Tear Down and Reassembly of the Charter Arms Bulldog
Вставка
- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- I show the tear down and the assembly of a Charter Arms Bulldog revolver, to include the cylinder.
-----
Join the conversation with the rest of the online shooting, reloading, and bullet casting community!
The Reloaders Network: www.thereloader...
Will make videos for bacon: / loadsofbacon
Tip jar: www.paypal.me/...
not a single F word when putting this thing back together... MAD RESPECTS...
Please oh please 🙄 do you have a hint how to get that darned trigger spring back into the frame correctly? HELP
Excellent tutorial.
Good audio. Great lighting & back drop. The best video on the tube.
Thanx...yes that cylinder release assembly is tricky...
Great Job. VERY informative and great visual learning. That camera work was good too and caught 99.9% of the important visual anyway. Thank you very much for sharing.
Thanks for the video, now I will never tear mine down for a deep clean cause I'd lose my patience .
Anyone who thinks revolvers are simple needs to watch video like this.
Simple to operate, but stripping down is a while different story...
Smiths are so easy. This looks like a pain.
This revolver is a pain to assembly and disassembly. Not all revolvers
thank you i have hade a broken trigger for a year i found your video and now it is fixed
Glad to see Charter back in business and doing well. I have the Pitbull in
.45acp. It's my every day every where carry piece.
I have the 45 acp too. What kind of holster do like to use. I use the sticky holster and pocket carry. I can't find any other comfortable way to carry it.
@@electromech7335 I use a sticky holster sometimes but my main carry is a pancake holster made by Cal38 Leathers. You should check him out, very reasonable prices for thick, handmade leather holsters.
@@robbyritter4245 thanks for the info 😊
You had as much fun putting the trigger back on as I did when I tried it, years back.
It's a memorable undertaking!
Thanks so much for this video. I cerakoted my buddy's 22lr pathfinder and was having a nightmare of a time getting it back together. I looked for two days online until I found this. Great work and thanks again!
Awesome! I know the frustration of staring at little gun parts that just won't go back together. Glad this helped.
Just came across your video and glad I did. I have a CA Police Undercover which uses the same frame as the Bulldog. I thought it was beyond my capability to replace the hammer spring. After watching this video, I know its not. Great job!!
A good straight forward how to video. I now feel comfortable cleaning my Bulldog 👍🏼
Thank u so much man. I have a charter .38 undercover and this video made it easy, i was going at it for about 4 hours before this video. Thank u😄😄
They can be extremely frustrating at times. Simple to operate, but painful to tear apart and reassemble. Glad it helped!
No way would I ever do go that far I don't have the patience nor the tools great job though
I recently got one of these and don’t know why I was shy about them. Now they’re my favorite revolver and I have 3 . It’s become an addiction.
I had to file down the front sight to make it shoot poa.
It was 6 inches low but when I did it was a deadly accurate piece and a joy to shoot.
Thanks for the disassembly video.
Great instructional video. I haven't seen one like this before on the beloved Bulldog. Thank you for making this one.
Quite a complex little revolver. I’ve been interested in Charter Arms revolvers for a while, and they seem to be well made. Great video!!
Thank you! The don't have the polish and finish of an old S&W, but they don't have the price tag either. I'm still extremely happy with mine.
oh man,i bought one in the early 70 s. the original. lost it along the way. now I really want another!! I never could see how the cyl. came apart. now I know. thanks partner.
I've had mine now for a couple of years, and I've really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the informative video, I just purchased a Bulldog 44 Classic from around 1973 or 74. The ejector star shows some damage, after watching this I will try my luck to repair it.
what a well detail explanation easy to understand , thank you, GBY.
Simply excellent video sir.I thought I was a gunsmith once and disassembled the first one I had. Boy, that was fun putting it back together. This was before u tube and no manual. Wish I'd have seen your video first! Great video.
Excellent instructions
Very nice job .good you didn't stay on camera ,and you came back we don't need to see that, we all have problems when it comes to reassembling ,and that's with out a camera . Good job .thanks
Thanks Nick! Adding the camera is a strange dynamic, and some of those tiny parts are evil.
