Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
I will join your rant and agree 100%
Some of this is driven by Hollywood. Some is driven by attempts to make something established cool and/or exotic. And some is just downrignt stupid.
Charter Arms Bulldog in .45 ACP
- Thread starter richhodg66
- Start date
Some of this is driven by Hollywood. Some is driven by attempts to make something established cool and/or exotic. And some is just downrignt stupid.
Glaciers
Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
For CC my first choice is the S&W Lady Smith 5 shot with a 2” or probably a 1 7/8’s inch barrel. It’s a 357 but 38’s are the normal diet. I do shoot 357’s in it just to know that I can handle it if I need to blow a hole in someone’s engine block or a bears head.
I believe it’s a J frame but I have a had time keeping track of all the offerings, but in a Mika’s round pocket holster it’s comfortable and and fairly hidden in my back pocket.
I got to agree with Winelover I his choice of hammerless for CC pistol’s, but I just can’t go there. Bobbing the hammer ok, but I need a hammer.
Just about all of the CA’s pistols are great in the CC department. Trust me I’m not an expert on CC. But large caliber 44 or the in question here 45 ACP With a 3” or short barrel would be a serious deterrent in my opinion And carry pretty well. The 39/357 size even better for CC.
I believe it’s a J frame but I have a had time keeping track of all the offerings, but in a Mika’s round pocket holster it’s comfortable and and fairly hidden in my back pocket.
I got to agree with Winelover I his choice of hammerless for CC pistol’s, but I just can’t go there. Bobbing the hammer ok, but I need a hammer.
Just about all of the CA’s pistols are great in the CC department. Trust me I’m not an expert on CC. But large caliber 44 or the in question here 45 ACP With a 3” or short barrel would be a serious deterrent in my opinion And carry pretty well. The 39/357 size even better for CC.
Winelover
North Central Arkansas
Have to have a hammer, there are shrouded hammer options in revolvers. As far as weight goes, in terms of recoil, it's a non issue if you reload. We can load from mild to wild in any caliber. In a J-frame size revolver, I'd opt for 357, over 38 Special, for the reasons Glaciers stated. More versatile. Most of us shoot, more than the average Joe. I don't think anyone that is a regular here, can't handle the recoil of 357 factory loadings, for occasional shooting. Might not like it but you're not taking it to war, either. Practice with more moderate loads. Easier on you and the gun.
The Ruger 357 LCR is the closest to the ideal carry revolver, IMO. Lightweight, very good sights and nice out of the box DAO trigger. Doesn't even compare to the three S&W J-Frames we own..............sights are barely adequate with far too heavy triggers. The only thing Ruger needs to do is offer it in 44 Special. CA did it with the Bulldog. Cylinder sizes are almost identical. Ruger could offer it with a unfluted cylinder, if they wanted to beef it up. The extra weight would make it more manageable but not overly heavy. Still waiting with bated breath.
The Ruger 357 LCR is the closest to the ideal carry revolver, IMO. Lightweight, very good sights and nice out of the box DAO trigger. Doesn't even compare to the three S&W J-Frames we own..............sights are barely adequate with far too heavy triggers. The only thing Ruger needs to do is offer it in 44 Special. CA did it with the Bulldog. Cylinder sizes are almost identical. Ruger could offer it with a unfluted cylinder, if they wanted to beef it up. The extra weight would make it more manageable but not overly heavy. Still waiting with bated breath.
WHOOOOOAAAA!
THAT is so COOL!
Did you get it used or new? I wonder if some enterprising Charter fan liked his Charter so much that he made the change to make it "perfect?"
Would you mind if I share those two pics with Ed Buffaloe to see if he's ever seen such a thing? He knows as much about these as anyone I know. That is the ONLY Charter hammer I've ever seen like that. There were a few early 38 hammers with a slightly wider spur, but never that big and never cross-hatched. THAT I'VE SEEN. They may exist.
My own current CCW is a 3", 357 Mag Pug with several modifications in the direction of refinement, so it wouldn't surprise me if someone modded that hammer, but who knows?
