Charter Arms Pug 44 special

[bunker]

Anyone have one of these guns in 44 special? How is fit and finish? Could this be pocket carried? I overheard some guys at the gun club talking about this gun, but am unsure about cost of ammo also. I have a reloader for 38 special and also one set up for 45 acp, so i am a little hesitant about purchasing a new revolver in a different caliber due to ammo costs. What do you think? Bunker

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Haystacker]

Bunker,
I have one. I love the 44 special round. I reload so cost of ammo is not as bad. ammo usually is expensive. At first I really loved the pistol. Very accurate, easy to shoot with modest loads, say 240g at 750 fps. But the more rounds I put through it, the less reliable the pistol was. Fit, finish, function is the lowest of any handguns I own. I did carry it as EDC, but now I basically just use it as a mold for holsters.
My wish is that Ruger would make a concealable 44 special snub. I have the SP101 for EDC. But like I said originally, the 44 special is my favorite load.
Jeff

[varob]

My wife has the Uncover Southpaw in .38+p. There's a long list of snubs I'd buy before I bought a Charter Arms.

[LeftofMars]

I picked one up several months ago, had to return the first one, but the second one has been fine, fit and finish? well it's not a Smith or even a Ruger, but I like it. As far as pocket carry, it's not something I would pocket carry, the weight and size are a bit much. Ammo around here (central Arkansas) runs appx. 27-33 bucks a box, brand varies. I bought it just because I wanted one, no other reason.

Edit: just noticed you said Pug, mine is the Bulldog, nothing about Pug anywhere on the gun.

[automatic slim]

When I was an LEO I worked on my supervisors .38 Charter Arms. Fit and finish was substandard. The .44 is much too large for pocket carry. You'd be better off with a used Smith J frame in .357.

[blkobra]

Have a .41 mag, S&W lou horton special...2"...great shooting gun as compaired to my .44's and is not bad on the waist...gets better with every round through it..

[itschuck]

Buddy bought one. Its ok nothing special. We put 100 rounds thru it. His reason to get it..he is traveling to Florida and if something happens the pug will work, should it get confiscated then he is not out one of his Colts.

[swiftyjuan]

I won a .44 Bulldog at an NRA dinner. Fit and finish is nothing to write home about, but the gun shoots well and is combat accurate. I had toyed with the idea of buying one just for the cartridge, and the NRA was kind enough to give me one!

[Doghandler]

...
My wish is that Ruger would make a concealable 44 special snub. I have the SP101 for EDC. But like I said originally, the 44 special is my favorite load.
Jeff

Wow! I already have a name for it - the Ruger SN 44. Wow!

[bmcgilvray]

I have an older Smith & Wesson .44 Special and it loves shooting 7.5 grains of Unique under a 245 grain lead semi-wadcutter.

A brother-in-law has a couple of Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special revolvers. He purchased them used. I have no idea of when they were manufactured. They work well and shoot nicely. I also shot a stainless steel version of the Charter Arms .44 Bulldog a few years ago. It was my first experience with a .44 Bulldog and it offered a nice, crisp action. They seem a bit better than the Charter Arms reputation sometimes suggests on forums.

I could wish that Smith & Wesson would introduce an all-steel version of their defunct Model 296 .44 Special. That looks like a sensible way to do revolver carry.

Link: The Arms Room: Sunday Smith #36: Model 296, 1999.

[MitchellB]

I think the Charters are good revolvers for the money. I carried a .38 Undercover for years, when it was stolen, I replaced it with a stainless .44 Pug. several years ago. I modified it to DAO and polished it. Always goes bang when I pull the trigger. I made a pocket holster to carry it in or I can use my IWB, but I think it is a good gun for the money.

[Danimal]

I have two and they are great. Not a gun that I shoot a bunch at the range. I have a few other .44 specials and .44 mags that fit that bill. You would probably want to load your own, especially since you are already set up to roll your own. I don't pocket carry mine. But I do carry it inside the waistband in the summer time with a Universal Clip Draw, which you can see in the bottom picture.

Here is an interesting article by John Taffin:

19. BULLDOGS AND NUMBER FIVES

And here are a few pics of one that I customized:

[twc]

A little off topic but I have read that charter arms makes the smallest snub nose 38...is that true?

[Kilowatt3]

A little off topic but I have read that charter arms makes the smallest snub nose 38...is that true?

I believe the Charter Off-Duty is about as small as they come.

[Danimal]

The gun pictured above on the left is an Off-Duty. I think there are some Smiths out there that are about an ounce lighter and have a 1-7/8" barrel as opposed to the 2" barrel of the Off-Duty.