Current Breed of Charter Arms Firearms

[JHT]

Does anyone have firsthand knowledge of the current production quality of Charter Arms revolvers, in particular their .44 caliber Bulldog?  It is common knowledge that the quality of their production has varied with their change in owners.  I have always been impressed with large diameter slow moving rounds and a quality firearm with a 3" barrel pushing .44 caliber slugs certainly would gain the attention of those on the receiving end.  Regards, JHT

[Savage]

I too am a fan of snubbies, especially big bores! A couple of years ago, a friend of mine bought a .44 Charter in SS. We shot it a little and found it of perform pretty well with the factory ammo we had. On the first range trip the cylinder locked shut, and would not open, due to the ejector rod loosening up. A drop of loctite would fix that problem if the factory hasn't addressed it by now. He carried the gun for a while and traded it off. Never heard him say anything bad about the gun, and he trades guns  a lot. So that is not unusual. I have considered buying one myself, just haven't gotten around to it. For the asking price, you couldn't get hurt too bad even if it was a piece of junk. If I ran across one at the right moment, I'd own it.
Savage

[Reed1911]

My opinion is that they are priced right for what they are. Low priced, okay quality. The two that I sell (.44 SP and 32 H&R) I've pulled samples from the orders and found that triggers are pretty gritty but can be cleaned up quite quickly and easily with just general knowledge of the internals. They pull apart easy, they are not very tight but tight enough for close in work same for accuracy. The biggest thing is that trigger, in DA there is just too much that needs to be done, if you DIY its no problem, take it to a smith and you are looking at 200.00 worth of work. I don't think I'd rely on it as my SD gun, but as a lightweight backpacker or tool box gun they are fine.

[coyotejoe]

I've had two of the stainless bulldog 44's. I couldn't entirely trust them. They were prone to misfire in double action mode which is the way they would be used in a confrontation. With selected loads they were both more accurate then I would have expected. However, when I twisted one barrel to get it to shoot center I discovered the barrel was not threaded to the frame, just knurled and pressed in. After some shooting that barrel backed out of the frame a bit. Unfortunately no other manufacturer makes a .44 quite so small and light, too bad it isn't better built.

[canon6]

As I have stated before I have had CharterArms since1974 or  1975, I have two now( 38 spec44spec) and have never had a problem out of them.I pull the trigget they go bang,nuff said    Doug

[JHT]

Thank you for your thoughtful remarks.  I believe that is was best stated when several replies indicated that 'you get what you pay for.'  This does not demean the Charter Arms line, rather it shows that most consumers are aware that the quality of low priced items naturally lack the expected quality of items that have higher price tags.  Again, thanks and regards.  JHT

[Ghugly]

I've had two of the stainless bulldog 44's. I couldn't entirely trust them. They were prone to misfire in double action mode which is the way they would be used in a confrontation. With selected loads they were both more accurate then I would have expected. However, when I twisted one barrel to get it to shoot center I discovered the barrel was not threaded to the frame, just knurled and pressed in. After some shooting that barrel backed out of the frame a bit. Unfortunately no other manufacturer makes a .44 quite so small and light, too bad it isn't better built.

My son and I both have newish .44 Bulldogs and have put a few thousand rounds through each of them.  I can't really comment on their double action dependability with store bought ammo, since we've only fired one box of 50 through one of them.  I have found that they are not fond of Winchester LP primers and will, on occasion, misfire in double action.  I hand load using Federal primers and haven't had any problems at all with them.  My current standard load is 6.5gr of Unique behind a 250gr 429421.  I have gone as far as 9.3gr of Unique with the same bullet (not for the weak of heart, or hand), with no ill effects to either gun or shooter (and the cases still fell out of the cylinder when upended).  I absolutely and strongly recommend that you stay away from that load.  I had some sort of scale/brain malfunction that ended with 50 of them going through my Bulldog (it was interesting seeing everyone on the firing line stop and stare).  The Bulldog is a lot stronger than some give it credit for.

[Ghugly]

Does anyone have firsthand knowledge of the current production quality of Charter Arms revolvers, in particular their .44 caliber Bulldog?  It is common knowledge that the quality of their production has varied with their change in owners.  I have always been impressed with large diameter slow moving rounds and a quality firearm with a 3" barrel pushing .44 caliber slugs certainly would gain the attention of those on the receiving end.  Regards, JHT

I think I can safely guarantee that a 20oz Bulldog pushing 250gr bullets at better than 1000fps will get the attention of everyone, giver, receiver, bystanders. etc.

[Dan Chamberlain]

Can't comment on the newer guns with the exception of saying they have a unique action that you won't find in S&W or Ruger revolvers.  When the hammer is cocked and the trigger pulled, the cylinder is cammed tighter than their competitors.  I believe older Colts like the Trooper and Python had similar actions.  My Charter .38 and every other one I've held, locks up tighter than any S&W or Ruger with the hammer back and the trigger pulled.  This carries through during double action trigger work as well.  The lock up is dead tight with no play!  Something to look at.

Dan

[scout34]

The .44 that I had was a relatively new gun.  I fired one round through it (200gr Cowboy load)and it refused to fire after that, producing only light primer strikes.  You could pull on that cylinder and rotate it by hand, even when it was cocked!  I sent it back to the factory and it came back tighter, but my confidence in it was blown and I sold it.

Poorly fitted with lots of sharp, mismatched edges.  I like to buy American, but I'm sorry to say that I'll pass on the Bulldog in the future.

[jw83]

I bought a bulldog about two weeks ago I got it home, cleaned it then tried to load the cylinders. In one of the cylinders the bullet would not sit in flush like the rest of them. I took it back to the dealer there was a metal burr sticking out which he filed down. I have shot about 50 rounds out of it with Win. 240 gr factory ammo and have had no more problems. I am going to work up some loads and see how it does. Overall I think it's hard to beat, I paid 350 for mine brand new I like the size and weight and like somebody said it goes bang when you shoot. It is surprisingly accurate. Its definitely no Smith but neither is the price.