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.44SPL. Charter Arms Bulldog SS

6K views 28 replies 13 participants last post by  Loose Noose 
#1 ·
I recently ordered a 2.5" Charter Arms Bulldog in stainless steel at a very reasonable price in comparison to what Ruger is getting for there .44Spl in SS.

I've got a much older one with the 3"barrel but lacking the ejector rod shroud, which is very accurate out to 10 yards or so. I'm wondering if anyone here has the new version of the .44SPL Bulldog with the 2.5" barrel, and what is there impression of the that little revolver, good bad or indifferent.
 
#3 ·
I got one last year at a great price and was surprised at how accurate it shoots. 44 Spl out of the small frame feels less punishing than 357 magnums out of similar sized revolvers. The Bulldog's aren't fancy, they're just a working man's gun and that's never bothered me. Only issue I had was that I recently had to send mine in to replace the transfer bar. Apparently it broke. Happened while dry firing, and yes I dry fired it a lot. Someone I spoke to over the phone explained to me that these aren't meant to be dry fired much. First I ever heard of that...:confused: Besides that they took care of it in a week and the warranty/customer service I experienced was excellent. Oh by the way when you are searching for a holster, I found that leather ones made for the SP101 or Colt Detective Special will fit.
 
#4 ·
I've got an older 'new' model with the 2.5" shrouded rod. Picked it up cheap at a pawnshop and after a thorough cleaning it works great. I rarely carry a revolver for CCW anymore, but if I do feel the urge, the Bulldog works great. My buddy liked it so much he bought a brand new one last summer. They both have fantastic SA pulls even if the DA is a tad heavy. Very tough, reliable revolvers.


However, they are NOT built for sustained high pressure loads. The Ruger is significant sturdier and more 'refined'; hence, the higher price tag (plus demand, plus Ruger makes waaay more different products, etc).

If you're looking to snag one, I would definitely say go for it. A fun little handgun to pack around and shoot...provided you don't hot rod it. I keep mine loaded with 200 gr Gold Dots at ~860-880 fps. Kind of a .44 ACP...:D
 
#5 ·
This one is mine,i'm going to the range this weekend and put a box of fifty rounds through it.I have already put one box of fifty through it. I'm wating on some new Rosewood Hogue Grips I order to change out the rubber one's.That's the only thing I don't like about the CA Bulldog .44 SPL.the rubber grips. Just my opinion.

 
#6 ·
Never owned one. Looked at them a couple times. I liked what I seen, but something more important to me got in the way. Ive looked at the 9mm . I was a bit skeptical on the ejector system as I thought it looked like it had the potential to fail, but folks say they work good. SO,,,, The 45 acp also interested me. .
 
#10 ·
Picked up my gun this Thursday, and then Friday morning took it out to the range for some testing. Note I painted the front sight bright orange prior to trying any shooting, my old eyes just don't pick up that SS front sight anymore. Also took my chronograph out in order to check the difference in velocity between the 2.5" barrel and the 3". Mostly all shooting was done at 15 yards off hand, with the chronograph 6' in front of the muzzle.

The ammo I took with me was Hornady 165grain Critical Defense, 200grn JSWC, and 240 grain lead SWC. The most accurate loads were the Hornady 165grn. Critical Defense ammo, as they all printed about 3-5" groups. The next most accurate rounds were the 240grn LSWC. The 200grn JSWC were by far the worst, and had the lowest velocity (quite probably because they were reloaded back in 02-12-2000 and left in the garage until discovered Thursday evening).

Getting back to the results, the 165grn. produced 917fps out of the 2.5" and 948fps out of the 3" Bulldog. The notice on the box stated that the muzzle velocity was 900fps, so go figure. The 200grain were the most meager of the loadings with 485fps in 2.5" and 550fps out of the 3". The average velocity using the 240grn. out of the 2.5" was right at 635fps and 669fps out of the 3" Bulldog. Below are photos of my range and the firearms involved.

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#11 ·
I had the exact gun awhile back. Loved it's lightness, I used 180 gr Hornaday at the time. It shot a little low, but recoil was manageable. Found it less punishing by far than my sp101. The negatives, the fit/finish were a little rough around the edges, the brushed finish was rough in a couple places. Also after firing it a few times it appeared that there were tiny micro cracks near the forcing cone area. However all in all it was a great little revolver. Not muzzle heavy, very light. Personally I feel the 3" is better for 44 spl it's a big round. But it remains my favorite caliber. When it comes to revolvers I just don't care for the hogue/rubber grips, I prefer wood, but if you shoot one a lot, the rubber can definitely be your friend. They make the classic 3" version too, with the wood grips.
 