Home-made fixed rear sight, pinned-in front sight, bobbed hammer (factory part) and grips which weight about half what they did when I started removing the offending bulk in all the wrong places.
I may yet do some "sculpting" on the onerous underlug some day too.
These guns are worth refining a little to get what I want. I'd love to find an old 3" taoered barrel, even after I did all the work on that front sight.
Uncle Grinch
Active Member
That is one neat little Bulldog!
Glaciers
Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Bought it used. I have not done any modifications myself as the pistol meet our needs or I should say Karyn’s needs.
I had sold her original 3” blued Bull Dog and replaced it with a shorter barreled Bull Dog, that didn’t go over well so I picked this one up and things are all smiley again. All quiet on the home front.
Jeff use the pictures anyway you want.
That’s a nice looking pistol you have there.
Speaking of Ruger’s I’ve never handled the LCR revolver. I have a fondness for the SP101 3” 357 as it is heavier and handles well plus I have a spring kit to install. I will be following Ben’s tutorial that he posted. But the 3” SP101 in a Mika square pocket holster works great in my back pocket.
One other note about the Rossi it has a nice trigger both DA & SA
I had sold her original 3” blued Bull Dog and replaced it with a shorter barreled Bull Dog, that didn’t go over well so I picked this one up and things are all smiley again. All quiet on the home front.
Jeff use the pictures anyway you want.
That’s a nice looking pistol you have there.
Speaking of Ruger’s I’ve never handled the LCR revolver. I have a fondness for the SP101 3” 357 as it is heavier and handles well plus I have a spring kit to install. I will be following Ben’s tutorial that he posted. But the 3” SP101 in a Mika square pocket holster works great in my back pocket.
One other note about the Rossi it has a nice trigger both DA & SA
Agree on EVERY point, to include the SP101 and Rossi's SA/DA. There' a reason for that. Taurus cheated and made the guts cheaper to make - moves the firing pin to the frame, lighter MIM hammer, short throw on the small DAs to begin with. It accumulates to a rather heavy pull you really can't fix. Rossi, even t he new one just announced retains the hammer-mounted firing pin, rebound slide/trigger return. I REALLY want to get my hands one of those - 3", stainless. They supposedly make a new 4" and 6" with adjustable sights now too and I saw one for sale at Fin Feather and Fur (Ohio) in 6" for like $500. 357, six shot. Not my cup-'o-tea, but someone will like the otherwise neglected older ideas which still work and work better than most of the new ideas. Now,... if we could just get Rossi to do a 44 Special again in the frame size,... Oh, man!
Thanks, @Uncle Grinch . I've got a lot of work in this - I don't have a metal machine-shop. Had to make the rear sight with hacksaw/files and cut the mortise for the front sight tenon with a "creative" process I might have shared somewhere on the forum. It was a lot of work, but I was aoble to refine a few features which take full advantage of an excellent revolver design. As-is, NOW, it suits me, fits me and makes me happy.
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Missionary
Well-Known Member
"Fits me" is the best reason for work. Well I will include wife's "need /desire" also.
Uncle Grinch
Active Member
Jeff, you made it yours and you did a fantastic job!
Ricochet
Member
Carrying a .45 Pitbull in a jeans front pocket wore a hole through the denim over my front right thigh. The top of that front sight is SHARP! The hole quickly frayed wider with a white thread fringe and a spot of my skin showing through. My wife says that puts me in style. She long ago took over my early .44 Bulldog, and I've take to downloading it with moderate 200 grain wadcutters for her. With Pachmayr grips, it's easily managed. Standard factory hardball ammo shoots well in the Pitbull, and has about as much recoil as I want to deal with. I haven't shot it over a chrono, but have read tests where it made about 700 FPS. I don't think any hollowpoint ammo is likely to expand at Pitbull velocities, so I like large meplat cast bullets like the Lee TL452-230-TC that's long been my favorite .45 ACP bullet in hardball equivalent loads or the BD45 that gives me quick visual identification of heavy loads. I'm about to experiment with the high speed Lee 452-155-SWC loads using Accurate #2 and #5 in the Pitbull. Those seem to have potential for effectively making it a short barreled .357 Magnum with already expanded bullets.
