New carry piece

[lowercase]

Went and picked up a new Charter Arms Bulldog .44 special.

I know that Charters aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I have three others and they run like champs.

I've been carrying a Mag Pug made on the same frame, but I don't care for its ported barrel because with .357s, it spits powder back at me. It's fine when shooting .38s, but that negates the reason I bought a .357. Other than that, my Mag Pug has been a good gun, and has really grown on me.

I picked up my Bulldog today and took it straight to the range. It shot just fine, and the trigger was surprisingly good, and better than the trigger on my Mag Pug. I REALLY liked the big fat .44 special bullets that this little gun throws downrange. The 200-grain JHPs that I shot through it were the proverbial "flying ashtrays". The recoil was brisk, but not as bad as my S&W 642 shooting +P.

The only change I've made was to swap out the stock rubber grips with Pachmayr Compac™ grips that I had purchased for my Mag Pug. They look and feel a lot better than the stock rubber grips. Later, I plan to switch to some Eagle "Secret Service" grips that are currently on order.

My holster for the Bulldog is the same I use for my Mag Pug. It's a Gould & Goodrich B891-62 that is a clone of a Don Hume JIT Slide. At 4:30, the light (21 ounce) Bulldog carries great with a simple cover garment like a flannel shirt, and is very comfortable. Pictured is the gun as well as a pic of the grips I plan to put on it when they arrive.

new_bulldog.jpg SS62.jpg

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[boricua]

Very nice!

[SmokinFool]

Nice acquisition! It is still possible to get a good, solid performer from Charter Arms.

[BradL]

I SERIOUSLY considered the Mag Pug as my first carry piece. I still my have to get one. However the fact the you say it spits powder at you through the ported barrell when shooting .357's is kind of disconcerting. Maybe I'll see if I can try before I buy. Or maybe I'll just have to get a Bulldog instead. Nice weapon!!!!

[archer51]

Good solid guns. My uncle still carries the one he bought back in the 60's.

[Devilsclaw]

Handy guns. They don't seem to get the attention they deserve.

[southchatham]

This is the gun son of sam used. I want to get one myself someday.

[bmcgilvray]

Ahhh... .44 Special. What a great cartridge.

Over the years the 3 different Charter .44 Bulldogs I've been handed to try out had surprisingly good actions.

[sioux565]

Nice looking gun! Have heard good things about CA. I was even considering getting an Undercover 38 before I decided on my Glock.

[lowercase]

Forgot to add that the Bulldog has excellent ergonomics and good balance. It feels great in the hand, especially with the replacement grips.

[.45acpguy]

Although I have never had the opportunity to shoot .44 special rounds, I would really like to try that someday. As a person who loves .45acp, I can well appreciate your fondness for throwing big chunks of lead down range!

I hope that you thoroughly enjoy your new purchase.