual deer hunt. I took a look at it, but couldn't see what was causing the problem, so I sent it off to Charter Arms. I had it back in less than a month with one of the best double action pulls it has been my pleasure to shoot.

My ex-wife sold it to our oldest grandson a few years ago. The grandson and his wife have several pistols that they own and shoot, and the little Bulldog is one of their favorites.

I've had a couple of the current stainless 44 special bulldogs and they are quite handy IMO. Trigger is acceptable, price is reasonable. The one I kept is my truck gun. I think they point well, I don't consider a fixed sight gun a target gun, but they are what they are. They are not the gun to hot rod, for sure. I use the Blazer 44 special with a 200 grain GDHP, or cowboy loads. If I want to shoot something hotter, I've got a GP100 3" and a Ruger Flattop 44 special stainless. It's a good personal defense gun. I picked up my current one at the base when they had them on sale probably 3-4 years ago.
I've had a few of the 3" barrel ones but can't seem to hang on to them. I prefer the pachmayr grips for them to the wood.
I remember I used to have a target bulldog the 4" one. My BIL used to do a lot of hiking but never took a handgun. I gave him that handgun, as he lives in Montana and you never know what you are going to run into. Everytime I see him he raves about how accurate it is.

It's really a one of a kind. Very lightweight, due to design and use of aluminum in the trigger guard and grip frame. I've had four (still have three), and find them problem free and reliable. No one else is making, or has made, its kind, a lightweight revolver about the size of a Colt Police Positive, that holds five rounds of .44 Special. If you're a believer in the slow, big, and heavy, school of self-defense handgunning, it's right up your alley.

PS Double and single action trigger pulls aren't S&W K-Frame quality, but more than good enough.

Yep, even back in the 1980s, those were the grips I had on mine. That's almost mandatory on the bulldog. Just about perfect grips for it.

A person I shoot with had one of the old blued ones and it shot pretty well, trigger was decent.
I have a "new" SS, trigger pull is decent, now after 3 trips back if it would just go off when I pulled the trigger, I would not have THROWN it in the back of the safe several years ago.
I try my best to bad mouth my particular gun every time a chance comes up.
All manufacturers make a bad one once in a while and I got that one.

Was gonna be my fishing carry gun.

Send it back again and tell them you want it replaced.

Informative post. I believe the stainless ones are all stainless, thus a bit heavier.

+1 on the replace. Tell them three times is two damn times too many (I'd tell them three times too many, but they'd think that unreasonable.)
That said, if your need for a fishing carry gun is mostly about snakes, I cannot think of a much better choice (a reliable one, that is.)

Looks like a nice gun, TRH.

The stainless ones also have aluminum trigger guards and grip frames. I have one, though mine is blackened stainless.

Here's my third one.

I really like the looks of that one. I know next to nothing about revovlers(I only own one, a Ruger LCR) but I think I'm going to do some research on the Bulldog.

That particular one lives in the trunk of my car.

Have quite a few S&W and Ruger 44 Spcls, but it really makes sense to have one of these as a pocket carry/car gun......See there, just talked myself into another handgun!

I'm pretty sure a friend used to own one that was all stainless, so I guess they changed. I've never been a fan of aluminum grip frames on Ruger and Colt single action revolvers, but I like the concept on what I call "pure utility" guns, and I consider the Bulldog to be in that genre.

I have never understood people buying cheap handguns. My feeling is if you are trying to stay alive then whatever it costs is worth it.
A cheap pistol is like a submarine with a screen door.
I do like the 44 Special cartridge and would like one in a j frame S&W.
whelennut

Yep. The Bulldog fits the utility gun genre perfectly. Mine makes a pretty good snake gun for when I’m hunting arrowheads. It stays loaded with the first two rounds being CCI snake shot, and the others being CCI Blaser HP rounds.