Charter Arms .44 Bulldog Review
I’ve been fascinated by the big-bore snub nose revolver ever since the early 80’s when I read about a woman who rotated the tables on a would-be rapist. When he grabbed her, she grabbed a .44 out of her purse and ensured he would never harm anyone ever again.
The Charter Arms Bulldog was always the gun I imagined her carrying. Yes, there were other big bore snubby revolvers on the market, but the Bulldog always seemed to be the gun I envisioned. I suppose the name “Bulldog” helped conjure that image.
The Bulldog has been around for almost 40 years now, and it has undergone a few refreshes over the years. But the same basic gun has always been there: a short barreled, five-shot revolver throwing a big chunk of lead downrange.
.44 Special Tiger
The Bulldog I reviewed was the model 24420, which is outfitted with a handsome black and OD green stripe pattern similar to the Tiger Stripe cam patterns.
As with other contemporary Bulldog revolvers, this one was chambered in .44 Special and had a 2.5” barrel. The hammer is exposed, allowing for double action or single action fire.
The double action trigger pull was somewhat heavy, averaging 11 pounds 8 ounces. Although not as smooth as a Colt Python, the trigger was not bad, and certainly acceptable for a defensive handgun.
The single action trigger pull ran a touch over 3.5 pounds, and was very nice. There was just a slight amount of take up in single action mode and then a clean break.
The sights are fixed, with a ramp front and notch rear. The sights are machined into the barrel and frame, so there are no easy adjustments or swaps if you are so inclined.
The hard rubber grip is full sized, meaning your pinky won’t fall off the end. The grips feel good in the hand, but somewhat narrow. If the rear of the grip was a little wider, I think that would have filled my hand perfectly.
As with other Charter Arms revolvers, the cylinder on the Bulldog rotates clockwise.
The ejector rod is shrouded, which is a nice extra.
The unloaded weight of this gun was 21 ounces, though it felt lighter. When held, the weight was clearly distributed forward toward the barrel.
A 4” model of the Bulldog is available. That gun has adjustable sights and a stainless steel finish, with an unloaded weight of 23 ounces.
MSRP on the Bulldog Tiger is $466.
Proof is in the Shootin’
I won’t lie: I was pretty stoked to carry this out to the range. I’ve shot other .44 Specials & Magnums, but never the Bulldog.
I took along a variety of practice loads plus two Hornady hollowpoints: the 165 grain Critical Defense FTX and the Custom 180 grain XTP loads. All of the loads were 100% reliable with the Bulldog.
As you might expect with the .44 Special, none of the loads could be described as punishing, and all were more than accurate enough for self defense work. At 15 yards, none of the loads escaped a 4” circle.
The best load out of the revolver, for pure accuracy, was the Magtech Cowboy Action ammo. This load features a 240 grain flat point lead bullet rated at 761 fps.
As recounted in a recent review on the Charter Arms Off Duty, my chronograph appears to be possessed by demons from the Brady Campaign, and is out of commission. So, I do not have any velocity numbers for you.
The only gripe I had about the Bulldog was the black front sight. I know some people like having sights that are completely blacked out, but I’m not one of them. I like big, bright front sights.
The front sight on the Charter Arms revolver was large enough, but with it being black, I had trouble finding it quickly. I’d prefer a bright orange insert on that ramp, but that’s just me.
Ever Meet a Star?
I don’t know if you’ve ever met one of your childhood heroes, but I have. For some people the meeting is an utter disappointment, while other people find their hero is even better in person.
I had high hopes when I got the Charter Arms Bulldog, but was worried it might not live up to my expectations. Fortunately for me, it did. I found the Bulldog to be a solid, well-built handgun for a very reasonable price. The Tiger paint style just added to the cool factor.
For fans of the big bore revolver, the Charter Arms Bulldog is well worth consideration.
Im really interested in this firearm and havent been able to find one at any local range to test. How is this weapon for grip size? I have shot my friend’s S&W 629 and have difficulty keeping a firm grasp due to its large frame and my smaller hands. Any help would be great in helping me make this decision.
Vince,
The grip on the Bulldog is nice but not compact. If your hands are small you can change the Bulldog grip to the grip that is used on the Charter Arms “Cougar”. The Cougar is a .38 Special and uses a smaller grip. It fits my wifes hands very nicely and I find it very comfortable as well. This grip is available on the Charter Arms website. I think you will find this grip the ticket for small hands, it also conceals well. The Cougar grip is a nice rubber grip and fits hands of various sizes from small to large. Bring up the Charter site and look at the Cougar to see what it looks like. The grip is also used on some of their .32 H&R Magnum models also.
Happy New Year Bro
If Ruger would build an SP101 in .44 Special they would put Charter Arms out of business.