I love the Bulldog, I find the weight to power ratio to be top of the food chain. mine is very accurate and has an excellent trigger, both single and double. I have a lot of options for EDC including a top shelf Officer's Model 1911 but at 36 ozs. and only 7 shots, the Bulldog is the clear winner at 20 OZs (weighed on a postal scale) with 5 shots.I use Charters small wood grips, for better concealment and yes they are a little harder on the hand. my only real complaint about this little firearm is the aluminum grip frame.it turns black behind the hammer and I would REALLY like to get one in stainless. I would accept an extra ounce for that upgrade. as far as long range, I get decent accuracy at 50 yds and tolerable accuracy at 75 yards, making it an ideal hiking companion as well as a self defense weapon. the video is very helpful, and not at all misleading, the difficult areas of reassembly are clearly spelled out.
It really is a great little revolver. I ordered the small wood grips, but the fit was so poor I took them off before I ever fired a single round. I appreciate the comment cheops1292, and good shooting to you!
Nice tutorial, thanks. I don't have a Charter Arms but my mother has had a 38 Special my pops gave her about 39 years ago and it is a nice little gun. My own choices in fairly powerful small revolvers are an SP101 3" for the last 15 years and a Kimber K6s DASA 2' I just got. That 44 Special Bulldog has always been an intriguing little gun, they made that cylinder just about as small as they could.
I love my C,A, Bulldog.. I have put over 1.500 rounds through it. Good Pistol. My front sight is a little canted to the left, So I have to hold left on targets that are over 10 yards away to center the hit's, However it's not enough to worry about, It's a "uppy closey" pistol for self defense. It's a little hard on the hands after 50 rounds at the range, I was using it as a test pistol for my show, But it has been retired into the role it was intended for now as a EDC pistol. I have the Flattop Ruger now as a test pistol and is less taxing on the hands. Good instruction Video dude.. Dave.
Mine is slightly canted left as well. This dog will bite the target hard, but it will also chew on the hand that feeds it. I had to file a couple edges down after the first couple times I shot it - razor sharp edges in the trigger guard are not fun on a heavy recoiling gun. I really like this gun, but it's not my first pick for extended range sessions.
Those Rugers you've got are a beautiful pair!
Thor's Axe: That IS love..to compensate for the front blade like that. Be well and safe
If I took it down that far. It would definitely be going to a gunsmith for reassembly 😂
Such a wonderful revolver and a piece of cake to completely tear down and reassemble. My 2 CA Bulldog .44 Specials are both converted into Live-Firing Hero replicas of the Blade Runner Blaster! Definitely my favorite movie prop ever created, a work of art to say the least. My #1 will soon even have a real Steyr Mannlicher SL .222 Rem receiver mounted on it of it as well!
I didn't think I'd see any of those until at least 2019...
Any notes or videos on your conversions? I am collecting parts to do the same thing. Have a good candidate Bulldog and resin Tomenosuke. Now on the hunt for a Mannlicher SL receiver...
@@ljg6979 - It was the most difficult conversion I’ve ever took on! I suggest joining RACprops facebook page for any and all questions and instructions. Rich is the master of the blaster. He’s had first hand experience with the original prop from the 82 film. Good luck, you’re gonna need it. It took me 2 times to get it right!
Nice Guide. Much Thanks.
Thank you
Very descriptive and informative! Good diy video.
Thanks Craig!
Charter arms revolvers are my favorite handguns. I carry a bulldog 44 also but in a coat pocket, no holster.
I thought you were going to say “I had to turn the camera off while I found something safe to throw against the shop wall and go out on the porch and take deep breaths”.
These are the only guns I've seen (gunsmith 40+ yrs) that have gotten better! Had one of the earlier shrouded ones and it was OK. This stainless target bulldog is a much better gun.. Finish wise, it's not a smith.. But function is fine, accuracy acceptable and it's in a class all alone. All stainless, 44 under 1.5# 4" adjustable sights... and @400 bucks. My carry gun, fly fishing in bear country and sometimes in N. FL rattlesnake country. Great with shot capsules. Thanks for the servicing video.
