CHARTER ARMS Bulldog 44 Special 2.5" 5rd Revolver - Stainless

I thought I'd reviewed this one before. Here it goes one more time. Although the C.A. Bulldog lacks the balance of a 6" S&W 629, it performs relatively well. Accuracy and hand comfort are definitely sacrificed for compactness compared to the S&W 629. If you want a c&c weapon that packs some power, then you'll have to live with those issues. I was looking for a 44 dedicated solely to the 44 spec cartridge, not the 44 mag/44 spec. It's not that easy to find a store that has a good selection. KYGUNCO has the best selection at reasonable prices that I've found. The turn around time from the sale to my door is generally less than a week. Thanks.

The Charter Arms name has had its ups and downs over the years so I was little skeptical coming into this purchase. I did plenty of reading before deciding to give the Bulldog a chance. If you do your homework also you will find that most impressions of the revolver are quite favorable. Its definitely not an S&W or Ruger but for the price it is exactly what it needs to be. Fit and finish is pretty good other than a few sharp edges that can make recoil uncomfortable. Of course this can be remedied easily. The grips fit my average sized hands just fine. The point of impact is a few inches low with my chosen loads but this too can be fixed. I must mention that the short barrel combined with the rate of twist caused my Bulldog to not care for 240 grain bullets. Although they provided acceptable levels of accuracy for close in shots I couldnt get any consistency past 10 yards or so....Of course this isnt much of a concern in a self-defense situation so take that tidbit for what its worth. I saved the best for last....The trigger, believe it or not, is excellent when shooting single action. The double action pull is quite acceptable also but requires the usual practice to become proficient. This attribute helps the little revolver to be very accurate with the right loads. All in all Im very happy with my purchase. Although not a gun youd want to shoot a lot at the range it fits the bill perfectly for a self defense weapon.