Author Topic: Old 3" barrel Charter Arms BullDog 44 spcl. (Read 5850 times)

Default_Required · « **on:** July 02, 2010, 02:35:10 PM »

I wondered into a buddies shop and he had one of the old 3" barreled BullDogs in the case , And I would love to have another one , But would really like some input from those that have had these older 44 specials... Good or bad lets hear it.

Thanks in advance.

JeffDavis · « **Reply #1 on:** July 04, 2010, 05:20:22 PM »

I had one for a few months. Loved shooting it with 240 grain lswc loads. Put Pachmyer grips on it to help absorb recoil. Factory grips weren't that bad though.
I only got rid of it because one of the pins in the frame below the cylinder started to come out when firing.
Very light weight beast with a bark!

Blackhawk44 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 04, 2010, 09:30:50 PM »

Until I was coerced out of mine, it was totally reliable. 200 and 215 grain loads were far easier to control than 240's.

bobg · « **Reply #3 on:** July 05, 2010, 02:33:23 AM »

A guy that hung around the local gun club had one. In the early 60's he hitch hiked to every state in the US. Said it was always in his pocket. Told me it never missed a beat with anything he fed it. I shot it once and that was enough for me. The recoil on that thing was unreal.

zoner · « **Reply #4 on:** July 05, 2010, 03:25:01 AM »

ii'm thinking about buying a new Bulldog target pug( 44 spec,4" barrel,adjustable sights) and chopping it back to 3".....a 3" adjustable sighted 44 bulldog for cc and should be a fine sidearm to carry while hunting for killing wounded game and keeping 2 legged critters intentions honest and pure

Ex 49'er · « **Reply #5 on:** July 05, 2010, 04:48:01 AM »

Ages ago when they first came out I just had to have one. If my memory is correct I returned it to the store I got it from within 3 days. The recoil was just too vicious and twisted my hand all over creation. The owner of the store said that somebody else had brought theirs back as well because the wooden grips had cracked while being test fired. This was before Pachmayr made rubber grips for them.

Merle · « **Reply #6 on:** July 05, 2010, 04:14:00 PM »

I've had a 4" Target Bulldog 44 spl since about 1978. It has never given me any trouble. I have a set of Pachymayer Compac grips on it & use Federal 200 gr LSWC-HP ammo in it. It has strong, but manageable recoil with that combo. I'd say go for it!

Default_Required · « **Reply #7 on:** July 06, 2010, 02:23:43 PM »

Thanks for the responses guys,

I decided to pick it up ... My intentions ( now that the cat is out of the bag ) are to refinish this piece and load it lite 160-180 maybe 200s for the soon to be Mrs. .. And before I could get it home and start working on the special project before this up coming Saturdays festivities my buddy ( shop owner) mistakenly called my other half instead of me to have her let me know the NICS had called back the " good to go" neeeedless to say I got a call asking what is up at work today haha.

I was thinking of playing maybe with one of Brownells coatings after I have her new full name engraved on the barrel , Its time she shares my passion for the 44s

and when I told her what I had planned she gave me a big ol' smile.

So far all the things I'm hearing and reading have been good , Well other then the hefty recoil which I was already familiar with using factory loads. Which is why I had planned to load lighter for this rig ... But its not like I wont get to play with it

Figuring the heaviest I want to play with will be the 240gr RNFP I have for my Super Blackhawk/H&R Handi ... And I'm hoping Veral will give some good recommendations in the 160 to 200 range .

Now if only this piece shows the accuracy that my old post CHARCO 2.5" pug did, then this will be a great all around piece with alot of versitility. Uses ranging from bed stand to to trail riding and hunting. I think she will be happy , I know I'll like another .429 in the stable

krod47nw · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2010, 04:58:35 PM »

I bought one in the late 80s or early 90s. Right out of the box it didn't work. I sent it back and they repaired it. I shot about 20 rounds through it, and couldn't sell it off quick enough. The fit of the parts was terrible. It had a very gritty action and poor accuracy. It was built like a toy. pure junk IMO.

