.41 Mag Reduced Loads

[Cobbler]

Hey Guys and Gals,
I'm pretty new here so if this is in the wrong section please advise where it goes.
I have the notion to pick up a 4" S&W M57 and use it for a local steel plate challenge competition. I now shoot this competition with a 1911 but would like to use a wheel gun too. I have a 8-3/8" M57 so I'm familiar with the round and load my own for it. I currently have 210 & 215 cast boolits to use and was wondering if anyone has light load experience with this round. I have some Power Pistol and Ram Shot Silhouette I'd like to use up for this. I just found a nice load for the .45acp with Power Pistol so I'm sure it could be done, since it's slower than Bullseye and there is data for the .41 using Bullseye. I found some 2 year old threads and articles so I'm hoping more information may be out there for this undergoing I'm attempting. Thanks in advance for any help.

[kweidner]

Try 5.5 grains of trailboss. Super accurate and runs in the mid 700fps in my 4" smith. Very nice round.

[Cobbler]

Trail Boss is definitely on my radar, many good things have been said about this powder in the .41 I was looking for it at a local gun show yesterday but no luck. WOW! 700fps? This is the lowest I've seen so far. Is that a 210g swc?

[Larry Gibson]

Lots of "lite load" experience with the .41 magnum in 4 & 6" S&Ws and Rugers of 4 5/8 - 7 1/2" with 175, 195, 210 and 215 gr cast. You will be much better off with Bullseye in the 850 - 1000 fps range than with either of the other 2 powders. Try 5 - 6 gr.

Larry Gibson

[kweidner]

220k actually. Very nice. Trailboss comes in 9oz cans btw. That nine oz will go 636 rounds and meters like a dream. Just don't run a fan or the "cheerios" will blow away. That's what it looks like tiny cheerios.

[Cobbler]

220k actually. Very nice. Trailboss comes in 9oz cans btw. That nine oz will go 636 rounds and meters like a dream. Just don't run a fan or the "cheerios" will blow away. That's what it looks like tiny cheerios.

So that's why they say it fills the case so nicely......

[Cobbler]

Lots of "lite load" experience with the .41 magnum in 4 & 6" S&Ws and Rugers of 4 5/8 - 7 1/2" with 175, 195, 210 and 215 gr cast. You will be much better off with Bullseye in the 850 - 1000 fps range than with either of the other 2 powders. Try 5 - 6 gr.

Larry Gibson
Cool! I have plenty of that and that's right where I was going to start if I use it....5grains

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use 6.5gr of red dot with a 190gr. WC for 41 Mag revolver.
it's around 1000fps, maybe a little more, I can't recall exactly, I looked in my range notebook but can't find those measurements.
Jon

Very easy shooting out of my RedHawk

[TheGrimReaper]

Try 5.5 grains of trailboss. Super accurate and runs in the mid 700fps in my 4" smith. Very nice round. YES sir. My favorite range load!!!

[tejano]

Others here have posted 8.0 gr of unique or 7.0 gr of W231 as sort of target loads with 210-220 gr cast/plated bullets. I tried them and they worked for me.

[Cobbler]

Thanks so much for the input gentlemen and here's another question with regards to my possible transition. I now have an 8-3/8" barrel, is there any problem working up these suggested loads and running them through this barrel length to see if I even want to to this direction, instead of maybe a M625? Your thoughts?

[kweidner]

I wouldn't hesitate. Should be fine. Long barrel for close up shooting. That's sillywet long!

[Cobbler]

I wouldn't hesitate. Should be fine. Long barrel for close up shooting. That's sillywet long!
Hahahahaha! That's exactly why I purchased this. There was a new outdoor range that opened up below Canton Ohio and I visited it one weekend and watched the "sillywet" competition and said that's what I want to do. But thye way things work I landed a cool gig in NC, moved, and been here 15 years now. I worked up some killer loads for the "sillywet" before I moved and the gun pretty much sat since then. So now that I'm shooting the plate matches I figured why not wheel gun. I can shoot both 1911 and revolver in the same match. It's all for bragging rights with a good bunch of enthusiasts, so what the heck. I've loved the .41 mag and it's probably because not a lot of people shoot it. I hate beaten paths............

[osteodoc08]

I have one of the 41 Flattops and it beats my hand up with the heavy hitters. I've started using TrailBoss under a 220 Keith that is the bees knees. No busted knuckles and fun to shoot.

[Southpaw 72]

Try 7.0-7.5 gr of 700 x under 210 gr boolit. Very accurate out of my 5.5 BH.

[Cobbler]

Check this out.....page-4 http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/PDF/hl264partial1.pdf

[Cobbler]

DANG! Anyone know how hard it is to find Trail Boss?....................jeeeshh

[typz2slo]

I have had good luck with red dot as well under a 210gr swc in a 6 1/2" barrel blackhawk

[Cobbler]

I had good groups with 5.6 and 6.4g Power Pistol pushing a 215g Mastercraft SWC. I ran into my old flyer issue I forgot about. Had some nasty chamber mouth irregularities. I cleaned the holes up with rubber abrasives on a dremel at slow speed. Loading right now to head back to the range and try this again. 9466694667

[Scharfschuetze]

If you have Unique in your powder magazine you can load 7 grains of Unique behind your 210 grain boolit. At about 900 fps out of my 4" Model 58 it's a moderate load, but it will really knock the bowling pins over if you ever try that as a sport. 8 grains of Unique will duplicate the old reduced power "Police Load" with a 210 grain SWC.

Green Dot will also do well between 7 and 8 grains of powder and a 210 grain boolit.

[GunnyJohn]

I use 8 grns of unique and a 210 swc. It clangs the steel well, and will push clear through an elks head at 40yds. Also fairly pleasent to shoot. FWIW.

[Cobbler]

Green Dot will also do well between 7 and 8 grains of powder and a 210 grain boolit.[/QUOTE]
Green Dot.....Good case capacity? They say Trail Bass and Unique have good case capacity, Trail Boss having the best due to its shape. They say it's like loading "Cheerios"

[meeesterpaul]

6.9gr of W231 or HP38 is nice and meters consistently; pretty much to the .1gr each time in a Lee Pro 1000. I'll check my note but it's probably around or just under 800fps.

[osteodoc08]

6.9gr of W231 or HP38 is nice and meters consistently; pretty much to the .1gr each time in a Lee Pro 1000. I'll check my note but it's probably around or just under 800fps.

I just shot some 215gr lead SWC that my father had loaded up with 6.5gr 231. This seems to be lower than the recomended minimum in the hodgdon manual I looked at yesterday. It was very soft shooting and fun.

[Cobbler]

Another hard powder to find for me. I've been looking for 231 for months and months....no luck. Maybe some of the hoarders may come off some in the future...................of my lifetime that is.