Forgot to mention I like the Pachmayer compact grips better that the flat hard rubber factory ones. Better control & recoil absorption.
Thank you Greg! I fear that many folks still associate the revolver with the unfortunate event in the mid 70s, and with some of the lower quality items that were produced at times, and then write off the current production as junk. I love mine. As you say, it's not a S&W, and it's not a Ruger, but it does work just fine, and for size/weight/caliber/firepower, it has no competition.
I've considered the Pach grips, but I've been okay with the factory rubber, and I fear the Pachs would increase the size. I use this as my EDC, and usually carry it IWB. If I'm headed out into the country, I will normally grab one of my S&W 44s.
I appreciate the comments!
The Pachmayer compact grips don't increase the size..In fact they're @ 1/16" shorter, but are softer and a little thicker so they fill your hand better and absorb recoil. They do add a little over an ounce to the weight, and I needed to cut a small notch in top for hammer clearance on single action. But for 25 bucks, they are a nice addition. Thanks again for the video! Been a long time since I took one apart.. They rarely need much attention :o).
Outstanding! I'll definitely pick up a set.
@@LoadsofBacon I've tried all four grips on my older Stratford Bulldog. The compacs cause recoil to smack my middle finger more than the std grips CA supplies currently. The Classics are even more painful. I've come to really like their current grip. I'll save the little wood grips in case I get a light .38 for the pocket.
Well done, informative, you are capable
Thank you, I appreciate that!
I wanted to see how much effort was involved in replacing the main Spring and your or video answered it! Thank you
Great video! I was relieved to see that you had almost as much difficulty putting the trigger back as I did. LOL For me the secret was using a temporary punch that had almost no play in it. I had first tried a narrower punch that had a bit of play and that made it difficult to line up the pin correctly. The larger punch lined it up perfectly and the pin went in on the first try. The larger punch I made our of a small nail.
Very informative. Good job.
Thank you Kelly
I like the way you spend your time why waiting on the new born lol. Great video!
Can't be defending momma and babies with a dirty gun ;)
Very wise decision not to take the mag release button off!
Very good video, just means I won't be taking mine that far apart
Nicely done!
Great tips and tricks. Exceptional vid! Thanks!!
GREAT JOB SIR
Thank you for this; when I was dry firing my Mag Pug the other night all of a sudden the hammer, rod, spring and hammer screw shot out and landed in my lap! I'd been meaning to put some loc-tite on the hammer screw as I knew it would loosen during live fire of magnum rounds but didn't think to check it during dry fire. 😳 I'm thinking I should add it to my Bulldog & Undercover too; to have that happen in a defensive scenario would make for a bad day.
Glad it helped
Thanks great instructional video !
"That's about as far as I'll go." Right after removing a bunch of pins and bits most people would instantly lose lol
I've already had to call Charter Arms to replace a tiny little pin I lost from the cylinder release before. 😁 A man has to know his limitations.
Enjoyed seeing this. I just lately bought a Charter Arms "Professional" in .32 H&R, so I was very curious as to how it works and the materials and craftsmanship of construction. Like you said, your "Bulldog" is probably internally very similar, and I was pleased to see that the mechanism is fairly simple and looks well made of good quality steel. I'm sure no gunsmith, either, but I think I could do that. Very much obliged for your care and trouble. Thank you.
Really useful video. Thanks.
Thanks; glad it helped.
Thank you. God bless you.
I’ve got the same weapon… had no freaking idea a revolver had so many parts!!!
This video helps me alot, thanks, cant wait to shoot my bulldog again
Glad it helped! The Bulldog is a great little revolver.
