charter arms target bulldog any good?

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wildwoodford

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i see that epps has a whole bunch of the charter arms target bulldogs in both 357 and 44 special for only 450$ but ive never heard too much about them. just wondering if they`re a kind of a poor mans hidden jem like a norinco or something to stay far far away from because they go out of time or have bad accuracy, etc? im not opposed to spending more money on a ruger but i dont mind saving a little bit either
 
I was looking at their .22 da/sa 6 shot revolver the other day at a local gun shop. Fit and finish was good. Better than norinco but not as good as smith and wesson or even ruger. But still a nice gun. Looked like it would be a lot of fun to shoot!!!
 
Handled the .357....CHEEEEEAAP!! The cylinder wobbled everywhere when the crane was open and the locking latch had a gap so big that I would be afraid of the spring popping out. All in all a really cheaply made gun. I wouldn't trust the .357 to survive more than a couple of boxes of full house ammo. I'd get the .22 mag if I could find one that didn't have the ridiculous amount of cylinder play.
 
Here it is. I just got it today by mail.
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First impression; Its short and light weight. Feels good when holding it. The stainless finish is very nice. I will try it out this weekend with some 38 Special and 357 Mag factory ammo.

SM
 
wildwoodford said:
i see that epps has a whole bunch of the charter arms target bulldogs in both 357 and 44 special for only 450$
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Crap! I paid too much. :mad: I didn't know Epps was selling them.

handofzeus said:
Handled the .357....CHEEEEEAAP!! ... I wouldn't trust the .357 to survive more than a couple of boxes of full house ammo.
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It's not super polished or anything - some of the machining is a little rough, but seems to me to be not too horribly badly made (for the price). I'll shoot a few boxes through it next time I'm up at the range and we shall see how it holds up.

Mine was delivered this morning:
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Was at the range for the first time with my bran new Charter Arms Target Bulldog in .357 Mag. I had some CCI 357 Hollow point, American Eagle Jacketed soft point 158 gr .357 and some FJM 130 gr 38 Special.

Well when I first tried the CCI ammo I wasnt able to close the barrel in the frame. The base of the casing was to thick! Darn...

Then I tried the American Eagle in .38 and shot the first 5 rounds with no problem. The target was at 50 feet and all 5 shots were in 4 inchs group.

Now when I tried the .357 Mag AE ammo, I had a problem with ejecting the casing, they had expended in the cylinder and were tough to take out.

Looks like the finish of the cylinder is rough and needs to be polish. Overall experince was fun and hopefully things will get better as I use it on a regular base. The .357 ammo is really giving a good kick.

SM
 
357_fan said:
Damn, those are some rough looking chambers. I had a GP-100 like that and sent it back under warranty.
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The actual chambers aren't that rough. It's just the first part - maybe a tapered bit? - the first 3/32" to 1/8" - that has somewhat rough machining. And the camera & flash really accentuates it. To the naked eye it doesn't look nearly so bad.

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In this pic the cylinders are still oily from factory, and lots of dust has stuck to it. Needs a cleaning. The bores are really quite smooth.
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futz said:
The actual chambers aren't that rough. It's just the first part - maybe a tapered bit? - the first 3/32" to 1/8" - that has somewhat rough machining. And the camera & flash really accentuates it. To the naked eye it doesn't look nearly so bad.

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In this pic the cylinders are still oily from factory, and lots of dust has stuck to it. Needs a cleaning. The bores are really quite smooth.
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If it ejects fired cases then all is well. On the GP-100 that I sent back I had to pluck the fired cases out by hand... And those were only factory 38 special wadcutters. Just like your CA, my Ruger was only rough for the first part of the cylinder just like your pics show. If they eject ok when using the ejection rod then I wouldn't worry about it. I'd like to get one in 44 special.
 
i handled one the other day.....
crap for sure.
MIM parts, cast frame cast cly!!!
and wait for it cast bbl!!!!
the finish is a heavy acid etch to hide the casting marks.
At first glance i figgered it wasa new norinco gun, but then was told what is was and shown the gun.
then i asked the price!!!
Simply put just buy the ruger if your short of cash and want a wheel gun
 
I got the chance to look at one of the Charter Arms .22LR revolvers.

It looked like it was made by a high-school student in shop class.
 
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