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
If you are going to pocket carry - ALWAYS use a pocket holster.
It breaks up the outline of the gun.
It keeps the gun oriented in the correct position in the pocket.
And it shields the trigger.
Snakeoil
Well-Known Member
I would think that the weight/capacity vs comfort/firepower tradeoffs depend on the application. If you are a LEO in a bad area, I would think that you'd be willing to accept a little discomfort for the added peace of mind that comes with a hard hitting pistol you can control and that holds a shoebox full of ammo. But for civilians who carry purely for the sake of added safety, I doubt you'll ever need more than 1 or 2 rounds and comfort, concealability probably take precedent over firepower. I have several carry guns depending on what I'm wearing and where I'm going. I try to not go to places where I need to carry. But if I don't know the area or am suspicious I choose to carry depending on my level of concern.
Carry guns are a Mod 60 with +P hollowpoints, a .38 spl. Texas derringer and a .22 Freedom arms mini-revolver. I also own a Walther PPK/S that was my Dad's carry gun. But I've never carried it. If I have to carry a 1911 to feel safe, I'm probably going someplace that I should not go.
Carry guns are a Mod 60 with +P hollowpoints, a .38 spl. Texas derringer and a .22 Freedom arms mini-revolver. I also own a Walther PPK/S that was my Dad's carry gun. But I've never carried it. If I have to carry a 1911 to feel safe, I'm probably going someplace that I should not go.
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
The first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun. So, there’s a lot to be said for a gun that you have on your person and not left in your car, house, boat, etc.
I’ve always viewed handguns like parachutes – You hope you never need it, but if you need it, you need it RIGHT NOW and nothing else will do.
As for carrying a handgun for self-defense, we select handguns because it is impractical to carry a long gun while going about everyday life. If confronted with a potential deadly force situation, even law enforcement officers will equip themselves with a long gun if they have even the slightest opportunity to do so. That’s just good tactics. About the only time a handgun is superior is in very close quarters (think tunnel rats in Vietnam) or when you really need to be able to holster the gun to do something with both hands (like fight, access another weapon, hold onto a prisoner, etc.)
Guns are a PITA to carry all the time, even in an open carry holster. They are heavy, bulky, must be continuously protected and defended, and are generally a nuisance. So in order to have that gun and not leave it in your car, nightstand, safe, boat, etc., it needs to be something you can tolerate.
I’ve always viewed handguns like parachutes – You hope you never need it, but if you need it, you need it RIGHT NOW and nothing else will do.
As for carrying a handgun for self-defense, we select handguns because it is impractical to carry a long gun while going about everyday life. If confronted with a potential deadly force situation, even law enforcement officers will equip themselves with a long gun if they have even the slightest opportunity to do so. That’s just good tactics. About the only time a handgun is superior is in very close quarters (think tunnel rats in Vietnam) or when you really need to be able to holster the gun to do something with both hands (like fight, access another weapon, hold onto a prisoner, etc.)
Guns are a PITA to carry all the time, even in an open carry holster. They are heavy, bulky, must be continuously protected and defended, and are generally a nuisance. So in order to have that gun and not leave it in your car, nightstand, safe, boat, etc., it needs to be something you can tolerate.
Pretty much why I don't have any "range guns" in DA. There are a lot of really cool 4" DA revolvers, but if I can't carry it concealed, it's just a "toy" for me. I do have a 5.5" SINGLE-action, but that's mostly a hunting tool and really,... a "toy" or "range gun." I don't ride the range or wander about in the wilderness where there are scarier furries than me.
I'm not saying that all 4" and larger DAs are "toys" or "range guns," but that for MY purposes, that's what they would amount to. If I need to go outside and settle a ruckus, I grab a carbine. USUALLY, it's something I have to attend to at under fifty yards, but it's faster and easier to quickly render the trouble-maker to a state of neutrality without sending multiple shots hither and yon. The revolver is for those times when I can't just go traipsing 'round toting a carbine, like in the grocery store.
Nothing against DA revolvers or pistols, but if I KNOW I need a gun, I go for the long version.