I have a Charter Arms Bulldog .44 I bought used, but nearly new, in 1979. Carried it for years.
My favorite load is the Speer 240 gr. lead semi-wadcutter over 6.0 grains of Unique. It's a stiff load in the little Bulldog, because of recoil, but accurate.
Or, I use a hard-cast Lyman 429424 which weighs about 250 grains, over 5.5 grains of Unique.
Forget hollowpoints and softpoints and all those "trick" pistol bullets. The Bulldog can't generate enough velocity to reliably expand hollowpoints and such. You're better off with a bullet with a blunt or flat face, to transfer its energy to the target.
Whatever your load, ensure it has a hard crimp. The little .44 Bulldog recoils like catching a brick from a moving vehicle.
A hard crimp will keep the bullets in the case from shifting forward and tying up the gun.
The Bulldog is also a very good snake gun, when loaded with the .44 shotshells sold by Speer. Each shot capsule carries about half as lead shot as a .410 shell; at close range it's wicked. Beyond about 20 feet, the shot pattern opens considerably.
I live in the remote Utah desert. If I see a snake, I go around him. Snakes are quite beneficial and eat tons of rodents and bothersome insects in their lifetime. But the .44 shotload makes a good pest load at close range if a small animal or snake becomes dangerous or pestiferous.
I just don't shoot animals indiscriminately; that's reprehensible.
Anyway, DEFINITELY get the Pachmayr rubber grips. The wooden grips on the Bulldog are uncomfortable and will HURT when you fire stiff loads.
Even the factory lead load with its 246 gr. lead roundnosed bullet is a knuckle-rapper with the wooden grips.
And please, resist the temptation to "Magnumize" the little Bulldog. It's not designed for it. Recoil is mighty stiff with the factory loads. I can't imagine why you'd want to have more.
Remember, if you carry it for defense, you may not hit or stop your opponent with the first shot. That means, you have a second to get off a quick second, shot.
Loads with heavy recoil will prevent you from getting off a quick, second shot if you need one. A heavy, .44 bullet at even 700 feet per second, at close range, will stop an opponent if it has a good, flat face. This means use the semi-wadcutter design.
I have two HKS speedloaders for my Bulldog. They're great for carrying a quick reload, rattle free. However, semiwadcutter bullets may hang their sharp edge on the edge of the chamber during a quick reload. This may cost precious seconds in a life-or-death situation.
For your reload, it's better to carry a jacketed hollowpoint with a gently sloping nose, or roundnosed lead bullets. They glide into the chamber. They don't stop as well as a flat-faced bullet but I'd rather have the revolver loaded quickly then fumble trying to seat cartridges while an opponent is drawing down on you.
For light practice loads, use the Speer .433 lead ball over 3.0 grains of Unique for about 450 fps. This 120 gr. ball should be fired into sand, soft dirt or a box filled with newspapers. It may bounce back from a rubber tire or hard, flat surfaces.
Bell the case slightly so as not to shave the ball. Seat the ball with its circumference slightly below the case neck. No need to crimp; just straighten out the neck from its belling.
Then, put a drop of Lee Liquid Alox where the ball meets the case wall and rotate the case so the drop of lubricant runs around the ball/case wall seam. Place the case upright and allow to dry overnight.
Or, you can take a bit of bullet lubricant and smear it over the front of the seated bullet. I like the Lee Liquid Alox method because it's faster.
That's all I can think of right now, concerning the Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special.
It's a nice little revolver and very useful. Have fun with it.