Kevin

v-man · « **Reply #9 on:** July 08, 2010, 05:50:30 PM »

I bought a 3" new in mid 70's. While I am hesitant to push the reloads too hot due to the light weight alloy frame, it has always been very accurate and reliable. The only problem is the little screw that pushes on the center of the rear cylinder face when you try to open the cylinder will sometime vibrate into the frame and ecome unable to open. A little loctite every few years seems to work. I still have it but don't shot it much these days. I've always been fond of it and carried it for several years as a civilian ridealong partner with the local LEO's.

wilcoxr1 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 23, 2010, 07:10:18 AM »

I have had a Stainless Bulldog for a long time. I have had no reliability issues with it. The recoil can be intimidating if you are expecting a powder puff pistol. At 19 ounces the recoil can be sharp. The factory grips are small and don't help with recoil but if you are looking for a concealable hand gun, they are pretty fair. The Speer Reloading Manual # 9 calls it a "strong modern gun that can handle higher performance reloads" but reduced are recommended for comfort. It is not a target pistol by any stretch of the imagination but close in work it does not require high performance loads. I tried some Pachmeyer grips but they were just all wrong. If you are recoil sensitive; get a 38. I use the 180 gr. Hornady XTP. Good Velocity, speaks with authority. It is still a sort of a brute but much more manageable than the heavy slugs. I think crimson trace even make a grip laser for it and I am saving for it. I have no intention of ever selling it.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #11 on:** July 23, 2010, 11:34:55 AM »

I have an early bulldog with the walnut grips and they are way more comfortable then the rubber grips the newer guns come with. The walnut grips are much wider where they sit in the web of the hand and distribute recoil over a much larger area. The wood also allows the hand to slip a bit and recover where as the rubber grabs your skin and will soon tear it off. I've had two with the walnut grips and two with the rubber and believe me the walnut is way more comfortable plus it doesn't stick to your clothing.
Lighter bullets also help keep recoil within reason. I'm currently loading 180 grain hard cast full wadcutters over HS-6 for about 950 fps. If you like a large meplat nothing tops a wadcutter. If a prosecutor should get his or her knickers in a twist over my handloads I'm sure any cop will tell them "hey, wadcutters are for target shooting". I also have a Lee six cavity mold for a 210 grain wadcutter and that's the heaviest bullet I'll run in the Bulldog. Heavier bullets are for heavier guns.

Default_Required · « **Reply #12 on:** July 23, 2010, 02:11:22 PM »

So before I got onto midway for a hefty order for this new pistol ( walnut grips with 3" tube, like joe discribed

)

I headed around my area hitting a few of the regular spots and some of the not so regular spots. Found the Lee trimmer for the 44 special and a box of Federal 200 gr lead semi-wadcutter HPs. picked up both , then headed down the highway to my local powder and primer spot. Decided to pick up a new pound of HP-38 and a pound of IMRs Hi Skor 700X and lucked into his last pound of Reloder 7 Wo0t

He had a pound of N-110 think I'll go back after payday and grab it and a pound of 2400.

Well besides the powder goodies he had one lone box of Corbon 160gr ( what I suspect heavily are XTPs) defensive rounds, Figured what the hell more brass and something else to give me an idea of accuracy right.

Got out yesterday to the in-laws and shot a wheel full of both, YUP those 200 grainers are still stout out of a 20 oz. gun

the missus said after firing both loads that that was not gonna be her new fun gun . I tried to reasure her that with handloading I could bring it down a notch or two. It'll be fun to see what the Hunters Supply 160 flat noses I ordered last night will be capable of with the 700X.

With both the factory loads it hit to the left at 15 yards but not off the black. So, I'm hoping with some load dev. that'll change. So far it has been well recieved and I'm glad I added it to the collection. The Wife is loving those walnut grips too, She likes the feel of it in her hand and isnt even wanting to hear about any rubber grips hahahaha A girl after my own heart . Maybe thats why we got married July 10th of this year

Bitterroot Bob · « **Reply #13 on:** July 23, 2010, 05:26:37 PM »

Congrats on the happy union!
Following my marriage some 27 years ago, I took my bride out to shoot my handguns. She promptly broke a brick at 30 yards with my .41 Magnum and gave me one of those " so, now what?" looks. She's a keeper!
I wonder how the Bulldog would be with .44 Russian ammo. Short case, 246-grain RN and about 700 fps. That would be a reasonable load, doncha think? The more I think about it, it must be the way to go for general plinking.

Good luck,
Bitterroot

Default_Required · « **Reply #14 on:** July 23, 2010, 07:39:58 PM »

Thank you Bob.

