Help selecting 41 mag bullets for hunting

[boatbum101]

I have a RBH 6 1/2 " & a Henry Rifle . Since the only mold I have is the NOE 240K which I've been using in the RBH I bought 200 MBW LBT 240 LFNGC for use in the Henry . Since coal that'll feed thru the Henry is too long to chamber in the RBH , I'd either have to shorten coal or use another bullet .
I believe the 240K will do the job but am also thinking about either the LBT 220 WFN or 240 WFN for use in the RBH . My concern is pushing the LBT bullet fast enough to stabilize out to 75 yds ( my limit for a handgun ) . With the rifle that will not be a problem , but believe the LFN will be a better choice for 100 yd limit ( again self-imposed limit ) .
My next concern is alloy choice . The MBW bullets are hard BHN 22 HT . I understand this is to enable the ability to shatter bones but still be ductile enough not to come apart . I use a softer alloy for the 240K like BHN 12 . If I use a GC LBT will a softer alloy work ?
I live in the Panhandle of Florida & my main use will be on Hogs . The Deer here are tiny & I don't shoot them as most are the size of a large dog . I try to take the behind the ear or thru the shoulders shots . So I do want an alloy tough enough to punch thru shoulders .
95% of my hunting has been with CF rifles & jacketed , so I figured it'd be best to get advise from the experts . Any advice or suggestions greatfully accepted . Please also feel free to disabuse me of any self- induced delusion on my part .
I've shot Bullseye Pistol for years & shoot milsurp rifles with cast , but freely admit I know just about enough to get in trouble .

[Todd N.]

I shoot a 4 5/8" .41 mag Blackhawk for hunting and for pleasure. Ages ago I was given some bullets and a load recommendation by a friend that work so well, I've used nothing else since.

It started with the LBT/ Cast Performance 250 grain WFNGC on top of a heavy dose of H110. It shot so accurately that I stuck with it. I never ran this load over a chrono but I believe it to be around 1250 fps or so. Stout. But, that load has worked 100% on every animal I've shot with it. Deer in Oregon and Idaho, cow elk, coyotes, big California pigs, smaller Texas pigs, Arizona desert mulies and javelina have all fallen to this load.

I can't get that bullet any more but I don't care. Experimenting has shown me that ALMOST any quality bullet of the same weight- in a good alloy- will work just as good. I now have Beartooth and Montana Bullet Works versions of the same bullet and they work.

My suggestion is to choose 1 bullet that your Blackhawk likes. 40 years of conversations with other .41 shooters reinforces what I found- the .41 magnum, especially the RBH, loves the 250 grain bullet. It seems to be the perfect weight/ diameter ratio. Others have also told me something else that I learned on my own- the .41 is one of the few cartridges that gets more accurate the faster you push it. I've never owned or loaded for a Henry so I don't know their quirks. I do own a Marlin that shoots this load with gusto so I'm lucky enough to only need 1 load. After you develop your handgun load you can test it in your Henry, and alter it as needed.

As far as alloy is concerned, I prefer 12-18 BHN for these. The Cast Performance bullets were about 22 BHN as are the Beartooths but it has never had a negative impact on bullet performance. MBW will make your bullets out of air cooled lead if you request, and that will get you around 15 BHN but it won't make a difference in how they shoot or kill. They are top shelf bullets made by someone who knows his alloys.

I have mould made by Mountain Molds for my .41 but rarely use it. It is for a Keith-type 240 grain SWC plain base. When I use wheelweight lead and water drop, I get a good hard bullet. I don't know how hard they are and I don't care- they work and don't fail. I have used that bullet on several animals with no complaints.

I think that answered all your questions although it rambled a bit. Again, I have YEARS of experience with the .41 as do others here. Keep asking questions- we love to spread the word about our Red-Headed Stepchild.

[shrapnel]

Don’t over think the 41 mag. I have killed gophers, rabbits antelope and deer with a 41 mag. I learned a long time ago that a 210 grain, hard cast Keith type bullet will work fine when shot well. The larger the meplat, the better. Frontal area on the bullet will always trump alloy in cast bullets for hunting...

[DougGuy]

The LBT WFN and LBT WFNGC are your best choices. No need for expansion or HPs, they make excellent wound channels and pass throughs.




I can't get that bullet any more but I don't care.


As far as alloy is concerned, I prefer 12-18 BHN for these.

Have you tried Montana Bullet Works for these? I second the softer alloy and Veral's soft blue lube from them as well. Call them up and ask if they can make your order in soft alloy/soft lube.