#12 ·
I've only shot slightly over 100 rounds thru the 2.5" and can honestly say that I've noticed no loosening up of the crane, or tightness of the cylinder and the lock-up, I also did a complete job of cleaning up the forcing cone, and noted nothing to indicate stress cracks around or near it. BTW the 3" Bulldog has had very close to 2000 rounds thru it and it is still very tight. I will agree with you as to the finish of the satin finish, but it is still acceptable as far as a factory firearm goes.

I recently ordered some of Matt's 250 grain semi-wad cutters with a large hollow point, as well as other projectiles I mentioned earlier.
 
#18 ·
GQucool, If you reloaded the cost would be about $5.50 for a box of 50, if you cast your own bullets or $6.50 if you bought the already cast, of course that doesn't take into account you have a supply of casings, if not for right around $20.00 plus shipping you can get 100 new Starline .44SPL brass from Brownells, note if your order is over $100.00 your shipping and handling is free. BTW I'm not affiliated in any way with Brownells. Just a thought, the .45acp would run you right about the same, and the 9mm and the .3/.357 would be even cheaper.
 
#19 ·
I have done about what you have mentioned with my .327 FM Starline brass and LSWC & copper plated & jhp bullets for it. Plus new Lee Reloading dies etc. I also reload for .357/.38 Spec. I have a 1911 9mm so to me 9mm would be the most desirable caliber to go to plus similar in size to my SP101 3 inch barreled .327FM thats also a 6 shooter. So a 9mm 6 shot revolver would also be nice!!!
 
#20 ·
I recently cast some 240grn SWC bullets, which came out at 230grns, after lubing them with a hard lube (Blue Angel). I loaded them with 4.5grns of Bullseye powder and proceeded out to the range. Out of the 2.5" Bulldog they averaged 709fps with a low of 696fps and a high of 722fps, the 3" Bulldog averaged 729fps with a low of 718fps and a high of 741fps. Note the OAL was right at 1.487". All my shooting was done at 7 yards, however after shooting close to 100 rounds my hands definitely took a beating as depicted in the photo's.

Textile Games


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Wood stain Wood Table Cutting board Hardwood
 
#26 ·
I recently cast some 240grn SWC bullets, which came out at 230grns, after lubing them with a hard lube (Blue Angel). I loaded them with 4.5grns of Bullseye powder and proceeded out to the range. Out of the 2.5" Bulldog they averaged 709fps with a low of 696fps and a high of 722fps, the 3" Bulldog averaged 729fps with a low of 718fps and a high of 741fps. Note the OAL was right at 1.487". All my shooting was done at 7 yards, however after shooting close to 100 rounds my hands definitely took a beating as depicted in the photo's.

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Wow that's some great shooting.
 
#21 ·
Bulldog

I considered buying a Charter Arms bulldog myself. I liked the size for carry and I have always been a fan of the .44 special. The only reason I decided not to is that Ruger is known for building beefy guns that can stand up to hand-loads that are a little stiff...the stiffest in the loading manuals. I reload and like to do that. I could not have done that with the Charter Arms. Other than that personal reasoning I have never heard any reason to avoid Charter Arms. That is a nice looking gun. Shoot often and enjoy it. Congratulations on the purchase.
 
#23 ·
Ohhh, that's purty. :D

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
#24 ·
Carolus64, You are definitely correct in stating that the Ruger is a much beefier firearm than Charter Arms, but both have excellent customer service, I've had the classic since the mid 70's (3' blued .44SPL) and have shot some pretty stiff loads thru it, and it is still pretty tight. At least 2000+ rounds thru it at this point. I too looked at the Ruger GP100 in .44SPL but saw some problems with diameter of the forcing cone and cylinders, and didn't feel like having to send it back to Ruger to have it repaired, not to mention the additional $250.00 in cost between the two. The difference in weight also came into play as far as a carry gun. I also am a reloader, as well as a bullet caster, and do enjoy concocting different loads for those as well as a bunch of other firearms that I own. Incidentally I just recently got a mold from Lee that is 240grn SWC with the use of a gas check possible, should be interesting in developing loads for my little CA Bulldog.
 
#25 ·
Incidentally I generally shoot below maximum loadings in my .44SPL, however when loading for .44 Magnum, I will go all out, as I know my .44Mag Ruger SBH can handle it, as well as my S&W Model 29 can, and for that matter my Ruger .44Mag Semi-auto Carbine will only function properly with full power loads.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Below are the grips I got from HandgunGrips.com, they are the Rosewood grips and only cost $40.00, $46.95 OTD. They are much better looking than my photos show. BTW they came in the mail in less than a week, so I highly recommend them. Do enjoy shooting those little "blunderbusters".

Gun Firearm Revolver Trigger Starting pistol


Gun Revolver Trigger


Revolver Gun Starting pistol Airsoft gun


BTW the fit was excellent, no need to adjust the grips at all, as they fit perfectly.
 
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