Loads of Bacon yea i love shooting it i learned how to shoot with my dads model 29 and his bulldog 44 spl, the same one i couldn't put back together till i saw this video
I've made the mistake of disassembling the cylinder latch. Pretty much a PITA to reassemble, holding in the spring and pin and not losing them. Having to line up everything. Charter sells a tool to hold the pin & spring in place, makes it easy as heck. The tool is simple but costs about $20.00. Can be easily reproduced from a piece of sheet metal. Saves alot of time, swearing any crying. :)
Ha ha tell me about it!
I bought a 357 Magnum snubbie. Per Charter Arms, it was made circa 1986. It looks unfired, like its been in a sock drawer for 32 years. The ejector is stiff, the cylinder latch doubly so. I suspect gummed up lubricant. I've never taken apart a Charter Arms product before.
Good work!
Thanks Bob!
Very well done
How about a video on installing the transfer bar?
At the point where you said you had taken the latch apart before is exactly what I need to see I inherited a 44 bulldog and the latch is not working I feel there are parts missing I need to see the tear down so I can compare please Scene about 5:44
I don't personally have the latch process on video, but Charter Arms does: ua-cam.com/video/KSlqqSCFqbM/v-deo.html
I suggest doing the work inside of a gallon ziplock bag or some other similar area where tiny flying springs can be captured.
@@LoadsofBacon Thank you for your help as I suspected the spring is damaged and I am missing 2 other parts you have been very helpful thanks again
Give Charter Arms a call. They'll help you out. That's how I had to get a replacement for my missing latch spring 😁
GOOD INFORMATIVE VIDEO
I enjoy smithing on some levels. Probably because I always take things apart. Awesome vid. Oh and I just tagged you in a photo on Facebook. Something that's 100% you.
I can take anything apart...putting it back together can be a challenge at times...
Facebook tag?
I agree, especially drum brakes, and parking brakes . . . And Smith & Wesson revolvers. Well technically a post, but it was directed at you. Your Loads of Bacon page, it was from me but a shared posted from Full30.com . . .
Brakes are always "fun". I'm working on a power steering pump and a heater core right now.
Replacing an exhaust on my 30yr old Honda this week.
Please do another video covering the section that got off camera. Your close view is more useful than the one at Charter Arms.
all I got to say is wow I would never do that
I saw you pull that 38 cylinder apart...
yeah that was old gun and all I had to do push the little lever and pull the pin it does not have a crane on it and I didn't remove trigger and Hammer that's the complicated part I could probably disassembly get mad and lose the parts
It is probably easier to order replacement parts for the Bulldog than it is for that 38.
that's right yeah they quit making that gun around the turn of the century ain't that crazy those guys were shooting 38 specials through it
I forgot we just turned another century it was the 19th century
Great video! Now I know what manual of arms Ruger copied for the LCR/LCRx.
Thanks. I have an LCR, but I’ve never stripped it down to that level yet.
Excellent video...surprised your using taperered screwdrivers instead of hollow ground drivers.
I'm glad you paused the camera during all the screaming and swearing while you were trying to get that trigger back on right.
It wasn't that bad....but I did have to walk away for a few minutes
Those little buggers are hard to take apart, but not as bad as the new polymer guns slide easy, lower royal pain in the neck. Can do a 1911 down to bare bones in my sleep. Hey get ready PaPa Bear you got a little shooter on the way. And as always good work.
Thanks Inventor!
WOW! S&W's are so much easier to take apart and back together. I won't be owning one of these.
They are (I own a few S&Ws), but unfortunately S&W doesn't make a 19.5oz .44 Special revolver.
What part of this is difficult? Lol my friends 9 year old son can put his back together.
Interesting video thanks. I have a new model and a classic dog. The classic has a gritty trigger and an unfinished top strap. May send the classic in for work/cleaning.
Classic design, or one of the original models?
@@LoadsofBacon Classic design I believe. Bought a few years ago, wearing right now. Serial #14-47xx
It would be worth calling them to see what they're willing to do
@@LoadsofBacon thanks. did call a few years ago, they were willing to finish working on it. Leaving the country not too long from now, have to think about if I want to go through the trouble.
Never mind you got to it.
