Tegun
Member
I just bought an old original Charter Arms Bulldog 44 with a 3" barrel. Does anyone here know if it is safe to shoot hot loads in it?
Bulldog 44 Ammo Question
- Thread starter Tegun
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Hot loads? Heck no! Probably stay with a 200 gr bullet at medium load, and it will do what you want. I used to shoot CCI Blazers in mine with a 200 gr bullet and it was OK. It is a small gun and will punish you if you try to hotrod it.
Couple of my friends tried loads in theirs that I would never try, they reported back the recoil was brutal.
Couple of my friends tried loads in theirs that I would never try, they reported back the recoil was brutal.
GBExpat
Member
Safe? Perhaps (depending upon your definition of "hot") ... until you shoot it loose and/or into pieces, which probably wouldn't take too long.
I have 2 of the new ones and I only use rather mild ammo. I have settled on a standard of a 250gr lead hollow cavity slug running only about 800fps.
farm23
Member
I now shoot a 215 gr swc at about 900fps and that is a good load but you know it when it goes bang. Mine is a new classic,roughly the same as yours and at 20 some ounces why try and shoot “hot loads”.
Fine Figure of a Man
Member
I have the same model, it's not built like a Ruger. Moderate loads with 240 grain bullets in mine.
.455_Hunter
Member
I know it's not trendy or popular, but I like the classic factory 246 gr LRN, exactly the round the Bulldog was designed to shoot.
The Evangelist Cowboy
Member
Friend,
You have a gun in a .44 caliber round, a 200-250 grain bullet traveling at 800-900 fps is nothing to sneeze at, alot of graves were filled in the old west by the standard loading of .45 colt and .44 WCF, so a .44 spl even in a more anemic than light magnum loads will do the trick. What are you wanting "hot" rounds for? Defense? if its defense for you check out the Federal LSWCHP no plating at all and moving rather good around the 787-800 fps mark, it will put a hurting on anyone or anything trying to mess with you.
You have a gun in a .44 caliber round, a 200-250 grain bullet traveling at 800-900 fps is nothing to sneeze at, alot of graves were filled in the old west by the standard loading of .45 colt and .44 WCF, so a .44 spl even in a more anemic than light magnum loads will do the trick. What are you wanting "hot" rounds for? Defense? if its defense for you check out the Federal LSWCHP no plating at all and moving rather good around the 787-800 fps mark, it will put a hurting on anyone or anything trying to mess with you.
OP
OP
Tegun
Member
Thanks for all the help.
Absolutely not. Alloy frame and, on the originals, a sleeved barrel that can work loose. 44 special factory loads or equivalent would be my max(and is on my original).
246 grain at about 750 for. Equals almost the 45 ACP standard load.
I load a 250 swc with a sedate load of Unique.
246 grain at about 750 for. Equals almost the 45 ACP standard load.
I load a 250 swc with a sedate load of Unique.
BobWright
Member
I had an early .44 Bulldog (ca. 1975) and developed a pet load using a 225 gr. Half Jacketed Speer bullet loaded in .44 Russian cases. Never chronographed the load but think it was around 775 ~ 800 f.p.s. The short cases of the Russian made ejection more positive.
Bob Wright
Bob Wright
scaatylobo
Member
I owned one back in the early 80's.
I was handloading for it and carried it as a BUG on an armored car I worked.
I wondered why it was SO NASTY in recoil to shoot.
Found I had loaded it 1/10 grain over max.
Fired the rest of those rounds through my .44 magnums,and had to send the Bulldog back to get retimed.
Was never the same and I got rid of her shortly after becoming a cop and she failed to allow me to qual with her.
It is fine to shoot with any credible published pressure tested .44 Spl loads.
It's because the dang thing weighs 21 ounces.
The Evangelist Cowboy
Member
They still make that load? Dang that thing was anemic, its not really 900 fps no idea what barrel length they got that from but I had a box chrono' an average of around 725 fps... and that was from a ruger super blackhawk with a 5.5 inch barrel, have seen someone take a small doe with it though.
jdmb03
Member
Underwood makes a Bulldog load.
Catshooter
Member
Interesting pistol. Bought my first when they came out in '74 (?). Very strong cylinder, the designer said that you couldn't blow up the cylinder with any load of 2400. Couldn't get enough in the case.
But the rest of the revolver isn't as tough and they can shoot loose in not too short an order.
And then there's your hand. I fired Elmer Keith's old load of 17.5 grains of 2400 under a 255 grain Keith. I'm not all that sensitive to handgun recoil, but that did hurt. It doesn't shoot anywhere near point of aim either. But you could set an enemy on fire with it if you missed!
The best loads are the ones listed above. Plenty of power in that big o' fat slug even at moderate velocity.
Cat
But the rest of the revolver isn't as tough and they can shoot loose in not too short an order.
And then there's your hand. I fired Elmer Keith's old load of 17.5 grains of 2400 under a 255 grain Keith. I'm not all that sensitive to handgun recoil, but that did hurt. It doesn't shoot anywhere near point of aim either. But you could set an enemy on fire with it if you missed!
The best loads are the ones listed above. Plenty of power in that big o' fat slug even at moderate velocity.
Cat
It depends on how you define "safe". A Charter probably won't explode with a hot load, but it's a light revolver, designed for carrying and it will become loose if you shoot heavy loads in it. Besides, I expect you'll find recoil with ordinary 44 Special loads to be quite adequate.
I know I do.
You sure are not going to get 800 fps with a 240 in that barrel. I have very old data in my Bulldog, with a 250 grain bullet, and I have better data in a Taurus with a 3 inch barrel. Accept that standard velocity ammunition, 240 grain, is going to be moving just under 700 fps in this pistol. And it will kick something awful. You can push a 200 grain lead bullet closer to 750 fps, but it won’t shoot to point of impact in the Charter Arms Bulldog.
I talked to Charco, way back when, they had received a lot of blown up Bulldogs where the owners had shot Keith level loads, trying to turn this pocket pistol into a something it is not. Don’t do it. The pistol can’t take it.
I am going to recommend, if you reload, a 240 L, 6.0 grains Unique, a max load will be 6.5 grains Unique. Try the lower before loading the upper.
Taurus M431 44 Special 3" Barrel
240 LSWC 5.0 grs Red Dot thrown, Midway Brass CCI 500
T = 54 °F 11-Dec-04
Ave Vel = 684
Std Dev = 17
ES = 58
Low = 654
High = 712
N = 16
I talked to Charco, way back when, they had received a lot of blown up Bulldogs where the owners had shot Keith level loads, trying to turn this pocket pistol into a something it is not. Don’t do it. The pistol can’t take it.
I am going to recommend, if you reload, a 240 L, 6.0 grains Unique, a max load will be 6.5 grains Unique. Try the lower before loading the upper.
Taurus M431 44 Special 3" Barrel
240 LSWC 5.0 grs Red Dot thrown, Midway Brass CCI 500
T = 54 °F 11-Dec-04
Ave Vel = 684
Std Dev = 17
ES = 58
Low = 654
High = 712
N = 16
Gordon
Member
My favorite load too in both my earlier Bull Dogs. They are very accurate, moderate recoil and expand in ballistic gelatin and the big boar raccoon I shot with it ! It does not do over 800 FPs in any of three 3" bull dogs I've tested it and was 750 in my S&W 296 2.5 " . Still a good load IMHO
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