Friday, April 24, 2009

Charter Arms Bulldog

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I've had one of these, in the .44 Special Bulldog Pug version, for several years. While some may think this isn't a good trail gun, it's actually a pretty good choice, especially when venturing out in an area where mountain lions, alligators, feral dogs, or even two-legged predators may be encountered. I have a handload that drives a home-cast 245 grain flatnose Keith bullet to approximately 900 fps (verified by chronograph). That outperforms hot loads from a 5" 1911 .45 ACP, and matches the original .45 Long Colt load from a fullsize revolver. And if you like shot loads for snake protection, CCI makes one in .44 Special that is better than any of the smaller calibers. All this, in a 19 ounce snubnose revolver. What's not to like?

Charter Arms Bulldog

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Charter Arms Bulldog

Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special
Type Revolver
Place of origin United States
Production history
Designer Doug McClenahan
Designed 1970s
Manufacturer Charter Arms
Number built More than 500,000
Variants 13520, 14420, 73520, 74420 and 74421
Specifications
Weight 0.62 kg and 0.57 kg
Length 171 mm and 184 mm
Barrel length 56 mm and 64 mm
Cartridge .44 Special and .357 Magnum
Caliber .44 and .357
Action Double action
Rate of fire Single
Muzzle velocity Usually between 215 and 305 m/s; can reach 335 m/s with some kinds of bullets.
Feed system 5 rounds cylinder

The Bulldog is a 5 shot double action revolver designed by Doug McClenahan and produced by Charter Arms. It was introduced in 1973. The Bulldog has been available for the .44 Special and .357 Magnum cartridges with a length of 184 mm and 171 mm and barrel lengths of either 64 mm or 56 mm. It was a top-selling gun during the 1980s and it is considered as Charter Arms' trademark weapon.[1] It has been produced by four different companies since it was released.

Contents

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[edit] History

Designed by the founder of the first version of Charter Arms (now defunct),[2] Doug McClenahan,[3] the Bulldog was released in 1973. It was one of the best-selling weapons of the 1970s and the 1980s in the United States.[4] Its design and execution, which were quite modern at the time, caught the attention of the gun press and combat shooters.[5] By the mid-1980s, more than half a million units had been produced and nearly 37,000 were being manufactured every year.[4] Bulldog production has been stopped a few times since 1992, when Charter Arms (the original manufacturer) went bankrupt.

Some time later, manufacturing began again under the Charco (descendant company of Charter Arms) trademark, but this company also filed bankruptcy; the models produced during this period showed obvious production flaws.[6] It was produced again by Charter 2000; this company, which failed also, improved the weapon with a one-piece barrel, front sight, ejector-shroud assembly.[2] The original model had no ejector-shroud and the aluminium front sight was soldered to the barrel.

In June 2007, a version of the Bulldog with new features[3] began to be produced by another company named Charter Arms,[7] but this time was distributed by MKS Supply.[8]

The Bulldog was used by the infamous serial killer David Berkowitz aka "Son of Sam" who was responsible for a brutal series of attacks and murders in New York City during 1976-1977.[9]

[edit] Description

Like most Charter Arms weapons, the Bulldog is a relatively inexpensive yet serviceable, no-frills,[2] snubnosed revolver[7]. It can be concealed easily because of its small size,[7] and has no sharp edges to contend with when carrying the weapon in a holster or a pocket.[3] The Bulldog is a solid framed double action revolver with a five-round cylinder which can be opened by pushing a release slide on the left of the gun, or in the original model by pulling the ejector rod. It features a concave sight.[4] Its triggerpull, in both single and double-action modes, is quite light.[2] If a large quantity of residue piles up inside the revolver because of heavy usage, cylinder cranes axel screw can be removed and the cylinder pulled out from the gun for cleaning.[3] Most critics believe the best way to employ the Bulldog is self-defense.[3][6]

[edit] Performance

The accuracy of the Bulldog is aided by its trigger pull. According to reviews, it is more accurate than expected for a revolver of its size and type[2] but probably not enough to be called an "accurate" weapon.[3][6]

