Cthulhu
Member
Haunting the revolver boards on various forum, it seems there is a market that exists that just isn't being met by the offerings of todays manufacturers. This market wishes for a revolver that carries like a J-Frame and hits like an N-Frame. Specifically wanted is a 2-3"BBL revolver with usable fixed sights that is relatively light in weight and has frame size concealable in a pocket, chambered for a round throws a large caliber, heavy bullet with tolerable recoil, usually the .44S&W Special. Put simply, the big bore pocket revolver. There are posts on nearly every gun board wishing for a nearly identical revolver, and a whole slew of responses that suggest revolvers that at best meet 2 or 3 of these requirements.
There is one choice, particularly in its earlier guise, that meets all of these requirements, all in a budget priced gun to boot. This is the Charter Arms Bulldog. Its not much bigger than a J-Frame, lightweight at 19-22oz, and has other advanced design features such as one piece frame construction, 3 pt lock up, and an action that does not need a cylinder stud. However, as anyone who has pursued the dream of the pocket artillary knows, the BullDog is not perfect. For every thread touting it as a "carry a lot, shoot a little" dream there are many more stating that the gun went out of time, shot loose, lost parts, cracked etc.
The purpose of this thread is not to reiterate Bulldog stories of woe, or to reaffirm one's opinion that is junk, etc but to voice theories as to why these guns have a limited life span. Is it poor material, poor design, poor quality control? Is the ratchet too small, too soft? Make your claim and back it up. I don't need engineering formulas or a masters thesis (although they won't be ignored if you have them), merely hypothesis and supporting evidence. If you had a problem and had it fixed, what was the solution? If you were building one from scratch, how would you do it right?
There is one choice, particularly in its earlier guise, that meets all of these requirements, all in a budget priced gun to boot. This is the Charter Arms Bulldog. Its not much bigger than a J-Frame, lightweight at 19-22oz, and has other advanced design features such as one piece frame construction, 3 pt lock up, and an action that does not need a cylinder stud. However, as anyone who has pursued the dream of the pocket artillary knows, the BullDog is not perfect. For every thread touting it as a "carry a lot, shoot a little" dream there are many more stating that the gun went out of time, shot loose, lost parts, cracked etc.
The purpose of this thread is not to reiterate Bulldog stories of woe, or to reaffirm one's opinion that is junk, etc but to voice theories as to why these guns have a limited life span. Is it poor material, poor design, poor quality control? Is the ratchet too small, too soft? Make your claim and back it up. I don't need engineering formulas or a masters thesis (although they won't be ignored if you have them), merely hypothesis and supporting evidence. If you had a problem and had it fixed, what was the solution? If you were building one from scratch, how would you do it right?