Author Topic: .44 Target Bulldog (Read 961 times)

coyotejoe · « **on:** August 17, 2008, 04:09:29 AM »

I just saw one at our little small town gunshow yesterday, I hadn't even known they make such a thing. It was the Stainless Bulldog .44 with a 4" barrel and adjustable sights. I'm no fan of Charter Arms but it looks like it would be a handy thing to carry in cat country. The sights look very much like those of a Target Bulldog .357 I owned thirty-five years ago and I found those to be "self-adjusting", meaning they wouldn't stay set. I think he had $389 on the tag, seems like a lot for a Charter but I know this dealer operates on a very small margin so I'm sure his price is competitive.

TRWalker · « **Reply #1 on:** August 17, 2008, 10:55:02 AM »

If the .44 Bulldog you are looking at has a barrel inside a shroud instead of a solid barrel, I think the price is high by at least $100. I never liked the adj. sight Charters with the barrel shroud. If I were buying one(and I did) I'd get an older one from the 1970's with the 3 inch tapered fixed barrel and sights. The older ones were very good.

Savage · « **Reply #2 on:** August 17, 2008, 02:28:58 PM »

The $385 price tag is about what they're going for--------------if you can find one! Pretty scarce around here. By the way, suggested retail is $435.
Savage

stuffit · « **Reply #3 on:** August 17, 2008, 03:21:33 PM »

Sorry for the poor quality of the scan. Not sure what Photobucket is taking out of my pics but most of them are no longer the same. At any rate, here are two of the early renditions. I liked the description of the "floating-adjustable" rear sight on the so called "target model'. I never could figure out how it was supposed to work, if, indeed, there was a way to do so.

But I do like the little one, and the other one might be ok for close up and personal social work but not much else.

stuffit

coyotejoe · « **Reply #4 on:** August 18, 2008, 06:46:51 PM »

Not the same guns. The one I had years ago was also the alloy barrel shroud just like the upper one pictured. I looked pretty closely at the one at the show and it appeared to have a solid barrel. It did however, seem to have the same cheesy rear sight. I like the walnut grips on the old bulldog, they were much more comfortable to shoot than the rubber grips now provided.

COR · « **Reply #5 on:** August 19, 2008, 01:32:28 AM »

Here's a link to the new ones...I've been eyeing up the same style in the .327 Fed.
http://charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_Bulldog_74440.html

stuffit · « **Reply #6 on:** August 19, 2008, 03:26:01 AM »

Pretty revolver, but if the sight configuration and adjustment logistic haven't been changed to something that can actually be adjusted and reliied upon, I'd be reluctant to try one. The old version is really super bad and essentially worthless. Anyone actually seen one or tried it?

stuffit

coyotejoe · « **Reply #7 on:** August 19, 2008, 04:25:42 AM »

Thanks for the link! Clearly the new rear sight is NOT the same as the old ones, sorry, my bad. The new sight does still look a bit cheesy, like an S&W sight bolted on top of the top strap rather than being set into a milled recess, but it should work better than the old style, could hardly be worse anyway. And they say the one piece barrel is threaded into the frame, I wonder if that applies to the .44? On one of by old Bulldog .44s the barrel was just knurled and pressed into the frame which pinched the bore down by a couple of thousandths and which eventually moved forward enough to cause excessive headspace and misfires. I assumed they had done that because with a .44 caliber bore there wasn't enough metal in the barrel and frame to permit cutting threads.

Savage · « **Reply #8 on:** August 19, 2008, 04:59:57 AM »

Bought a "Target" model Charter in .357 back in the 70s, as well as a stainless "Undercover". I shot the target model loose to where the end shake was extreme, and the pawl was so worn it wouldn't index properly. It took about 3500 light wadcutter loads to do it. Sold it to a guy as a "fixer upper". Still have the undercover. The front sight fell off and was lost years ago, it needs a new cylinder stop and spring to make it servicable again, but it hasn't been out of the safe for years. Maybe someday I'll find a front sight and the parts I need to make it servicable again. I think I got my money's worth out of the undercover. The target model is another story. I know the current charters are a different animal from the old ones, better I hope. If I wanted another snubbie, I spring for the low price, in .44 of course!
Savage

Dan Chamberlain · « **Reply #9 on:** August 19, 2008, 06:11:25 AM »

I have an Undercover .38 that I bought from an Air Force buddy in 1980. In the last 28 years, it's probably only fired about 1000 rounds, but then, it's a gun that you shoot for familiarity and not wear it out. Still and all, to this day, its lockup is tighter than any S&W J frame I've owned or inspected. When the hammer falls, the cylinder is locked up tight! It cannot be wiggled! And, its accuracy is first rate. I do have to tighten all the screws, particularly the grip frame screws every 25 rounds or so, but I have no other complaints.

I owned a similar 80s vintage .44 Bulldog and had absolutely no complaints about that gun either. For some unknown reason, I allowed someone else to trade me out of it.

Dan

Savage · « **Reply #10 on:** August 19, 2008, 09:17:15 AM »

My undercover probably has less than 750 rds. It was carried on the ankle a lot and shot for qualifications. Always shot double action. Both are hard on a DA revolver. I've know other undercovers that had many more rounds thru them that still ran great. I doubt that my experience was typical with the old Charters. Most snubbies probably won't get 500 rds thru them in a lifetime. Like Dan said, "shot a little, carried a lot."
Savage