41 Mag

[wtfooptimax200]

I am very curious about the 41 Mag. I don't know anyone that owns one, but based on my reading, the caliber seems to have a very loyal following. What makes everyone love this caliber so much? How does its on-game performance compare to other more common calibers?

Any info is appreciated.

[OuchHot!]

I greatly enjoy the .41. Frankly, I got into the .41 because in the 70's, it was more available and reasonably priced of the N frames in my area. Before the endurance mods to the N frame, I believe that the .41 stood up a bit better than the .44 when each was loaded to (silly, but I was young) levels. I found the .41 to penetrate well and it shot my cast bullets very well. I do believe that it shoots slightly flatter at 100yds. Now that all of that has been said, I personally see nothing the .41 does that the .44 doesn't do better. Add the availability of components and factory loads and the deal (for me) is clinched. All the same, I will never sell my .41's....In spite of owning a number of 29/629's I seem to shoot the 57's twice as often... To me niether has a recoil advantage at full snort.

[7br]

I think it is because some people have to be persnickity. Lookit what I got that you don't. Yada, Yada yada. I started with a S&W 657-2 Hunter special. Heck of a gun, but sold it to get something else. I currently have a Dan Wesson with an 8" barrel and it will not go down the road. Yes, the .44 will do everything a .41 will do. A properly loaded .45 lc in a modern revolver will walk on the .44 and a .500 s&w will leave all three in the dust.

I like it and will keep it. I reload and cast so components are not an issue. If I did not, I would probably think twice about buying one.

Just my .02

[ReloaderFred]

I carried a 6" Model 57 S&W as my duty gun for over half of my 26 years "on the job". I never felt under gunned while carrying my .41, especially when working alone 30 miles from the nearest backup. In the proper holster (Hoyt front break), it was comfortable to carry and quick to come out when needed.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Shooter6br]

Bought a 657 in 1980 or so Traded a Ruger Blackhawk 4 3/4 barrel. LOVE the gun and the round. It is the most accurate pistol i have. I have a Smith Mod 25-2 in 45ACP Target a Kimber Target II a Smith Mod 10. It is a great handloaders caliber matched with a great pistol[smilie=w:[smilie=w:

[x101airborne]

In my opinion, and opinion only, I dont think the 41 MAGNUM is a magnum at all, really. It is more to akin the 44 special properly loaded. It is a very pleasant round to load and shoot and yes, there is some "lookee what I got" to it, but without Dirty Harry, I dont think the 44 mag would have stamped the 41 out as bad. The thing to me on the 41 is that it is reasonable for light animals such as in south Texas. A reasonable velocity on a reasonable boolit with superior penetration compared to some. It is not real harsh on the ears or the hands. A wonderful round and weapons that have been trampled on by the new kids. I dont think it will die anytime soon, but as you can see, factory ammo is already going the way of the do-do with some manufacturers.

[Guesser]

I like the 41. It is easier to shoot and shoot well, for me. I had a 29-2 and a Super Blackhawk and a 10" Bull Barrel Contender, of course all in 44 Magnum. I sold the Ruger and the S&W. I have a 57-1 and a Blackhawk and a 10" Bull Barrel Contender in 41. The 41's are keepers, the revolving 44's were not, great guns but difficult to shoot for me. I took a cow elk with the Ruger 44, but the 41 can do it to and probably will. I cast Lyman 410028, 410032, 410610 and 410426, all great bullets and make the 41 very capable. Having used both 44 and 41 for over 30 years, I prefer the 41, just me!!

[41 mag fan]

The 41 mag is an excellent round. You can push it to velocities close to the 44 mag, but with less the recoil. Me and Larry Weishuhn had a nice long conversation about the 41 mag vs the 44 mag a few yrs ago. He's an avid follower of the 41 mag also. The first time I shot a 41 mag, I was hooked, 3 pistols later and still loving it.
On deer sized game this is an excellent caliber. At moderate velocities, this round will cleanly bring down your quarry. I have taken several deer over the last few yrs with this round. None have ran farther than 50 yrds before going down. It's my caliber of choice for deer hunting.

[starnbar]

The 41 mag is a good round and its adequate for deer and hogs. Mine is a desert eagle that I have shot many rounds through over the years. I shoot boolits and j-words through it never had a problem with the gas system just remember to clean it thoroughly after shooting.

[GLynn41]

my .2 is I have had a .44 super b hawk, .454 R hawk, .45 colt b hawk and various .357-no longer- now I have no Idea if the .41 will do much better than the .44-- or the other way around -- I have shot a .44 rhawk side by side with a .41 Rhawk and for me there is a recoil difference-- I cast so boolits are never a problem -- even so currently I have 170, 200, 210 xtp, 210 GD, 250 sp.--my cast booltis go up to 305 and 350 gr-- I just like the .41 I have three normal .41's and a 41/44 TC, .41/445 TC and a .41/454 Rhawk
-- those last two have taken 2000#+ animals but not by me --biggest animal I shot was a 280# wooly boar at 40 yards-- I hit the mountain first then the boar and it went all the way through the boar- still---- I have only one handgun cal. 41 and it will stay that way --unless I buy a carry gun which would be a small .40 cal.-- -the .41 is fine, as the other cal--shoot what you like and like what you shoot--

[Lloyd Smale]

best thing to say about one is its almost a 44mag ;)

[littlejack]

Actually, it is almost a 42.9.

