New .44sp

[camosteve243]

Just picked up it last week! .44sp

[Dan-O]

I can't see it.

[tynman]

Sweet!!!

[Chesster]

Nice Steve, shot it yet?

[lowercase]

Those Tiger striped Bulldogs are hard to find around my parts. I like that it's marked, "Tiger", too.

It looks great. Congrats!

[camosteve243]

THanks!

Have not gotten the chance too The weather here has been nothing but sh*t and I'm not paying to shoot at a indoor one.

I did pick up some 200gr. HPs for it thou, can't wait to give um a try!

[PPQ226guy]

Nice! I just put a 44 special on layaway myself. Can't wait to get it out.

[franco45]

I like the looks of that Tiger. Nice pickup.

[shootniron]

If they made that with a concealed hammer, I would have to have one.

Good looking gun.

[DocCasualty]

Cool looking revolver, in one of my favorite calibers too.

I know that Charter Arms QC has been all over the map over the years. What's the consensus now, a safe bet as far as reliability?

[lowercase]

I know that Charter Arms QC has been all over the map over the years. What's the consensus now, a safe bet as far as reliability?

I have a 2012 Bulldog that is my EDC. It has been flawless.

[mj246]

I have a new production Bulldog and already have about 75-90 rounds through it no problem. It works great, and recoil isn't too bad with target loads. The Bulldog 44 spl Gold Dots from Underwood I got for SD loads were less pleasant, but are accurate and about as powerful as you can get without tearing the light framed Charters to shreds.

Really like the look of that Tiger Striped Bulldog. I also might have been tempted if they made it in DAO, but I like the plain black finish a lot too.

For those that really want one of these in DAO, Charter sells the DAO hammers as parts for $25 on their website.

[camosteve243]

I know that Charter Arms QC has been all over the map over the years. What's the consensus now, a safe bet as far as reliability?

I did my homework and have heard nothing but good things.

Can't load it up as much as say a Ruger or Smith but still a nice firearm.

[Ozzieman]

I am so sorry for you, you have crossed over to the dark side.
My first gun was a used Bulldog, my second was a new stainless bulldog and that was over 25 years ago.
I now have over 10, 44 specials and still have the bull.
There is no fix for this addiction other than buying MORE.
Nice stripes.

[camosteve243]

Ozzieman,

Hahaha nice! Buying more is the only option

This is my 1st .44sp haven't gotten to the range yet.. the weather has to come around sooner or later!

[rodfac]

Ah........the .44 spl, my favorite caliber....easily the most accurate caliber in a handgun...IMHO. Good luck with yours, if you handload, you'll find a wealth of information on this wonderful cartridge. I've heard good things over the years about Charters....hope yours works out well for you. Best Regards, Rod

[Ozzieman]

Stay at or under 200 Gr bullets. The bullets in the photo were fired out of this gun, first though a heavy jacket then into a tank full of water. These were done by a good friend and Indiana state police ballistic tech way back in 1983. These were the old silver tip design and as you can tell they worked very well. Weigh retention was about 90% and expansion was around ¾ of an inch. Never use any heavy bullets.
Buffalo bore makes some nice stuff for the special but I have never used any for the bulldog. I have in the N frame S&W. 200 GR at almost 1000 FPS will batter a Bulldog
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...t_detail&p=282
The holster which you can tell from all the scars is old and still works very well. It’s a De Santis Bulldog. But I don’t think they make holsters any more for the bulldog.

[mj246]

200 GR at almost 1000 FPS will batter a Bulldog
--Ozzieman

I agree with this completely. Not only will hot-rodded ammo deteriorate your gun in short order, but it will also wreck your hand, wrist, and more importantly follow-up shots, unless you're quite proficient at firing stout ammo out of a very lightweight revolver. the stoutest stuff I ever plan on putting through my bulldog is the Underwood Bulldog 44 spl 200gr Gold dot load mentioned in my previous post. It is rated at 975 fps out of a S&W model 396 3.25" barrel. That likely equates to about 900 fps or so from the 2.5" Bulldog and a little more from the older 3" version. Even this I would use sparingly, but they have it listed specifically for the Charter Arms model and if used only a little to get a feel for it, I'm sure it wouldn't cause undo damage like some of the really hot 44spl loadings.

It WILL/DOES put a lot of recoil straight into your palm and wrist, but I was able to get three out of five shots touching in the 9 ring of a 5" target at about 3 yards in fast double-action, two-handed fire.

From what I've read/shot the best defense loads for this gun in no particular order are the Underwood Bulldog load (item #321 and currently out of stock), the 200gr Blazer Gold dot (a little hotter than the Speer branded load, but lighter than the Underwood), and the 200gr Winchester Silvertips. A good hunting/defense load would be the Buffalo bore 200gr wadcutter, but I would be very reluctant to put a significant number of rounds that hot through a Bulldog, no matter what BB says on the website.

Good target loads are any 200gr or under cowboy load or light handloads just for practice. As always, JMHO and YMMV