[ChristopherG]

Hey all, I'm thinking of using a 41 mag in shooting games of various kinds and wondering: just how slow/low can you load a .41 mag and still get reliable ignition/pressure and good accuracy?

To get down to 800 fps, would you have to cut some brass down to a .41 'special' length and work up a different load? Or have any of you got easy-shooting target loads to share? Thanks--
cg

[Mike Irwin]

Just use a lesser amount of a faster powder such as 231.

If you start having problems with ignition/squibs, the easiest solution is to experiment with seating your bullets slightly deeper and/or increasing the crimp until the situation resolves itself.

Many years ago there was an article in American Rifleman about an experiment such as this, and I think they got a .38 Spl. case with a lead 158-gr. bullet down to about 450 to 500 fps. out of a 4" barrel. Any lower than that and the bullets would occasionally stick in the bore.

I'm figuring you could possibly do about the same out of a .41 Mag.

[caz223]

I wish you'd asked a day or two earlier.
Yesterday, I bumped into a older gentleman at the range shooting various .41s.
He had arthritis, and loaded his own with unique.
It still boomed, but had no muzzle flash, and didn't have the ground-shaking effect of my hot H110 loads.
Alliant's website lists unique loads that max out around 10 grains.
I think he loaded 7 grains of unique.
No idea on COL or primers, the bullets be had were laser-cast, and old hornady XTP non hollow point style which are now discontinued.
Prolly 210s.
He said that he also shot them in his marlin carbine, but he didn't have it with him at the time.

Warning: none of the loads in any of my books list anything under 8 grains of unique.

[stans]

I would recommend powders no slower than Unique. Bullseye or W-231 might also do well for light loads in 41 Magnum, they work well in light loads for 357 and 44 Magnum. A good crimp would be a good idea too, this will help insure uniform ballistics.

[CMcDermott]

All applicable warnings about loads being hotter than the load books apply to my load that I use for Cowboy Shooting - because it''s lower than anything I could find in the load books. A particular danger would be squibs that would leave a bullet in the barrel. Use this data at your own risk.

Generic 215 cast lead SWC, WLP primer, 5.0 grains of Titegroup, Starline brass trimmed to 1.275", COL of 1.585"

Note that I had quite a few short cases in the 500 I bought from Starline, so I trimmed them all down to a little shorter than standard so the lengths were all equal. I use Reddings Profile Crimp die, and when I accidently left out the powder one time during load development, the bullets never moved out of the crimp even though the primers went off, backed out, and tied up my revolver (A 7.5" Redhawk that I use for load development).

This is the minimum load I'm willing to use as it leaves the last 1/2" of the case blackened on the outside, indicating there's not enough pressure to seal the case against the cylinder wall. It runs about 800 fps out of my 7.5" Bisleys, not sure what it runs out of my Marlin 1894, but it feeds without any problem in my rifle. I got the idea for this load from Hodgdon's webpage on Cowboy loads for the 44 Mag - if 5.0 grains worked for a lead 200 gr 44 bullet I figured it would work even better for a 215 41 bullet.

[ChristopherG]

Great data and suggestions, all. I'll be sure to work down carefully and watch for problems such as CMcDermott warns of.

Do many folks shoot .41 mag in cowboy matches?

cg

[oscar]

I have loaded the 41 for many years and my standard load is 7.0 of Unique. It is light and accurate. I am sure that you could go loader with Unique or try 231 as someone else suggested.

[MatthewVanitas]

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt41spec.htm

Taffin takes the .41 Spl down to as low as:

"CAST BULLET LOADS

BULL-X 215 SWC LYMAN 220 KEITH

LOAD MV MV

5.0 GR. UNIQUE 798* 791

*MOST ACCURATE LOADS, LESS THAN 1 1/2" FOR FIVE SHOTS @ 25 YARDS"