[dpunch]

I bought my blackhawk 41 mag 6 years ago. I love to shoot it. It has great accuracy and knock down power. If I need more I get out the 500 S&W.

[canyon-ghost]

Now, you're arguing in my territory. The 41 magnum is at home on a silhouette range. I have a NMBH in 41 Remington Magnum with a 6&1/2" barrel. It's powerful, will cut a 2x2 in half at 50 yards with lead, and does better than a 357(had two).

I also have a 44 Special Flattop. The 41 magnum isn't almost something else, it's a better cartridge than a lot of them out there.

There's your answer to recoil, the 41 Remington Magnum shoots softer and, in all it's high performance glory too. Is it a true magnum, yes. Chrono it and see for yourself.

Oh, by the way, the 44 Flattop is a nice Ruger. It's easier to shoot and pretty dang accurate. I wouldn't do 'my gun is better than yours' around a guy that thinks 'I own 'em all'! lol
Ron

PS: A 41 Magnum is a .410, now get off my porch!

[littlejack]

Hey canyon-ghost, I believe you took my 42.9 jab the wrong way. LOL

I might as well get deeper into this one.
I've been shootin a .41 of one sort or another since 1968. First one was a RBH w/ 4 5/8" barrel. I shot thousands of reloads through that one. Great shooter.
I now own a 57 w/ 6" barrel. Again, thousands of reloads through it also. This one has loosened up, and is not as accurate as it used to be, but you don't want me shootin at you at 200 yards.
One can load the .41 up to full tilt loads, it is very controlable, and it doesn't hurt near as bad as the 42.9. Almost a .44
If the .41 mag will not take it down, I wouldn't bet my life on the 42.9.
Yes sir: The .41 is a FULL .410
Jack

[doubs43]

IIRC, the .41 Mag was developed as a police cartridge. It was championed by authorities Elmer Keith, Bill Jordan and Skeeter Skelton. They wanted a cartridge that had more umph than the .357 Mag but with less recoil than the .44 Mag and in a lighter package. Keith suggested a 210 grain bullet at about 1300 fps and a special police loading that pushed a 200 grain slug at 900 fps. S&W, in their infinite wisdom, used the heavy N frame revolver as their platform and upped the velocities. The result was a gun that wasn't lighter than the 44 Mag and considered too powerful by most police departments. Few law enforcement agencies adopted it. While considered by many to be an outstanding cartridge, the general public has largely ignored it.

[canyon-ghost]

I'd like to apologize for that, Littlejack. I'm sensitive to such things since Lyman started dropping 41s from their catalog.

Few law enforcement agencies adopted it. While considered by many to be an outstanding cartridge, the general public has largely ignored it.

Doubs43, that's the industry history on it, quite accurately. The General Public didn't take it hunting or, build one for the silhouette game. I shot the first 41 magnum on the silhouette range, a friend of mine had one from years ago. This friend was a Master Class shooter, couldn't argue with the source there. It was a TC Contender with pistol scope. Even accounting for my near-sighted eyes, the 41 hit anything I pointed it at and best at 100 meters.

The 'General Public' is more into instant gratification, buy gun, buy ammo, shoots great. The 41 magnum wasn't necessarily designed for them or the industry that makes most of it's money in the short term. But, this fine old cartridge deserves it's own niche in the hunting fields and shooting ranges. It's a real sweetheart.

Getting down from my soapbox,
Ron

[matsu]

Three 41 mag two M57 a 4"& a 6" 14" T/C 3000 pieces of brass saeco 411 mould been happy with it for 35 years DIllion &RCBS dies started casting just to feed my habit

[ReloaderFred]

The old Remington "Police Load" was part of the demise of the .41 in Law Enforcement. It used an almost pure lead swaged bullet that leaded almost instantly from the first shot. If they had used a better bullet in that load, acceptance would have come much easier, but it was the only light load on the market at the time.

The San Francisco PD (the old one, that still did police work) adopted the S&W Model 58, with a 4" barrel. A friend of mine has one of the old SF marked 58's. The Ventura, CA, PD adopted the Model 57, with a 4" barrel. My Model 57 was a Ventura PD trade in gun from when they went to the Model 66 about 1978 or so. I had the 4" barrel replaced with a 6" barrel by Kerry Freeman, at Cheshire & Perez, in Monrovia, CA, and carried it for many satisfying years as my duty weapon.

I also have three Marlin 1894's in .41 Magnum to go along with my Model 57. Two of them are unfired.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[MtGun44]

I cast and load for a friend's .41 mag. Nothing oddball, works about like a slightly smaller
.44, gun seems fine. It is a 6" S&W 657.

