Charter Arms Bulldog On Duty 44 Special Revolver - Stainless/Silver, 2.5" Barrel, 5 Rounds, Polymer Grips, 3-Dot Sights

Excellent service and shipping from Bud's - my dealer received the gun two days after I placed my order. I am fully aware of the trend of some percentage of Charter Arms guns failing a quality check which require a return trip to the factory, so I was prepared for that to get my 21 oz sub-K frame sized .44 Special concealed carry revolver. The operating mechanism is well-finished, locks up tight, has a surprisingly smooth double action and crisp single action, and the bore looks good. Inspection with feeler gauges tell me that all of the revolver elements that matter are well-fitted (cylinder gap, end play, hammer and trigger fit) and won't need to be shimmed. The only somewhat rough parts of the gun are the external contours of the barrel, but that was somewhat expected based upon online reviews. I had planned on replacing the rubber grips, but they fit my hand well and are perfectly fine for IWB carry. This is a gun that is meant to be carried a lot and shot a (relative) little with standard pressure loads - it is what it is and I look forward to tuning loads for this little barker.

Charter arms on duty bull dog in 44 special is a neat package. Recoil is more than a 38 special but not too bad. Gun shoots high and to the left with several different brands of ammo

Love this Bulldog with the bobbed hammer, great for a coat pocket

I got this because of Son of Sam. Styling is a bit different. Tends to shoot to the Right.

I love this little gun. It is light and fits nicely into a coat pocket. I carry Hornady Critical Defense loads. The recoil is stout but still bearable.

excellent product, fast service, great company.

I bought one two months ago. On inspection it seemed perfect. At the range I began experiencing the cylinder freezing. Could not cycle double action-barely single action. Sent e-mail to Charter and got an immediate response. Sent gun in (on their dime) and it was back in eight days. It now works like a charm. The gun is accurate and reliable. (I have only ever used quality factory ammo.) Got a great deal on a Crimson Trace grip. Put that on and dialed it in. This combo makes for an almost perfect carry piece. "Almost" because I pocket carry in my cargo pants...and it is just a tad too long to pocket carry in perfect comfort...at least for me. Do I like the Bulldog idea though? Yes. And just ordered a Bulldog Boomer. I have carried daily for over 30 years.Full size autos work, but dressing around the gun gets tiresome. Small autos work, sometimes. Self-defense does not allow "sometimes." It must go "bang" when bang is needed. Remember the "rule of threes"-almost all civilian defensive shootings are: three rounds or less, in three seconds or less, and at 3 yards or less.So I am back to revolvers-and the velocities from these short barreled guns are amazing. (Due to Charter's rifling.) That and a big heavy bullet. And the safety of a double action trigger. So I give it 5 stars

Impressively light and compact revolver! You could easily forget you're carrying this one on your side! The hammer is shrouded well enough for snag free carry but is easily accessed with your thumb for more controlled shots. It's a 44 Special so you get all the big bore benefits of a large heavy bullet but in a frame that carries more like a small 38 Special. I suggest trying SIG Elite 200 grain 44 Special self defense ammo (700 fps) in it, works well in this light weight & short barreled revolver. 44 Special is subsonic and doesn't kick too hard in this gun.

This revolver looks good and fires fine. Plenty accurate for a close in self defense firearm. When I ordered this, I also ordered a set of compact grips from Charter Arms. The only problem is that the grips are open on the backstrap and Charter does a lousy job of fitting the frame there. I mean honestly a couple of minutes of filing prior to finish and assembling is too much to ask? I know this is a low cost budget revolver, but this thing will cut the heck out of the shooter's hand. Becomes a safety issue then.

It is a sturdy, well made shrouded hammer style revolver in a great caliber. I plan to keep it; however, there are 2 things Charter Arms could do to improve this product. First, the metal to metal surfaces could use more polishing. Of course, you should not expect a custom shop product for less than $400.00. For this price, I can work on smoothing out the action myself. The second item concerns me more. While cycling the action through single action mode, I found that the angle on the tip of the hammer was different than my other shrouded hammer revolvers by a different manufacturer, and that the angle on this revolver's hammer did not provide as much traction as my other shrouded hammers. It slipped loose 3 different times. Luckily it was empty. This revolver definitely requires more attention and pressure when lowering the cocked hammer. This concerns me. I do not know if it would have fired with a loaded cylinder; but, I will be paying very special attention to this problem. 4 out of 5 stars where 5 stars equal "great", not merely "good".