I need to know what holds the cylinder stop in place
7:35......that's about where I'd start cursing and raising hell. I'm always having trouble getting things back together that are under spring tension. I'm not sure I'd tear mine down that far. I tore my Rossi 92 carbine completely apart and cleaned it the other night. Thought I'd never get it back together until I discovered a shortcut getting the ejector back in. This revolver looks twice as difficult.
Took mine down for cleaning and lost the mainspring seat so now my edc is useless luckily I have others
I love mine
An old gunsmith buddy told me years ago: "Don't EVER take down the Charter trigger unless you're just ready to start drinkin' and cussin'!" Lol, he was always right!
I never thought that there were that many small parts in a revolver cylinder. I don't think I would take one apart. That first tiny pin, or last pin if trying to reassemble it, looks like it would be more than a bit tricky to get back into the cylinder assembly. Also as it appears to be held in by a friction fit, I'd rather not risk having it get worn by removal and replacement which might make it more likely to slip out on its own.
I've only had to go into the internals of a revolver once (Taurus Tracker .22, a nice gun for the price) because it was accidentally dropped into fine sand, which is something you don't want to do with a gun, particularly not with a revolver. You might think there's no place for crud to get into the inner working parts, but this is not the case. Sand (just a little bit, but...) got into the inside where the hand that turns the cylinder and the locking tab sticks up. It doesn't take much. Luckily, that model has a side plate like a S&W or Colt's.
Don't drop your guns in sand, water, mud, or anything that you don't want to have to clean out of them, because it's a PITA!
got my wife in 1978 a undercover .38 spl factory nickel non + p.. early model with no shroud .. has always gone bang.. 1000's of rounds .. reloads .. clean tighten screws done .. had a 44 also non shroud , cut the 3'' barrel back to 2'' silver soldered the front sight back on.. head shots so easy at 15 yards ... sold twice what I paid for it ...mistake .. new ones are even better in stainless ..
I've been very happy with mine.
@@LoadsofBacon I'd love to a sight silver soldered onto one of the new Boomers.
Interesting design! I find wax more effective against corrosion.
I didn't know a revolver could have so many internal parts. i kept thinking through the video, well I'll definitely lose that and that and probably that too! 🤔
Taking them apart is easy. It’s the reassembly that can become a challenge.
My first revolver was a bulldog in .44 and for the money it is probably unbeatable. Has a better smoother trigger then my Ruger SP101 at $200 more. Easy to take apart but generally no need to...if you want a wheel gun that's easy to strip the SP101 makes it about as easy as possible.
It does have a surprisingly good trigger for a "cheap" revolver. I was a little suspect before I bought it due to a number of negative reviews, but I've been very happy with mine. It's not made as nicely as my S&Ws, but it doesn't need to be either.
The SP101 is a nice revolver too.
I came here to watch the reassembly of the cylinder release and he didn't do it. I can't find how it goes back together. It fell apart when I took it off and I'm not finding any info on the reassembly sequence
Wish I had a metal frame & cylinder for my Tomenosuke Blade Runner Blaster.
The CA seems very Ruger Security Six like. At least the main hammer spring, though from memory of years ago, it may be the Ruger trigger assembly may be easier to remove, or maybe I just never took it apart as far as he does.
Since it was 40 years ago, I might be delusional!
Why not mount the crane after the cylinder is installed?
And I thought my Smith&Wesson was complexe, I am in a world of hurt when I clean my Bulldog (my M69 looks like a kids puzzle now). It looks like the hard parts are cylinder, cylinder release, and trigger.
While I do see the need to pull apart the cylinder, I think one could leave the cylinder release AND the trigger in, then just spray the piss out of the inside of the frame with some Ballistol or maybe a foaming gun cleaner. Charter Arms sells a tool to help reassemble the cylinder release, that's is a clue that it is no fun. I wonder if they have something for trigger reassembly also that they just haven't released to the public.
I've only ever removed the trigger once, and that was for this video. I would do it again .... if I had to.
The cylinder really isn't that bad once you know how it works.
