How about the .44 special?

me | 2/19/02 | Detailer

[DETAILER]

Hi everyone- just a short request for info from fellow Freepers. I just got the opportunity to purchase a Charter Arms .44 special bulldog- from a friend that has owned it for years and not shot it in years, who now finds himself in a little cash crunch. I can get it cheap! I've never shot the .44 special and wanted to hear any opinions about it out there. It's a short barrel, I know it won't be accurate much more than room distance, but that's exactly what I want it for. What do you all think?

[Noumenon]

Nice belly gun. Load it with inverted wadcutters...

[CholeraJoe]

Well said!

[DETAILER]

$100!!!

I can't possibly go wrong! It looks like it's hardly been fired. The guy selling to me used to carry it, as someone mentioned, as a backup while deer hunting. The gun has some finish wear but the bore is absolutely clean and cylinder feels great. I got a deal, he just needs some cash right now.

[Feckless]

That sound is for the movies...... all of my guns are fully loaded (including one in the chamber. The first sound you hear may be the last.

[nothingnew]

I got a deal, he just needs some cash right now.

Why are you still posting??...Get Moving!!

FMCDH

[joeyman]

I am thinking of buying a .40 cal. Any one have any thoughts on the .40???

Fast round with a sharp thwak to the hand. 50 rounds will probably leave your hand "ringing." Not the most pleasant to shoot. I prefer a soft shove like a 45 gives to the sharp sting of a .40. Good round in a small package. Pretty effective.

Also a 357 out of a 6 inch (even a 4 inch) barrel using 110 grain bullets is very pleasant to shoot (and therefore practice with).

[Feckless]

I have two, a blue "original" Bulldog from the old Charter Arms Co. and a stainless steel from the "new" one. I just shot 248 out of 250 on my CCW re-cert with the stainless. I got the stainless on AuctionArms.com NIB for $210.

I am curious what the effect of two 220 gr JHP rounds to the chest of a would be carjacker at the same time would be like..... I am hoping the excessive muzzle flash(es) would not cauterize the wound(s)..... or at least only the entry wounds :->

[Charles Martel]

Buy it. Buy it now. Then go purchase some Glaser Safety Slug ammo for it. A large-bore revolver stuffed with frangible projectiles is close to the ideal home defense handgun. No overpenetration issues indoors (Glaser is supplying ammo for the Sky Marshalls).

[DETAILER]

Why are you still posting??...Get Moving!!

OK! I got it! It's mine now, done deal.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I dearly loved the 1100 I used to carry to the field for pheasants but had only fair to good luck hitting birds (and no luck with the 20 ga. 1100 LW I got for quail.
This all changed when I stepped up to the A-5. I had a customer with me when I took this old style humpback out of the box and hit 42 out of 50 sporting clays THE VERY FIRST TIME.
Heavy ? Yeah, but somehow, that squared off receiver design gets my eye on the target quicker than the smoother Remington design.

[nothingnew]

OK! I got it! It's mine now, done deal.

GOOD!...I'll give you $115.00 for it right now...

FMCDH

[DETAILER]

.I'll give you $115.00 for it right now...

Ha!- sorry friend, this one is now officially out of circulation for the rest of it's life. As you would put it, and rightly so, FMCDH

Have a great day!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The nice old ones are made in Belgium. Later guns were made in Japan. I've got a couple Belgium-mades which I can no longer bare to take to the field. But I can take the Japanese gun (no collector's value) through brush and the woods and not worry about a scratch on the bbl or scrape on the stock.
My uncle had been after me to switch and virtually guaranteed an improvement in shooting. He was 100 percent right on. The only minus is A-5s are heavy and kick for real. Make sure you have the stock to your shoulder, not the muscle of your right arm. (Yow !)

[nothingnew]

Have a great day!

And right back at ya!...enjoy your new purchase, and keep yer powder dry!

FMCDH truly!

[bandleader]

I don't own any Charter Arms weapons but"The Son of Sam"&John Hinckley swear by them!As far as the .44 Special cartridge is concerned,it is WEAK!!I have two Model 629's(.44 Rem.Magnum).If you have a .44 Rem.Magnum weapon,you can shoot either cartridge.God Luck and God Bless

[sneakypete]

Weren't you looking for one of these?

No,I used to have one of these things in the mid-70's,and you couldn't thraten me to make me buy another one. I sold mine to a guy I didn't like. SOS shot loose in fewer than 200 rounds.

What I'm looking for is another stainless steel Rossi with a 3 inch barrell.

[RightWhale]

A plus for the non-magnum is that the brass will hold up for a lot of reloads. You will need the usual equipment, press, dies, etc.

[glc1173@aol.com]

I don't see the .44 Special at all. Recoil - even in a steel-frame snubbie - is hellish. Ammo is hard to find - and your choices are limited. The gun itself dwarfs smaller-caliber snubbies. I'd vastly prefer a good .357 snubbie like the Ruger SP101, loaded with good .38 Special loads, instead. I've tested one and don't like it.

GUN REVIEWS free from ad-money bias - including .44 Special snubbies and Ruger's SP101