Yeah Our thinking is on the same path . I had wanted the IMR 700X for a 240gr lead load that is in the 650 +/- FPS range. Dont think that would be to bad on the hands at all. Didnt mention earlier but I had taken the 44 mag single shot up with us to see how it liked the factory 44 spcl ammo . at 45 walked yards it was point of aim with the 200gr feds and about 4" above the bullseye . So then the question begins if guys in the handgun hunting community take deer with the special in a pistol then it should have alot less trouble from a long arm huh ? hehe but I like that her pistols ammo can interchange with the 44 magnum lever action I'll have for her before this coming deer season.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #15 on:** July 24, 2010, 04:40:27 AM »

I've been building my Bulldog loads in .44 Colt brass which has a smaller rim diameter than the .44 special. I've found that with .44 specials a case rim will sometimes bind against the stud on the side of the frame and prevent ejection untill rotated past the stud. The smaller rim of the .44 Colt brass allows the open cylinder to spin freely without interference of case rims hitting the stud. Since the .44 Colt brass is also about .060" shorter than specials max loads should probably be backed off a few tenths of a grain but who runs max loads in a bulldog anyway?

Default_Required · « **Reply #16 on:** July 25, 2010, 06:58:08 PM »

Well I set to producing some loads for this new toy , Wanted the light ones I had mentioned and figured while I was at it that I should dabble with the higher loads using some of the 240gr lead and jacketed in stock. Thought I would see what the recoil would feel like , You know it wasnt half bad. But I sure knew I had a Handful to be sure

The missus made me upgrade to the new DROID cell phone so I'm at a loss as to uploading pics to the PC at this moment , but of the 8 batches I had alot of good groups. Some that were 2" and one load with the Hunters Supply 240gr RNFP and a heavy listed charge of 700x that @ 10 yards had four cutting each others holes and one that stepped about 1/2" away from the cluster... I think with a bit of practice This Baby could be a hunter. Maybe not at the ranges I would take game with the SBH but a hunter nonetheless.

rawhidekid · « **Reply #17 on:** July 27, 2010, 02:18:58 AM »

I think you will find the Winchester Silvertips will be a great cary load. Used it in a three inch Taurus 44 Spl with no problems. Good luck with your family defence/fun gun.

Lt Smoke · « **Reply #18 on:** July 30, 2010, 04:02:05 PM »

I have 24 + years behind the badge. I carried a Bulldog Pug .44 spec in a body armor holster for many years. Qualified with it. Trusted it. I am now no longer in the limelight. It rests in my flyfishing vest. Never a problem. Still trust it.......................

nobodylies2.45 · « **Reply #19 on:** August 07, 2010, 09:07:02 AM »

I acquried mine just recently been a great truck gun and honestly a blast to shoot!

dbriannelson · « **Reply #20 on:** August 09, 2010, 02:21:55 PM »

Bought one new when they came out. Shot factory loads and mild reloads in it. Shot it loose. Sold it.

In all, it's fine to carry and reliable, but don't expect to shoot it a lot AND still have it to give to the grandkids.

-Don

bagdadjoe · « **Reply #21 on:** August 28, 2010, 10:40:27 AM »

on my 3rd one...can't remember why I don't still own the first two. Mainly because I'm a trading junkie. I'll keep this one, I've got over most of it. I don't really care about the recoil. If it will fit in my pocket or in the front of my pants and be there when I need it, the recoil won't matter. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's nothing else out there that puts this much power in such a small package.

v-man · « **Reply #22 on:** August 28, 2010, 04:59:56 PM »

Your probably right but some might say the little scandium J-frame .357 weighing in at only 13 or 15 oz is more. Sort of gets back to that caliber vs velocity argument. The Bulldog is much more managable than that tiny S&W if you use true magnum loads. I've shot about 100 rounds through it and with mag loads I can't keep the front of the trigger guard from smacking the knuckle of my trigger finger. OUCH! I prefer my old early mid 70's Bulldog.

unclebart · « **Reply #23 on:** September 30, 2010, 01:41:33 PM »

Default, I bought a .44 PUG many moons ago and my wife decided she needed it more than I did. It is her car, carry, everything, go to gun. She won't even discuss replacing the wood grips. Says they're just right for her hand. I have tried to interest her in a .38 or small Glock but she just looks at me like a wife does when she doesn't really want to say how stupid that suggestion is. Years ago I found a used Lyman mould #429348. It is basically a cylinder with a grease groove. Casts out at approx. 180grn. Bore dia. nose w/groove dia. body. Basically a hole punch for the human condition. Use 7.5 to 8grn. Unique if memory serves, with large pistol primer and firm crimp. Now that I have discovered the Titegroup, may have to do some experimenting with it. Am thinking the faster burn rate may help with muzzle flash and up the velocity a mite. The pistol is accurate enough to get the job done and recoil isn't that bad. The lighter bullets do help with this gun. Have had no problems with it through the years. Have thought about bobbing the hammer, 'cause I feel better when I have something to worry about. About as reliable as anything manmade can be. We are indeed lucky husbands! I like the idea of useing Russian cases. Will haveto try that.

