Charter Arms .44 Special Tiger

[camosteve243]

Hello all, been away for awhile but I'm back.

So I've been looking for what I like to call a "Truck Gun" Something I can throw in the truck when I go out. I've been looking at .44 revolvers.
I don't want to spend a ton, but I don't want it to fall apart then I need it.


I've been talking with my old man going over the basic S&W, Ruger, Taurus models. Then he emailed me a link to Charter Arms.

I got to looking and found the .44 Special Tiger and liked it right off.

Now I'm trying to read up on them and so far they seem to be alright. The only concern from him was "you can't load them hot"
In which my reply was, "It's a .44 it's still going to do damage"

I just wanted to see if anyone here has one how it is and what they think of Charter Arms in general.

Thnks guys!

[publius]

Seems like a good choice to me. One question, are you a city boy getting one for bad guy protection only, or a country boy like me, who will need to shoot at the occasional varmint out of the truck. Short barrel would be good for self defense only but I like 4-6" for a plinking/hunting/self defense truck revolver. I keep a Smith M58 .41 mag. in the CC of my truck and feel well equipped in the city during the week and at the farm on the wkend.

[Ozzieman]

Having owned Bulldogs for over 30 years I have only good things to say about them. I have a stainless bulldog with the bobbed hammer thats over 20 years old and 500+ rounds.
As far as “hot” rounds, as long as you stay under 240 GR and factory you won’t have any problems. The gun is a light framed gun so big heavy rounds will shorten the life of the gun. The round that I like to use is the Winchester Silvertip 200 Gr.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=257335

[a7mmnut]

Which one are you referring to as the "Tiger"? They offer a Target model with 4" barrel and adjustable sights. Personally, I love my Taurus 3" model 431. It's my favorite woods gun, and I carry it more than my autos. Don't forget to pick up some CCI #9 shotshells for "snake medicine".

[treg]

I'm a huge .44 Special fan and really want to like the "Tiger" but for the money I honestly think you can do better. Hit the used market or save up a few extra $ and find a new one - Taurus, Smith, Ruger etc. I had a 4" Taurus that was a real shooter.

Adjustable sights are a plus with the .44 Special.

[Crazy88Fingers]

I figure you're referring to the Bulldog model with the camo tiger stripes painted on it.

For what it's worth, I handled a newer looking Charter .44 (read Charter Arms on the barrel) in a pawn shop the other day. I really wanted to like it. But the cylinder didn't turn very smoothly, and the timing was off on one or two of the chambers. Of course, this was a used gun; so who knows what it had been through.

[camosteve243]

Publius,

That's a fair question. I am indeed a country boy like yourself. I would be using the .44 for mainly self defense, but now that you mention it I would like something for "plinking/hunting/self defense" aspect... I guess it's back to the drawing board...

a7mmnut,Crazy88Fingers,

The model I'm talking about is the one with the tiger stripes on it.

http://www.charterfirearms.com/produ...ial_24420.html

[leathermarshmallow]

I have the "tiger" model. I have had it for about a year now. I have shot around 250 rounds through it with absolutely no problems. Mine is accurate enough and honestly, it is my wife's favorite revolver that I have. I keep my loaded and ready in our bedroom.

[coop2564]

I have the Patriot .327 mag and love it. I've had no problems.

[roaddog28]

Hi and welcome back.
I am curious on your post. You want a truck gun. You also said you would be plinking/hunting/self defense. and your looking at the 44 special. Why are you looking at a revolver that will only shoot 44 specials? Unless you reload the 44 special is expense to buy ammo for and I feel there are better choices.

How about a single action in a 4 5/8 barrel length. Ruger makes the blackhawk in alot of different calibers. Blackhawks are not expense and are excellent field/woods/hunting and can be a great self defense revolver.

If you want a SA/DA revolver then Ruger makes the Redhawk. This are heavy but for a truck gun this should not be a problem. A Redhawk 44 magnum (which and shoot 44 specials) is a better all around revolver than the Charter Arms.
Finally is you want a revolver that is lighter than a Blackhawk or Redhawk think about the Ruger Security Six series revolvers. These are 357 magnum revolvers but will fire 38 specials. They make excellent truck revolvers. The options on ammo with the 357 magnum are excellent and will cost a lot less than a 44 special.

Just putting another slant on your revolver hunt.

Good luck,
Howard

[a7mmnut]

Good accuracy, .44 punch and versatility, quick to draw, and easy to carry. The Charter is even lighter than my Taurus, and it looks great. The shotshells are actually pretty devastating at close range. Good luck.

-7-

[Icopy1]

I have been looking to get one these as well, (no tiger finish though). Do the new Charter Arms Bull Dogs have an internal lock?

[Nasty]

Current production Charter is under management of the original folks and quality is better than ever (let's not even talk about the Charco and Charter 200 years when it was under different ownership and management).

There are no locks...simply load, carry, shoot.

For the record, I am not a supporter of truck guns. My truck has never fired even a single round. Firearms should be carried on your person, not left behind for a thief.

[franco45]

I don't own a Bulldog but I have an Undercover in 38 special that is a reliable accurate shooter. I can see a Bulldog in my future. Right after I get the target Pathfinder I have been saving for.