I have not shot it myself a whole lot. Biggest issue is that components are a lot rarer and
more limited than for .44 mag.

Bill

[exile]

I bought a .41 magnum flattop reproduction several years ago. I don't have a lot of experience with the cartridge, but full-house loads in the Ruger are fine with me. I have heard that since fewer .41's are made than other calibers, that they can sometimes be better constructed guns. In my opinion, the Ruger .41 flattop (based on the .44 anniversary model) is one of the most well-made Rugers I have seen, probably on par with all their other flattop models. Suffice it to say, I like the gun and the cartridge. Variety of reloading components may be less expensive in the .44 magnum, but I don't want to shoot magnum loads out of my .44 Mountain Gun anyway, I shoot .44 Specials instead.

You do have to hunt more for guns, brass, bullets, molds, etc., but that is the fun of the thing, in my opinion.

I would love a Marlin 1894 in .41 magnum since it is not legal to hunt deer in Nebraska with a rifle in .357, and my next Blackhawk (if there is one) would probably be a Super Blackhawk Hunter in .41 magnum.

(by the way, my avatar is the .41 flattop of which I speak).

exile

[rintinglen]

The fly in the ointment for the 41 is component and cartridge availability. I bought a 6 inch Model 57 in 1976, but ended up selling it a year later, because ammo was non existent. 44 mags were every where, (the shells, not the guns--the guns were nearly as scarce as an honest politician) but I think I managed to find three boxes of ammo in the time I owned that gun. the 357 worked just fine for my purposes, so I let it go and have never had an urge to replace it. It was and is fringe cartridge, with some positive traits that ought to have made it more popular than it is, but when you can go into Wally World and get 44 maggies for about 2/3 the cost of a box of 41's (that you may have to special order), it is out of the running.

[NHlever]

When I got out of the Army, and started buying guns, I wanted a light, but powerful handgun for woods roaming, and backup. The .41 Mag Blackhawk was the lightest powerful gun back then, and so I bought one, and carried it a lot. For some reason I never shot much game with it, mostly because I was bowhunting most of the time back then but I did like it a lot, and found it to be very accurate. I think the accuracy part is because the caliber, and components were developed from scratch, and weren't stuck with black powder dimensions. The 4 5/8" Blackhawk, with it's aluminum grip frame, and ejector rod housing was much lighter than the Super Blackhawk, or any of the Smith N frames, and the Super Blackhawk was only available with the 7 1/2" barrel. Those things aren't as valid now since we have a much larger variety of .44's to choose from, and 45 Colts that are built to useable dimensions, etc. (and are even lighter than the .41's) I don't own one now mostly because I don't have any loading, or casting tools for it, and really don't want to go down the road of buying all that stuff for a caliber I don't really need, or even want these days. It is a fine caliber, accurate, powerful, and handy in the right gun, just kind of redundant... Now if we had a .44 Special ( or mag) with the aluminum grip frame, etc......... (you guys with the custom flattop, and old model conversions be quiet now) we would have something nice.

[GLynn41]

Lightness was one of the things that attracted me at first-- and I have a 4 5/8 blackhawk and a .41 tracker- now, as has been said, there a number of lighter caliburs, I hunt with the big and carry the little -- personally since 1977 I have never had any problem getting what i wanted for my .41's -- in Tennessee it just has not been a problem- I"ll run what I have- - and personally i do not see most any cartidge as redundant-if some like it- take the .44 special-- why have it --just load down your .44----- same with the .38 and .357 or .45 colt and .454- and so it goes-- shoot what you like and can get get stuff for-I guess :smile:--

[smkummer]

One of the problems with a 41 is it is built on a 44/45 frame and sometimes is heavier than needed. The blackhawk is kind of an exception as it just seems right for the cartridge but full loads out of a plowhandle frame isn't the best comfort wise either. Then you have the situation with a 45 blackhawk being as light or lighter and if needed loaded to a higher power level. I don't want to include any of shore brand of revolvers in this discussion. Of course shooting slightly smaller ammo out of bigger guns is comfortable but packing is another situation all together.

[GLynn41]

I tried a .45 colt once upon atime-- it was frustrating- started with hang fire problems-- very accurate-- had a cyclinder that bluged with factory--much less the +P hand loads- I could shoot a 310 Lee at about 1090 in a 7.5" -- very ac curate-- was not comfortable with the whole thing but like I said it shot well and kicked to high heaven--put pacmeyer grips and the aluminum frame broke-- so I went back to wood-grips and a 260 grain and then sold it to a friend and went back to my .41s- next was a Ruger .454 -whooo weee lots of bang and a wonderfully made 6 gun but did not suit -- so it went and back to .41s and with my wildcats I wil stay there this -- by the way I quit pushing hard in my reloads - nothing but book loads for the colt especially- --which my friend really likes and has taken a number of deer with-some of what I have in the .41 will kick too but I willput them in the .41
What sumkummer said is right on