When the gun is fired, the hammer does not actually strike the firing pin. Under normal firing circumstances a small steel bar (called a transfer bar) is raised when the hammer is cocked, placing it into a position between the firing pin and the hammer itself. The falling hammer strikes the transfer bar, which in turn strikes the firing pin, discharging the weapon.[3]

[edit] Ammunition

The Bulldog is apparently intended for light, fast bullets, as with heavier and slower bullets it is less accurate.[2] With most ammunition types the muzzle velocity tends to be between 215 and 305 meters per second.[10][7] For self-defense the Blazer 200-grain (13 g) Gold Dot is, apparently, the load of choice for the Bulldog. With this load, the muzzle velocity can exceed 335 meters per second.[10] If the the Bulldog is used to hunt, the most effective ammo is, reportedly, the 240- or 250-grain (16 g) SWC. With this bullet type, the shot is very powerful and has a strong penetration but the recoil can easily be handled. Other ammo types are weaker or provide too much recoil.[10]

[edit] Models

Five models of the Bulldog have been produced, allowing customers to choose between: .44 Special and .357 Magnum cartridges, gun lengths of 184 mm and 171 mm and barrel lengths of either 64 mm or 56 mm.[11][12] All Bulldog models have a cylinder of 5 shots.[4] Currently, Charter Arms only offers its 14420, 74420 and 74421 versions.[12] Charter's Police Undercover could also be considered as a Bulldog variant because it's produced with the same frame model but its caliber is different and it was built to resemble the Undercover by Charter.[13]

Variant[11][12] Caliber[11][12] Length[11][12] Barrel length[11][12] Weight[11][12] Capacity[4] Grip[11][12] Hammer[11][12]
Model 13520 .357 Magnum 171 mm 56 mm 0.62 kg 5 Cyl Full Regular
Model 14420 .44 Special 184 mm 64 mm 0.62 kg 5 Cyl Full Regular
Model 73520 .357 Magnum 171 mm 56 mm 0.57 kg 5 Cyl Full Regular
Model 74420 .44 Special 184 mm 64 mm 0.57 kg 5 Cyl Full Regular
Model 74421 .44 Special 184 mm 64 mm 0.62 kg 5 Cyl Full Double action only

[edit] References

  1. ^ Williams, Dick. "Pocket Protectors". Guns and Hunting. http://www.gunsandhunting.com/pocketpistols.html. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Quinn, Jeff. "Charter 2000 .44 Bulldog Pug". www.gunblast.com. http://www.gunblast.com/Bulldog_Pug.htm. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Trzoneic, Stan (January 2008). "Charter Arms Bulldog Pug - A classic .44 returns to production, with several CCW-friendly enhancements.". Guns & Ammo. http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ga_handguns/ga_charterarms_0801/. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
  4. ^ a b c d e McNab, p. 74
  5. ^ "Charter 2000’s Bulldog Shows Why Experts Liked .44 Special". www.gunweek.com. http://www.gunweek.com/2003/feature0720.html. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  6. ^ a b c Chris Luchini and Norman F. Johnson. "Charter Arms Bulldog". rec.guns. http://www.recguns.com/Sources/IIIB2a.html. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
  7. ^ a b c d "The Gun Zone - Charter Arms Bulldog Pug". www.thegunzone.com. http://www.thegunzone.com/bulldog-pug.html. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
  8. ^ "MKS Supply Partners". www.mkssupply.com. http://www.mkssupply.com/partners/MKS_partners.html. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
  9. ^ "David Berkowitz". www.allserialkillers.com. http://www.allserialkillers.com/david_berkowitz.htm. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  10. ^ a b c M.L. McPherson. "Charter Arms 44 Special Bulldogs: Care and Feeding". www.levergun.com. http://www.levergun.com/articles/44_Special_Bulldog.htm. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "Bulldog parts and prices" (PDF). www.charterfirearms.com. http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Bulldog_MagPug.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Bulldog from Charter Arms". www.charterfirearms.com. http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_Bulldog.html. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  13. ^ "The Police Undercover from Charter Arms". www.charterfirearms.com. http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_Police_Undercover.html. Retrieved on 2007-10-25.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_Arms_Bulldog"

Posted by Tracy at 2:22 PM 0 comments
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