I’m a big fan of the .44 Special cartridge. There is an argument that it’s obsolescent, and I’d agree. A .38 Special will do the same job while providing less recoil and more capacity. That’s all true, but shooting .44 Special is a ton of fun. I’ve found it to be an exceptionally accurate cartridge with a smooth recoil impulse that’s far from snappy.
Color me excited that SHOT Show 2026 revealed two .44 Specials I’d never seen before: the Charter Arms Boomer and the resurrected S&W Model 396 Night Guard. The Charter Arms Boomer is technically a new gun, though it seems to be a model that Charter Arms puts in and out of production. They were certainly proud to have it at this year’s show, signaling a new run of a truly unique firearm.
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Charter Arms Boomer: A Literal “Belly Gun”
Drop your “Ok, Boomer” joke here. The Boomer lives up to its name, but it might make living up to the .44 Special’s accuracy reputation tough. Seeing as it has no sights beyond the trench in the top strap, it falls squarely into that micro-sized category of “belly guns.”
The gun features a two-inch tapered barrel, and while it’s designed for point-shooting, I’m still surprised they didn’t include even a minimalist front sight.
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What you do get are two long ports to help contain the blast. I imagine .44 Special from a short barrel is quite bright and loud; these ports should provide a little extra “shootability” by reducing muzzle flip. The Boomer is a five-round gun and maintains the same frame size as the classic Bulldog.
Concealment vs. Practicality
The short barrel definitely helps with concealment, but to be fair, this isn’t a gun I’d personally carry. If I’m going to carry something without sights, it needs to be Seecamp-sized. Something this large doesn’t offer the deep concealment I’d need to justify sacrificing my sight picture.
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Predictably, the gun has a concealed (bobbed) hammer and is designed to be completely snag-free. Even if you can’t aim the gun traditionally, I applaud the uniqueness of the design. As a fan of “weird and odd” guns, that’s where the appeal lies for me. Honestly, if they kept this exact snag-free design but moved it to a smaller frame size in a caliber like .32 H&R Magnum, I’d be much more keen to carry it.
As a .44 Special, the Boomer certainly lives up to its moniker. I imagine this thing is a literal blast to shoot at the range.
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