[GLynn41]

The most damaging bullet I have is a .33 255 WLNGC. In one boar and several deer -- 1" in and out with lungs blown up...or badly damaged. 230 gr k work well says sixshot. A .32 wlngc also did well on deer. . On my one the boar { 268 # } the 255 gr hit the edge of the mountain he was on, he was above me.. in his left leg up into the chest and out the top left ribs at 50 steps... 1" holes in his hide... I live in Tn so on deer I am supposed to use expanding bullets, so I use pc'd cup points of 212 and 252 gr

[skeettx]

For the Ruger 41 Blackhawk I use the
OHAUS 41-210-K bullet
210 grain bullet and 10 grains of Unique,
Does all I want it to do.
Mike

[Todd N.]

The LBT WFN and LBT WFNGC are your best choices. No need for expansion or HPs, they make excellent wound channels and pass throughs.



Have you tried Montana Bullet Works for these? I second the softer alloy and Veral's soft blue lube from them as well. Call them up and ask if they can make your order in soft alloy/soft lube.

DougGuy,

I have been a customer of Montana Bullet Works for some time. As time goes by I have less concern about the alloy for my .41 bullets. The 12-18 BHN range that I like is, in all reality, an exercise in academics. I have never noticed the slightest difference in the outcome of my hunts with the .41 based on whether I used hard or soft alloy. My SOLE concern is the accuracy of my chosen bullets.
As I said in a prior post, my .41 mags have a 100% success rate from my first shot on an Oregon Whitetail in 1977 to the rabid coyote I put down near McCall, Idaho Halloween weekend.

[boatbum101]

Thanks gentlemen . Definately overthinking . The 240K shoots good in the RBH , rather it'll feed thru the Henry is another point . Some have had problems with SWC feeding in Henry rifles . I'm not sure a GC is needed for the Ruger , but it probably won't hurt . I'll also try the heavier WFN . Once I find a bullet I'll get Veral to make me a mould . Then I can try different alloys .

[Larry Gibson]

You'll want a GC'd bullet to maximize performance in the rifle. I suggest looking at the following Accurate moulds;

41-225CG
41-225G
41-250G

All will stabilize with magnum loads in your RBH but you don't state the twist in the Henry so I'm not sure there but suspect they'll be fine. With the GC'd bullets cast of say, COWW + 2% tin and then mixed 50/50 with lead, and using top end (for the RBH) loads any of those bullets should do quite well as to feeding and performance in the Henry and be deadly on hogs.

[PositiveCaster]

Henry rifles in .41 Magnum have a 1:18” twist which will be just fine for the OP’s bullet choices. He won’t need high velocities. The WFN designs are shorter than other styles thus are even easier to stabilize.



.

[fcvan]

Dad bought a 4" M57 41M back in the 1970s. He cast a SAECO 418 Keith style boolit advertised at 220 but runs a bit heavier if I recall. Along the way, he bought an 8 3/8" M57 which was my favorite. My brother liked the 6" and he also gifted dad a 6" to round out his collection. Dad found me a 'used' M57 8 3/8" which turned out to be unfired. There's a story there but this is about molds.

I liked the Keith boolit but preferred the SAECO 410 TCGC which does cast 220gr. We were kind of stuck on SAECO because they were in Carpenteria, CA, which was 20 miles down the road at the time. I don't remember when they left CA, but that doesn't matter.

The Keith style boolit barely fit the cylinders of the M57 when crimped to the groove. My brother loaded some for me (I was at work) and dad was coming up for a visit. The Keith did not feed well in my Marlin 1894 but fed well in his 10" TC Contender, go figure. In fact, when I tried to load from the Marlin tube, the lifter would not raise. I had to turn the gun up side down and wiggle it to get it out. I checked the crimp and noticed the problem. I then reminded him why I bought the TC mold.

I only have one 41 mold that is plain based and that is a Lee TL-410-210 SWC I have never used. I horse traded with a vet just back from the sand box who couldn't find 45ACP dies to save his butt. This was during the madness of no ammo on the shelves and scarce reloading equipment. I had 2 sets, he had scrounged some molds for calibers he didn't shoot. I felt like I was helping a brother out. I will cast from them when I get the chance, the other is TL 429-208 WC which is one of my wife's pet calibers. At 1000fps, the WC will be a pig thumper.

