Charter Arms Bulldog .44

[Cold Steel]

I was reading about the Charter Arms Bulldog earlier today and it got me thinking about a stainless steel version I had back in the 80s. I got a .38 Spc snubbie and the Bulldog. The former always seemed a bit fragile, but I loved the looks of the Bulldog, especially the tapered barrel. Alas, both guns failed after shooting them double action. The snubbie was the only small frame .38 I could find, as only cops could get S&W 60/36 models. As for the Bulldog, it was the only thing I could find that would fit in my pocket.

My problem with both guns is that when they got hot, they would bind to such an extent that I would have to wait until they cooled off before they would work again. I had a good friend who was a Treasury agent and he got a Bulldog as well, and he had similar problems with his. I sold mine to another LEO with full disclosure, but my friend and the guy I sold it to kept them strictly for self defense. One could easily get two cylinder-fulls before each of these Bulldogs before they would got hot enough to act up, so after cleaning them they used them only for carrying. I don't recall what I did with the .38, but I didn't keep it.

Now that the Bulldogs are being made again, I don't know whether they have problems or not. Do any of you have have them and if so, did they work pretty well? Later, I got a couple of stainless Rossi 3-inch .38s. I ended up selling one to a friend and the other is here in the drawer and I've never fired it. They are gems! They had no tool marks and came with a high polish! Many S&W stainless revolvers come with horrible finishes, like someone used sandpaper on them, and the only difference between quality between them and the S&W 60 I later acquired is the scrolling on the ejector rod. It's a bit better on the S&W, but the Rossi functional seems to be every bit as good as the Smith.

But about the Bulldog, does anyone have one? And if so, any problems? (Oh, one more thing. How much is the stainless Bulldog going for there days?)


S&W 60 (top) and Rossi M88.




Rossi 3-inch M88

 

[Magnumite]

I thought there was a thread awhile back on the C.A. Bulldogs….I don’t revall any modern manufacture mentioned. A search may turn something up

 

[John from MD]

I was reading about the Charter Arms Bulldog earlier today and it got me thinking about a stainless steel version I had back in the 80s. I got a .38 Spc snubbie and the Bulldog. The former always seemed a bit fragile, but I loved the looks of the Bulldog, especially the tapered barrel. Alas, both guns failed after shooting them double action. The snubbie was the only small frame .38 I could find, as only cops could get S&W 60/36 models. As for the Bulldog, it was the only thing I could find that would fit in my pocket.

My problem with both guns is that when they got hot, they would bind to such an extent that I would have to wait until they cooled off before they would work again. I had a good friend who was a Treasury agent and he got a Bulldog as well, and he had similar problems with his. I sold mine to another LEO with full disclosure, but my friend and the guy I sold it to kept them strictly for self defense. One could easily get two cylinder-fulls before each of these Bulldogs before they would got hot enough to act up, so after cleaning them they used them only for carrying. I don't recall what I did with the .38, but I didn't keep it.

Now that the Bulldogs are being made again, I don't know whether they have problems or not. Do any of you have have them and if so, did they work pretty well? Later, I got a couple of stainless Rossi 3-inch .38s. I ended up selling one to a friend and the other is here in the drawer and I've never fired it. They are gems! They had no tool marks and came with a high polish! Many S&W stainless revolvers come with horrible finishes, like someone used sandpaper on them, and the only difference between quality between them and the S&W 60 I later acquired is the scrolling on the ejector rod. It's a bit better on the S&W, but the Rossi functional seems to be every bit as good as the Smith.

But about the Bulldog, does anyone have one? And if so, any problems? (Oh, one more thing. How much is the stainless Bulldog going for there days?)


S&W 60 (top) and Rossi M88.




Rossi 3-inch M88

Usually the problem you describe can be traced back to too small of a gap between the cylinder and barrel. You may even have a lead/carbon build up at the cylinder gap that will give similar symptoms.

I carried a Rossi 721 .44 spl for some time back in the '80's. It never failed and was very accurate for an inexpensive pistol. I'm afraid I don't know anything about the guns made today.

 

[RFBfromDE]

The only modern Bulldog I’ve seen in the wild was at Heritage near Frederick some weeks ago. I didn’t handle it but you could. I’m pretty sure it was blued but maybe they could get you a stainless if you dig it.