If one production firearm would put a company under, other manufacturers might as well stop production immediately! That must be one super gun! I am going to sell all of my firearms and get one. But I guess they won’t sell because nobody will want them because of the SP101! Darn, I’m stuck with a bunch of paper weights! At the very least I will own the SP101, the perfect gun that fits everybody and slew the others like dragons in the night. The firearm that changed the world as we know it. To sum it up the SP101 is a good but not that good. I can’t think of a single anything out there that is that good.
I have one as well and I couldn’t be happier. I picked one up (SS, DAO) about a year and a half go and have put about 600 rounds through it so far. I didn’t like some of the off brand ammo, as it’s a tad fussy when it comes to primers. The trigger smoothed out after the first 50 rounds or so and became even more pleasant to shoot. It also shoots POA/POI with 200 gr ammo and my choice of carry ammo is the Federal 200 gr SWC HP. I feel the barrel is too short to effectively utilize a 240gr JHP round. Recoil is not as bad as expected and one can keep a 4-6 in group at 25 yards. I recently fitted my Bull Dog with a beautiful set of Eagle Grips, which helps when it comes to pocket carry. Also, Charter Arms customer service is A+. If you’re looking for a reliable fighting / combat / self defense big bore handgun at a reasonable price, this is the gun for you.
I have one and I love it. It’s my CC weapon when I’m in the mountains in case I run into a bear or a cat. When I’m in the mountains I carry 240gr cast bullets in it and when I do carry it in town I use 200gr Winchester Silvertips. The recoil will get your attention but it’s managable.
I have a CA Bulldog from the 1970 era. I think it is too much cartridge for such a lite frame. I want to sell it.
You wouldn’t live in Florida, would you? If so, I’d be interested in your Bulldog…..Jim
Where do you reside. How much for it? I want it.
I live in Virginia and I want $350.00 for it. cgm2000@verizon.net
This blog is very informative , I am really pleased to post my comment on this blog .
Work the action with the hammer and move the cylinder with your hand to open and unload it. It has a life time warranty and they have great customer service. Contact them and send it in for repair if you need to.
I have a problem with mine . It won’t open after as few as 5 shots. Any suggestions.
Buffalo Bore has come out with a .44 Special round SKU# 14E. It is the Anti-Personell .44 Spl. 200 grain Hard Cast Wad Cutter, Standard Pressure Low Flash. I contacted BB and they stated it is the only round BB makes that is safe to use in any Charter Arms .44 Special revolver. I hope to test it in the near future. Good luck Bulldog owners!
I have some Buffalo Bore ammo in other calibers and it is maufactured to high pressures.
I only use it in 4 inch barrel or longer. I would not even think of using it in any snub. The recoil would be a bit much. BB makes ammo for short barrel revolvers in .38 special standard pressure. I am going to try it in my wifes Charter Cougar. I use Corbon 165 gr. JHP in my Charter Tiger and my 4″ Smith 29 Classic for standard carry and Hornady .44 mag 240 gr. XTP in my Smith for special carry situations. When I decide what Buffalo Bore to buy for the Smith I will most likely change from the Hornady, maybe.
Not real encouraging when Buffalo Bore states on it’s website that every other modern 44 SPC except the Charter Arms (Bulldog) revolvers are safe for their ammo.
A gun that you should never drop in the grass… You’ll every find it! (Thank you, I’ll be here all week.)
On a side note, how’s the recoil on the snubby 44′s? I’ve been thinking it would be worth the extra weight for the stopping power over a 38.
Nice review, thanks!
I have two Bulldogs. They aren’t fancy(ok, one is. I polished it mirror bright). They are what they are. Solid, dependable things. I would not shoot an IPSC match with one. I use them for basic defensive guns. One is hidden in an odd location in case it is needed. The other I carry in winter months when a .38 just doesn’t seem like enough.
Sweet review. I had a Charter Arms .38 as a BUG that was just fine. The Tiger Stripe is Magnum PI goodness!
‘fish
Did the author mean to say ‘other big bore snubby revolver’? I wouldn’t consider a Charter Arms to be snobbish in the least.
Good review, though. I actually like big bore snubby revolvers, even when they’re a little snobby.
Martin, it was a typo and is fixed.
Dwayne Johnson’s snub-nosed .454 Ruger Super Redhawk in “Faster” should be more ass-kicking than this! I wonder how he handled the recoil!
This was also the gun that David Berkowitz AKA ‘Son of Sam’ used to shoot his female victims in New York City in the late 1970′s.
I like it. Never liked the crane and extractor setup on Charter Arms revolvers. Very, very complicated, should you ever need to take one apart. That said, it looks cool and I wouldn’t mind having one for carry.
My other half bought a Bulldog relatively recently and our experience with it is identical to yours. He’s run the Magtech through it with no problems, but will likely be looking for defensive loads. What were your opinions of the Hornady defensive loads?
Nice review. My wife gave me a Charter Bulldog for my birthday this year. It had an issue right out of the box, but charter fixed it. It has been a solid 100% performer since then.
It is my BUG. It does exactly what I need it to do.