| Moderated by: bea175 | ||
| Author | Post | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
KY Hunter member
|
I have a Charter Arms Undercover and am considering buying another Charter in the 44 Special. Does anyone have any experience with factory loads being shot over time as it relates durability? Thanks for your time and thoughts. |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Charley Board Founder 
|
I've got a what I believe is a first generation .44 Bulldog. Bought it used, so I have no idea of the round count thru it. It had about 15% finish when I bought it, and didn't look abused, just carried...a lot. Factory or factory equivalent loads are about all anyone sane would shoot in the Charter. It is no heavy weight, and anything more is very uncomfortable to shoot. Not much help, I know, but all I can offer directly. I've not heard of any problems with either the early BUlldogs oir the latest incarnation of them. Gun Tests wasn't too wowed by some of the middle production year versions, if I remember correctly. |
|||||||||||||||||
|
miestro_jerry Administrator 
|
Way back when, I had a 44 Special Bulldog. It wasn't built to be a Magnum, but it was an effective pistol. Jerry |
|||||||||||||||||
|
miestro_jerry Administrator
|
I forgot to mention that my life expectancy when way up after I got my bulldog. Jerry |
|||||||||||||||||
|
KY Hunter member
|
Thank you much for the information. Like anything, there are pros / cons but overall I do believe they are a sound shootable firearm. In self defence situations, my conceal/carry training indicated the average distance from the shooter to the shootee is approx 21 feet. If this is so, the gun should work fine. Thanks again for your input. |
|||||||||||||||||
|
miestro_jerry Administrator
|
Ky Hunter, I practice my defense shooting from 5, 10, 15 and 20 feet. People can say a lot about averages, but when you are in a threatening situation, try asking the perp to stand at the average distance. Plus try shooting with the butt of the pistol held close to your body, sort of firing from the hip, then try some shooting with the pistol parallel and close to your body. These are the things that people should be trained in for self defense. During the winter, I do these methods twice a month and during the summer, I practice 4 times a month, some times more. If you plan on using a variety of weapons, you should practice with all of them regularly. If you want to budget the pistols life span, remember to include your safety and well being. The reason that I have S&W is that it has a life time warranty. At the rate I am shooting it, it may need to be worked on in 8 to 10 years. Jerry |
|||||||||||||||||
|
KY Hunter member
|
Thanks for the reply. I would most likely use the revolver for a carry gun so I would not be shooting it as much as some of the other guns I have. I do agree being able to respond from different distances holding the revolver in different positions would be a good training technique. I'll give it a try |
|||||||||||||||||
|
SCSlim Handloading Master 
|
I picked up a used Bulldog Target (4" bbl, adjustable rear sights) about 5 years ago or so. Don't know how many rounds it had run through it before that, but I've put at least 400 rounds each of jacketed and lead bullet handloads through it, low to mid-range .44 Spl data out of the Speer manuals, using 180-240 grain bullets. It shoots just as good today as the day I brought it home and is one of my favorite little revolvers for CCW use when I feel like packing a wheel gun. 200 grain bullets are far more pleasant to shoot and can be coaxed up towards 1000 fps and still stay well within published loading data. As far as factory loads, I've shot Winchester, Federal, Remington and CCI with no trouble at all. When I take it for a walk around town, CCI Blazer 200 grain Gold Dots fill the chambers. I've water-tested and cantaloupe tested them for expansion and kinetic energy transfer at combat distances and have been very impressed with the results. A year or two back, I picked up a stainless Bulldog Pug. Haven't shot that one yet, but I have carried it some, stoked with Glaser Safety Slugs (silver tipped). It's a nice little inside-the-waistband equalizer, light weight enough to be comfortable and yet powerful enough to speak with authority if the crap hits the fan. I wouldn't worry too much about the Bulldog's durability with factory loads. It's a light-weight gun and that translates into some pretty stout felt recoil, but as far as strength of the platform goes, my experience has been that it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. |
|||||||||||||||||
|
kscchtrainer member 
|
KY Hunter wrote: I have a Charter Arms Undercover and am considering buying another Charter in the 44 Special. Does anyone have any experience with factory loads being shot over time as it relates durability?I too have a Charter Undercover in black finished stainless steel which is my primary carry gun in an inexpensive Uncle Mike's pocket holster. I bought it used from a local pawn shop and I don't think it had been fired much. There was no wear ring on the cylinder and the bore had either been scrubbed really well or it had not been fired. I've put a couple thousand of my handloads (Hornady 158gr XTP Hollow point over 5.5 gr Vihta Vuori N340) through it and it has given no problems and shows no wear. Other than the trigger being a little gritty and still is after those 2000+ rounds I have no complaints. If the bulldog's I've seen and shot are any indication, you should have no problem with one at all. The only change I'd make is to put a set of Pachmayr "Compaq" grips on in place of the original Charter grips. Much better control and they will tame the recoil of that .44 special a lot better, and they make the .38 Undercover feel better in the hand as well. kscchtrainer |
|||||||||||||||||
|
shorthair member
|
My wife's carry gun is her .44 Bulldog & it has over 3,000 round through it to date most were a light 200 at about 750 fps but around 5-700 were full house specials if that helps any. |
|||||||||||||||||