Cutting to the chase, at least 40 cal, at least 200 grains, at least 1000fps, is a deadly combo. Back in the late 1800s, the 38-40WCF was deadly, 38-40 actually being a 40 cal boolit. Fun to shoot, I have a Vaquero with a 5 1/2" bbl. I would love to get a lever or single shot in 38-40. The 38-40 was basically a necked down 45 Colt using the same 40gr charge of FFFG which gave the Colt about 1000fps from the 7/12" bbl. Having said that, the 38-40 with a 5 1/2" gave 1000fps, much more from a carbine. My 5 1/2" Vaquero in 45 with 'Colt' loads do much better out of my 20" carbine.

Your guns are modern, slower powders do very well in .41M. Try 4227 using recommended loads in your 41s and you will find great success. I've shot many loads with Unique which also worked well. Check recommended loads at Alliant for Unique, and Hodgden for the 4227. As far as alloys, we shot a lot of COWW as it was plentiful. I shot a lot of reclaimed lead from the range at work and that was mostly swaged hollow based wadcutters as are practice ammo was 38 S&W. That stuff was rather soft, but with Javalina and a gas check they shot fine, even the greater velocities from the Marlin. Today, I shoot similarly soft alloy at greater velocity but I powder coat. Before powder coating, I made gas checks from soda cans for plain based boolits. Now I can run PB boolits at high velocity without gas checks.

At least 40 cal, at least 200 grains, at least 1000 fps, but to be honest; 41 Mag, at 220 grains, at 1200 feet per second, is a major pig thumper. Happy shooting! Frank

[RugerFan]

I also have .41 mags in the Ruger BH and Henry Big Boy Steel (also a Ruger SBHH). The Henry was the most recent acquisition and when doing load testing, a Mountain Molds 240 gn Keith was the most accurate pushed by IMR 4227. I have taken a couple GA hogs years ago with that bullet and it performed well. I have every intention of using it in the Henry to hunt as well.

[cainttype]

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=40_218&products_id=2183&osCsid=m28qvptgvouc3hkrc1hrpspbl0

It is also available gas-checked, and/or HPed.

[hockeynick39]

I'll second Larry Gibson's post. However, I am a PB guy and use PB checks on my boolits. That being said, I had a Lyman 410610 converted to a PB and it now drops at about 235 gr. At the same time as that conversion, I sent Erik Ohlen an Accurate 41-250A turned into a hollow point. In my S&W 57, 4 inch barrel, I load both with 9 gr. Unique or Vihtavuori N340 and in my Ruger SBBH, 7 1/2 inch barrel, I use 16 gr. A2400. I also alternate the loads in the cylinder with the first shot being a hollowpoint and the follow up (if needed) as a solid. Just got my property, so I don't have any solid data on animal performance yet. Good luck and stay safe!

[sixshot]

Over the years I've taken somewhere around 30 muleys & white tails with my 41's, mostly using a 230gr Keith from a Saeco mould, along with 4 elk. In the last few years I've taken around 10 deer using a Miha 213 gr GC HP for deer using 8 grs of Unique. This load in my short guns usually gives me around 1050 fps.
A couple of months ago I took this depredation doe at 88 yds with an OM shorty with one of these bullets, one shot & an instant drop. She's in photo #1. I just got the other photo's from a friend in Texas using one of my bullets to take a buck at 42 yds. It broke the right front leg, almost cut the heart in half & was lodged under the hide on the left side. The bullet expanded to .760" This was a powder coated bullet.
https://i.imgur.com/wkpujV5h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Rmibv47h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/m69wlsqh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/141Pe5Hh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/PTDu88qh.jpg

Dick

[Good Cheer]

Henry decided not to chamber .41 in their single shots.
So, here's the new companion to the Blackhawk. Haven't worked up loads yet.
252535
Over the years developed loads in the Blackhawk to take advantage of the Ruger's strength and the cylinder length, going long on the cartridge length to have more powder space. Don't know yet how such will work out with the single shot.

The number one biggest item for me with lever actions chambered for revolver cartridges was always feeding, how well the cartridges function with the selected bullet.
As in:
How does the lever action do with feeding various molds?
What's your maximum over all length?
How big of a flat can you have on your boolit nose?

[Texas by God]

Did you have that barrel rebored or lined to get there? Very interesting.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Good Cheer]

Shopped around for a heavy barreled rifle and got it rebored.
Gonna go for a bore rider to minimize lead in the powder space. Will need a very heavy crimp for the Blackhawk.