I think they have Keebler Elves on staff to assemble the cylinder release.
for me it is very difficult. I can disassemble and not reassemble :)
Q: Can an ultrasonic bath be used for cleaning?
Thank you for the excellent video. The firing pin on my undercover broke. I was hoping to see you tear it down to the firing pin. Would you have a video showing replacement? I can't seem to find any information on that.
I do not have a video that shows that. Sorry.
Yeah my 22 needs that as well... Not sure how it's done.
It's under a lifetime warranty. Send it in!
The only thing I've seen regularly go wrong with Charter Arms revolvers is the threaded ejector rod end coming loose, locking the cylinder in place. Loctite that part!
Good video except there were a few places where your were off camera and couldn't see what you were doing but I got the idea.
Thanks. It was hard to keep this all in frame, but I'm glad it covered enough for you.
About how many rounds through the Bulldog? How well is it holding up?
Just to confirm - aside from caliber and the number of rounds in the cylinder, the process for the Bulldog you're working on is the same as the process for the 22LR Pathfinder ?? Thanks !
Ha, lotta people been commenting this, kinda glad to know I'm not the only one having issues with the pathfinder
@@lookarabbit2888 mine is working fine now - like many 22LR pistols, mine just needed some exercise - live fire shooting - aside from any 22LR ammo having some inherent reliability issues, my CA pistol works fine now
The pins arent one way in right side out right side?
I am replacing the firing pin on in my Bulldog. I removed the old, broken pin, but am having difficulty getting the new pin in. I was hoping to find a tutorial here. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks!
Driving pins out makes them walk out on recoil later.
who jumped when he plopped the cylinder into the eds red cleaner?
I did.
Thank you for your video, it was very helpful in showing me how to strip my 44. However, I still cannot fix the issue of the calendar sometimes not indexing, were I have to nudge the cylinder/Drum to make the trigger return. Any ideas? Thank You!!
I'm not exactly sure what woudl cause your issue, but the first thing I would be taking a look at is the possibility of wear or damage to the hand. It might be worth having a gunsmith take a look at it. If it is the hand, it shoudl be fairly cheap to order, and easy to replace.
Damn, it looks like way too much trouble. I'd likely have pulled my hair out trying to get the trigger back in right.
That part was certainly a pain. Don't take it that far apart if you need to get it back together in a hurry.
I wonder if it would be easier and just as effective to put the whole pistol in a cleaning solution in a vibratory cleaner.
That's probably a good option. I don't own such a cleaner. If one were going to to do that, I would suggest removing both the grip and the hammer spring first. The hammer spring has a protective coating on it, and I am not sure what the vibratory cleaner/solution would do to that.
That's good to know information. Thanks for all the detail in the video too!
I don't own one yet, but I am searching for a Bulldog after I dry fired a DAO 38 special Charter arms at a gun store yesterday. A very nice DA trigger, at least equal to my S&W 649, and very close to my 642. I cant understand all the CA hate, unless they all fall apart after a thousand rounds or so, but I doubt they could be fragile, without the company going broke with the lifetime warranty.
Thanks BuckOrtega! Over the years they have had some less than stellar quality control, and the company has changed ownership a few times. All the reports I'm hearing are that the current production are some of their best.
Bought a new Bulldog XL 45LC, it is fun to shoot, and plenty accurate. CA also has a 41 MagPug now. The 44 Bulldog is no longer the king of the heap.
What does it mean when you pull the trigger to the rear and it stays there and doesn't reset back to the starting point?
It means, send it back to Charter Arms for repair. I bought a used one which malfunctioned and they fixed it for free. I did not even have to pay for the return shipping. If you need the phone number let me know, I have it in my gun case.
Great video, obviously shot and created by a man with some planning & thought.(So rare these days)
Thank you Jeff for the extremely kind words.
Question, I got a charter 22, and it only works like 50 percent of the time if I am lucky, can that hammer and firing pin come out without taking the rest apart?
It has a lifetime warranty. Send it in!!!!
How many rounds thru before cleaning?
Sorry, but I have no idea.