 

[Cold Steel]

The only modern Bulldog I’ve seen in the wild was at Heritage near Frederick some weeks ago. I didn’t handle it but you could. I’m pretty sure it was blued but maybe they could get you a stainless if you dig it.

Doest thou recall the price of said pistol?

 

[SavageShooter]

I've got the Bulldog in .44 Special stainless steel. It's from the early 90's. Charter never stopped making them. I handload the .44 Spec. For the Bulldog I use the minimum powder loads with 210 grain bullets. Better accuracy than factory. Never had mine bind. Keep 'em clean and use synthetic oil not petroleum based oil which can gum up.

 

[RFBfromDE]

Doest thou recall the price of said pistol?

I only recall that it did not seem crazy expensive, so mebbe $4 but less than $5 hundy?

 

[goldcup1911]

S and S Guns in Huntington, MD has a Stainless shrouded hammer Bulldog listed on their website for $ 439.99.

 

[goldcup1911]

S and S Guns in Huntington, MD has a Stainless shrouded hammer Bulldog listed on their website for $ 439.99.

Huntington, MD

 

[goldcup1911]

Huntington, MD

Spell Check is killing me. Huntingtown, MD

 

[Cold Steel]

Usually the problem you describe can be traced back to too small of a gap between the cylinder and barrel. You may even have a lead/carbon build up at the cylinder gap that will give similar symptoms.

I carried a Rossi 721 .44 spl for some time back in the '80's. It never failed and was very accurate for an inexpensive pistol. I'm afraid I don't know anything about the guns made today.

Yeah, that actually was one of the first things I checked. The b/c gap was .005, which didn't seem like it should have been a problem. I also checked to see where it was binding and it was in the crane area. The .38 also was binding much more than the Bulldog.

I'm thinking it might have been the stainless steel was the cause. The Ruger Security-Six stainless guns were fine, and at the time all I had was a 6-inch and 4-inch guns, and both of those had .004 b/c gaps, yet they never gave me any issues. My Rossi .38 has a .005 b/c gap, same as the Bulldog (don't recall the b/c gap of the .38, but I don't think it was an issue). At the time, I wanted my guns to have .004 gaps, but later, Skeeter Skelton wrote that he thought the sweet spot was .006.

 

[Johnconlee]

I’ve got an old bulldog 44 it can go 25 rounds at least with no issues.

 

[owldo]

Wasn't the Charter Arms BullDog .44 Magnum Son of Sam's Go to weapon of choice ?

 

[Brickman301]

Wasn't the Charter Arms BullDog .44 Magnum Son of Sam's Go to weapon of choice ?

Yes. But it was 44 special, not magnum.

 

[Magnumite]

I don’t think the Bulldog frame is strong enough to handle magnum pressures. Cylinder is thin, too.

The 44 Specisl Bulldog I had would skip chambers in fast DA work.

 

[N3uka]

You all have me confused now. I swore I had a Charter Arms 44 magnum snubnose 6 shot? Will have to dig out of safe and check what it is. One of the first revolvers I purchased many years ago.

 

[LGood48]

From Wikipedia:
Five models of the Bulldog have been produced, allowing customers to choose between: .44 Special and .357 Magnum cartridges,

 

[DutchV]

Tombstone Tactical has the Bulldog On Duty (stainless with shrouded hammer) for $372 & free shipping:

Bulldog On Duty Revolver .44 SP 2.5in 5rd Stainless

<p>Charter Arms CHT BULLDOG OD 44SP DA 2.5SS * Model: Bulldog * Caliber: 44SP * Action: Double Action * Capacity: 5 * Finish: Stainless Steel * Stock: Rubber Grips with Finger Grooves * Sights: Fixed * Barrel: 2.5" * Length: 7.25" * Features: Semi-Concealed Hammer/ Shrouded Ejector Rod</p>

tombstonetactical.com

 

[Cold Steel]

You all have me confused now. I swore I had a Charter Arms 44 magnum snubnose 6 shot? Will have to dig out of safe and check what it is. One of the first revolvers I purchased many years ago.

The Bulldog was a 5-shot revolver, so I reckon you might be talking about some other revolver.

 

[dwb1987]

My coworker/shooting buddy has a more recently made bulldog. It's neat, but it will intermittently misfire, light striking maybe 1/10 rounds. Seems to do it with multiple brands, not sure what the problem is. Other than that the fit and finish is pretty good.