[CWKahrFan]

I was just out shooting my Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special this afternoon. Bulldog is a good name for it. It's a short stout "mean" handgun that packs a wallop but is NOT uncomfortable (for me) to shoot even though it only weighs 21 oz. (unloaded). It's nearly the same dimensions as the Ruger SP-101 but it's lighter. Mine is consistently accurate for a snub. Today I was shooting 240-gr. L-flat cowboy action loads and 180 gr. Hornady XTP hollowpoints. I'll be getting an order of 240 gr. 810 fps JHP's in later this week. I'm definitely a believer in a light .44 Special for SD if you're into revolvers. The thought of being on the receiving end of one gives me the willies. The .44 Special snub needs a revival IMHO.

[camosteve243]

All good information guys keep it coming! I could go the .44 Magnum route. never thought of that... Would want a 2.5" or 4" barrel on it, so I could carry it on me well. Any suggestions I'm at a loss here? Might just have to head to the gun shop and handle them all!

And just to clear this up my idea for the "Truck Gun" is just that, a gun I grab before I jump in the truck when I go out. Not a daily carry but more then just a target gun you would take out on Sunday. I would never leave it in the truck thou!

It's too bad Charter doesn't make a .44 Mag I'd be all over it!

[treg]

A 4" .44 or .357 mag w/ adjustable sights is ideal for your intended uses. The .44 packs more punch but is a larger gun and costs more to shoot.

[CWKahrFan]

If you go to genitron.com and click on the SEARCH HANDGUNS tab... and then click on the CALIBER arrow tab on the right... and then click on any particular caliber that you want to consider... and then click on any particular gun listed, you can learn A LOT. When considering the bigger caliber handguns (like .44 Magnums), I suggest you pay a lot of attention to weight. That much power requires a bigger platform. But, then, I'm kind of obsessive about weight... (I just don't care for heavy guns... You may be different.)

[camosteve243]

Does anyone have a revolver in .45ACP?!

I found the Smith & Wesson 325PD .45acp Airlite and the S&W Model 625 JM

Lucky for me there's a Gun Show going on this weekend and I'll be there trying everything out by hand!!

[testuser]

Yeah, I have a M1917 and I've looked at the 625 before. I was in the same boat as you were about a year ago.

I wanted...

- Big Bore.
- Swing out cylinder.
- SA/DA
- 4 inch barrel.
- Large frame.

I ended up going with a 4 inch Model 29 because of it's versatility. I could shoot light loads or heavy loads and since I reload, the cost between .45 ACP and .44 magnum wasn't much, if any.

The M1917 is more of a collectors piece for me, but there's no doubt that moon clips are faster to load and unload. As far as the 625, it could be nice if you plan on sharing the ammo with another pistol in .45 ACP, otherwise, you're losing versatility. (The 29 and 625 are both on the large N frame, so weight and size are going to be the same.)

Still, if you like the quick loading of a moonclip, then you could always have a company like TK Customs machine a .44 magnum for moonclips. http://www.moonclips.com/

Another one to check out is the S&W Model 610 in .40 S&W/10mm auto. It loads with moonclips, can fire .40 S&W or 10mm auto. The 10mm auto is more powerful than a .45 ACP and .40 S&W is cheaper than .45 ACP for practice. I considered this one as well, especially since I regularly shoot a 10mm Glock. If I'm only going to have six shots, then I'd rather go with the .44.

[NavyVet1959]

Originally Posted by camosteve243

Does anyone have a revolver in .45ACP?!

I found the Smith & Wesson 325PD .45acp Airlite and the S&W Model 625 JM

Lucky for me there's a Gun Show going on this weekend and I'll be there trying everything out by hand!!

Yeah, Charter Arms makes a similar revolver in .45ACP and it does not need moon clips.

[Cosmodragoon]

I understand the appeal of this gun. It's a big-bore that's relatively small and light. The tiger pattern looks cool. People have already raised the issues you'll face using .44 special. Yeah, you probably don't want to push the envelope with hot boutique loads either. So long as you understand and accept those limitations, .44 special is still a capable round.

As far as overall performance goes, this could be in the same ballpark as a compact semi-auto running standard-pressure .45 acp. The main difference is the form factor of a revolver.

Since this often comes up, one advantage to "big and slow" rounds like standard .44 special, .45 Colt, .45 acp, etc... over "small and fast" like .327 or .357 magnum is noise. The big and slow rounds generate less of it. When I think of a "truck gun", I think of a general purpose tool that might get fired in an enclosed cabin. Any of those rounds are going to be horrifically loud if fired in an enclosed space. If you ever are forced to do so, I suppose there may be some small consolation in having used the non-magnum round.

At the end of the day, if this gun makes you happy, go for it.

[gbclarkson]

Welcome back, Steve.

If cost is a factor, you may want to consider a Charter in .38. .38 Special is approximately half the cost of .44. Charter may also chamber their revolvers in 9mm or 45 ACP; I haven't cruised their website in quite some time.

Once upon a time I had a Taurus .44 special ultralite for much the same purpose as your desire for the Bulldog. I loved that gun except for every trigger pull I would think, "70 cents downrange, 70 cents, 70 cents...."

Good luck with your search. The constant search for the perfect firearm is a big part of the joy of gun ownership.

[rclark]

Old old thread I see dragged up .

70 cents? Not if you reload. I shoot what I load and load what I shoot, The Bulldogs make fine house guns and for concealed carry. Just not for 'general' shooting. But there are many other fine revolvers like the GP100 .44 Specials, Blackhawks, and even some S&W style revolvers for the range and field carry. I am personally glad I found the .44 Special, and between it and the .45 Colt, it is all I need from the big bore family of cartridges. Recently picked up a .44 Special Cattleman SAA. It has been fun to shoot.