roughcreek · « **Reply #24 on:** November 18, 2010, 04:38:28 AM »

I have 5 of these older ones and love them. My carry gun and my wifes. For carry I use the CCI 200 grain commercial cause they have the excellent Speer Gold Dot bullet.
I also load for practice and plinking the 200 grain Gold Dot with Titegroup to duplicate the commercial CCI load. I'm told by other users that the recoil with
Titegroup is sharper but I can't tell the difference.
They are tough little guns.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #25 on:** November 18, 2010, 05:18:46 AM »

Quote from: v-man on August 28, 2010, 04:59:56 PM

Your probably right but some might say the little scandium J-frame .357 weighing in at only 13 or 15 oz is more. Sort of gets back to that caliber vs velocity argument. The Bulldog is much more managable than that tiny S&W if you use true magnum loads. I've shot about 100 rounds through it and with mag loads I can't keep the front of the trigger guard from smacking the knuckle of my trigger finger. OUCH! I prefer my old early mid 70's Bulldog.

Bulldogs are not immune to that either, for that matter even my little Kel-Tec .380 is painful in that way but hasn't yet removed any skin.
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,219427.0.html

32 Magnum · « **Reply #26 on:** November 18, 2010, 10:00:50 AM »

Proper grip and practice, can reduce if not eliminate bite. I shoot Charter Arms Bulldogs with a variety commercial loadings and I shoot my KelTec 3AT on a regular basis. Once acquainted with either, I don't find firing them to be unbearable nor unconfortable. I also shoot some very light .38s and .357s - same applies to both of those. Several of the FEW handguns that I have found to be inherently difficult to shoot and "biting" have been: AMT BackUp in .40 S&W - beat my middle finger knuckles to a pulp and pinched my trigger finger between trigger and guard; Taurus UltraLight Titanium 27 Oz .44 Magnum - felt wrist pain after 6 rounds of full house mag cartridges - .44 Spec. was not bad. I do not own either of the above mentioned handguns any longer. I also owned a small semi-auto that used to bite the web of my hand, but I can't remember which one it was at this time, that was cured by holding abit lower on the grip frame.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #27 on:** November 18, 2010, 10:45:33 AM »

Interesting but I really don't see how grip or practice could eliminate the triggerguard banging the trigger finger, that finger pretty much has to be inside the guard to fire the gun.

The Bulldog is comfortable to shoot with mild loads, 600-800 fps or so. You might be surprised at how slow some .44 special factory loads actually run from a 3" revolver. The load which skinned my trigger finger was a 180 grain wadcutter at a chronographed 1050 fps and 441 ft.lb. energy. Even with that load the original factory walnut grips were OK, I just needed a rubber triggerguard.

Merle · « **Reply #28 on:** November 19, 2010, 03:06:28 AM »

Quote from: coyotejoe on November 18, 2010, 10:45:33 AM

Interesting but I really don't see how grip or practice could eliminate the triggerguard banging the trigger finger, that finger pretty much has to be inside the guard to fire the gun.
The Bulldog is comfortable to shoot with mild loads, 600-800 fps or so. You might be surprised at how slow some .44 special factory loads actually run from a 3" revolver. The load which skinned my trigger finger was a 180 grain wadcutter at a chronographed 1050 fps and 441 ft.lb. energy. Even with that load the original factory walnut grips were OK, I just needed a rubber triggerguard.

Two thoughts on the rubber triggerguard;
self-sticking tape, like that used for insulating purposes
a piece of rubber hose slit lengthwise & worked over the trigger guard

Personally my 4" Target Bulldog never bit me, but I have had that problem with a TC Contender trigger eating away the top of my trigger finger - gets damn uncomfortable when you are bleeding.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #29 on:** November 19, 2010, 03:31:50 AM »

I have given it a few wraps of black electrical tape but haven't shot it since that modification. The loads which skinned my finger are for serious defense and not something I need to fire every day. My plinking load is a Hornady swaged lead 200 grain RNFP over a lite load of Titegroup at about 700 fps and totally comfortable to shoot but that little wadcutter going 50% faster sure smacks whatever it hits. If I ever needed to actually use it I can just imagine a cop saying "sir, please take your finger out of your mouth".